Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 44 › Conversation 044-068

Haldeman phone call on Watergate and Ronald Ziegler

Thursday, March 29, 1973 · 2:46 PM–3:01 PM ET · White House Telephone · 42 sec

ParticipantsHaldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); White House operatorConversation044-068 on Tape 44StartThursday, March 29, 1973 at 2:46 PMEndThursday, March 29, 1973 at 3:01 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 044-068 ↗

AI Summary

H. R. Haldeman and the White House operator facilitate a meeting between the President and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler to coordinate a formal administration response to the Watergate scandal. The participants decide to channel the White House’s defense through the judicial and grand jury system rather than via press briefings. Ziegler is summoned to the Executive Office Building to receive instructions on releasing this official statement.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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president feels do you want ron the president feels that since charges of such a serious legal nature have been leveled the judicial dash grand jury form is the proper one in which to have the facts heard in the judiciary there you are ron yes can you come over yes you're gonna breathe no i'm finished
You don't have an afternoon briefing?
No.
We have something we may want you to put out.
Well, we can arrange that.
Okay, come on over.
The EOB.

NARA Description

On March 29, 1973, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:46 pm and 3:01 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 044-068 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 044-068

Date: March 29, 1973
Time: Unknown between 2:46 pm and 3:01 pm
Location: White House Telephone

H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman talked with the White House operator. John D. Ehrlichman can be
heard in the background.

[See also Conversation No. 426-4A]

       Call to Ronald L. Ziegler [?]

Haldeman conferred with the President and Ehrlichman at an unknown time.

       Possible statement on Watergate
             -Judicial system

[See Conversation 426-4]

[End of conferral]

Also recorded on March 29, 1973

  • 424-033 1:37 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:37 pm and 2:04 pm.
  • 426-001 2:05 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:05 pm and 2:45 pm.
  • 426-002 2:05 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:05 pm and 2:45 pm.
  • 426-003 2:05 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:05 pm and 2:45 pm.
  • 426-004 2:45 PM · 1 hr 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, Ronald L. Ziegler, John W. Dean, III, and Marjorie P. Acker met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:45 pm to 4:20 pm.
  • 044-069 2:46 PM · 7 min — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:46 pm and 3:01 pm.
  • 044-070 3:30 PM · 1 min — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:30 pm and 4:05 pm.
  • 044-071 3:30 PM · 10 min — John D. Ehrlichman and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:30 pm and 4:05 pm.

All 77 conversations from March 29, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 044-068, March 29, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/044-068 (accessed October 1, 2026).