Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 45 › Conversation 045-020

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

Thursday, April 26, 1973 · 6:49 PM–6:50 PM ET · White House Telephone · 22 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation045-020 on Tape 45StartThursday, April 26, 1973 at 6:49 PMEndThursday, April 26, 1973 at 6:50 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 045-020 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon instructed Press Secretary Ronald L. Ziegler to postpone his planned telephone call to John W. Dean, III. Nixon requested more time to consider the matter, noting that he would be unavailable when Dean returned his own earlier call. The President ultimately decided to delay the communication to evaluate his strategy regarding Dean during the unfolding Watergate scandal.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hold on your Dean call until I call you back.
I want to think just a little bit more about that, okay?
Yes, sir.
I have a call in to him, and I won't be available when he calls back.
Right, right, right.
We may just say, well, it's nothing called by.

NARA Description

On April 26, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 6:49 pm to 6:50 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 045-020 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 45-20

Date: April 26, 1973
Time: 6:49 pm - 6:50 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.

[See also Conversation No. 431-9L]

     Ziegler’s forthcoming telephone call to John W. Dean, III

Also recorded on April 26, 1973

  • 045-014 5:55 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:55 pm and 5:56 pm.
  • 045-015 5:56 PM · 20 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry E. Petersen talked on the telephone from 5:56 pm to 6:17 pm.
  • 045-016 6:17 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:17 pm and 6:20 pm.
  • 045-017 6:17 PM · 18 sec — John D. Ehrlichman and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:17 pm and 6:20 pm.
  • 045-018 6:20 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Richard G. Kleindienst talked on the telephone from 6:20 pm to 6:24 pm.
  • 045-019 6:37 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:37 pm and 6:49 pm.
  • 045-021 6:50 PM · 4 min — John D. Ehrlichman, White House operator, and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:50 pm and 7:08 pm.
  • 045-022 6:50 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:50 pm and 7:08 pm.

All 73 conversations from April 26, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 045-020, 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/045-020 (accessed October 5, 2026).