Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 45 › Conversation 045-079

Nixon phone call with Bull on Watergate and Presidential authority

Tuesday, May 1, 1973 · 1:07 PM–1:08 PM ET · White House Telephone · 56 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.Conversation045-079 on Tape 45StartTuesday, May 1, 1973 at 1:07 PMEndTuesday, May 1, 1973 at 1:08 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 045-079 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon instructed Stephen B. Bull to establish firm control over White House staff files, asserting that all correspondence between himself and his staff—particularly regarding national security—belongs exclusively to the President rather than individual staff members. This directive was intended to clarify ownership protocols in response to a memorandum drafted by Leonard Garment. Bull was tasked with revising the document to reflect the President's position for subsequent review by William P. Rogers.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
The point is, Steve, that all files, any correspondence or anything that has to do with between me and any member of my staff belongs to the president, not to them.
It's not their files, goddamn it.
They're mine.
Yes, sir.
Do you get that?
Yes, I understand completely.
Yeah.
And tell that damn garment that's it.
And anything in the national security area is an area that is mine.
It's not theirs.
in the national security area.
That is mine, not theirs.
If they hang on Watergate and anything, shit, they can do anything they want.
I don't give a goddamn about that.
Okay?
All right, sir.
I understand completely.
Time to rewrite the memorandum along those lines so that Rogers can look at it after the cabinet meeting.
All right, sir.
Fine.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On May 1, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 1:07 pm to 1:08 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 045-079 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 45-79

Date: May 1, 1973
Time: 1:07 pm - 1:08 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Stephen B. Bull.

[See also Conversation No. 433-11]

[A transcript of the following portion of this conversation was prepared under court order for
Special Access 57, Harry R. Haldeman v. Rowland G. Freeman, III, et al.,United States District
Court for the District of Columbia, Civil Action No. 80-3250, page 1. The National Archives
and Records Administration produced this transcript. The National Archives does not guarantee
its accuracy. See logging below.]

     Watergate
          -Staff member files
                -Ownership
                -National security
                -Watergate
          -Leonard Garment’s memorandum
                -William P. Rogers

Also recorded on May 1, 1973

  • 045-077 1:04 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 1:04 pm to 1:06 pm.
  • 433-009 1:04 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:04 pm to 1:06 pm.
  • 045-078 1:06 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:06 pm and 1:07 pm.
  • 433-010 1:06 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:06 pm and 1:07 pm.
  • 433-011 1:07 PM · 55 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:07 pm to 1:08 pm.
  • 045-080 1:08 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:08 pm and 1:10 pm.
  • 433-012 1:08 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:08 pm and 1:10 pm.
  • 045-081 1:10 PM · 42 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone from 1:10 pm to 1:11 pm.

All 181 conversations from May 1, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 045-079, 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/045-079 (accessed October 5, 2026).