Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 838 › Conversation 838-017

Nixon & Ziegler on Watergate and Vietnam

Thursday, January 11, 1973 · 10:05 AM–10:16 AM ET · Oval Office · 10 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation838-017 on Tape 838StartThursday, January 11, 1973 at 10:05 AMEndThursday, January 11, 1973 at 10:16 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 838-017 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler met to coordinate the administration's messaging strategy for an upcoming press briefing. The discussion focused on managing media inquiries regarding the Watergate scandal, Vietnam negotiations, and various campaign finance allegations. Nixon directed Ziegler to frame sensitive topics as non-stories while encouraging a strategy of providing exclusive interviews to maintain favorable press coverage.

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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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All right.
All right.
All right.
All right.
Well, on the whole situation of Vietnam, no comment.
There's really no other way to say it.
Just let them all wank around.
If they had any brains, they'd figure that something might be going on.
You know what I mean?
The vines have got Henry Buster in the way that he is saying it.
There's nothing digging out of there, thank God.
And we're not telling them that wasn't digging out of here.
Watergate.
Well, you can't.
There you go.
No need for stability.
It's not our problem.
It's not our problem.
It's not exactly a need.
It's a non-story because they haven't contributed.
It's a non-story because the story's based on the fact that he asked them to do that.
And they didn't.
I just simply say it was a non-story.
That's what I asked them to do.
If he did it, he says it's a non-story because he did not make a contribution.
Well, did he?
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
in the money in return for a position term.
It's not worth getting into them now.
People know that people that, after all, they're unions and so forth, support the government's campaign because he supported their view.
This is who supported our campaign because they believed in our views.
That's the way it goes.
How did it find the...
This is not a bellwether, but the New York Times had it on the front page two days because they ran the war story.
interview, U.S. News, for example, to run it, and it's tiring.
I instantly have the notes, and Fran took very good notes, and I'm getting help, too, from your files.
Sure.
They were pleased.
Oh, yeah.
It played great.
Saul Pett's article is now being distributed and will run.
The interview with the wires got excellent newspaper play, got good radio play, and TV play.
Oh, sure.
Well, they used the thing, the main thing, the president said.
Or becoming the bottom board of the presidency.
You don't face that problem, as you said.
The people should keep their, you know, active and their spirit alive and their mind active.
Let's look forward to that.
Well, quite the great thing that raises is that it's worked on this occasion.
Sure.
That's right.
It's a very easy way to get something out, to get credit for anything, which we need from time to time.
So, I mean, it is true that Preston is strong-feeling.
They have strong-feeling.
They have to be with somebody.
And if one of their colleagues sees you, I think that helps them.
Don't you think so?
Sure.
And the others, of course, even if one of their colleagues comes in and gets a story, they don't know.
Sometime now, after the inauguration, Mr. Miller, the February will come back at some occasion, which we'll see at the time it comes up.
We'll come back with the PI thing to balance out.
Oh, sure, sure.
They should be told they can have something.
The PI should get something to balance that.
They've got to figure out what it should be.
Why don't they do this?
Why don't they have the...
I'm having my lunch today.
What time do you go upstairs to tell them the word?
1 o'clock.
And I'm usually out by 2.
I'm out by 2, 2.15.
Now, today I may go a little longer.
I may go a little longer.
It takes plenty of time.
You've got a lot of things to talk about.
And I'm very candid about that.
It's more sorrow than anger.
I've got to block down all the notes.
Yeah, why not?
Okay, come on.
I agree.
Yes.
I told Baldwin to have his family at that park.
Did you see it?
I didn't see it.
I'm going to see it today, but I had my secretary, you know, go over and get a rundown on it.
Did she see it?
Yeah, she saw it.
I thought you needed to see it.
If you like, you could have a few members of the press see it.
You know what I mean?
Right.
It's just one of those things.
We cannot use it commercially.
We would want to, but I think it's the funniest thing.
Right.
and because of the football super bowl coming up but they might like to see it okay

NARA Description

On January 11, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:05 am to 10:16 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 838-017 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 838-17

Date: January 11, 1973
Time: Between 10:05 and 10:16 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler at 10:05 am.

       Ziegler's press briefing
               -Congressional spending
               -Vietnam
                       -Henry A. Kissinger
                       -William P. Rogers
                       -Col. Richard T. Kennedy
               -Wage and price control

       Ziegler’s forthcoming press briefing
              -Watergate
                      -Administration comments to press
                               -Courts
                      -Possible trial
                               -New York Times
                               -Washington Post
                                       -E. Howard Hunt, Jr.
              -Milk Fund
                      -Herbert W. Kalmbach
                      -Check from teachers' fund for McGovern
              -Campaign finances
              -Birthday story
                      -New York Times
                      -Wire story
                      -John Herbers
              -US News
                      -Frances Lewine
                      -Helen A. Thomas
              -Saul Pett's article
              -President's interview
                      -Newspapers
                      -Radio
                                              -17-

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                      -Television [TV]
                      -Inauguration
                      -Quotes
                      -United Press International [UPI]
               -Mrs. Nixon's birthday
                      -Story
                      -Golda Meir
               -Ziegler's lunch with Clifton Daniel
                      -Timing
               -Dick Martin film
                      -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
                      -Staff
                      -Reporters' viewing
                      -Super Bowl

Ziegler left at 10:16 am.

Also recorded on January 11, 1973

  • 035-129 9:09 AM · 29 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Col. Richard T. Kennedy talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:09 am and 9:42 am.
  • 838-012 9:42 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and James T. Lynn met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:42 am to 9:43 am.
  • 838-013 9:43 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:43 am and 9:46 am.
  • 838-014 9:43 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:43 am and 9:46 am.
  • 838-015 9:46 AM · 17 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William E. Timmons met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:46 am to 10:03 am.
  • 838-016 10:03 AM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:03 am and 10:05 am.
  • 035-131 10:20 AM · 2 min — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:20 am and 11:03 am.
  • 838-018 10:20 AM · 47 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, unknown person(s), and Vice President Spiro T. Agnew met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:20 am to 11:03 am.

All 63 conversations from January 11, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 838-017, January 11, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/838-017 (accessed October 12, 2026).