Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 43 › Conversation 043-100

Nixon phone call with Bull on L. Patrick Gray and John Ehrlichman

Thursday, February 15, 1973 · 4:57 PM–4:58 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.Conversation043-100 on Tape 43StartThursday, February 15, 1973 at 4:57 PMEndThursday, February 15, 1973 at 4:58 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 043-100 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and aide Stephen B. Bull coordinate the President's schedule, specifically addressing the cancellation of a breakfast meeting with Mike Mansfield and the subsequent rescheduling of appointments. The discussion focuses on finalizing a 9:00 a.m. meeting with L. Patrick Gray, accompanied by John Ehrlichman, followed by a meeting with Sir Christopher Soames. Nixon emphasizes keeping the Gray meeting off the record while utilizing the Soames appointment as a formal reason to depart from a scheduled Cabinet meeting.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Thank you.
Yeah.
Did I call you?
Yes, sir.
It was about, uh, Oh yes.
The appointment tomorrow.
Soames or are we committed to him?
Invited him, but we could do, I suggest that sir.
Well, I guess we could do it, but is it a half hour or kind of a deal or?
Well, I guess I could do it and let somebody else do the cabinet thing for that.
We can change it, Mr. President.
I have to see Gray.
This is Ehrlichman has somebody I have to see.
Well, we'll just tell Soames that something came up and you couldn't... Well, no, no, no.
I don't like to cancel something.
I'll tell you what you could do, though.
See if his appointment could be... Just a minute.
We'll make gray at 9 o'clock.
Wait a minute, wait a minute.
The breakfast is at 9.
Mr. President, Bill Timmons just called.
Mansfield is out of the city until Sunday.
Yes, sir.
Well, then we have no breakfast.
We have no breakfast.
We'll just scrub the breakfast.
Right.
And then, therefore, we'll just move to...
You can do Gray at 9 o'clock.
Gray at 9, and I'll go into the cabinet meeting.
And then come right out and do Soames.
All right, sir.
And that 9.30, the Soames thing is a visible reason for you to leave the cabinet room.
Right.
I understand.
Do you want John Ehrlichman with you with Gray?
Yes, yes.
And that's off the record and not on the count?
Just a minute.
Okay.
It's off the record.
All right, sir.
All right.
Fine.
Thank you, Sean.

NARA Description

On February 15, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 4:57 pm to 4:58 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 043-100 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 43-100

Date: February 15, 1973
Time: 4:57 pm - 4:58 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Stephen B. Bull

[See Conversation No. 410-33B]

       The President’s schedule
            -Sir Christopher Soames
                  -Cabinet
            -Length
            -L. Patrick Gray, III
                  -John D. Ehrlichman
                                             -57-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                           Conversation No. 43-100 (cont’d)

             -William E. Timmons
                   -Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield
             -Gray
             -Cabinet meeting
             -Soames
             -Ehrlichman
                   -Gray
                         -Off the record
                         -Off the calendar

Also recorded on February 15, 1973

  • 043-094 4:34 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 4:34 pm to 4:35 pm.
  • 043-218 4:34 PM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:34 pm and 4:35 pm.
  • 043-095 4:36 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone from 4:36 pm to 4:41 pm.
  • 043-096 4:42 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William E. Timmons talked on the telephone from 4:42 pm to 4:44 pm.
  • 043-097 4:50 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft talked on the telephone from 4:50 pm to 4:52 pm.
  • 043-098 4:52 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:52 pm and 4:54 pm.
  • 043-099 4:54 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon talked on the telephone from 4:54 pm to 4:56 pm.
  • 043-101 4:58 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:58 pm and 6:20 pm.

All 41 conversations from February 15, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 043-100, February 15, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/043-100 (accessed October 1, 2026).