Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 39 › Conversation 039-054

Nixon phone call with Haig on Watergate and John W. Dean III

Monday, June 4, 1973 · 8:51 AM–8:52 AM ET · White House Telephone · 19 sec

ParticipantsWhite House operator; Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haig, Alexander M., Jr.Conversation039-054 on Tape 39StartMonday, June 4, 1973 at 8:51 AMEndMonday, June 4, 1973 at 8:52 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 039-054 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Alexander Haig held a brief telephone conversation to coordinate an urgent, in-person meeting regarding the handling of sensitive materials. The discussion specifically concerned the status of John W. Dean III’s files as they related to the ongoing Watergate investigation. The call concluded with the President directing Haig to come to his office immediately to finalize their strategy.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

Yeah.
General Hague, sir.
Hello.
Mr. President?
Yeah.
If you have a minute, I think I've got the solution as the best way to proceed on this.
Come on over.
Fine, sir.

NARA Description

On June 4, 1973, White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 8:51 am to 8:52 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 039-054 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 39-54

Date: June 4, 1973
Time: 8:51 am - 8:52 am
Location: White House Telephone

The White House operator talked with the President.

       Incoming telephone call

Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked with the President.

[See also Conversation No. 441-1]

       Watergate
             -John W. Dean, III’s files

       President’s schedule

Also recorded on June 4, 1973

  • 441-001 8:51 AM · 18 sec — Alexander M. Haig, Jr. and President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:51 am to 8:52 am.
  • 039-055 8:53 AM · 1 min — Alexander M. Haig, Jr., White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:53 am and 9:04 am.
  • 441-002 8:53 AM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:53 am to 9:05 am.
  • 039-056 9:05 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:05 am and 9:11 am.
  • 441-003 9:05 AM · 14 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 9:05 am and 9:11 am.
  • 039-057 9:11 AM · 39 sec — White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 9:11 am to 9:12 am.
  • 441-004 9:11 AM · 37 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:11 am to 9:12 am.
  • 039-058 9:12 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:12 am and 9:38 am.

All 103 conversations from June 4, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 039-054, June 4, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/039-054 (accessed October 1, 2026).