Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 38 › Conversation 038-056

Nixon phone call with Haldeman on John W. Dean III and Watergate investigation

Sunday, April 15, 1973 · 8:26 PM–9:15 PM ET · White House Telephone · 18 sec

ParticipantsHaldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); White House operator; Nixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation038-056 on Tape 38StartSunday, April 15, 1973 at 8:26 PMEndSunday, April 15, 1973 at 9:15 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 038-056 ↗

AI Summary

H. R. Haldeman coordinated an urgent meeting between President Nixon and John W. Dean III at the Executive Office Building for 9:00 p.m. This directive required the White House operator to contact Dean at his residence to facilitate the late-night session. The conversation reflects an effort to secure direct communication with Dean amidst the escalating pressures of the Watergate investigation.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Would you call John Dean at his residence, please, and ask him to meet the president in the EOB office at 9 o'clock?
Yes, sir.
You're welcome.

NARA Description

On April 15, 1973, 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. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 038-056 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 38-56

Date: April 15, 1973
Time: Unknown between 8:26 pm and 9:15 pm
Location: White House Telephone

H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman talked with the White House operator. The President can be heard in
the background.

     Meeting between President and John W. Dean, III
          -Executive Office Building [EOB]

Also recorded on April 16, 1973

  • 038-051 7:43 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:43 pm and 8:14 pm.
  • 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.
  • 038-057 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.

All 56 conversations from April 16, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 038-056, 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/038-056 (accessed October 12, 2026).