Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 45 › Conversation 045-004

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Richard G. Kleindienst

Thursday, April 26, 1973 · 12:21 PM–12:23 PM ET · White House Telephone · 10 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation045-004 on Tape 45StartThursday, April 26, 1973 at 12:21 PMEndThursday, April 26, 1973 at 12:23 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 045-004 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon directs the White House operator to place an urgent telephone call to Attorney General Richard G. Kleindienst. The brief exchange serves as a logistical bridge to connect the President with his top law enforcement official. This call highlights the active coordination and communication efforts occurring within the administration during the height of the Watergate crisis.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Attorney General, please.

NARA Description

On April 26, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:21 pm and 12:23 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 045-004 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 45-4

Date: April 26, 1973
Time: Unknown between 12:21 pm and 12:23 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See also Conversation No. 905-18]

     Request for telephone call
          -Richard G. Kleindienst

Also recorded on April 26, 1973

  • 045-001 12:11 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:11 pm and 12:16 pm.
  • 045-002 12:11 PM · 15 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:11 pm and 12:16 pm.
  • 905-013 12:11 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:11 pm and 12:16 pm.
  • 045-003 12:16 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Richard G. Kleindienst talked on the telephone from 12:16 pm to 12:21 pm.
  • 905-017 12:16 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Richard G. Kleindienst met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:16 pm and 12:21 pm.
  • 905-018 12:21 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:21 pm and 12:23 pm.
  • 045-005 12:23 PM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Richard G. Kleindienst talked on the telephone from 12:23 pm to 12:32 pm.
  • 905-019 12:23 PM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Richard G. Kleindienst met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:23 pm and 12:32 pm.

All 73 conversations from April 26, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 045-004, April 26, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/045-004 (accessed October 5, 2026).