Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 38 › Conversation 038-051
Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Henry E. Petersen
Sunday, April 15, 1973 · 7:43 PM–8:14 PM ET · White House Telephone · 14 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon initiates a call to the White House operator to facilitate an urgent telephone connection with Assistant Attorney General Henry E. Petersen. This interaction serves as a logistical step to reach a key figure involved in the Watergate investigation. The call concludes with the operator's acknowledgement of the request to track down Petersen at his residence.
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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:43 pm and 8:14 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 038-051 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 38-51
Date: April 15, 1973
Time: Unknown between 7:43 pm and 8:14 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with the White House operator.
[A transcript of the following portion of this conversation was prepared Richard Nixon’s Special
White House Counsel for Watergate Matters and submitted to the Committee on the Judiciary of
the House of Representatives. This transcript can be found in Submission of Recorded
Presidential Conversations (SRPC), page 763 (1). Please refer to the logging below.]
Telephone call to Henry E. PetersenAlso recorded on April 16, 1973
- 038-052 8:14 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry E. Petersen talked on the telephone from 8:14 pm to 8:18 pm.
- 038-053 8:18 PM · 2 min — White House operator, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Lawrence M. Higby talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:18 pm and 8:25 pm.
- 038-054 8:18 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:18 pm and 8:25 pm.
- 038-055 8:25 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry E. Petersen talked on the telephone from 8:25 pm to 8:26 pm.
- 038-056 8:26 PM · 18 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:26 pm and 9:15 pm.
- 038-057 9:17 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:17 pm and 9:39 pm.
- 038-058 9:39 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry E. Petersen talked on the telephone from 9:39 pm to 9:41 pm.
- 038-059 10:16 PM · 19 sec — John D. Ehrlichman and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:16 pm and 11:15 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 038-051, April 16, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/038-051 (accessed October 12, 2026).