Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 880 › Conversation 880-003

Nixon & Ziegler on Watergate and Executive privilege

Thursday, March 15, 1973 · 11:58 AM–12:05 PM ET · Oval Office · 6 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation880-003 on Tape 880StartThursday, March 15, 1973 at 11:58 AMEndThursday, March 15, 1973 at 12:05 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 880-003 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler reviewed the President's recent press conference and discussed strategies for managing ongoing media inquiries regarding the Watergate scandal. The two examined how to frame the administration’s cooperation with Congress, specifically utilizing the historical Alger Hiss case as a parallel to justify executive privilege and refute allegations of non-cooperation. They also identified a perceived media double standard between the administration's treatment and that of previous presidencies, while briefly touching upon administrative updates regarding food prices and foreign policy.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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very firm position, including the court desk, if they want to bring it about.
And it's out there now, and the position is formed.
And I think it was good to do that.
I'm so sure.
Well, there wasn't anything that we didn't anticipate.
I don't think we have anything now that...
And as I think is indicated by that session today, the moment the White House, or particularly the President, would begin to comment, absolutely not, then they would begin to go the nickel and dime route.
Well, I can get into that big question.
Do you know about $4,000?
That's exactly right.
And cooperate with our committee and...
I can't argue with the fact that we're not cooperating in any way.
Yes, sir.
Whose hell is my question?
They have to.
I think it's true.
It is true.
That's right.
Whether it's true or not, nobody can prove it, is there?
I can say we have.
You can use the Hiss case as an example.
But the Hiss case burdens are asked.
You notice they're terribly sensitive about that.
Who was the guy that asked that question?
Ned Kempner.
I don't know if there are any questions.
He was deeply involved in the Hiss case.
He didn't want to, he wasn't going to do it.
That argument is totally, totally 180 degrees from the truth.
I mean, that's one of the facts for me.
Hell, if it's national security, why don't you cooperate with that?
Right.
That's our argument.
If it's national security, you can't bullshit.
They didn't say that about the Pentagon Papers.
They didn't say that.
It's a double standard.
Oh, they, they, they, that case, it turns out the law.
No, it was a good time.
The press conference was a good time.
But you did it the right way.
It was good the way you handled it.
Bruce's silver leaf, the stockpile thing is important.
The food price thing is a key story out of not much there.
India-Pakistan thing, and the comments regarding the executive privilege of the dean.
But beyond that, in the question on the dean separation of power, that is a story.
There's no story on that question about the re-elected Indian.
Yes, there is a difference.
One related to the security of this country when the government would not cooperate when they had done a study on their own.
And they refused.
We had to break the case, as you said.
Yes, sir.
The drive to power.
The drive to power, I mean the drive against power and against the president.

NARA Description

On March 15, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:58 am to 12:05 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 880-003 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 880-3

Date: March 15, 1973
Time: 11:58 am-12:05 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.

       President’s press conference
             -Watergate
                   -Court tests
                   -Ziegler’s future comments
                   -President's comments
                         -Restrictions on White House commentary
                         -Cooperation with Congress
                                -Record of administration
                                -Alger Hiss case
                                      -Press sensitivity
                                      -Unknown reporter's question
                                            -Ed Kempler
                                            -Press bias
                                                  -Comparison to Pentagon Papers case
                                            -Issues of case
                                          3-
                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                  Conversation No. 880-3 (cont’d)

                   -White House position with press
                   -Clark R. Mollenhoff
                   -President's handling of questions characterized
             -Dr. David K. E. Bruce
             -Stockpiling
             -Food prices
                   -Importance of story
             -Aid to India and Pakistan
             -Watergate
                   -John W. Dean, III
                         -Executive privilege
                   -Committee to Reelect the President
                         -Responsibility
                   -Kempler’s question
                         -Hiss case
                   -Cooperation with Congress
                         -Hiss case
                                -Issues
                   -Press obsessions
                         -Hostility to administration and presidency
                         -Bias against President
                                -Comparison to treatment of John F. Kennedy
                         -Ziegler’s response

Ziegler left at 12:05 pm.

Also recorded on March 15, 1973

  • 880-025 11:22 AM · 37 sec — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:22 am and 11:58 am.
  • 037-117 12:05 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:05 pm and 12:11 pm.
  • 880-004 12:05 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:05 pm and 12:11 pm.
  • 880-005 12:05 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:05 pm and 12:11 pm.
  • 037-118 12:11 PM · 58 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Ralph H. Cake talked on the telephone from 12:11 pm to 12:12 pm.
  • 880-006 12:11 PM · 14 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, Ralph H. Cake, Ronald L. Ziegler, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:11 pm to 12:25 pm.
  • 880-007 12:25 PM · 44 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:25 pm and 12:26 pm.
  • 880-008 12:26 PM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Max L. Friedersdorf, Debbie Ploch, and James M. Collins met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:26 pm to 12:35 pm.

All 83 conversations from March 15, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 880-003, March 15, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/880-003 (accessed October 5, 2026).