Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 815 › Conversation 815-015

Nixon & Ziegler on Public relations and Camp David

Friday, November 24, 1972 · 11:38 AM–11:44 AM ET · Oval Office · 6 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation815-015 on Tape 815StartFriday, November 24, 1972 at 11:38 AMEndFriday, November 24, 1972 at 11:44 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 815-015 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler to coordinate the public messaging and logistics for an upcoming trip to New York and the subsequent presidential retreat at Camp David. The two discussed how to frame the New York visit to minimize unwanted press intrusion while framing the break as a necessary respite following the intensity of post-election reorganization. Furthermore, they strategized on using Camp David as a functional extension of the White House for announcing second-term administrative appointments to project a sense of stability and active governance.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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We intend to cover this with a small pool in New York, just a basic 10-man pool.
I'm sure once you're there, there'll be other press around, but we can handle it like we have before without much.
I've got to be sure that somebody is there.
I'll be there with that officer.
Just so that I just want to be sure that I don't want to be caught by somebody with a mic.
And if you could go, I'll be down at the farm.
You can call it a little bit of a restaurant, a theater tonight.
We'll handle it the way we have to.
I don't know about the barricades.
No, with regard to time.
I'm just going to say we just went there for, uh, I don't know what the hell you say you're going for.
Well, what I'd like to do, Mr. President, is to say that since Election Day, you have been working on...
restructuring and reorganization and the transition to the second term.
You decided that you'd take a break this weekend to take the family to New York?
I'd like to say take a break from the work.
I haven't had constant touch with you and I haven't given instructions to him on everything.
But I mean, we continue to make that point.
Okay.
The, uh, we're back for lunch later.
I should go by 9.
We'll probably go to Cote Blanche for one of the two races.
I'm going to leave all that loose.
Yeah, I'll leave the flight out loose.
Until about 9.
I'm not going to hang on.
I'm not going to leave you back there.
I'm not going to stay all the way there.
Well, when I do go to the law firm and say why you didn't do my will, is that she had never been there since the election.
And I guess it was an option for someone who was supposed to say hello to his old colleagues.
Anyway, you haven't been there since the first election.
That's right, since the election of 68, right?
Well, you guys up there, if you just want to say hello to everybody, if you just want to say hello to your old colleagues.
If a guy does jump up, I'll always be there, but you know, they sometimes sneak out of somewhere else.
Would you stand while Buckley always has me, or give me him a second?
I'll handle that.
Any questions, everyone?
Okay, I'm leaving your plans loose until you decide for next week.
They'll say, well, I think I will return to the campaign.
Good.
I got it.
We decided that the president will return, and we'll resume his meetings at the campaign.
I talked to Bob earlier about this.
If we could begin, if you're ready, if we could begin to make some announcements in Camp David next week, that really solidifies the whole Camp David scene.
Well, we've been thinking about possibly announcing the entire camp in the next year in Camp David.
It would be excellent.
Yes, sir.
Or even in a series of steps.
But I don't necessarily remember.
You see, we did the hair.
I suppose you could put heaters in there.
Oh, they're hangers, sir.
It's heated up.
You could take the hanger, set the thing up, and so forth and so on.
If I could press up, and they could get a hell of a pool up there and have them come up.
They'd all come up.
They'd all come up.
We'd have them filed out of here, and they'd trade on there, and I'm going to announce it again, and have lunch on it.
Or there's a bunch of briefs and all that.
Well, however you decide.
I just think that cabinets...
You did it in a unique way in 68 or 69.
It's been done a lot of different ways.
This solidifies the whole Camp David thing.
It means that Camp David isn't a retreat.
Camp David is really an extension of the White House.
It's hard for them to get that across.
But this would be .
They recognize that they are getting too much across.
They don't.
But they got that news on there.
And they got this last week, but I mean, this was solidified.
Right.
Okay.
Okay, let's see.
It's pretty good.
Pretty good.
They're still waiting, waiting for some things.
Well, last week was helpful, I think, with the...
Right after this period of time, you've got to get your ducks in the room.
No more questions.
They can all write about other things.
See the peace thing's going?
This is excellent this weekend.
This is a good tone this weekend.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, I don't get up.
I see it.
I see it in people.
This is great.
I don't get up.
I don't get all those things.
And doing it on this basis, taking a break with the families.
But they're going to break with this family over the weekend.
Right.
We'll leave at 12.45 tomorrow.
Good.
Okay, Ron.
Thank you, sir.
See you today.

NARA Description

On November 24, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:38 am to 11:44 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 815-015 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 815-15

Date: November 24, 1972
Time: 11:38 am - 11:44 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.

       Greetings

       Ziegler’s forthcoming press conference
             -The President’s forthcoming trip to New York
                                     -48-

           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                     Conversation No. 815-19 (cont’d)

           -Announcement
                 -New York Port Authority
           -Press pool
                 -Size
                 -Restrictions
                       -Ziegler’s role
                       -The President’s visit to Mudge, Rose, Guthrie and Alexander;
                        restaurants, theater
                              -Barricades
           -Time
           -Reasons
                 -Post-1972 election
                       -Second term reorganization
                 -A break in work
                       -First Family
                       -Exception
                              -Vietnam negotiations
                                    -Henry A. Kissinger
                                           -Paris
                       -First Family
                 -Return time
                 -Kissinger
                       -Return to US
                              -Report to the President
                       -Lunch
                       -Play
                              -Much Ado About Nothing
                       -Dinner
                       -Visit to Mudge, Rose, Guthrie and Alexander
                              -Reason
                                    -Greetings
                                    -Previous visit
                                           -1968 election
                       -Press coverage
                              -Ziegler’s role
           -The President’s schedule
                 -Camp David

Second term reorganization
     -Announcements
                                             -49-

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                             Conversation No. 815-19 (cont’d)

                    -Camp David
                        -Timing
                              -Ziegler’s conversations with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman and John
                                D. Ehrlichman
                              -Cabinet
                        -Hangar
                              -Arrangements
                                    -Heaters
                                    -Press pool
                                           -Trailer
                                           -Lunch
                        -Compared to 1968, 1969
                        -Significance of locale
                              -Extension of White House
                              -Work
                                    -Vacation
                                           -Perception
                        -Recent news

       Press relations
             -Post-1972 election period
             -Vietnam negotiations
             -The President’s forthcoming trip to New York
                    -First Family

       The President's schedule
            -Trip to New York
                  -Departure time

Ziegler left at 11:44 am.

Also recorded on November 24, 1972

  • 815-011 9:37 AM · 37 min — President Richard M. Nixon, George W. Romney, John D. Ehrlichman, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:37 am to 10:14 am.
  • 815-012 10:14 AM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:14 am and 10:15 am.
  • 815-013 10:14 AM · 26 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, Manolo Sanchez, Alexander P. Butterfield, and Peter M. Flanigan met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:14 am and 10:43 am.
  • 815-014 10:43 AM · 51 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, and John A. Volpe met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:43 am to 11:37 am.
  • 815-016 11:44 AM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:44 am and 11:47 am.
  • 815-017 11:44 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:44 am and 11:47 am.
  • 815-018 11:44 AM · 23 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:44 am and 11:47 am.
  • 815-019 11:47 AM · 1 hr — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:47 am to 12:47 pm.

All 19 conversations from November 24, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 815-015, November 24, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/815-015 (accessed October 12, 2026).