Date: October 16, 1972
Time: 11:24 am – 11:40 am
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.
Watergate
-Ziegler’s response to the press
-White House involvement
-Innuendo
-Smear tactics
-The President’s veracity
-Campaign practices
-Violence, obscenities
19
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-03)
-George S. McGovern
-San Francisco
-Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
-Tricia Nixon Cox, Edward R.F. Cox
-Republican tactics
-The President’s instructions
-Personal attacks compared to attacks on issue stances
– [Donald H. Segretti]
-Dwight L. Chapin statement on [Washington Post] story
-White House involvement
-Opposition charges
-Indictments
-Grand jury proceedings
-Lack of proof
-Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]
-Government Accounting Office [GAO]
-Opposition charges
-Innuendo
-Hearsay journalism
-Campaign practices
-Espionage
-Heckling
-Obscenities
-Violence
-Firebombing of campaign headquarters
-New Left tactics
-White House involvement
-Staff
-Unidentified sources, charges
-Refusal to comment
-Washington Post
-Chapin photograph
-Possible questions to Ziegler
-The President’s view
-Issues
-Vietnam, taxes, jobs, peace, narcotics, defense, amnesty
-Smears
-Campaign practices
-White House staff
-McGovern
-Call for opposition to speak out against violence, obscenities, disruption of
meetings
20
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF
Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-03)
-Responsibility for campaign practices
-Press and media techniques
-Hearsay statements, innuendo, guilt by association
-Comparison to charges against Joseph R. McCarthy’s tactics
-Washington Post
-Number of editorials
-Double standard
-White House involvement
-The President’s view
-Investigation
-Campaign practices
-Chapin, Gordon C. Strachan
-Involvement
-Double standard
-Espionage, surveillance, sabotage charges
-Proof
-Chapin hiring of Segretti
-Possible questions to Ziegler
-Response by White House to hearsay, character assassination, smear by innuendo,
and guilt by association
-Ziegler’s role
-The President’s advice
-Press and media relations
-Reaction to the President’s lead in polls tied to stories
-George H. Gallup
The President’s schedule
-Radio speech
-Timing
-Announcement
-Philadelphia, New York
-Leak
Ziegler left at 11:40 am.