Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 38 › Conversation 038-139

Ehrlichman & Shepard on Watergate and Peter Wolf

Wednesday, April 25, 1973 · 11:06 AM–1:51 PM ET · White House Telephone · 1 min

ParticipantsEhrlichman, John D.; Shepard, Geoffrey C.Conversation038-139 on Tape 38StartWednesday, April 25, 1973 at 11:06 AMEndWednesday, April 25, 1973 at 1:51 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 038-139 ↗

AI Summary

John D. Ehrlichman contacted Geoffrey C. Shepard to determine if Shepard had any involvement with attorney Peter Wolf or a sensitive collection of documents related to E. Howard Hunt, Jr. Shepard denied any knowledge of the documents or personal connection to Wolf, clarifying that he was not the individual identified in a recent Chicago Tribune inquiry regarding Walter Minnick. The conversation concluded with Ehrlichman attempting to identify a different Shepard formerly associated with George Lincoln's group at the Office of Emergency Preparedness.

  • Watergate
  • Peter Wolf
  • E. Howard Hunt Jr.
  • Walter Minnick
  • Office of Emergency Preparedness
  • Chicago Tribune

Audio

Download MP3 · 2.3 MB

NARA Description

On April 25, 1973, John D. Ehrlichman and Geoffrey C. Shepard talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:06 am and 1:51 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 038-139 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 38-139

Date: April 25, 1973
Time: Unknown between 11:06 am and 1:51 pm
Location: White House Telephone

John D. Ehrlichman talked with Geoffrey C. Shepard.

[See also Conversation No. 430-4B]

     Watergate
          -Peter Wolf and E. Howard Hunt, Jr. documents
          -Chicago Tribune’s call to Walter Minnick
          Sheppard’s identity
                -George Lincoln
                     -Office of Emergency Preparedness [OEP]
                -George
          -Wolf

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

Jeff?
Yes, sir.
John Arkham.
Yes, sir.
Have you got any connection with this Peter Wolfe problem and these cases of documents?
No, sir.
I'm not familiar with that at all.
I don't know Wolfe or documents or anything.
Okay.
Absolutely no knowledge whatsoever.
And you haven't been approached by anybody about it?
No, but I do know that Walter Minnick was called by the Chicago Tribune and asked if he was the guy Wolfe was representing.
But then he isn't.
No, he certainly is not.
The reason I'm calling you is that I was given to understand it was somebody named Shepard.
And so I thought of you because I don't know any other Shepard.
There used to be a Shepard right across the street here at the committee.
No, sir.
The George Lincoln's group.
Oh, it would be?
Yeah, but he wouldn't be connected on.
I don't know.
What was his first name here?
I think it was George, sir.
Okay.
But I... You don't know Peter Wolfe?
No, sir.
Okay, thank you.
Yes, sir.

Also recorded on April 25, 1973

  • 430-001 10:51 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:51 am to 10:58 am.
  • 430-002 10:58 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:58 am and 11:06 am.
  • 430-003 10:58 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:58 am and 11:06 am.
  • 038-138 11:06 AM · 32 sec — John D. Ehrlichman, White House operator, and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:06 am and 1:51 pm.
  • 038-140 11:06 AM · 25 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, unknown person(s), and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:06 am and 1:51 pm.
  • 038-141 11:06 AM · 1 min — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Stephen B. Bull, President Richard M. Nixon, and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:06 am and 1:51 pm.
  • 038-143 11:06 AM · 2 min — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, unknown person(s), John D. Ehrlichman, President Richard M. Nixon, and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:06 am and 1:51 pm.
  • 430-004 11:06 AM · 2 hr 33 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman, White House operator, Geoffrey C. Shepard, unknown person(s), and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 11:06 am to 1:55 pm.

All 79 conversations from April 25, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 038-139, April 25, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/038-139 (accessed November 2, 2026).