Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 39 › Conversation 039-138

Nixon phone call with Rebozo on Watergate scandal and Presidential travel

Thursday, June 7, 1973 · 7:26 PM–7:29 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsWhite House operator; Nixon, Richard M. (President); Rebozo, Charles G. ("Bebe")Conversation039-138 on Tape 39StartThursday, June 7, 1973 at 7:26 PMEndThursday, June 7, 1973 at 7:29 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 039-138 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and his close associate Bebe Rebozo discussed logistics for the President’s upcoming weekend trip to Key Biscayne and exchanged personal well-wishes regarding their families' health. The conversation shifted to the political climate, with both men agreeing that public scrutiny surrounding the Watergate scandal was subsiding. They further expressed approval of recent administration personnel moves, specifically praising the appointment of Clarence M. Kelley as FBI director and the public messaging of Melvin Laird and Alexander Haig.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello.
Mr. Rebosa, sir.
Hello.
Hello.
Mr. President, how are you?
Good, where are you?
I'm at my brother's house.
Good.
How are you doing?
I thought you'd be glad that we're going to be down about noon tomorrow.
Yes, sir.
Great.
So we'll see you then.
That's great.
A little dew right now.
Good moisture.
We hope it clears up.
Oh, I'm not worried about that.
We can only be there over the weekend.
Are you feeling all right?
Great, thank you.
Everything going well?
How's your mother?
Oh, she's fine, thank you.
Fine.
How are you doing, all right?
Fine, fine.
Good.
People not talking quite as much about Watergate these days, right?
What do you find?
Oh, it's just better all the time.
Really?
Better all the time.
I had a funny thing today.
Uh-huh.
My God, I got a letter from Leavenworth Prison, the former mayor of Jersey City who got 15 years.
Oh, boy.
Sympathizing with you.
I'll be darned.
And gave the media the very devil, you know.
Yeah.
The guy.
I feel so sorry for him.
Well, you know, I think of all of our good people that are
being involved in a way that you know they're all doing what they thought was right sure it's just terrible that's right it's the media that's doing it well i think it's picking up though what do you think oh no question laird and laird and haig's announcement was good that was excellent the new fbi director is good excellent excellent you think so uh excellent i was afraid you you know i wanted to get somebody with that had been with the fbi well this guy's a police chief he's a tough
progressive cop and a former FBI man and a lawyer.
So he's just a combination of everything.
He reduced Kansas City crime by about fifty percent.
That's wonderful.
Well, give your mother my best and we'll see you tomorrow.
Incidentally, I thought that what we would do, so we don't avoid the church thing, we might go down to your place at
I don't want to go to Walker's right now so soon after that accident.
We ought to go down maybe to your place at Key Largo, huh?
How's that sound to you?
That's great.
We'll do that.
Go down there for lunch.
Sure.
All right, boy.
Okay.

NARA Description

On June 7, 1973, White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and Charles G. ("Bebe") Rebozo talked on the telephone from 7:26 pm to 7:29 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 039-138 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 39-138

Date: June 7, 1973
Time: 7:26 pm - 7:29 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The White House operator talked with the President.

       Incoming telephone call

The President talked with Charles G. "Bebe" Rebozo.
                                     -112-

            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                     Conversation No. 39-138 (cont’d)

Rebozo’s location
      -Rebozo’s mother

President’s schedule
       -Visit to Key Biscayne
               -Timing of arrival
               -Weather

Rebozo
      -Health
      -Mother’s health

Watergate
      -Popular opinion
      -Letter to Rebozo from former Jersey City mayor in Leavenworth prison [Thomas
       J. Whelan]
      -Participants’ motives
      -Press
      -Popular opinion
              -Announcements of Melvin R. Laird and Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
              -Clarence M. Kelly’s appointments to Federal Bureau of Investigation
               [FBI]
                     -Background
                     -Accomplishments
                             -Kansas City crime rate

Message to Rebozo’s mother

President’s schedule
       -Visit to Key Biscayne
               -Church
               -Accident at Walker’s Cay
               -Key Largo
                      -Lunch
                                             -113-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                             Conversation No. 39-139 (cont’d)

Also recorded on June 7, 1973

  • 934-015 6:11 PM · 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 6:11 pm to 6:27 pm.
  • 934-016 6:27 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 6:27 pm and 6:29 pm.
  • 039-137 7:20 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:20 pm and 7:26 pm.
  • 039-139 7:30 PM · 3 min — White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 7:30 pm to 7:33 pm.
  • 039-140 7:33 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at 7:33 pm.
  • 039-141 7:33 PM · 8 min — White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and John B. Connally talked on the telephone from 7:33 pm to 7:41 pm.
  • 039-142 7:41 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:41 pm and 7:46 pm.
  • 039-143 7:46 PM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 7:46 pm to 7:47 pm.

All 50 conversations from June 7, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 039-138, June 7, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/039-138 (accessed October 12, 2026).