Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 41 › Conversation 041-019

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

Tuesday, June 19, 1973 · 3:01 PM–3:04 PM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Eisenhower, Julie NixonConversation041-019 on Tape 41StartTuesday, June 19, 1973 at 3:01 PMEndTuesday, June 19, 1973 at 3:04 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 041-019 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower discuss the positive reception of a recent student event featuring Secretary Caspar Weinberger, noting the students' interest in the upcoming Soviet summit. Nixon updates Julie on his strategy to counter John Dean's allegations, alleging that Dean embezzled funds and was the architect of the Watergate cover-up. The conversation concludes with a discussion regarding supportive media figures and the successful state dinner held for Leonid Brezhnev.

Audio

Download MP3 · 7.5 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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).
Yeah.
Julie.
Daddy?
I wondered how everything went today, Judy.
It went very well.
The students were so friendly.
Were they really?
How many were there?
Well, there were about 200.
And what I did was to open, you know, up to questions.
And they didn't ask about Watergate.
And these were all really brilliant kids, the presidential winners.
Really?
And I had Secretary Weinberger there, and he answered a couple questions, and it was real good.
They didn't ask about Watergate.
That's funny.
I suppose they were being polite.
Well, but I mean, maybe they were putting things in perspective, too.
Did they ask about the summit?
Yes, they did.
And they wanted to know about, for example, the Mideast.
If you would talk to Brezhnev about that.
And they wanted to know about the energy crisis and how the Soviet Union might help in that way.
Weinberger, yes.
He was real good.
He was so smart.
Friendly and nice.
Oh, good, good.
And, uh, we're, uh...
So you're going out on the boat with the... We may.
We're hoping to, unless the weather is real bad, but I think we will.
Good.
And then I'm going to camp David tonight.
Great.
And, uh, so we'll, uh...
there and so uh it's fine i wish you well tonight i'm sure it's going to go well i think i appreciate all your work my goodness i was just talking to ron sigler and and let me tell you that you're concerned about the press conference we've been talking about i intend to have one but i've got the way the dean gets on see yeah so that i can so that you don't get that past us because don't be concerned about it but because but we got you've seen her they've caught him skimming some money
No.
He stole some money, apparently, $4,000.
Said he did it for his honeymoon.
Said he put it back.
So he's a pretty bad boy.
Daddy, one thing I wanted to tell you.
David and I went to dinner at Howard K. Smith's house last week because he invited us, and we thought we should do it because he's been good.
Oh, yes.
And he really is your friend.
Yeah, well, he's a nice man.
He really is.
Like he was talking about the editorials he's been doing, he's the only one who's putting everything in perspective.
I really want you to know that it was a very good meeting.
And you know who else was very good?
The editor of The Star was there.
Noise.
Oh, yeah.
He's a nice man.
Actually, let me tell you, the thing is on this, we're ready to strike back, but we've got a plan, and I just want you to know that.
I have very much in mind, but when we do, we want to just take the offensive and stay on it.
Right.
You know what I mean?
And we're just going to go all out.
And, uh... Dean doesn't have any damning documents, does he?
He's just talking?
No.
No.
I don't think so.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
Don't worry about that.
Well... Well, he can't...
There's none from me.
No.
That's for sure.
Yeah.
Because I know we've got everything that...
He's got these, uh... Dean is just going to make a lot of charges, you know, about this and that and the other thing, because he was the master of the whole cover-up thing himself.
Yeah.
Carry-outer of the thing.
He ate us.
And, uh, he let us for ten months.
Boy.
But it's working out.
And, Daddy, last night was a triumph.
Yeah.
You liked it, did you?
Didn't you?
I thought it was great.
My God.
I mean, it couldn't have been any more.
Yeah.
It was friendly and warm.
And yet the toasts were significant.
And the kids got a real kick out of the fact that Brezhnev, because of the long toast and the friendly spirit of the evening, that the night went on an hour later than usual.
And how you all had postponed, Brezhnev suggested postponing the meeting for one hour.
And they really loved hearing that.
Kind of thing they like.
Fine, sweetie.
Good luck and thank you very much.
Thanks for calling.
Bye, sweetie.
Bye.

NARA Description

On June 19, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone from 3:01 pm to 3:04 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 041-019 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 41-19

Date: June 19, 1973
Time: 3:01 pm - 3:04 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Julie Nixon Eisenhower.
                                            -10-

                  NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                            Conversation No. 40-19 (cont’d)

[See Conversation No. 447-25]

     Julie Nixon Eisenhower’s schedule
           -Meeting with students
                 -Reaction
                 -Topics
                      -Watergate
                 -Caspar W. (“Cap”) Weinberger
                 -Topics
                      -Watergate
                            -Demeanor of students
                      -US-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
                            -Summit
                                  -Leonid I. Brezhnev
                                  -Middle East
                                  -Energy crisis
                                       -Gas
                                       -Weinberger

     President’s schedule
           -Sequoia trip with Brezhnev
                 -[Dwight] David Eisenhower, II [?]
           -Conversation with Ronald L. Ziegler
                 -Julie Nixon Eisenhower’s efforts
                 -Press conference
                        -John W. Dean, III
                              -Ervin Committee appearance
                              -Funds
                                    -Embezzlement [?]

     Julie Nixon Eisenhower’s schedule
           -Julie Nixon Eisenhower and [Dwight] David Eisenhower, II
                  -Howard K. Smith
                       -Support for President
                  -Crosby S. Noyes
                       -Washington Star
                       -Attributes

     Watergate
                                                -11-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                               Conversation No. 40-19 (cont’d)

           -Administration response
                -Strategy
           -Dean
                -Document
                -Charges
                -Cover-up

     Brezhnev’s visit
          -Dinner, June 18, 1972
                -Toasts
                -Length

Also recorded on June 19, 1973

  • 041-017 3:00 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at 3:00 pm.
  • 041-018 3:00 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:00 pm and 3:01 pm.
  • 447-023 3:00 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 3:00 pm.
  • 447-024 3:00 PM · 12 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 3:00 pm and 3:01 pm.
  • 447-025 3:01 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:01 pm to 3:04 pm.
  • 041-020 3:07 PM · 16 sec — White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr. talked on the telephone from 3:07 pm to 3:08 pm.
  • 945-006 3:07 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:07 pm to 3:08 pm.
  • 945-007 3:09 PM · 1 hr 19 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr., Melvin R. Laird, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:09 pm and 4:30 pm.

All 41 conversations from June 19, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 041-019, June 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/041-019 (accessed October 9, 2026).