Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 45 › Conversation 045-058

Nixon, Haig & Eisenhower on Watergate scandal and Presidential address

Monday, April 30, 1973 · 11:07 PM–11:08 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsWhite House operator; Nixon, Richard M. (President); Eisenhower, [Dwight] David, II; Haig, Alexander M., Jr.Conversation045-058 on Tape 45StartMonday, April 30, 1973 at 11:07 PMEndMonday, April 30, 1973 at 11:08 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 045-058 ↗

AI Summary

Following his nationally televised address regarding the Watergate scandal, President Nixon received a supportive call from Alexander M. Haig, Jr. Haig expressed personal pride in the President’s handling of the crisis and his efforts to clear the air despite the difficult circumstances. The two also briefly discussed Henry Kissinger, with Haig noting Kissinger's guarded reaction to the speech and reaffirming their mutual reliance on his capabilities.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello?

General Haig calling, President.

Just a moment, please.

Thank you.

He'll take it.

All right.

Let's see.

I have to screen him.

Hello?

There you are.

Hello, Mr. President?

Hi, Al.

How are you?

Fine, sir.

I wanted to call you and tell you personally how proud I was of you.

You're always that way, Al.

No, sir.

You've had some tough ones in four years here.

I talked to Henry, you know, and he was rather guarded.

Well, I'm not guarded at all.

I know what a difficult decision this was, and I trust that you portrayed it with the kind of seriousness that it deserved.

And I think you've done a great deal to clear the air, as painful as it is.

Well, thank you, Al.

Thank you.

And I'm very, very proud, sir.

Goddamn are proud of what you've done, all the crap you've had to take.

But Henry will do great, too.

He's a great man, you know.

Yes, he will, sir.

He's a try.

And we've got to use him, but we must remember that, you know, you know, sir.

I remember we went through in the 18th.

Exactly right.

All right, boy.

Fine, sir.

And how good of you to call.

I hope you like that lovely house.

I'm going to give my best to that pretty blonde wife.

Yes, sir, I will.

All right, boy.

God bless you, sir.

NARA Description

On April 30, 1973, White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, [Dwight] David Eisenhower, II, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:07 pm and 11:08 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 045-058 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 45-58

Date: April 30, 1973
Time: Unknown between 11:07 pm and before 11:08 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The White House operator talked with [Dwight] David Eisenhower, II.

     Telephone call from Alexander M. Haig, Jr.

Eisenhower conferred with the President.

[Begin conferral]

     Telephone call from Haig

[End conferral]

The President talked with Haig.

     Watergate
                                               -42-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                              Conversation No. 45-58 (cont’d)

           -President’s speech
                 -Haig’s pride
                 -President’s conversation with Henry A. Kissinger
                       -Guardedness
           -Kissinger’s performance
                 -December 1972 bombing [?]

Also recorded on May 1, 1973

045-055 10:54 PM · 44 sec — White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, Tricia Nixon Cox, and Edward R. F. Cox talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:54 pm and 11:04 pm.
045-056 10:54 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, Tricia Nixon Cox, and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:54 pm and 11:04 pm.
045-057 11:04 PM · 2 min — 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.
045-059 11:09 PM · 1 min — James T. Lynn and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone from 11:09 pm to 11:13 pm.
045-060 11:13 PM · 2 min — Tricia Nixon Cox, President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, [Dwight] David Eisenhower, II, and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:13 pm and 11:14 pm.
045-061 11:14 PM · 1 min — White House operator, Tricia Nixon Cox, President Richard M. Nixon, and Anne L. Armstrong talked on the telephone from 11:14 pm to 11:15 pm.
045-062 11:15 PM · 3 min — White House operator, Tricia Nixon Cox, President Richard M. Nixon, and George H. W. Bush talked on the telephone from 11:15 pm to 11:18 pm.
045-063 11:21 PM · 55 sec — White House operator, Tricia Nixon Cox, and Claude S. Brinegar talked on the telephone from 11:21 pm to 11:23 pm.

All 181 conversations from May 1, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 045-058, May 1, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/045-058 (accessed October 10, 2026).