Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 44 › Conversation 044-011

Dean phone call on Ronald L. Ziegler and Watergate scandal

Thursday, March 22, 1973 · 2:26 PM–3:28 PM ET · White House Telephone · 8 sec

ParticipantsDean, John W., III; White House operatorConversation044-011 on Tape 44StartThursday, March 22, 1973 at 2:26 PMEndThursday, March 22, 1973 at 3:28 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 044-011 ↗

AI Summary

John W. Dean III requested that the White House operator connect him to Press Secretary Ronald L. Ziegler. The brief interaction served as a logistical attempt to initiate communication between Dean and Ziegler during the heightened period of the Watergate scandal. No substantive policy matters or tactical decisions were discussed during this request for a connection.

Audio

Download MP3 · 0.3 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

Would you ring Ron Ziegler for me?
Yes, thank you.

NARA Description

On March 22, 1973, John W. Dean, III and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:26 pm and 3:28 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 044-011 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 044-011

Date: March 22, 1973
Time: Unknown between 2:26 pm and 3:28 pm
Location: White House Telephone

John W. Dean, III talked with the White House operator.

       Call to Ronald L. Ziegler

Also recorded on March 22, 1973

  • 044-008 1:52 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:52 pm and 1:55 pm.
  • 422-031 1:52 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:52 pm to 1:55 pm.
  • 422-032 1:55 PM · 50 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:55 pm and 1:57 pm.
  • 422-033 1:57 PM · 1 hr 32 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John W. Dean, III, John D. Ehrlichman, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and John N. Mitchell met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:57 pm and 3:43 pm.
  • 044-009 2:01 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:01 pm and 2:19 pm.
  • 044-010 2:19 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Richard G. Kleindienst talked on the telephone from 2:19 pm to 2:26 pm.
  • 044-012 2:26 PM · 28 sec — John W. Dean, III and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:26 pm and 3:28 pm.
  • 044-013 2:26 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:26 pm and 3:28 pm.

All 71 conversations from March 22, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 044-011, March 22, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/044-011 (accessed October 1, 2026).