Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 908 › Conversation 908-008

Nixon & Ziegler on Watergate and Public opinion

Tuesday, May 1, 1973 · 10:14 AM–10:26 AM ET · Oval Office · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation908-008 on Tape 908StartTuesday, May 1, 1973 at 10:14 AMEndTuesday, May 1, 1973 at 10:26 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 908-008 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler discussed public and media reactions to the Watergate scandal following the President's recent address. Nixon expressed confidence in his core base of support, citing positive wire service reports and favorable sentiment among middle-class voters. The two emphasized the need to maintain a composed, forward-looking strategy rather than fixating on the ongoing political crisis.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 23% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Well, I think I'm certain they were sitting on 16th and around 15th.
Well, god damn it, they won't step up for this.
This is the only way they'll ever do it.
This is what it's all about.
That's right.
I looked at the wires.
Look at them.
There's 750 wires, four of 250 against.
I ain't gonna have to figure everybody against.
Plus the fact that I turned on White's MTV last night and just people lose sight of the fact.
There are guys out there sitting, you know, having their lunch.
Middle-class insurance agents supporting the truck drivers, these guys.
There's a tone of always support for the president, and it's here.
The way to deal with this matter, though, as you suggest, is not to panic, but also not to get all tied up in knots about assessing it in obsession.
It's assess it, move on, change the direction.
Right.
He did a good job, didn't he?
He did.
Right, right, right.
Well, I sure believe that that damn leadership meeting made.
I'll never forget that one.
That was a good one.
You should maybe try it.
What you said before was great, but this is modest.
I didn't.
You wouldn't want to use it.
All right.
But also, ladies and gentlemen, regarding the piece of the world, we had a pretty good year, and I'm a cousin.
I really want to spark you in my cousin's brain right now.
I think the important thing is that there are a lot of people around who pull up to the election.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On May 1, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:14 am to 10:26 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 908-008 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 908-008

Date: May 1, 1973
Time: 10:14 am - 10:26 am
Location: Oval Office

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler. The recording began at an unknown time while the
conversation was in progress.

       Watergate
             -Staff reaction
                     -Ziegler
                                     -President’s meeting with William E. Timmons and
                       William J. Baroody, Jr.
                      -Role of uncertainty
               -President’s speech
                      -Reaction
                              -Wire services
                      -Public support
                      -Raymond J. Price, Jr.

       President’s meeting with Congressional leaders
              -William E. Brock, III

       Support for President

       Henry A. Kissinger’s schedule

Ziegler left at 10:26 am.

Also recorded on May 1, 1973

  • 908-006 8:30 AM · 26 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:30 am and 8:33 am.
  • 123-003 8:33 AM · 1 hr 37 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Spiro Agnew, William P. Rogers, and bipartisan Congressional leaders, including Dr. John A. Hannah, Michael J. ("Mike") Mansfield, Hugh Scott, J. William Fulbright, George D. Aiken, John L. McClellan, Daniel K. Inouye, Edward W. Brooke, Sam Nunn, Jesse A. Helms, Carl B. Albert, Thomas P. ("Tip") O'Neill, Jr., Gerald R. Ford, John J. McFall, Leslie C. Arends, Dr. Thomas E. ("Doc") Morgan, William S. Mailliard, George H. Mahon, Richard W. Bolling, William L. Dickinson, Roy L. Ash, William E. Timmons, Thomas C. Korologos, Max L. Friedersdorf, Gerald L. Warren, and John F. Lehman, Jr., met in the Cabinet Room of the White House from 8:33 am to 10:05 am.
  • 908-009 10:26 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:26 am and 10:27 am.
  • 908-010 10:26 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:26 am and 10:27 am.
  • 908-011 10:27 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:27 am and 10:34 am.
  • 908-012 10:34 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:34 am to 10:36 am.
  • 908-025 10:36 AM · 1 min — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:36 am and 10:44 am.
  • 908-013 10:44 AM · 1 hr 38 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Willy Brandt, unknown person(s), Henry A. Kissinger, Egon Bahr, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:44 am to 12:24 pm.

All 181 conversations from May 1, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 908-008, May 1, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/908-008 (accessed October 12, 2026).