Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 1 › Conversation 001-123

Nixon, Hoover & Kissinger on FBI and Media Relations

Saturday, April 17, 1971 · 10:45 AM–10:52 AM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.; White House operator; Hoover, J. Edgar; Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation001-123 on Tape 1 (tape position 04:02:35–04:06:31)StartSaturday, April 17, 1971 at 10:45 AMEndSaturday, April 17, 1971 at 10:52 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 001-123 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon spoke with J. Edgar Hoover to offer personal support following recent public criticism and media speculation regarding the FBI Director's potential resignation. Nixon reassured Hoover that he had publicly defended him during a recent interview with newspaper editors, framing the attacks as malicious and unwarranted. The call concluded with Henry Kissinger joining the conversation to echo his admiration for the President’s stance and provide further support to Hoover.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Hello?
Hello, Edgar, how are you?
Oh, well, what the hell, I...
I always stick by my friends, you know that?
Yeah.
Well, you know, they're all badgering and so forth, but, you know, they gave me a set-up question when this fellow said, in view of the increasing attacks that Mr. Hoover is coming under, do you think he will now
resign.
And I said, no, it's going to have exactly the opposite effect.
I said, he hasn't even discussed resignation with me.
And I said, certainly when he's being under vicious and malicious attack, a man that's given 50 years of services, and he certainly has not gone to, you know, I thought that gave it a good chance.
Because it's true.
I mean, hell, I mean, I, none of us are going, I won't even, frankly, if they'd ever put it to me that I just say, I wouldn't even consider it if I were in his place.
Wonderful of you, Mr. President.
And you did magnificent on all the other questions.
You weren't there, were you?
No, I listened to it on the radio.
Oh, you heard it, yeah.
On radio, and it came over excessively.
And you sounded more relaxed than you do on TV.
Yeah, well, it was more editors, so I could be a little bit... A few little jabs of humor that was very good, too.
Well, the main thing is to, as I say, let your friends support you in this and that.
All right, well, that's fine.
I'm just going to say Henry Kissinger just walked in, and he disagrees.
He says I shouldn't have defended you.
No, here he is.
I'll let you say hello to him.
Thank you so much.
Hello?
What's up, Ted?
Mr. Hoover?
Well, you know you have many admirers in this building.
Well, I thought the president was magnificent last night.
I just can't find words to express.
Well, anyone who's done youth service to the country should not be exposed to this sort of malicious attack.
Oh, but you've been, and I am also.
They're just trying to bait anybody who's a member of the establishment.
I think that the statement of the president last night and all the answers he made to some of them were loaded questions, were magnificent.
Well, that's what I thought, and I thought it came out very, very well.
I thought it was excellent.
And it's awful nice to have you tell me what you just said.
Well, it's a privilege to be able to work with you.
Thank you so much.
Goodbye.
Goodbye.

NARA Description

On April 17, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, White House operator, J. Edgar Hoover, and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 10:45 am to 10:52 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 001-123 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 1-123

Date: April 17, 1971
Time: 10:45 am - 10:52 am
Location: White House Telephone

The President conferred with Stephen B. Bull.

     Henry A. Kissinger

The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 10:45 am and
10:49 am.

[See Conversation No. 481-5A]

     Call to Herbert G. Klein

     Call from J. Edgar Hoover

The President talked with Hoover between 10:49 am and 10:52 am.

[Conversation No. 1-123A]

[See also Conversation No. 481-5B]

     President's interview with newspaper editors
           -President's remarks on Hoover
                 -Hoover's reaction

******************************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Federal Statute (A) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 02/19/2019. 1 m 1s
segment cleared for release. 14s remain closed as 001-123-w001.]
[Federal Statute]
[001-123-w001]
[Duration: 1m 1s]

     Hale Boggs
          -Criticism of President
          -Hoover's report to H. R. Haldeman, April 16, 1971
                -Oil interest surveillance of Hale Boggs

     Edmund S. Muskie
         -Hoover’s opinion

     Earth Day
          -Rennie Davis
               -Federal Bureau of Investigations [FBI] coverage

******************************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Previous PRMPA Statute (A) withdrawal reviewed 12/20/2017. Segment will remain closed.]
[Federal Statute]
[001-123-w001]
[Duration: 14s]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

******************************************************************************

     Earth Day
          -Rennie Davis

     President's defense of Hoover
           -Kissinger

Kissinger talked with Hoover at 10:52 am.

[Conversation No. 1-123B]

[See also Conversation No. 481-5C]

     President's interview with newspaper editors

Also recorded on April 17, 1971

  • 053-002 9:34 AM · 1 hr 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Peter G. Peterson, George P. Shultz, John B. Connally, Maurice H. Stans, David M. Kennedy, Henry A. Kissinger, Peter M. Flanigan, and U. Alexis Johnson met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 9:34 am and 10:45 am.
  • 481-009 9:34 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:34 am to 3:30 pm.
  • 481-005 10:46 AM · 33 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, White House operator, J. Edgar Hoover, Michael J. ("Mike") Mansfield, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:46 am and 11:24 am.
  • 001-124 10:52 AM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:52 am and 11:02 am.
  • 001-125 11:02 AM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:02 am and 11:24 am.
  • 481-006 11:24 AM · 22 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, White House operator, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, William M. Lukash, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:24 am to 11:49 am.
  • 001-126 11:25 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and William M. Lukash talked on the telephone at 11:25 am.
  • 481-008 11:49 AM · 57 sec — Stephen B. Bull and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:49 am and 1:00 pm.

All 49 conversations from April 17, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 001-123, April 17, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/001-123 (accessed October 10, 2026).