{"conversationCode":"860-009","tapeNumber":860,"conversationNumber":9,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-860-009","startDateTime":"1973-02-21T20:23:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1973-02-21T20:26:00.000Z","startDate":"21-Feb-1973","startTime":"3:23 PM","endDate":"21-Feb-1973","endTime":"3:26 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.;","description":"On February 21, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:23 pm to 3:26 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 860-009 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"OVAL","recordingDevice":"Oval Office","latitudeEstimated":38.8974,"longitudeEstimated":-77.0374,"chronCode":"5.4","chronRelease":"Fifth Chronological Release: Part IV","chronReleaseDate":"8-Dec-2010","aogpRelease":"Abuse of Governmental Power Release","aogpSegment":"Segment 0","lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 860-9\n\nDate: February 21, 1973\nTime: 3:23 pm - 3:26 pm\nLocation: Oval Office\n\nThe President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.\n\n       Gridiron dinner\n              -Message to William P. Rogers\n                     -President's nonattendance\n\n       White House Correspondents Association dinner\n\n       Ziegler's press briefing\n\n       Henry A. Kissinger\n             -Meetings with President\n\n       Edgar Poe and Garrett D. (“Jack”) Horner\n              -Meeting with President\n\n       Gerald L. Warren\n              -Briefing\n              -Kissinger communique\n\f                                            -6-\n\n                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM\n\n                                                            Conversation No. 860-9 (cont’d)\n\n       President's radio speech\n              -News coverage\n\n       Watergate\n             -E. Howard Hunt, Jr. and G. Gordon Liddy stories\n                   -Ziegler's response\n                   -Dita Beard\n                   -News stories\n                   -Warren's response\n                   -Ziegler's response to story on Beard and Hunt\n                          -Newsday\n                   -Hunt\n                          -Visit with Beard\n                          -Association with Charles W. Colson\n                                   -Stories\n                          -John D. Ehrlichman\n                                   -Leaks\n                          -White House response\n                                   -Hearings in Senate\n\nZiegler left at 3:26 pm.","filename":["860-009.mp3"],"tapeStart":"","tapeEnd":"","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Ziegler, Ronald L."],"prevCode":"860-008","nextCode":"860-010","transcript":[{"start":6.92,"end":17.03,"text":"How did you get along today?"},{"start":17.13,"end":17.35,"text":"Good."},{"start":18.93,"end":23.57,"text":"The beach is going to do it."},{"start":23.59,"end":23.85,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":38.69,"end":46.64,"text":"i've been eating quite a bit every day right now and uh poe and uh"},{"start":65.67,"end":66.83,"text":"What else did you do today?"},{"start":66.85,"end":68.65,"text":"A lot of interviews."},{"start":69.81,"end":70.87,"text":"I let Jerry breathe today, so."},{"start":70.93,"end":73.46,"text":"Well, that's not for sure."},{"start":74.98,"end":77.98,"text":"Well, they've got to get you to communicate for tomorrow."},{"start":78.16,"end":79.56,"text":"There was really nothing more."},{"start":79.58,"end":81.58,"text":"Your radio speech carried the news today, so."},{"start":82.56,"end":84.48,"text":"Well, that's right."},{"start":84.58,"end":85.66,"text":"We need to read it."},{"start":85.68,"end":88.42,"text":"So there's no reason to kick the radio tomorrow."},{"start":88.96,"end":93.78,"text":"If I went out, I would have had to respond to the Hud and Hud-Liddy thing, so I let them hear it."},{"start":95.34,"end":99.22,"text":"Yeah, I don't need a beard."},{"start":99.34,"end":115.09,"text":"I guess that would be a continuing running story."},{"start":115.69,"end":120.31,"text":"He just said, he carried me away with this."},{"start":120.35,"end":123.27,"text":"He said, well, I haven't read the"},{"start":126.75,"end":129.97,"text":"Testimony, I can't comment on that."},{"start":130,"end":131.62,"text":"That left it there."},{"start":133.5,"end":134.94,"text":"What were you saying?"},{"start":134.96,"end":137.94,"text":"I was just saying, Jerry responded right yesterday."},{"start":140.98,"end":143.06,"text":"And let him press their stuff."},{"start":144.76,"end":146.78,"text":"There's nothing we can do on a story like that."},{"start":146.84,"end":149.44,"text":"We don't gain one thing by commenting on it."},{"start":149.5,"end":151.02,"text":"Not a thing, not a thing."},{"start":151.04,"end":152.47,"text":"Well, it's not a new story."},{"start":153.26,"end":153.76,"text":"I'm sorry."},{"start":153.82,"end":154.6,"text":"Newsday had it."},{"start":154.68,"end":156.7,"text":"I'm sorry."},{"start":157.88,"end":166.53,"text":"That was one of the things he imposed was to investigate."},{"start":166.55,"end":168.69,"text":"I guess not because it went out there."},{"start":168.71,"end":176.1,"text":"Sure, but their angle, of course, is to try and associate Hunt with Colson in their report."},{"start":177.74,"end":191.21,"text":"draw a conclusion that was that but there's i don't think you can deny an association because i mean i say jobs"},{"start":203.1,"end":205.14,"text":"Those are pretty hard ones."},{"start":205.2,"end":206.44,"text":"No, no, we've handled that."},{"start":206.49,"end":208.81,"text":"There's no problem."},{"start":209.07,"end":214.73,"text":"But their hearings, again, they're going to have to crowd all out and say, well, I'm so sorry."},{"start":214.99,"end":215.23,"text":"I just ."},{"start":215.43,"end":218.01,"text":"And I think one of the hearings ."},{"start":219.53,"end":222.17,"text":"Absolutely."},{"start":222.63,"end":230.09,"text":"I think just like it was a corporate issue, that's what I had to ."},{"start":230.16,"end":231.84,"text":"I would never get in the position."}],"audioDurationSec":243,"audioFiles":[{"file":"860-009.mp3","bytes":5837007,"durationSec":243.09,"bitrate":192091,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:20:00.382Z","aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon and Ronald Ziegler briefly discussed upcoming social events, including the Gridiron and White House Correspondents Association dinners, and the President's planned nonattendance at the former. The conversation also touched upon Ziegler's press briefing strategy and Henry Kissinger's meetings. A significant portion of the discussion focused on the Watergate scandal, specifically the E. Howard Hunt, Jr. and G. Gordon Liddy stories, and how Ziegler and Gerald Warren should respond to news reports, particularly those linking Hunt to Dita Beard and Charles Colson, amidst ongoing Senate hearings.","topics":["Gridiron dinner","White House Correspondents Association dinner","Ziegler's press briefing","Henry Kissinger","Watergate","E. Howard Hunt, Jr.","G. Gordon Liddy","Dita Beard"],"generatedAt":"2026-09-18T02:21:44.568Z"},"findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:44:49.672Z","topicSlugs":["gridiron-dinner","white-house-correspondents-association-dinner","zieglers-press-briefing","henry-kissinger","watergate","e-howard-hunt-jr","g-gordon-liddy","dita-beard"],"audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/860-009.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/860-009","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/860/conversation-860-009","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}