Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 045-034
Date: Friday, April 27, 1973 at 4:14 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Kleindienst, Richard G.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/045-034

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.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, the Attorney General.
[0:04] In view of Pat's resignation, Mr. President, it would be my recommendation that I just administratively permit Mark Felt to... No, I tell you, I don't want him.
[0:16] I can't have him.
[0:18] I just talked to Bill Ruckelshaus, and Bill is a Mr. Clean.
[0:26] And I want a fellow in there that is not part of the old guard and that is not part of that infighting in there.
[0:35] He'll do it as acting director until we get the full director.
[0:39] See, I'm making a search, as you know.
[0:42] And he says he'll take it for that long.
[0:44] Don't you think that's a good thing?
[0:45] Ideal.
[0:46] Now, his only problem is, he says, well, what the hell am I going to say?
[0:49] He says, I knew Mitchell.
[0:50] But I said, hell, everybody knows Mitchell.
[0:52] I mean, he doesn't work there since 1970.
[0:54] That's no problem for him.
[0:56] And he was there never during the campaign.
[0:58] But don't you think Bill would be a good one?
[1:00] Ideal.
[1:01] Ideal.
[1:02] And I'm going to name him acting director of the Bureau, and I'm going to have it announced from over here.
[1:06] Is that all right?
[1:06] Sure.
[1:07] But, Mr. President, under the—
[1:10] rules and regulations and the law.
[1:12] It's an appointment that I administratively have to make.
[1:15] So I think your announcement should be that you have directed me to designate him.
[1:21] Under the rules and regulations of the law, it's an appointment that the Attorney General has to make.
[1:25] Is that right?
[1:26] So you make the announcement that you've directed me to make him the acting director?
[1:31] Yeah.
[1:31] I make the announcement that I have directed the Attorney General to make him the acting director until a successor is announced, is directed.
[1:41] All right.
[1:42] That's what we'll do.