← 045-012045-014 →

Conversation 045-013

TapeTape 45StartThursday, April 26, 1973 at 5:53 PMEndThursday, April 26, 1973 at 5:55 PMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Kleindienst, Richard G.Recording deviceWhite House Telephone
AI Summary

President Nixon and Attorney General Richard G. Kleindienst discuss pending legal developments in the Daniel Ellsberg case and the potential resignation of FBI Director L. Patrick Gray. The conversation focuses on a damaging New York Times report regarding Gray's destruction of sensitive documents from E. Howard Hunt’s safe. Nixon emphasizes his commitment to transparency, tasking Kleindienst and Assistant Attorney General Henry E. Petersen with evaluating the political and legal implications of the situation overnight.

WatergateDaniel EllsbergL. Patrick GrayE. Howard HuntAttorney GeneralResignation
AudioNARA Description

On April 26, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Richard G. Kleindienst talked on the telephone from 5:53 pm to 5:55 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 045-013 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 45-13

Date: April 26, 1973
Time: 5:53 pm - 5:55 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Richard G. Kleindienst.

[See also Conversation No. 431-9E]

     Watergate
          -Daniel Ellsberg case
                -Court procedures
          -L[ouis] Patrick Gray, III
                -Destruction of E. Howard Hunt, Jr.’s documents
                      -New York Times story
          -Possible resignation
                -Kleindienst consultation with Henry E. Petersen
                -Disclosure
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

Attorney General, sir.
Yeah.
Yeah, Mr. President, I just, uh, I'm just going to call you.
About the, uh, report from the Times?
No.
Yeah, go ahead, yeah.
California situation.
Yeah.
The judge, and he's taking it under advisement, and they'll rule on it tomorrow.
See, fine.
Good.
We'll have nothing tomorrow.
The other thing, Dick, I was going to call you about is, you know, that, uh, you know, this situation, which I think I should talk to you about, because it involves Pat Gray involving, uh, the, the, uh,
is being given that, the contents of, some of the contents of Hunt's safe.
I learned of that the first time I come.
And that's in the New York Times and so forth.
And that Gray did, and Gray has destroyed it, you know.
Okay.
Don't you feel that under the circumstances that Gray, and I'm just, I don't think I'm overreacting, but under these circumstances, are we going to have to resign?
What do you think?
How do you handle this one?
Do you want to think about it?
Dr. Henry Peterson called me back.
I'd like to think about it overnight.
Well, we're not going to have you do it tonight.
I guess you're right.
But I mean, the story's going to remind me twice about it.
What's Henry think we should do about it?
Well, we both don't know.
And I just hate to come up and make a decision, you know.
Right.
That's fast.
All right.
Well, can I ask you and Peterson to think a little about it?
Yes, sir.
I know this is one of those things, but I want the whole damn thing out, don't you?
Tough as it is.
It's going to come out anyway.
Well, sure.
Sure, it's going to come out.
But Dick.
Back to life right now.
Dick.
are crying out loud.
God damn it, if these damn things happen, I as president have got to get them out.
That's right.
That's my responsibility.
It's my responsibility, and I'm going to meet it.
Yes, sir.
All right.
I'll talk to you tomorrow morning.
Bye.
← 045-012045-014 →