{"conversationCode":"786-001","tapeNumber":786,"conversationNumber":1,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-786-001","startDateTime":"1972-09-25T13:08:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1972-09-25T13:14:00.000Z","startDate":"25-Sep-1972","startTime":"9:08 AM","endDate":"25-Sep-1972","endTime":"9:14 AM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Woods, Rose Mary;","description":"On September 25, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:08 am to 9:14 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 786-001 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"OVAL","recordingDevice":"Oval Office","latitudeEstimated":38.8974,"longitudeEstimated":-77.0374,"chronCode":4,"chronRelease":"Fourth Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"10-Dec-2003","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 786-1\n\nDate: September 25, 1972\nTime: 9:08 am - 9:14 am\nLocation: Oval Office\n\nThe President met with Rose Mary Woods.\n\n*****************************************************************\n\nBEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1\n[Personal returnable]\n[Duration: 4m 33s     ]\n\nEND WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1\n\n*****************************************************************\n\n             White House staff\n                -Constance M. (Cornell) (“Connie”) Stuart\n                    -Ronald L. Ziegler\n                -Ziegler\n                    -Job performance\n                -The President's work at Camp David\n                    -Press coverage\n                         -1972 election\n                              -Timing\n                -Speeches, economic policy\n                -Public opinion\n\nWoods left at 9:14 am.\n\n                                                 Conversation no. 786-2\n\nDate: September 25, 1972\nTime: 9:24 am - 9:39 am\nLocation: Oval Office\n\nThe President met with Henry A. Kissinger.\n\n            Kissinger’s schedule\n\n            Prisoners of war [POWs]\n                -Release of three Americans\n                     -George S. McGovern’s accusation\n                         -Telegram from peace groups\n                              -Civilian airplanes\n                         -Hanoi\n                              -Propaganda\n                         -Melvin R. Laird’s reply\n                              -Hanoi\n                                  -Propaganda\n                     -Telegram\n                         -Civilian airplanes\n                         -Administration reply\n                              -Telegram\n                                  -Defense Department\n                     -Fate upon return\n                     -Administration telegram\n                         -Tone\n                         -US officials\n                         -Defense Depratment\n                     -Ronald L. Ziegler’s possible statement\n                     -McGovern\n                     -Return to families\n                     -Propaganda\n                     -McGovern\n                         -Ziegler\n                              -Presentation of facts, Administration policy\n\n*****************************************************************\n\nBEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2\n\n[Personal returnable]\n[Duration: 1m 36s     ]\n\nEND WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2\n\n*****************************************************************\n\n            Vietnam negotiations\n                -Recent release of three American POWs\n                -Bombing\n                     -Public opinion\n                -Kissinger’s considered action\n                -Air war policy\n                     -Laird\n                     -Adm. Thomas H. Moorer\n                         -Report\n                              -Timing\n                     -Post 1972 election policy coordination of air war\n                         -Gen. John W. Vogt, Jr.\n                     -[Hanoi]\n                -Conduct of Kissinger\n                     -Le Duc Tho\n                         -Views of the President on POW release\n                              -Ultimatum\n                                   -Advisability\n                         -Violation of agreement\n                         -The President’s warnings\n                              -Offensive\n                              -POWs\n                         -Future negotiations\n                              -POWs\n                                   -Hanoi\n                -Use of POWs\n                     -Speeches\n\n*****************************************************************\n\nBEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4\n[Personal returnable]\n\n[Duration: 2m 24s    ]\n\nEND WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4\n\n*****************************************************************\n\n                McGovern’s family\n                   -[Terry McGovern]\n                       -Marijuana use\n                   -[Susan McGovern]\n                       -James Rowen\n                            -Hobart Rowen\n                            -New Mexico\n\n*****************************************************************\n\nBEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6\n[Personal returnable]\n[Duration: 37s        ]\n\nEND WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6\n\n*****************************************************************\n\n            Kissinger's schedule\n                -Alexander M. Haig, Jr.\n\n            The President's schedule\n                -California\n\n            Kissinger’s schedule\n                -Forthcoming telephone call to the President\n\n            Vietnam negotiations\n                -Rationality of North Vietnamese\n                -1972 election\n\n                      -Ultimatum\n                           -Bombing\n                  -Haig\n                      -Nguyen Van Thieu\n                      -Post-1972 election military plans\n\nKissinger left at 9:39 am.","filename":["786-001.mp3"],"tapeStart":"","tapeEnd":"","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Woods, Rose Mary"],"prevCode":"785-004","nextCode":"786-002","transcript":[{"start":12.02,"end":13.76,"text":"What the hell does Conley do?"},{"start":14.16,"end":17.62,"text":"She's awful, but she's just too smart, you know."},{"start":20.12,"end":21.78,"text":"And it doesn't, he has to be alone."},{"start":21.8,"end":22.74,"text":"He has to be alone."},{"start":23.1,"end":24.5,"text":"Or Dronson has to be alone."},{"start":24.76,"end":26.64,"text":"And he has to be tough with it."},{"start":26.66,"end":27.92,"text":"Dronson."},{"start":28.08,"end":31.86,"text":"The main thing about him is that he is so terribly cool."},{"start":31.88,"end":34.34,"text":"He's good for me, you know."},{"start":34.66,"end":37.24,"text":"He never comes in all the time."},{"start":37.76,"end":38.46,"text":"He always does it."},{"start":39.54,"end":40.54,"text":"He's got guts."},{"start":40.86,"end":45.41,"text":"I say, I don't want to do this."},{"start":47.03,"end":47.81,"text":"But he's cool."},{"start":48.05,"end":48.67,"text":"He's smart."},{"start":49.49,"end":51.15,"text":"And he goes out in front of those people."},{"start":51.73,"end":53.95,"text":"And if I tell him, Brown, you can't say that."},{"start":53.99,"end":54.89,"text":"You've got to just say that."},{"start":55.21,"end":57.41,"text":"He doesn't try or slip off of it."},{"start":57.43,"end":57.61,"text":"No."},{"start":57.95,"end":58.77,"text":"Boy, he is great."},{"start":58.89,"end":59.65,"text":"He is amazing."},{"start":59.85,"end":61.01,"text":"He is absolutely wonderful."},{"start":61.21,"end":64.42,"text":"I think it was a terribly tough job."},{"start":65.58,"end":67.72,"text":"But I'll keep working on the other one."},{"start":68.48,"end":72,"text":"Well, we have to tell all of our people that, right?"},{"start":73.18,"end":75.7,"text":"No, you only get six long weeks that you know you've given him."},{"start":75.82,"end":76.68,"text":"That's what they say anyway."},{"start":76.7,"end":84.37,"text":"You know, like, you go on a campaign with several of them, you know?"},{"start":84.77,"end":85.35,"text":"What did you say?"},{"start":85.39,"end":92.01,"text":"You don't get six long weeks to even be concerned with whether they say that you can't make it or not."},{"start":92.53,"end":93.27,"text":"Yeah, I know."},{"start":93.95,"end":95.37,"text":"I understand."},{"start":96.73,"end":102.35,"text":"And I think most people still don't have anything to come out of it."},{"start":102.41,"end":106.31,"text":"You've worked on hard speeches, the economic policy and all that."},{"start":106.43,"end":108.39,"text":"I think most people think you work for your head up."},{"start":109.57,"end":110.39,"text":"So there's no doubt."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon and his personal secretary, Rose Mary Woods, discussed personnel management and the public perception of the President's recent work at Camp David. The conversation centered on the job performance of press secretary Ronald Ziegler and the necessity of maintaining a disciplined, composed public image during the 1972 election campaign. Nixon expressed high regard for Ziegler's “cool” demeanor and effectiveness in handling press interactions, while Woods emphasized the importance of public messaging regarding the President’s focus on economic policy and speech preparation.","topics":["Ronald Ziegler","1972 Presidential Campaign","Public Relations","Camp David","Economic Policy","Personnel Management"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-07T23:38:05.082Z"},"topicSlugs":["ronald-ziegler","1972-presidential-campaign","public-relations","camp-david","economic-policy","personnel-management"],"audioDurationSec":115,"audioFiles":[{"file":"786-001.mp3","bytes":2758529,"durationSec":114.87,"bitrate":192120,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:57.945Z","findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:44:33.143Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/786-001.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/786-001","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/786/conversation-786-001","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}