Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 45 › Conversation 045-087

Nixon phone call with Ford on Watergate scandal and H.R. Haldeman

Tuesday, May 1, 1973 · 1:23 PM–1:24 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operator; Ford, Gerald R.Conversation045-087 on Tape 45StartTuesday, May 1, 1973 at 1:23 PMEndTuesday, May 1, 1973 at 1:24 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 045-087 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon initiated this call to thank Representative Gerald Ford for a supportive note following the difficult resignations of top aides H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman. Nixon urged Ford to rally congressional Republicans to counterattack against political critics, specifically disparaging Senator Charles Percy’s call for a special prosecutor. Ford assured the President that he was actively encouraging his colleagues to speak out in defense of the administration, noting that several members had already pledged their public support.

Audio

Download MP3 · 4.7 MB

NARA Description

On May 1, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Gerald R. Ford talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:23 pm and 1:24 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 045-087 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 45-87

Date: May 1, 1973
Time: Unknown between 1:23 pm and 1:24 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

     Request for telephone call
          -William J. Baroody, Jr.

     President’s telephone call to Gerald R. Ford

The President talked with Ford between 1:24 pm - 1:26 pm.

[See also Conversation No. 433-19]

     Watergate
          -Ford’s note
          -Need for Republican counterattack
          -President’s speech
          -President’s Congressional supporters
          -Resignations of John D. Ehrlichman and H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
          -Need for Republican counterattack
                -Charles H. Percy, Jr.
                      -Special Prosecutor
                            -Elliot L. Richardson
                      -Hamilton Fish, Jr.’s conversation with Ford
                                                       -61-

                       NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                                             Conversation No. 45-89 (cont’d)

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.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

Rudy.

Rudy, thank you.

Sir, I have Congressman Ford for you.

Fine, I'll take him first.

You are.

Hello.

Just wanted to express my appreciation for your note.

I know you had to keep the faith and tell the guys, God damn it, to get off their ass and start fighting back.

Well, we're going to, Mr. President, and you did a hell of a job last night, and, uh...

It wasn't any other way I could express it this morning, but we've got a hell of a lot of friends up here, both Republican and Democrat, and don't worry about anybody being Sunshine Soldiers or Summer Patriots.

Never, Jerry Ford.

Well— Okay, boy, just wanted you to know that I deeply appreciated the little note, and I saw it, and I was most moved by it.

Well, any time you want me to do anything,

under any circumstances, you give me a call.

See, I had to do what I did.

It was the most painful thing I've ever done to take two totally innocent men and sack them, but they had to be sacked.

Well, it just made me sit there and damn near cry because I knew the problem it was.

I think both of them have done a good job, despite one of these damn critics.

But they had to be done, and they should have done themselves, but then I had to do it myself.

Yeah, well, we'll stand by you.

But if you could get a few of the Congressmen and Senators to speak up and say a word, for Christ's sakes.

I mean, you got Percy out saying a special prosecutor, the asshole, he's running for president.

Sure.

Good God.

Elliot Richardson is a special prosecutor.

You know that.

That's right.

Can't you get a few, Jerry?

We had about four fellows, Mr. President, who came to me on the floor of the House during the speeches and said that they were going to speak up.

And I said, you go ahead and speak up or put it in the record any way you want it.

Just get a press release out.

And I assumed— That's right.

Ham Fish was one, and that pleased me.

Uh, forgotten who the other two were, but there'll be a record and, uh... All right, boy.

Well, you stand firm, old boy.

Don't worry.

All right, thank you.

Mr. President.

Also recorded on May 1, 1973

045-084 1:18 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Leslie C. Arends talked on the telephone from 1:18 pm to 1:20 pm.
433-016 1:18 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Leslie C. Arends met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:18 pm to 1:20 pm.
045-085 1:20 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:20 pm and 1:22 pm.
433-017 1:20 PM · 15 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 1:20 pm and 1:22 pm.
045-086 1:22 PM · 44 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and William E. Timmons talked on the telephone from 1:22 pm to 1:23 pm.
433-018 1:22 PM · 42 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and William E. Timmons met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:22 pm to 1:23 pm.
433-019 1:24 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Gerald R. Ford met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:24 pm to 1:26 pm.
433-088 1:26 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:26 pm and 1:28 pm.

All 150 conversations from May 1, 1973 →

Nixon, Price & Haig on Watergate and White Paper May 22, 1973 · 10 min
Nixon, Petersen & Bull on Watergate scandal and H.R. Haldeman April 25, 1973 · 26 min
Nixon & Bull on Gerald R. Ford and H. R. Haldeman April 11, 1973 · 2 min
Nixon, Butterfield & Bull on Labor Department and General Counsel appointment June 7, 1971 · 4 min
Nixon alone in his EOB office on John J. McCloy and Foreign Service March 14, 1973 · 7 min
Nixon phone call with Petersen on Watergate and John Dean April 15, 1973 · 8 min

Cite this conversation

Conversation 045-087, 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/045-087 (accessed November 2, 2026).