Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 45 › Conversation 045-025

Nixon phone call with Petersen on Watergate scandal and L. Patrick Gray III

Thursday, April 26, 1973 · 7:12 PM–7:14 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Petersen, Henry E.Conversation045-025 on Tape 45StartThursday, April 26, 1973 at 7:12 PMEndThursday, April 26, 1973 at 7:14 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 045-025 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Assistant Attorney General Henry Petersen discuss the legal and political implications of testimony regarding L. Patrick Gray III and potential orders to destroy documents. They focus on the fallout surrounding John Ehrlichman and John Dean, specifically addressing the optics of Gray’s possible resignation and the necessity of managing conflicting narratives. Ultimately, they decide to exercise caution and avoid taking immediate action to force Gray out, acknowledging the need to verify details before proceeding.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Mr. President, I wondered if you'd add your talk with— We just started it.
Let me say this.
The one thing here I think that is—the more I think about this, it is totally devastating because I have checked my notes on what Dean has told everybody here.
I have also—on this matter.
And Ehrlichman has put out his own statement.
was not told to destroy this.
He must not say that.
That's going to... We're just going over that now.
You see, that's going to compound it, particularly in view of the fact that he had two conversations where he didn't remember getting it.
He's the only thing that... You see, he really... You've got to put a train quite personally in it.
I don't want to do it myself, but necessary, but I will.
You can't do that because...
I would have to say he lied on that myself.
You know, up to this point, he's just going to say no comment.
You know, we've just begun the conversation, and then there's the question of whether or not it was told to destroy them.
He must not.
All that does is to say, look, you understand.
I understand.
It doesn't help him anymore, and it hurts terribly here.
You know what I'm saying?
We're not talking about what's going to be said.
We're just trying to elicit, you know, the story in detail.
Now, I just want to say one more thing.
Yeah.
it's going to look terrible if Gray goes as a result of this.
And nobody else has.
I understand.
But what do you do about Dean then?
Where does that one stand?
Well, you know, I don't know.
You know, we may become in a situation where we can't hold any longer.
But, you know, I think if we feel like we have to continue to hold on the others, you know, we ought to on this one too.
On Gray?
Well, I'm not suggesting that Gray would go.
We don't have to do that in the first thing.
I mean, just based on this one story.
Is that what you're suggesting?
Well, I'm going to think about it.
I agree.
Okay.
I agree because he's got a right to his day in court, too.
All right, sir.
We don't have another thing.
I don't have a substitute.
Okay.
Very good.
All right.

NARA Description

On April 26, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry E. Petersen talked on the telephone from 7:12 pm to 7:14 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 045-025 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 45-25

Date: April 26, 1973
Time: 7:12 pm - 7:14 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Henry E. Petersen.

[See also Conversation No. 431-9O]

     Watergate
          -Petersen’s conversation with L[ouis] Patrick Gray, III
                                              -17-

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                            Conversation No. 45-25 (cont’d)

           -Gray
                   -Orders to destroy documents
                         -John D. Ehrlichman’s statement
                   -Possible statement
                   -Possible resignation
                         -John W. Dean, III

Also recorded on April 27, 1973

  • 045-023 7:08 PM · 29 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 7:08 pm to 7:09 pm.
  • 045-024 7:08 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:08 pm and 7:12 pm.
  • 045-026 7:14 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:14 pm and 7:44 pm.
  • 045-027 7:44 PM · 18 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Richard G. Kleindienst, and Henry E. Petersen talked on the telephone from 7:44 pm to 8:02 pm.
  • 431-010 9:03 PM · 43 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 9:03 pm and 9:47 pm.
  • 045-028 9:47 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:47 pm and 9:57 pm.
  • 045-029 9:57 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 9:57 pm to 9:59 pm.
  • 045-030 10:02 PM · 15 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at 10:02 pm.

All 42 conversations from April 27, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 045-025, April 27, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/045-025 (accessed October 5, 2026).