President Nixon directed John Dean to immediately investigate whether the FBI had ever provided raw files to congressional committees, expressing intense frustration regarding the practice. Nixon threatened to fire the entire bureau if they failed to provide an answer within three minutes. This call underscores the administration's defensive stance toward congressional oversight and the President's confrontational approach to managing intelligence agencies during the Watergate era.
On March 14, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and John W. Dean, III talked on the telephone from 4:25 pm to 4:26 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 037-108 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 37-108 Date: March 14, 1973 Time: 4:25 pm-4:26 pm Location: White House Telephone The President talked with John W. Dean, III. [See Conversation No. 419-34B] Congressional access to Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] raw files -Past incidents -Orders for FBI
This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.