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Conversation 805-004

TapeTape 805StartThursday, October 19, 1972 at 10:55 AMEndThursday, October 19, 1972 at 11:02 AMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Ziegler, Ronald L.Recording deviceOval Office
AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler coordinate the administration's messaging for an upcoming press briefing, focusing on the legislative performance of the current Congress. Nixon instructs Ziegler to characterize Congress's record as a "mixed bag" while highlighting a poor "batting average" on major domestic programs like welfare reform, excluding the success of revenue sharing. They also briefly discuss strategy regarding a potential debate between the President and George McGovern and the need to emphasize the non-partisan nature of the administration's legislative goals.

White House Press BriefingLegislative ProgramRevenue SharingWelfare Reform1972 Presidential CampaignCongressional Relations
AudioNARA Description

On October 19, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:55 am to 11:02 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 805-004 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 805-4
Date: October 19, 1972
Time: 10:55 am - 11:02 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.

        Ziegler's press briefing
            -Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT] II announcement
            -Legislative programs
                  -Congress
                  -Revenue sharing
                  -Welfare reform
                  -John D. Ehrlichman
                      -Forthcoming meeting
                  -Handling in briefing
                      -Timing
                  -Revenue sharing
                  -Administration's goals
                      -Congressional action
                           -Environmental issues
                                -Ehrlichman
                                -Number of bills
                           -Health
                           -Baseball analogy
                           -Wire service lead on story
                           -Non-partisan nature of comments in briefing
                           -Rating on issues other than revenue sharing
                           -The President’s 1972 State of the Union message
                  -Possible debate between the President and George S. McGovern
                      -1964 campaign
                           -McGovern’s position
                                -Associated Press [AP], Aldo B. (“Elbow”) Beckman
                      -Statements by Clark MacGregor, Robert J. Dole

                                       (rev.Nov-03)

Ziegler left at 11:02 am.
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

I think what I'll do is to say that the President is somewhat disappointed in the fact that many of the major programs that he's submitted over the last four years have not been enacted and refer to special revenue sharing welfare reform.
I wonder if that's the order.
I wonder if this is the order.
I wonder if this is the order.
I wonder if this is the order.
Yeah, well, early one's coming out at 3 o'clock, but I don't want to say anything.
There's no reason to get this without being quite a substance.
Well, we can get some lights in from 11 to 3, but if we wait, we can wait until then.
Then you're going to start with that nice deal of lights.
I have to say that it's well-based, that one, this Congress had one major achievement in the measure of PSI, revenue sharing.
This Congress was very stressful.
And you say it was, and I say it was, I'd start to say it was a mixed bag.
Revenue sharing was very stressful, but its performance on the other three goals, the President's
Yeah, sure.
had a batting average of less than 200.
And that means, put it that way, on the whole legislative program, the President's, which he pointed out in the beginning of this year, had no partisan implications.
That the congressional batting average was less than 200.
This is enough for me.
You know what I mean?
I just want the wire to leave the room.
I think that some... We need to bench some of those against some of the current members.
But say it.
I want to have a say.
I want to say this in the heart of the sense.
Because...
I'm not sure we don't put it in terms of equality.
I understand, Senator, correct me if I'm saying it in a partisan sense.
But I can say that the record of this Congress indicates the necessity for some good blood in Congress.
Less than satisfactory would be the quote that they would use.
It was a mixed bag, but in the domestic field, except for revenue sharing.
It has to be rated as poor.
is Congress batting 200 on this program, bipartisan program.
But no one seems to be picking up this thing.
We peddled it all around and gave it to AP and defected it in 1964.
The question is, I wonder if I could raise that up.
My reaction is not to debate it, but it's too hard.
Don't just say no.
We've commented on that.
I have nothing more to say.
Okay.
We got it.
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