Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 45 › Conversation 045-021
Ehrlichman & Ziegler on Watergate and John Dean
Thursday, April 26, 1973 · 6:50 PM–7:08 PM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min
AI Summary
John D. Ehrlichman and Ronald L. Ziegler discuss the management of ongoing Watergate-related communications and public statements. Ziegler informs Ehrlichman that the President ordered him not to contact John Dean, and the two briefly touch upon the handling of a forthcoming written statement from Ehrlichman. Despite Ziegler expressing his disagreement with the content of that statement, Ehrlichman remains committed to discussing the matter further with the President.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 2 minutes of this recording (about 39% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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
Each line starts with a timestamp button; press it to play the audio from that point.
NARA Description
On April 26, 1973, 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. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 045-021 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 45-21
Date: April 26, 1973
Time: Unknown between 6:50 pm and 7:08 pm
Location: White House Telephone
John D. Ehrlichman talked with the White House operator.
Telephone number
The operator dialed a telephone number at an unknown time.
Telephone call
-Busy signal
-Attempted call
The operator re-dialed at an unknown time.
Telephone call
-Attempted call
The operator re-dialed at an unknown time.
Telephone call
-Delay
-15-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 45-21 (cont’d)
The operator re-dialed at an unknown time.
Telephone call
-Outside line
Ehrlichman dialed a telephone number at an unknown time between 6:50 pm and 7:08 pm.
[Dialing sound]
Ehrlichman talked with the White House operator.
Telephone call to Ronald L. Ziegler
Ehrlichman talked with Ziegler at an unknown time between 6:50 pm and 8:00 pm.
Watergate
-Ziegler’s forthcoming call to Dean
-President’s call to Ziegler
-Ehrlichman’s forthcoming statement
-Method of releaseAlso 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.
- 045-020 6:49 PM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 6:49 pm to 6:50 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.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 045-021, 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/045-021 (accessed October 5, 2026).