Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 38 › Conversation 038-081

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 · 21 sec

ParticipantsWhite House operator; Nixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation038-081 on Tape 38StartMonday, April 16, 1973 at 8:45 PMEndMonday, April 16, 1973 at 8:58 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 038-081 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon consulted with a White House operator to clarify the location and identity of Henry E. Petersen, the Assistant Attorney General. After briefly confusing him with Secretary of Commerce Peter G. Petersen, who was currently vacationing in Bermuda, the President confirmed that he did not wish to initiate a call at that time. The exchange served as a logistical verification to ensure the President reached the correct official regarding pending legal matters.

Audio

Download MP3 · 0.7 MB

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

Hello?
Secretary Peterson is on vacation in Bermuda.
Do you want me to reach him?
No, no.
I'm not Secretary Peterson.
It's Assistant Attorney General Henry Peterson.
Oh, Henry Peterson.
All right.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On April 16, 1973, White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon 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 038-081 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 38-81

Date: April 16, 1973
Time: Unknown between 8:45 pm and 8:58 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The White House operator talked with the President.

     Henry E. Petersen’s location
          Peter G. Petersen
                Bermuda

Also 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.
  • 038-080 8:45 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator 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.

All 53 conversations from April 17, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 038-081, 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/038-081 (accessed October 5, 2026).