Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 38 › Conversation 038-131

Nixon phone call with Brennan on Watergate and Public Relations

Friday, April 20, 1973 · 12:04 PM–12:07 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Brennan, Peter J.Conversation038-131 on Tape 38StartFriday, April 20, 1973 at 12:04 PMEndFriday, April 20, 1973 at 12:07 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 038-131 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon consulted with Pat Buchanan regarding the administration's response to the intensifying Watergate scandal, which they characterized as a 'hell week.' Buchanan confirmed he had submitted written recommendations to Press Secretary Ron Ziegler concerning a necessary public relations strategy to manage the political fallout and damaging leaks. The two also briefly discussed the unfortunate involvement of John Mitchell as he prepared for his grand jury appearance.

Audio

Download MP3 · 3.5 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Hello?
Mr. Pat Buchanan?
Yeah.
President.
Hello?
Yes, sir.
I had two weeks down there in the Florida sun, sir.
Yeah, well, I saw Shelly briefly yesterday, and she said you had a good time.
How was the weather?
Pretty good?
The weather was outstanding.
We had ourselves a lunch down there with Rebozo also.
Good.
Come back to California.
Good.
Well, we've had a fairly rough time since you...
I guess we call last week hell week, huh?
Yes, sir.
Yeah.
And I...
But what we've got to do is just survive the damn thing, and I think we will.
Okay.
Yeah, I had some thoughts on that, which I've given to Ron Ziegler.
Oh, you did?
Fine.
Sir, I've got it written up.
He can give it to you on the cover or something.
He'll be on the plane.
Fine.
You've got your recommendations in then?
Yes, sir.
Oh, good.
I just wanted to see then if you'd pass them on to him.
Okay, sir.
Fine.
You approved of my statement on Tuesday, I assume.
I did indeed.
I did indeed.
I think that got you out of front where we've got to be on this now.
Right.
But how to stay there is the problem, isn't it, with the leaks and everything coming out?
You really need a PR program, don't we?
Well, yes, sir.
Well, what I meant is, when I say PR, not for the purpose of telling things as they are, but for the purpose of having a line, you know, so that every time somebody
pops off of some damn charge or this or that, that you don't get innocent people hurt, and yet you get the guilty brought to justice, which is what we're trying to do.
Right, sir.
Yeah, it's too bad to have John Mitchell on this, isn't it?
It is indeed.
You're a son of a bitch.
Yeah.
Too bad, too bad.
He's up there today, I think, the grand jury.
I think he's right.
He's talking to the grand jury today.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But if you've given your thoughts there, I'll get him to Ziegler on the way, okay?
Okay, fine, sir.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On April 20, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Peter J. Brennan talked on the telephone from 12:04 pm to 12:07 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 038-131 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 38-131

Date: April 20, 1973
Time: 12:04 pm - 12:07 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Patrick J. Buchanan.

[See also Conversation No. 903-16]
                                             -74-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                           Conversation No. 38-131 (cont’d)

*****************************************************************

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Privacy]
[Duration: 3 s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

*****************************************************************

     Buchanan’s schedule
          Shelley A. (Scarney) Buchanan
          Florida
          Charles G. (“Bebe”) Rebozo

     Watergate
          -Buchanan’s recommendations to Ronald L. Ziegler
          -President’s April 17, 1973 statement
          -Need for public relations program
          -John N. Mitchell
                -Grand jury appearance

Also recorded on April 20, 1973

  • 903-012 11:40 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:40 am and 11:43 am.
  • 903-014 11:43 AM · 19 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:43 am to 12:02 pm.
  • 038-130 12:02 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:02 pm and 12:04 pm.
  • 903-015 12:02 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:02 pm and 12:04 pm.
  • 903-016 12:04 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Peter J. Brennan met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:04 pm to 12:07 pm.
  • 903-017 12:07 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:07 pm and 12:15 pm.
  • 903-018 12:07 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:07 pm and 12:15 pm.
  • 903-019 12:15 PM · 19 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, John D. Ehrlichman, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:15 pm to 12:34 pm.

All 34 conversations from April 20, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 038-131, April 20, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/038-131 (accessed October 25, 2026).