Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 44 › Conversation 044-117

Nixon phone call with Ehrlichman on Watergate scandal and John W. Dean III

Monday, April 9, 1973 · 8:21 PM–8:23 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ehrlichman, John D.Conversation044-117 on Tape 44StartMonday, April 9, 1973 at 8:21 PMEndMonday, April 9, 1973 at 8:23 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 044-117 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and John Ehrlichman discuss a strategy to avoid a high-profile, public confrontation regarding John Dean by refusing to send him to testify before the Senate. They decide that Leonard Garment should adopt a hard line, offering only written interrogatories and sworn statements instead of a television appearance. Additionally, they discuss economic policy, specifically the need for a more effective public spokesperson than George Shultz, and agree to wait for a memorandum from Pierre Rinfret before finalizing administration economic papers.

Audio

Download MP3 · 5.7 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Yes, sir.
I think with Garment, if you would instruct him with a really hard line that we cannot give on Dean going down.
Otherwise, John, I was just thinking of the story that comes out when you go out Thursday, the White House caves on everything.
In other words, we've got to hold on some.
All right.
And so I think we should hold on Dean.
All right.
And we will answer anything on him on written interrogatories.
All right.
And...
You don't think that'll hold?
Oh, I think it'll hold.
I mean, they don't have much choice, you know.
And I said, you know, we'll take a lawsuit on this.
And the dean will cover in written interrogatories.
And he'll give sworn statements.
any involvement.
But tell Garment that's the deal.
All right.
Yeah, I said to the senator, you know, do you really want to sue us when we're ready, willing, and able to give you all the information?
And the only thing we won't do is send our fellow up there for a television circus?
And so he said, well, you know, I don't want a confrontation with the president under any circumstances, and so on and so forth.
Okay, but tell Garment that's it.
I will.
I forgot to tell you, I talked to Renfray this afternoon.
He wanted to freeze everything.
Well, he wants to submit something in writing, and he'll have it down here Wednesday.
But his major point is that it's a question of confidence.
and that we need a spokesman that we don't have, that we need somebody like Connolly to articulate our policy.
He doesn't think that Schultz can do it.
No, he's pretty tough on Schultz.
So he may be right about that.
You think so?
Yeah.
Well, you know, we've talked about that before.
It's a problem.
There's no question.
And nobody's out there really sort of that people believe.
That's right.
So that was his major point.
His substantive point, he said he'd like to give me in writing.
He said he was having trouble contacting you.
And I said, well, look, I'm here.
You can call me any time.
So he said, fine.
He was grateful for that.
And so he'll have something here by messenger on Wednesday afternoon.
Okay.
With regard to that, then, there's nothing for me to do tomorrow.
Is that right?
That's right.
putting their feet to the fire and so forth.
As a matter of fact, I think what we ought to do is hold Herb and George's paper until we get Renfray's, and then we'll have both.
Okay, fine.

NARA Description

On April 9, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone from 8:21 pm to 8:23 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 044-117 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 044-117

Date: April 9, 1973
Time: 8:21 pm-8:23 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with John D. Ehrlichman.

[See also Conversation No. 425-48]

       Watergate
            -Ehrlichman’s instructions for Leonard Garment
                   -John W. Dean, III
                         -Written interrogatories
                         -Sworn statements
            -Ehrlichman’s conversation with unknown senator regarding Dean

       Ehrlichman's conversation with Pierre Rinfret
             -Need for economic spokesman
                   -Arthur F. Burns
                   -John B. Connally
                   -George P. Shultz
             -Rinfret’s meeting with Ehrlichman
                   -Rinfret’s memorandum
                   -Shultz and Herbert Stein’s paper

Also recorded on April 10, 1973

  • 425-046 7:48 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and David C. Hoopes met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 7:48 pm to 7:50 pm.
  • 044-115 7:55 PM · 13 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone from 7:55 pm to 8:07 pm.
  • 425-047 7:55 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 7:55 pm to 8:07 pm.
  • 044-116 8:07 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:07 pm and 8:21 pm.
  • 425-048 8:21 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:21 pm to 8:23 pm.
  • 044-118 8:23 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:23 pm and 9:01 pm.
  • 425-049 8:23 PM · 11 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 8:23 pm and 9:01 pm.
  • 044-119 9:01 PM · 50 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:01 pm and 9:02 pm.

All 81 conversations from April 10, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 044-117, April 10, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/044-117 (accessed October 5, 2026).