Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 38 › Conversation 038-068

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on John W. Dean

Monday, April 16, 1973 · 4:04 PM ET · White House Telephone · 13 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation038-068 on Tape 38StartMonday, April 16, 1973 at 4:04 PMEndMonday, April 16, 1973 at 4:04 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 038-068 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon initiated a brief administrative request to the White House operator to be connected with John W. Dean, III. This phone call served as a logistical step to facilitate direct communication with his White House Counsel during the escalating Watergate crisis. No further policy discussion occurred during this interaction.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

John Dean, please.

NARA Description

On April 16, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at 4:04 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 038-068 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 38-68

Date: April 16, 1973
Time: 4:04 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See also Conversation No. 427-7]

     Telephone call to John W. Dean, III
                                               -39-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Also recorded on April 16, 1973

  • 427-006 3:27 PM · 28 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:27 pm to 4:04 pm.
  • 038-069 4:04 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and John W. Dean, III talked on the telephone from 4:04 pm to 4:05 pm.
  • 427-007 4:04 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 4:04 pm.
  • 427-008 4:04 PM · 51 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and John W. Dean, III met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:04 pm to 4:06 pm.
  • 038-070 4:05 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:05 pm and 4:42 pm.
  • 427-009 4:06 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 4:06 pm.
  • 427-010 4:07 PM · 19 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John W. Dean, III met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:07 pm to 4:35 pm.
  • 038-071 4:42 PM · 38 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone at 4:42 pm.

All 56 conversations from April 16, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 038-068, 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/038-068 (accessed October 5, 2026).