Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 929 › Conversation 929-008

Nixon & Ziegler on Watergate scandal and White House public relations

Tuesday, May 29, 1973 · 12:07 PM–12:11 PM ET · Oval Office · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation929-008 on Tape 929StartTuesday, May 29, 1973 at 12:07 PMEndTuesday, May 29, 1973 at 12:11 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 929-008 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler met to strategize the administration's public relations response to the growing Watergate scandal, specifically addressing a report regarding a potential grand jury appearance by the President. They discussed coordinating with key figures like William Timmons and William Baroody Jr. to manage congressional relations and ensure the White House maintains an aggressive yet calculated defensive posture. Nixon also shared insights from a conversation with Secretary of State William P. Rogers, emphasizing the importance of projecting a steady focus on government business to counter negative media narratives.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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I would think he'd be on the plate for that.
Except I really...
I don't want to, maybe, I'll see how it feels.
I don't want to have any impression of where they were running from and staring.
I don't know what they were going to do.
No, sir.
No, sir.
Maybe you better agree with what I'm saying.
No, sir.
I'll see what their sense is.
No, sir.
You've got a long day to take it on, because I think particularly of the, let's be honest, that, that, that, uh,
grand jury story, and our story got written, and our response was up there in the box, special box.
Senator was shot.
Abuse of authority.
That's the story.
And we talked about it.
And Scott.
No, I'm sorry.
I'm going to just get right to it.
Scott's going to talk to the Senate Policy Committee group today.
on the, uh, whole matter.
Timmons is on that.
I met with Beruti and Timmons after our meeting this morning about, you know, getting the people to begin to think about the intercom.
Yeah.
And, uh, so a lot of that's the works, starting with the works at least.
Well, you know, you've got the right attitude around, I guess, fighting like hell.
That's right.
I have no, I have no...
This is the way to do it.
Yes, sir.
In a very calculated way.
This is the way to handle it.
This is fine.
This is fine.
This country is going forward.
I think getting that field across.
Yes, sir.
Absolutely.
Very important.
I had a good talk with Rogers about this.
I'm sorry, I asked him what he was saying yesterday.
Did he have to feel about it?
But Rogers, he's been away, but he feels that we're doing the right thing.
We should have a low profile on the rest.
He said they should have started, he said, just to take them on.
He said, but we're coming time.
He said, you may just want to take the committee on the front line.
But he said, I said, yes.
He said, well, here's the action.
He said, take the time.
Do the business of government.
Show no compensation, and so forth and so on.
He was there with us and been here early in July last night, so we thought it was good here.
And he mentioned the energy claim.
He says, every leader to abandon the American right to land in America said they couldn't understand just what it gave them.
How they were all admiring the president, respecting him as the world leader throughout China and Russia and Michigan and so forth and so on and so on.
And he said, well, that's interesting.
You get people here who say it.
And I think that's very...
All right.
Yes, sir.
I'll call you when you get through.
I hope it didn't take you too long.
No, no.
Take your chin out, boy.
Absolutely.

NARA Description

On May 29, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:07 pm to 12:11 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 929-008 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 929-8

Date: May 29, 1973
Time: 12:07 pm - 12:11 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.

       Press briefings
              -Henry A. Kissinger
              -John A. Scali
              -Kissinger
              -Gerald L. Warren
                                               -28-

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                            Conversation No. 929-8 (cont’d)

               -Ziegler
               -Ziegler’s response to grand jury story

       Watergate
             -Story regarding the President’s possible grand jury appearance
             -Hugh Scott’s forthcoming meeting with policy committee
             -Ziegler’s meeting with William E. Timmons and William J. Baroody, Jr.
             -White House response
             -President’s meeting with William P. Rogers
                     -John W. Dean III’s documents
                     -White House response
                     -Foreign leaders’ view

       Press briefings
              -Ziegler
              -Kissinger
              -Duration

Ziegler left at 12:11 pm.

Also recorded on May 29, 1973

  • 124-004 12:05 PM · 2 min — a White House tour group met in the Cabinet Room of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 12:05 pm on May 29, 1973 and 8:38 am on June 5, 1973.
  • 929-009 12:11 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:11 pm and 12:15 pm.
  • 929-010 12:15 PM · 30 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:15 pm and 12:31 pm.
  • 929-011 12:31 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Edward J. Gurney, Joseph F. Apalucci, Tracy Herrington, Henry B. Rothenberg, Morgan Rosenborough, Don M. Garside, Alexander J. Woerhle, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:31 pm to 12:36 pm.
  • 929-012 12:37 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Caspar W. ("Cap") Weinberger, Charles C. Edwards, Robert S. Stone, James H. Cavanaugh, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:37 pm to 12:45 pm.
  • 929-013 12:45 PM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:45 pm and 3:11 pm.
  • 440-054 12:48 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:48 pm and 12:51 pm.
  • 440-055 12:51 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:51 pm to 12:55 pm.

All 45 conversations from May 29, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 929-008, May 29, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/929-008 (accessed October 12, 2026).