Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 38 › Conversation 038-080
Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Henry E. Petersen
Monday, April 16, 1973 · 8:45 PM–8:58 PM ET · White House Telephone · 12 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon initiates a call to the White House operator to be connected with Assistant Attorney General Henry E. Petersen. This administrative contact serves as the precursor to a high-level discussion regarding the ongoing Watergate investigation. The primary objective is to facilitate direct communication between the President and the official overseeing the Department of Justice's criminal inquiry.
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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
Each line starts with a timestamp button; press it to play the audio from that point.
NARA Description
On April 16, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:45 pm and 8:58 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 038-080 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 38-80
Date: April 16, 1973
Time: Unknown between 8:45 pm and 8:58 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with the White House operator.
Telephone call to Henry E. PetersenAlso recorded on April 17, 1973
- 038-078 8:45 PM · 17 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at 8:45 pm.
- 038-081 8:45 PM · 21 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:45 pm and 8:58 pm.
- 427-014 8:45 PM · 13 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 8:45 pm.
- 427-015 8:45 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:45 pm and 8:58 pm.
- 427-016 8:45 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 8:45 pm and 8:58 pm.
- 038-082 8:58 PM · 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry E. Petersen talked on the telephone from 8:58 pm to 9:14 pm.
- 427-017 8:58 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry E. Petersen met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:58 pm to 9:14 pm.
- 038-083 9:18 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:18 am and 9:19 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 038-080, April 17, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/038-080 (accessed October 5, 2026).