Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 797 › Conversation 797-023

Nixon, Copley & Krulak on Media relations and Press coverage

Friday, October 13, 1972 · 4:06 PM–4:33 PM ET · Oval Office · 11 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Copley, James S.; Copley, James S. (Mrs.); Krulak, Victor H.; Warren, Gerald L.; White House photographer; Bull, Stephen B.Conversation797-023 on Tape 797StartFriday, October 13, 1972 at 4:06 PMEndFriday, October 13, 1972 at 4:33 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 797-023 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with newspaper publisher James S. Copley and his wife, Helen, along with Victor Krulak and Gerald Warren to discuss media relations and the President's perspective on the press. During the conversation, Nixon critiqued the editorial leanings of major national newspapers like the Washington Post and the New York Times, contrasting them with the more balanced coverage he perceived in the Washington Star. The meeting concluded with a presentation of gifts, including presidential mementos and a discussion of various diplomatic artifacts displayed in the Oval Office.

Audio

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NARA Description

On October 13, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, James S. Copley, Mrs. James S. Copley, Victor H. Krulak, Gerald L. Warren, White House photographer, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:06 pm to 4:33 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 797-023 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 797-23

Date: October 13, 1972
Time: 4:06 pm - 4:33 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with James S. and Helen (Kinney) Copley, Victor H. Krulak, and Gerald L.
Warren. The White House photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting.

        Greetings

        [Photograph session]
            -Oliver F. (”Ollie”) Atkins
            -James and Helen Copley’s schedule
                -Associated Press Broadcasting Association [APBA]
                     -New York

        James Copley papers
           -Support during the President’s political career
           -The President's recent conversation with Samuel I. Newhouse
               -California
           -Washington Post, New York Times
           -The President’s previous trip to Atlanta
           -San Diego

        The President's reading of news stories
            -Washington Post
            -News Summaries
            -Washington Post and New York Times
                -Editorials
                -Columns
                     -Congressmen and Senators
            -Washington Star
                     -The President’s view
                -Washington Post
                -Democrat National Committee [DNC]
                -Pentagon Papers
                -Katharine L. Graham
                     -Relationship with James and Helen Copley

        Press relations

             -The President’s November 3, 1969 speech
             -Hard hats
                 -The US flag
Show the rest of the log (87 more lines)
             -New left
             -National defense
             -US international responsibilities
             -US economic system
             -Washington Post and New York Times
             -Washington Post
                 -Sports pages
             -San Diego Union
                 -Editorials
                      -News Summaries
                      -Cartoons
                          -George S. McGovern
                               -Vietnam
                 -Vietnam speech, October 10, 1972
                      -Cambodia and Laos
                          -North Vietnamese
                               -Soviet Union tanks

        Refreshment
            -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon

*****************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 14m 37s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

*****************************************************************

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 4:06 pm.

        The President's schedule
            -Henry A. Kissinger

Bull left at an unknown time before 4:33 pm.

        Gift presentation

*****************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 16s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

*****************************************************************

        Gift presentation
             -Cuff links
                  -Presidential seal
             -Pin
                  -Presidential seal

*****************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 5s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3

*****************************************************************

        Gifts on display in Oval Office
            -Carpet
            -Head of state
                 -Vase
                      -Kakuei Tanaka
            -Edward M. Boehm bird sculpture
            -Walter H. Annenberg

                 -Stueben Glass
                 -“Star of the President”
             -Dwarf tree
                 -Peking
             -Jade elephant

         John B. Connally’s television appearance

         James Copley’s health

         Krulak

James Copley et al. left at 4:33 pm.

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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Hello, how are you?
Nice to see you again.
How are you?
Nice to see you again.
You have pressure right here.
Pressure.
Like that.
All right.
All right.
Well, there has to be A-S-P-A.
A-S-P-A?
No.
A-S-P-A.
A-S-P-A.
A-S-P-A.
A-S-P-A.
A-S-P-A.
A-S-P-A.
But we're having a meeting at the board of the Association of Press.
I know it's what you want.
I know.
I remember five years ago.
It should have been us.
We've got to do it.
Wow.
Well, let me say it.
I'm sure I can't do all of this stuff.
I wish I could copy all of our papers.
I'm sure I can do all of this stuff.
I'm sure I can do all of this stuff.
And I was talking to him, and he said, what's your favorite telephone?
And he said, well, it's the number of my ex-comrades and stuff.
And I said, well, sure.
And he said, what's your favorite piece?
And I said, well, I have to say, it's certainly reassuring, you know, people who live in this town have to wake up and be watching the post at quite a few other times.
And then you get out into the country, one day in my time, I went to Atlanta yesterday.
It's a different world out there.
It's a different world in San Diego than it is here.
Do you read the Washington Post?
Not about the television.
Of course, I have, it's there.
But what I do, we have a news summary, unfortunately, which covers the country.
And also covers the television.
So I read that, and that gives me a good feeling.
As far as the editorial portion,
their own.
It's the same thing with the Times.
You have to read their news columns due to the fact that that's what the Congressman and Senator read.
So you've got to know what other people are being exposed to, but I don't even use it because they are advocates rather than reporters.
I don't want those advocates on our side.
They've been completely out of the
The paper we most of us read here, we're trying to get some sort of balance to the Star.
The Star, in fact, is a much more balanced paper.
It always has a mood to it.
Yes.
And the Post is just, you know, just an orderly thing.
Democratic National Committee in the middle of the time.
And that goes with the country.
I mean, there's the Pentagon Papers, or I think I can think of their... Oh, yeah.
But you agree that it's hard.
No, she's also repulsive.
I mean that from a personal perspective.
Sort of swapping.
just doesn't have any of the family graces, apart from our parents.
I really like the community people that have family graces.
Absolutely.
John, I went to work, I always around here, ever since I made that speech, I've always been here.
I hear it all the time.
Here it is, the press out here so much.
They hate it.
I don't know anything about it.
You're kidding.
All these people are people.
You know why?
Because the hard hats wear a flag.
They think the hard hats look illiterate, and also that they're for the country.
These people aren't for the country.
You walk into that question, but they still agree.
Now, when I say these people, there are three or four out there who don't want that.
Eight or ten.
They're basically, I don't think they're just want it.
give up our responsibility to the world and want to tear our nation out of existence.
It's almost untold.
We will not believe.
I'd say a couple times a week, that's what I do.
I do cartoons.
I do cartoons.
We went there to save ourselves, and there she was.
We got our guys across the border, and that these were not their own wage.
These are simply simple peasant girls.
with what the Soviet tanks ate
Always good.
I appreciate it.
You see, the way this is done...
Those are bean birds, of course, that we were given to the White House.
And here's a lovely thing from somebody you know, Walter Hansen.
He had that made, he had this made by Susan.
It's a seal.
The only one in the world I do, of course, the presidential seal in the stock.
But I think that's really nice.
It's that tree.
Dwarf trees are not unusual.
Oh, that's a 38-year-old.
That's a 38-year-old.
Oh, sure.
You know, that would be that.
It's this one, too.
That's a Dwarf Creek.
All of those trees were brought all the way.
You sent us a J-Gel.
You got the all... We didn't have a rope in the plane to bring anything back.
And that help was not as good as it used to be.
But it was from us.
Absolutely.
Well, we wish you the very best
I don't want to be in a position where I say, well, I've seen it and I've proven it or not, but I know you're going to like it from what I've heard.
Thank you.
Keep the faith.
Well, I'm glad to see you.
I know.
Get that over in your spirit now.
Are you going to tell the people something?
Yeah, I'm happy.
That's bad.
I don't know about it.

Also recorded on October 13, 1972

  • 797-019 4:03 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:03 pm and 4:04 pm.
  • 797-020 4:04 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:04 pm to 4:05 pm.
  • 797-021 4:04 PM · 41 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Gerald L. Warren met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:04 pm and 4:05 pm.
  • 797-022 4:05 PM · 40 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:05 pm to 4:06 pm.
  • 797-024 4:33 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:33 pm and 4:35 pm.
  • 797-025 4:33 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:33 pm and 4:39 pm.
  • 797-026 4:33 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:33 pm and 4:39 pm.
  • 797-027 4:33 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:33 pm and 4:39 pm.

All 50 conversations from October 13, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 797-023, October 13, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/797-023 (accessed November 2, 2026).