Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 949 › Conversation 949-018

Nixon & Ziegler on President's health and White House press relations

Thursday, July 12, 1973 · 8:46 PM–8:48 PM ET · Oval Office · 33 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation949-018 on Tape 949StartThursday, July 12, 1973 at 8:46 PMEndThursday, July 12, 1973 at 8:48 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 949-018 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler met to discuss the management of public communications regarding the President's recent health issues. They coordinated the logistics for an official announcement to be handled by Deputy Press Secretary Gerald L. Warren and Dr. Walter R. Tkach, with input from Alexander Haig. The discussion focused on controlling the narrative and anticipating the press corps' reaction to the medical news.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

No transcript is available yet for this conversation. The recording may contain no audible speech, or it may not have been processed.

NARA Description

On July 12, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:46 pm and 8:48 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 949-018 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 949-18

Date: July 12, 1973
Time: Unknown between 8:46 pm and 8:48 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler

       President’s health
              -Announcement
                      -Gerald L. Warren
                      -Ziegler, Dr. Walter R. Tkach
                             -Haig
                      -Reaction of press

The President and Ziegler left at an unknown time before 8:48 pm.

Also recorded on July 13, 1973

  • 949-013 8:22 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:22 pm and 8:33 pm.
  • 949-014 8:22 PM · 14 min — Henry A. Kissinger, unknown person(s), Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Ronald L. Ziegler, President Richard M. Nixon, and White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:22 pm and 8:44 pm.
  • 949-015 8:22 PM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:22 pm and 8:44 pm.
  • 949-016 8:22 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:22 pm and 8:44 pm.
  • 041-068 8:33 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at 8:33 pm.
  • 041-069 8:33 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:33 pm and 8:44 pm.
  • 041-070 8:41 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone from 8:41 pm to 8:46 pm.
  • 949-017 8:44 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:44 pm to 8:46 pm.

Cite this conversation

Conversation 949-018, July 13, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/949-018 (accessed October 12, 2026).