Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 5 › Conversation 005-086

Nixon phone call with Mitchell on Pentagon Papers and National Security

Tuesday, June 15, 1971 · 6:35 PM–6:38 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Mitchell, John N.Conversation005-086 on Tape 5 (tape position 02:39:45–02:41:54)StartTuesday, June 15, 1971 at 6:35 PMEndTuesday, June 15, 1971 at 6:38 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 005-086 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Attorney General John Mitchell discuss the administration's strategic response to the publication of the Pentagon Papers. Mitchell confirms that Secretary of State William Rogers has agreed to issue a public statement, which will be vetted by the White House to ensure it employs strong, evocative language regarding national security breaches. The pair express their determination to sway public opinion against the media's actions and discuss the appointment of Judge Murray Gurfein to handle the case.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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).
Attorney General.
Yes, Mr. President.
I wondered if you had any success with Rogers.
Yes, he's agreeable to do it.
We've got people from Defense, Justice, and his counsel over there, Stevenson, working on it.
Good.
And he understood the point and was perfectly happy to do it.
And he'll get out a sort of a general statement of some sort?
Yes, sir.
It will not be limited solely to the foreign affairs.
I think what is very important in this is to find a way to get some strong language, like a massive breach of security, things of that sort, so that we can get something in the public mind.
We're not just interested in making the technical case for the lawyers.
Exactly.
Something where they can see what is really involved here is...
irresponsible you know use some really high-flown adjectives that's what i'd hope you can get some people to work on that uh we will and of course bill has the understanding that it'll be sent over to the white house to be looked at before it goes out right so your phrase coiners and word makers can get a crack at it well i'll tell you john it's uh one of those fights where you don't know whether you've
You don't know how it's going to affect you, but boy, it's one we had to make, and by God, it's one I enjoy.
These bastards have gone too far this time, don't you think?
It is certainly my opinion.
You had to do it, and the important thing is to work at it like you've suggested, to try and structure it so that the import of it and the nature of it gets through to the public.
Right.
And I believe that...
The press is going to be reasonably fair on this.
I don't mean the Times and the Post, but I mean the rest of the press.
I don't know.
I think they'll understand how far they have gone.
Yeah, well, thank God.
They're going to understand there's no paper in the country that's for us.
We're going to fight it.
Okay.
Thanks, John.
We've got a good judge on it, Murray Gerfein, who is Tom Dewey's counselor.
I know him well.
Smart as hell.
Yeah, and he's new, and he's appreciative.
Good.
We ought to work it out.

NARA Description

On June 15, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Mitchell talked on the telephone from 6:35 pm to 6:38 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 005-086 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 5-86

Date: June 15, 1971
Time: 6:35 pm - 6:38 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with John N. Mitchell.

[See Conversation No. 261-8]

     Pentagon Papers
          -Administration's response

                -William P. Rogers
                -Meeting among Richard F. Pederson and officials of Departments of Justice
                      and Defense
                -General statement on Pentagon Papers by Rogers
                      -Review by White House
                -Anticipated reaction by press
                      -New York Times, Washington Post
                -Murray I. Gurfein
                      -Thomas E. Dewey

Also recorded on June 15, 1971

  • 005-083 6:29 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 6:29 pm.
  • 005-084 6:29 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:29 pm and 6:34 pm.
  • 005-085 6:34 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 6:34 pm.
  • 261-007 6:34 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 6:34 pm.
  • 261-008 6:35 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John N. Mitchell met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:35 pm to 6:38 pm.
  • 005-087 6:38 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:38 pm and 6:44 pm.
  • 005-088 6:38 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:38 pm and 6:44 pm.
  • 261-009 6:38 PM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:38 pm and 6:44 pm.

All 52 conversations from June 15, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 005-086, June 15, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/005-086 (accessed October 5, 2026).