Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 44 › Conversation 044-080
Ehrlichman & Dean on Watergate and Grand Jury
Thursday, March 29, 1973 · 5:35 PM–6:24 PM ET · White House Telephone
AI Summary
John D. Ehrlichman and John W. Dean III discuss Dean’s precarious legal standing and potential grand jury testimony regarding the Watergate scandal. The conversation centers on navigating the fallout from James McCord’s recent statements and the implications of Dean’s past interactions with key figures, including John Mitchell and Jeb Stuart Magruder. They evaluate the risks of Dean providing voluntary testimony versus appearing before the Ervin Committee, while also addressing allegations surrounding Donald Segretti and the administration's overall liability.
- Watergate
- Grand Jury
- John Mitchell
- Jeb Stuart Magruder
- Senate Watergate Committee
- James W. McCord Jr.
- Donald Segretti
Audio
This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the player above contains the full tape segment shared with neighbouring conversations.
Transcript (AI-generated)
No transcript is available yet for this conversation. The recording may contain no audible speech, or it may not have been processed.
NARA Description
On March 29, 1973, John D. Ehrlichman and John W. Dean, III talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:35 pm and 6:24 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 044-080 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 044-080
Date: March 29, 1973
Time: Unknown between 5:35 pm and 6:24 pm
Location: White House Telephone
John D. Ehrlichman talked with John W. Dean, III.
[This is the original beginning of conversation No. 044-080, which has been merged with
conversation 044-078 and 044-079.]
Watergate
-Dean
-Possible grand jury testimony
-Dean’s knowledge of meetings in John N. Mitchell’s office
-Conversations with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-Truthfulness
-Results
-Dean’s conversation with Paul L. O’Brien
-Jeb Stuart Magruder, Mitchell, Dean, White House
-Mitchell
-Attitude
-Conversation with President
-Dean
-Possible grand jury subpoena
-O’Brien
-James W. McCord, Jr.’s statement
-Conversation with G. Gordon Liddy
-Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.
-Press conference
-Work of the press
-Responsibility for Watergate
-Conversations with Richard G. Kleindienst and L[ouis] Patrick Gray, III
-Donald H. Segretti
-Allegations
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542
-Dean
-Fred F. Fielding
-Dean
-Possible grand jury appearance
-Volunteering of testimony
-Comparison with Ervin Committee
-O’Brien’s viewAlso recorded on March 29, 1973
- 044-077 5:32 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 5:32 pm.
- 426-013 5:32 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 5:32 pm.
- 426-014 5:32 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:32 pm and 5:35 pm.
- 426-015 5:32 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:32 pm and 5:35 pm.
- 044-078 5:35 PM · 8 min — John D. Ehrlichman and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:35 pm and 6:24 pm.
- 044-079 5:35 PM — John D. Ehrlichman and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:35 pm and 6:24 pm.
- 426-016 5:35 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:35 pm and 6:24 pm.
- 426-017 5:35 PM · 32 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:35 pm and 6:24 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 044-080, 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/044-080 (accessed October 1, 2026).