Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 697 › Conversation 697-006

Nixon, Ziegler & Woods on Press Relations and Media Management

Thursday, March 30, 1972 · 11:30 AM–11:32 AM ET · Oval Office · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.; Woods, Rose MaryConversation697-006 on Tape 697 (tape position 01:57:41–02:00:45)StartThursday, March 30, 1972 at 11:30 AMEndThursday, March 30, 1972 at 11:32 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 697-006 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Press Secretary Ronald L. Ziegler and personal secretary Rose Mary Woods to coordinate upcoming press logistics and limit the duration of presidential photo opportunities. Nixon expressed frustration over previous media encounters, specifically citing meetings with the American Cancer Society and King Hussein of Jordan, and directed Ziegler to keep upcoming sessions brief to avoid unproductive small talk. The group ultimately decided to restrict press coverage to wire services to ensure minimal disruption to the President’s schedule.

Audio

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Position in tape: 01:57:41 – 02:00:45

part A, 1:57:39

697a.mp3
697b.mp3
697c.mp3

NARA Description

On March 30, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:30 am to 11:32 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 697-006 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 697-6

Date: March 30, 1972
Time: 11:30 am - 11:32 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.

     The President's schedule
          -Press
               -Meeting with American Cancer Society representatives
                      -Compared to Hussein ibn Talal [Hussein, King of Jordan] meeting
                           -Length of availability to press
                      -Retarded child [Kevin Heald]
                      -[Calvin Hill]
               -Wire services
               -Length of availability to press
                      -Hussein meeting
                      -American Cancer Society meeting
                      -Meeting with Heald

Rose Mary Woods entered at an unknown time after 11:30 am.

     Meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Oliver W. Rudd, Jr. ["Julia Meade"]

Ziegler and Woods left.

Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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I want to tell you, would you be sure to answer some of these in the future today?
I'm sure they would come a little quicker.
And Jordan, they've been here an awful long time.
And when we sit there, they, in our face, I don't want to press in for a length of time.
I don't want to take their picture and get out.
Because there's no place in us sitting around trying to make a small talk.
Do you think so?
Well, particularly with the cancer thing, the reason I like the door thing, I don't know if all the birds they can use that to build and talk under to kill you with the game, but... Oh, perhaps.
No, no, no.
And they did use it.
The exception... No, not the...
I didn't feel it was the exception.
I mean, maybe this kind of stuff.
Well, particularly.
We'll do this one.
This is the two wires.
That's all we need.
We don't need to redo it.
That's what we did the other day.
Very quickly.
Because they never used it.
But...
Well, they do what they do.
But if I like what the case is saying, I kind of give them about 40 seconds.
If not, it's just a waste of your time.
No, thank you.
In other words, it's not for our benefit at all.
It's not for our benefit.
It's only for the benefit of some promoter here in town.
Yes sir, thank you.

Also recorded on March 30, 1972

  • 022-049 11:28 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 11:28 am.
  • 022-050 11:28 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:28 am and 11:39 am.
  • 697-005 11:28 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:28 am and 11:30 am.
  • 697-007 11:32 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:32 am and 11:34 am.
  • 697-008 11:34 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Oliver W. Rudd, Jr., Mrs. Oliver W. Rudd, Jr., Alice D. Rudd, Caroline M. Rudd, Rose Mary Woods, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:34 am to 11:39 am.
  • 022-051 11:39 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone from 11:39 am to 11:42 am.
  • 697-009 11:39 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 11:39 am.
  • 697-010 11:39 AM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 11:39 am.

All 56 conversations from March 30, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 697-006, March 30, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/697-006 (accessed October 28, 2026).