Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 45 › Conversation 045-036

Nixon phone call with Petersen on Watergate scandal and Daniel Ellsberg

Friday, April 27, 1973 · 4:31 PM–4:35 PM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Petersen, Henry E.Conversation045-036 on Tape 45StartFriday, April 27, 1973 at 4:31 PMEndFriday, April 27, 1973 at 4:35 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 045-036 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Assistant Attorney General Henry E. Petersen discuss the escalating legal complications surrounding the Watergate scandal, specifically focusing on the disclosure of materials related to the Daniel Ellsberg case and the Fielding burglary. Petersen provides updates on the FBI's efforts to interview key figures such as John Dean and John Ehrlichman, while noting the constraints of grand jury secrecy on the information he can share with the President. The conversation highlights the administration's struggle to manage staff departures, the stalled negotiations with John Dean, and the mounting pressure for those involved to cooperate with ongoing investigations.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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hello president yes hello how are you i just wanted to call you and give you a report on that case yeah uh judge bernard opened it up last night and at first was inclined to the view that uh the disclosure to him was sufficient and then apparently overnight he changed his opinion right and uh read the
from Silver to me in open court, indicated that the defendants were entitled to a hearing on it, and I requested the disclosure of the source, which I've authorized, and asked for all the information the government has.
We don't have anything, you know.
No.
But, I mean, there was nothing.
There was no material, was there?
Well, that's right.
As far as we know.
I've asked the Bureau to interview... You remember our telephone call that night, and I told you, I said, it's an agenda.
When I say all I can tell you is what people tell me, Henry, in these days I don't know what the hell to believe.
Well, you know, we're— Maybe they burned it.
They interviewed Dean and— What did he say?
Well, we haven't, but I said we're going to have the Bureau interview Dean.
Yeah, right.
And Ehrlichman, see if they know anything about it.
Right.
see if we can locate the psychiatrist, Ellsberg psychiatrist, and see whether or not there was a report of a burglary or what have you.
Right, right, right, right.
Do the best we can.
Right, right.
Thank God you didn't get anything.
You never knew of anything you ever got.
We can't find any trace of it here.
Yeah, and I didn't know anything about it either.
Fine, fine.
Well, things have moved fast today.
Indeed so.
Right, and I think he had to resign, though.
It's a sad, sad thing, but Jesus Christ.
Well, he called.
because he's, in my judgment, an unwitting victim.
An unwitting victim.
There are quite a few in this, Henry, quite a few.
Mr. President, you asked me for something.
Yeah, a piece of paper, if I could get it.
I don't think I can produce.
I'll tell you why.
Most of the information, almost everything you have, except that which I've already given you in writing, is all grand jury.
Oh, I see.
I get it.
Well, I can't have it then.
That's right.
That's right.
run under the circumstances and would just have to leave me in a spot where I just got to, you know, look at matters.
You see, the problem I have, I'm trying to get— I understand.
—conduct my own investigation, and yet I don't want the grand jury stuff.
That's for there, I'm sure.
That's right.
And, you know, that's what—it's a direct conflict.
Yeah.
Yeah, I get your point.
All right.
All right.
I understand.
I understand.
That's the way you've got it.
We'll just leave her there.
Oh, I do understand.
Do I understand that they're going to finally see Holloman Ehrlichman?
Gosh, I wish they could get it earlier.
Darn it, can't you do it Monday?
Well, you know, we tried to work that out.
This is the best we can work out with John Wilson and our fellows.
And we're trying to get Magruder into the grand jury in the early part of the week.
Yeah.
Now, where does the dean think he's at?
Well, you know, at no place.
He's been served with a forthwith subpoena to appear in New York on the Vesco thing.
Yes.
And he will do that.
I assume, whether or not he takes the Fifth Amendment, we're going to be determined.
Our negotiations with him are, you know, just
No place.
We're not getting any further.
I have to say at this point, Mr. President, that you cannot jeopardize our position with Dean by anything you might do now.
There's no basis for me to ask you to withhold any longer so far as he's concerned.
I see.
Well, we just don't know what to do on that one, do we?
No, sir.
Because he's, in effect, saying...
that he goes provided the other guys go and so forth, and that isn't the proper way to do it.
I mean, nobody can tell me that, you know what I mean?
I can, the others can say, well, they'll go if he goes.
Well, you know.
And you say everybody should go.
Yes, sir, I do.
You know, I think the longer you wait, the worse it gets.
Right, right, right.
All right, okay, thank you very much.
You're welcome, sir.

NARA Description

On April 27, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry E. Petersen talked on the telephone from 4:31 pm to 4:35 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 045-036 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 45-36

Date: April 27, 1973
Time: 4:31 pm - 4:35 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Henry E. Petersen.

[See also Conversation No. 906-10]

     Watergate
          -Daniel Ellsberg case
                -William M. Byrne’s handling of government’s disclosure
                -Earl J. Silbert’s memorandum
          -Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]interview of John W. Dean, III and John D.
           Ehrlichman
          -Lewis J. Fielding
                -Burglary of office
                -President’s and Petersen’s knowledge
          -L[ouis] Patrick Gray, III
                -Resignation
          -President’s investigation
                -Grand Jury information
          -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman
                -Interview with U.S. Attorney
                      -John J. Wilson
          -Jeb Stuart Magruder
                -Grand Jury testimony
          -Dean
                -Subpoena in Robert L. Vesco case
                -Negotiations
                      -President’s possible actions
          -Departures from White House staff
                                               -24-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Also recorded on April 27, 1973

  • 045-034 4:14 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Richard G. Kleindienst talked on the telephone from 4:14 pm to 4:16 pm.
  • 045-035 4:30 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:30 pm and 4:31 pm.
  • 906-009 4:30 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:30 pm and 4:31 pm.
  • 906-010 4:31 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry E. Petersen met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:31 pm to 4:35 pm.
  • 906-011 4:35 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:35 pm and 4:41 pm.
  • 906-012 4:41 PM · 36 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Ronald L. Ziegler, and White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:41 pm to 5:00 pm.
  • 906-013 5:00 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:00 pm and 5:37 pm.
  • 906-014 5:00 PM · 23 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:00 pm and 5:37 pm.

All 42 conversations from April 27, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 045-036, 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/045-036 (accessed October 5, 2026).