Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 38 › Conversation 038-121

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on John D. Ehrlichman

Thursday, April 19, 1973 · 5:45 PM–5:48 PM ET · White House Telephone · 11 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation038-121 on Tape 38StartThursday, April 19, 1973 at 5:45 PMEndThursday, April 19, 1973 at 5:48 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 038-121 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon requested that the White House operator place a telephone call to his domestic affairs advisor, John D. Ehrlichman. The brief exchange served as a routine administrative bridge to initiate communication with a key staff member during the Watergate crisis. No further substance was recorded beyond the initiation of this connection.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

Yes, Mr. Craig.

NARA Description

On April 19, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:45 pm and 5:48 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 038-121 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 38-121

Date: April 19, 1973
Time: Unknown between 5:45 pm and 5:58 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

     Telephone call to John D. Ehrlichman

Also recorded on April 19, 1973

  • 038-119 5:10 PM · 12 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at 5:10 pm.
  • 429-018 5:15 PM · 25 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, Manolo Sanchez, unknown person(s), and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:15 pm to 5:45 pm.
  • 038-120 5:43 PM · 33 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone from 5:43 pm to 5:45 pm.
  • 038-122 5:58 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone from 5:58 pm to 5:59 pm.
  • 429-019 5:58 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:58 pm to 5:59 pm.
  • 429-020 5:59 PM · 34 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:59 pm to 6:00 pm.
  • 038-123 6:00 PM · 3 min — John D. Ehrlichman and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone from 6:00 pm to 6:03 pm.
  • 429-021 6:00 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:00 pm to 6:03 pm.

All 54 conversations from April 19, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 038-121, April 19, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/038-121 (accessed October 5, 2026).