Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 045-025
Date: Thursday, April 26, 1973 at 7:12 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Petersen, Henry E.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/045-025

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Mr. President, I wondered if you'd add your talk with— We just started it.
[0:08] Let me say this.
[0:09] 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.
[0:20] I have also—on this matter.
[0:24] And Ehrlichman has put out his own statement.
[0:31] was not told to destroy this.
[0:34] He must not say that.
[0:36] That's going to... We're just going over that now.
[0:38] 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.
[0:44] He's the only thing that... You see, he really... You've got to put a train quite personally in it.
[0:50] I don't want to do it myself, but necessary, but I will.
[0:53] You can't do that because...
[0:55] I would have to say he lied on that myself.
[0:57] You know, up to this point, he's just going to say no comment.
[1:00] You know, we've just begun the conversation, and then there's the question of whether or not it was told to destroy them.
[1:06] He must not.
[1:07] All that does is to say, look, you understand.
[1:10] I understand.
[1:11] It doesn't help him anymore, and it hurts terribly here.
[1:16] You know what I'm saying?
[1:16] We're not talking about what's going to be said.
[1:18] We're just trying to elicit, you know, the story in detail.
[1:21] Now, I just want to say one more thing.
[1:24] Yeah.
[1:25] it's going to look terrible if Gray goes as a result of this.
[1:30] And nobody else has.
[1:32] I understand.
[1:32] But what do you do about Dean then?
[1:35] Where does that one stand?
[1:36] Well, you know, I don't know.
[1:38] You know, we may become in a situation where we can't hold any longer.
[1:43] 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.
[1:52] On Gray?
[1:53] Well, I'm not suggesting that Gray would go.
[1:57] We don't have to do that in the first thing.
[1:59] I mean, just based on this one story.
[2:02] Is that what you're suggesting?
[2:03] Well, I'm going to think about it.
[2:05] I agree.
[2:06] Okay.
[2:06] I agree because he's got a right to his day in court, too.
[2:09] All right, sir.
[2:10] We don't have another thing.
[2:11] I don't have a substitute.
[2:13] Okay.
[2:13] Very good.
[2:14] All right.