Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 024-125
Date: Monday, May 15, 1972 at 9:25 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Ehrlichman, John D.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/024-125
National Archives Catalog: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/646314566 (NAID 646314566)

This transcript was made by an AI model listening to the recording (google/gemini-3.8-flash) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Speaker names are the model's inference. Verify against the audio before citing.

[0:00] NIXON: Yeah.
[0:01] OPERATOR: I have Mr. Ehrlichman now for for you. There you are, sir.
[0:03] NIXON: Thank you.
[0:04] NIXON: What are your reports?
[0:05] EHRLICHMAN: Yes, sir. Felt tells me that they're going to arraign this fellow within about an hour before a United States magistrate. And then they're going to put him in the Baltimore County jail, which the FBI feels is the is the safest place to put him.
[0:18] NIXON: Right.
[0:18] EHRLICHMAN: He is refusing to talk to anybody until an attorney is appointed for him.
[0:24] NIXON: Who's he want?
[0:25] EHRLICHMAN: Well, he doesn't know anybody. And they see he's he's from Milwaukee.
[0:30] NIXON: How old is he?
[0:31] EHRLICHMAN: About in his 20s and I don't know the exact age that they got.
[0:35] NIXON: So the 35 year old thing was incorrect.
[0:37] EHRLICHMAN: Yes, sir.
[0:38] EHRLICHMAN: He's he's obviously weird. The Secret Service has been in his apartment up in Milwaukee.
[0:43] NIXON: I know they found some stuff there.
[0:45] EHRLICHMAN: Odd writings.
[0:46] NIXON: Yeah.
[0:47] EHRLICHMAN: And from the way they've had a psychiatrist look at him, and the psychiatrist reports that he's extremely disturbed, and is liable to do harm to himself. So, they have him under under Right. surveillance every minute. Good.
[1:04] NIXON: Good.
[1:05] NIXON: The John, let me tell you my concern, Right. which I'm sure you're keenly aware of. The Kennedy thing was handled so badly.
[1:16] NIXON: Everybody was blamed for it. I don't want us into this. I want everybody to know, and you get this I'm on top of this thing every minute.
[1:22] EHRLICHMAN: Well, I've passed that word in the strongest possible way to Felt.
[1:27] NIXON: Yeah, and pass it to the press.
[1:29] EHRLICHMAN: All right. All right, good.
[1:31] NIXON: Would you do that?
[1:32] EHRLICHMAN: Yes, sir.
[1:33] EHRLICHMAN: Now, the only loose end in this is getting him an attorney.
[1:38] EHRLICHMAN: Felt is of the opinion that once he has an attorney, he'll talk.
[1:44] NIXON: Well, let's get him one.
[1:46] EHRLICHMAN: And so we've got to get a federal judge, and get a judge to appoint an attorney for him, and we're we're Yeah. Get that attorney you can get.
[1:50] EHRLICHMAN: We're on that.
[1:52] NIXON: Get a good attorney, you know.
[1:54] EHRLICHMAN: Right.
[1:54] NIXON: Who uh
[1:55] EHRLICHMAN: First step is to get him arraigned. Second step is to move him quickly into this maximum security jail Right. Baltimore County jail. Right, good. And then to get a federal judge, and see if we can get an attorney appointed for him.
[2:04] NIXON: Can you work on the judge tonight?
[2:07] EHRLICHMAN: Well, I've I will work on it, and if at all possible, we'll get it done.
[2:11] NIXON: Good deal.
[2:12] EHRLICHMAN: All right, sir.
[2:12] NIXON: Just be on top of it, John. Fine. Right.
[2:13] EHRLICHMAN: Yes, sir. I sure will.