Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 947 › Conversation 947-003
Nixon & Ziegler on Watergate scandal and John Dean
Tuesday, July 10, 1973 · 8:19 AM–8:32 AM ET · Oval Office · 13 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler met to review the current state of media coverage regarding the Watergate scandal and the President's recent trip to Kansas City. They discussed the favorable impact of recent statements from John Mitchell and John Ehrlichman, which they believed countered damaging testimony from John Dean. The discussion also addressed the handling of internal memorandums and strategies to emphasize the President's actions during the April 15, 1973, meeting with Justice Department officials as evidence of his proper conduct.
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of both you and the other guest.
They used the section of five years ago, and then it went through that whole section.
All of them used that, which is a key point to use.
Didn't the summary point that out?
I thought it did.
All of them used that passage five years ago.
No, they did not use that, sorry.
How about both the general impression?
The general impression was very good.
But both Kelly and of the remarks had good framing.
That's what they said, yes, sir.
That was out.
That's not justice, as far as much as it is, in some cases, the ones carrying the story in denial, not getting into the particular cycle.
But this morning, it was playing very direct, that there was no White House ushering that the
I don't know if Thomas got a rooster, which happens to be the president's look.
And Haggard.
Oh, that does say it.
I have it.
That was on a story relating to Kansas City, I don't know.
Yeah.
The part of Kansas City.
Sorry.
That makes it here.
All those characterizations also gets to the point of sort of the negative impression, basically.
Well, I think from the standpoint of the way that the Watergate story is breaking, it's breaking very well.
The Mitchell, Mitchell looked very short on TV last night.
I think he probably will do well today.
And from the President's standpoint, both the Mitchell and Ehrlichman story coming as they have this morning.
Yes.
Ehrlichman agreed.
Earlier in an interview with the Seattle Post Intelligence, the paper said that the president categorically turned down any discussion whatsoever of clemency on July the 9th.
In other words, he relates to the refers to the beach.
So that is out heavy.
And Mitchell's just flat statement that he cannot implicate the president in any way.
Well, then he said that he referred to the time that you apparently said that Colson shouldn't have brought that up in front of me.
No, no, that's what I'm saying.
Because there are three specific references in my direct conversation.
And I just couldn't get one.
That's right.
I mean, in three different cases with him.
He knows it.
Well, sure.
But then the dean touched upon me in no time.
In what way, Ron?
I mean, I thought I was bringing together two he knows of.
Yeah.
What about him?
wrong on point after point after point.
And he said it was 180 degrees from the truth.
Mitchell was supposed to, as others in the story say, well not support the Dean testimony.
So the Dean testimony
Oh, they got him.
The one thing I was a little bit surprised at is that he could have written, and I totally support Cox, I totally support her, after our statement.
I read his memorandum.
He didn't hold that view.
And I talked to him last night.
His memorandum to you is... No, I didn't.
Yeah, right.
He was just...
He understands.
I don't want to get his view.
No, no, he doesn't.
And he was not pushing for that point of view, as he said.
No, that was only Malariani.
Malariani said that it was ironic that he would refer to that.
I don't, Mr. President, I don't believe that
Hey, any honest reporter, if there are any.
Yeah, I mean, we both agree it's our view.
The view would have to be pretty well impressed with that Kansas City crowd and the 110 degree heat in the restroom, or would it?
Yes, I think so, to the degree that these group of cynical men can be.
How impressed, after year after year, or how many years?
I think they were.
The crowd stories played well.
The reaction played well.
But the reaction was included in all the stories.
And it looked good on TV.
I don't...
I'm not disappointed with the coverage at all.
You know, there's always a line, which makes it better.
Even the NBC report was fairly good.
Valeriani put that line in, of course.
Most of the press knew that you were not going to speak for me because of your statement.
That's right.
You said so.
I'm fine.
Nothing else of particular interest in the summary?
I didn't ask for the first part.
Nothing of...
The Metro lawyers have moved for dismissal of the Musco Police.
I don't think you've seen that.
Have they?
I think you're aware that Abernathy resigned from the SCLC.
Jack Anderson has a column this morning where he goes through, it looks pretty good, he goes through the April 15th meeting where you first learned all of the
which makes it look very good you probably did where they said no that was not in there
Somebody pointed out that for the first time, your thoughts that you'd been developing through March and so forth were verified in this meeting because they had stayed up all night hearing from the three prosecutors ask for a meeting with you.
And that you were shocked and surprised when you heard the full scope of it.
And immediately on the 17th, you made the announcement, which you made, and then moved to the April 3rd.
I think that is a very good thing to get off the planet.
You probably did.
No, that was not in there.
Simply pointed out that for the first time, your thoughts that you had been developing through March and so forth were verified in this meeting because they had stayed up all night.
made the announcement, which you made, and then moved to the April 30th.
Our record is very good.
Yes, sir.
Sure.
That's the thing.
I think that's a very good thing to get off my list.
NARA Description
On July 10, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:19 am to 8:32 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 947-003 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 947-3
Date: July 10, 1973
Time: 8:19 am - 8:32 am
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.
President’s previous visit to Kansas City
-Clarence M. Kelley
-2-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 947-3 (cont’d)
-Media coverage
-President’s remarks
-Reaction
-Crowd
-Images of President’s interaction
Watergate
-Robert H. Abplanalp
-Department of Justice’s statement July 10, 1973
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-Stories July 11, 1973
-Helen A. Thomas
-Press coverage
-Samuel J. Ervin’s committee hearings
-John N. Mitchell’s forthcoming testimony
-John D. Ehrlichman’s interview with Seattle Post Intelligence
-President’s conversation July 9, 1972
-John W. Dean III
-Statements regarding President and clemency
-Charles W. Colson
-Conversations with the President
-Testimony before Ervin Committee
-Ehrlichman’s view
-Effect of others’ subsequent testimony
-John Andrews memorandum
An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 8:19 am.
President requested aide to enter office
The unknown man left at an unknown time before 8:32 am.
Watergate
-Andrews
-Ziegler’s call July 10, 1973
-Memorandum
-Archibald Cox, Ervin
-3-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 947-3 (cont’d)
-Media coverage
-Richard G. Valeriani
-Attacks on President
-President’s previous visit to Kansas City
-National Broadcasting Company [NBC]
-Robert L. Vesco
-Mitchell’s lawyers’ motion
-Ervin Committee
-President’s possible testimony
-Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield’s view
Ralph Abernathy
-Resignation from Southern Christian Leadership Conference [SCLC]
-President’s reaction
Watergate
-Jack Anderson’s column July 11, 1973
-President’s April 15, 1973 meeting with Richard Kleindienst and Henry E.
Petersen
-Jeb Stuart Magruder
-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman, Ehrlichman
-Importance
-Three federal prosecutors’ meeting with Kleindienst and Petersen
-Camp David memorandum [?]
The President and Ronald L. Ziegler left at 8:32 am.Also recorded on July 10, 1973
- 041-050 8:19 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:19 am and 6:10 pm.
- 947-001 8:19 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 8:19 am.
- 947-002 8:19 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at 8:19 am.
- 128-001 8:32 AM · 1 hr 47 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, George P. Shultz, Herbert Stein, John T. Dunlop, and Republican Congressional leaders, including Hugh Scott, Norris Cotton, John G. Tower, William E. Brock, III, William L. Scott, Robert W. Packwood, Charles H. Percy, Gerald R. Ford, Leslie C. Arends, John B. Anderson, John J. Rhodes, William J. ("Jack") Edwards, Samuel L. Devine, David T. Martin, Barber B. Conable, Jr., Robert H. Michel, J. William Stanton, Joel T. Broyhill, George H. W. Bush, Melvin R. Laird, Bryce N. Harlow, Anne L. Armstrong, Roy L. Ash, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Peter M. Flanigan, William E. Timmons, Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., Max L. Friedersdorff, and Frederick L. Webber, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 8:32 am and 10:24 am.
- 128-002 10:24 AM · 2 hr 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon, George P. Shultz, Herbert Stein, Roy L. Ash, John B. Connally, Melvin R. Laird, Bryce N. Harlow, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., John T. Dunlop, Anne L. Armstrong, William E. Timmons, Ronald L. Ziegler, Peter M. Flanigan, and Arthur F. Burns met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 10:24 am and 10:48 pm.
- 947-004 10:24 AM · 52 min — President Richard M. Nixon, George P. Shultz, Gerald R. Ford, Hugh Scott, William E. Timmons, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:24 am to 11:02 am.
- 947-005 11:02 AM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:02 am and 11:22 am.
- 947-006 11:02 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:02 am and 11:22 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 947-003, July 10, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/947-003 (accessed October 10, 2026).