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Conversation 045-057

TapeTape 45StartMonday, April 30, 1973 at 11:04 PMEndMonday, April 30, 1973 at 11:06 PMParticipantsWhite House operator;  Cox, Tricia Nixon;  Nixon, Richard M. (President);  Lewis, Hobart D.Recording deviceWhite House Telephone
AI Summary

President Nixon received a call from Hobart D. Lewis shortly after delivering a televised address regarding the Watergate scandal. The two men discussed the resignation of H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, with Lewis offering strong praise for the President's tone and sincerity in handling the difficult situation. Nixon characterized the original Watergate break-in as an ineffective and amateurish operation, and the pair concluded by affirming the need to move forward beyond the scandal.

WatergateH.R. HaldemanJohn EhrlichmanPresidential AddressResignations
AudioNARA Description

On April 30, 1973, White House operator, Tricia Nixon Cox, President Richard M. Nixon, and Hobart D. Lewis talked on the telephone from 11:04 pm to 11:06 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 045-057 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 45-57

Date: April 30, 1973
Time: 11:04 pm - 11:06 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The White House operator talked with Tricia Nixon Cox. The President and unknown persons
can be heard in the background.

     Telephone call from Hobart D. (“Hobe”) Lewis

Tricia Nixon Cox conferred with the President

[Begin conferral]

     Telephone call from Lewis

[End conferral]
                                            -41-

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                     (rev. October-2012)

                                                             Conversation No. 45-57 (cont’d)

The President talked with Lewis.

     Watergate
          -President’s speech
          -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman
                -Resignations
                      -Impact
          -President’s speech
                -Tone
                -Delivery
          -Watergate break-in
                -Ineffectiveness
          -Lewis’s conversation with Rose Mary woods
          -Lewis’s wife
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

Hello?
I have Mr. Hobart Lewis for the President.
Just one moment, please.
Thank you.
Sit down, sir.
Hello?
Hobart Lewis, sir.
All right.
There you are.
Thank you very much.
Hello, Rob.
Mr. President?
Yeah.
I just wanted to tell you that was a tremendous job.
Do you always say that, Hope?
No, no, I don't.
I certainly don't.
In any case, I think this was the best of all and the toughest.
You know, having to tell two men who didn't—who refused to resign—to tell them they had to, it was the toughest thing tomorrow, yesterday.
And they're great men.
Of course they are.
But I had to do it.
Well, you're going to miss them.
Oh, well, the hell with missing them.
I can—you can fill any position, Hope.
Nevertheless, it was the only thing to do, just the only thing to do.
You didn't think the speech was too emotional, huh?
No, it wasn't.
No, it had to be emotional.
I thought it was exactly right, the right tone of voice, and you've got everybody pulling for you because you cleared the air on the whole thing.
Without any question, it was the best job you've ever done.
Hope you like God Bless America.
I believe that, you know, very deeply.
But it was very clear that your feeling about the whole thing was so sound and so sincere and so honest.
You just absolutely put the cold light of day on the facts.
Right.
It's all about a crappy little thing that didn't work.
No, of course it didn't work.
Nobody ever got any goddamn thing out of this damn bugging.
Of course.
Just a bunch of schoolboys.
Oh, assholes.
Just terrible.
You don't mind the word?
That's right.
Now you can just move forward.
That's what we're going to do.
I told Rose, is there anything I can do, either personally or professionally?
I have that in mind.
I've got the message, and I have you at very much in mind, my friend.
Anything I can do at all, I want it done.
All right, fine.
Give our best to your lovely wife and the Admiral.
Well, give my best to everybody there, Mr. President.
All right.
Thank you so much.
Bye-bye.
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