Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 38 › Conversation 038-040
Nixon phone call with Kleindienst on Watergate scandal and Henry E. Petersen
Sunday, April 15, 1973 · 1:12 PM–2:22 PM ET · White House Telephone · 26 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon and Attorney General Richard G. Kleindienst coordinated to place an urgent telephone call to Assistant Attorney General Henry E. Petersen. The primary purpose of this interaction was to facilitate direct communication between the Attorney General and Petersen regarding the ongoing Watergate investigation. Nixon provided Petersen's contact information to the White House operator to ensure the call could be completed immediately.
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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On April 15, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Richard G. Kleindienst talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:12 pm and 2:22 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 038-040 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 38-40
Date: April 15, 1973
Time: Unknown between 1:12 pm and 2:22 pm
Location: White House Telephone
-25-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 38-40 (cont’d)
The President conferred with Richard G. Kleindienst before the telephone conversation began.
[Begin conferral]
Henry E. Petersen
-Location
-Phone number
[End conferral]
The President talked with the White House operator.
Telephone call to Petersen from KleindienstAlso recorded on April 15, 1973
- 896-006 10:35 AM · 1 hr 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, Manolo Sanchez, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:35 am to 11:15 am.
- 038-041 1:12 PM · 27 sec — Richard G. Lugar and Henry E. Petersen talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:12 pm and 2:22 pm.
- 038-042 2:22 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:22 pm and 3:27 pm.
- 038-043 3:27 PM · 18 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 3:27 pm to 3:44 pm.
- 038-044 3:44 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:44 pm and 3:48 pm.
- 038-045 3:48 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Richard G. Kleindienst talked on the telephone from 3:48 pm to 3:49 pm.
- 038-046 3:50 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at 3:50 pm.
- 038-047 4:00 PM · 20 sec — Henry E. Petersen, White House operator, and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:00 pm and 5:15 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 038-040, April 15, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/038-040 (accessed October 12, 2026).