Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 44 › Conversation 044-030

Haldeman & Colson on Watergate scandal and Ervin Committee

Tuesday, March 27, 1973 · 4:58 PM–5:20 PM ET · White House Telephone · 5 min

ParticipantsHaldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Colson, Charles W.Conversation044-030 on Tape 44StartTuesday, March 27, 1973 at 4:58 PMEndTuesday, March 27, 1973 at 5:20 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 044-030 ↗

AI Summary

H. R. Haldeman and Charles Colson discuss a strategic proposal to deflect public perception of a Watergate cover-up by having Attorney General Richard Kleindienst consult Judge John Sirica. Haldeman suggests offering a special prosecutor, a new grand jury, and voluntary staff testimony to avoid a hostile appearance before the Ervin Committee. Colson expresses strong skepticism, arguing that such an initiative would appear as an act of panic and warning that the appointment of a special prosecutor would be a catastrophic mistake.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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Hi, Bob.
Still need to get together, I know, but I wanted to check one idea out with you.
We're still pursuing need to take some kind of overt action and try and blunt this we're in now of appearing to cover up and not go up to the committee and all that sort of thing, which we obviously don't want to do.
Don't want to appear that way or don't want to go to the committee?
Both.
Yeah, okay.
So thought raised.
What if Kleindienst were to Sarika and point to him that the president up to this point has been relying on the statements of the people and the staff and so forth, that there has been no involvement in the dean investigation and so on.
Accord charges raise some
proud on this whole thing in a very serious way, and that therefore the president has asked Clint East to talk with Sirica and to raise the following questions.
One, whether Sirica wants to feel better if we appointed a special prosecutor to follow up on this on a continuing basis.
Two, does he want to appoint a new grand jury to come into this
And three, whether or not he wants to do either of those two things, the total cooperation from the White House in terms of the new or old grand jury, new or old prosecutor, including from all of the White House staff members that have been directly or indirectly named, that they've all volunteered to appear and testify, that they're
question of executive privilege on matters leading up to the Watergate incident doesn't arise because there was no communication with the President of any sort on that subject.
The President had no knowledge of that subject, so we're not in the area of executive privilege.
Then, assuming Sirica agrees to all of those suggestions, Ziegler goes out and announces that the President has asked the Attorney General to meet with Judge Sirica, and this is what they've
do, so that you have the overt action coming from our part on getting our people out onto some forum where they can testify and into a hell of a lot better forum, as you agreed the other day, than the Hill would be.
Well, I have a number of reactions, Bob.
I don't think much of the idea to start with.
Let me try to put it in context.
Up until now, we have hidden behind executive privilege, and we've only done the minimum.
Just assume that.
That's not true.
No, of course not.
I'm saying just assume that no one wants to take that point of view.
Now, McCord has blown and said everything.
we go send the attorney general in to see a district court judge, and it almost appears like overreaction.
In other words, it almost appears that all of a sudden we've gotten secondhand information as to what McCord has told Dash, that we're suddenly going to go out and do something very extraordinary and very unusual.
That's the point of keeping it in this way rather than appointing a
commission to do it or something like that, which would be taking an unusual step.
Well, I wouldn't appoint a warrant commission under any circumstances, good God, and I wouldn't appoint a special prosecutor, and I'd never make that offer to Sirica because he'd take you up on it immediately.
And one thing you don't need is a special prosecutor.
I'll tell you when I see you, but believe me, you do not need a special prosecutor.
You don't want a special prosecutor.
By the way, I feel very strongly about that.
Okay.
and more strongly the more that i've okay have you got some time now sure i'll come right over why don't you come over to my office i'll be right over easier to talk there yep i think so okay good

NARA Description

On March 27, 1973, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:58 pm and 5:20 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 044-030 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 044-030

Date: March 27, 1973
Time: Unknown between 4:58 pm and 5:20 pm
Location: White House Telephone

H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman talked with Charles W. Colson.

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

[See also Conversation No. 423-13C]

       Meeting with Colson

       Ervin Committee
             -White House response to request for testimony
                  -Richard G. Kleindienst meeting with John J. Sirica
                        -White House investigation
                        -John W. Dean, III’s report
                        -James W. McCord, Jr.’s charges
                        -Possibility of special prosecutor
                        -New grand jury
                        -Executive privilege on events prior to Watergate
                        -Ronald L. Ziegler’s announcement
                        -Effects
                        -Previous claims of executive privilege
                        -McCord
                              -Statements to Samuel Dash
                                     -White House reaction
                        -Commission
                        -Special prosecutor

       Meeting with Colson

Also recorded on March 27, 1973

  • 044-028 4:57 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:57 pm and 4:58 pm.
  • 044-029 4:58 PM · 7 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:58 pm and 5:20 pm.
  • 424-001 4:58 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:58 pm and 5:20 pm.
  • 044-031 5:20 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:20 pm and 5:22 pm.
  • 424-002 5:20 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:20 pm and 5:22 pm.
  • 044-032 5:22 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:22 pm and 5:34 pm.
  • 424-003 5:22 PM · 13 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:22 pm to 5:34 pm.
  • 044-033 5:34 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 5:34 pm.

All 50 conversations from March 27, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 044-030, March 27, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/044-030 (accessed October 2, 2026).