Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 45 › Conversation 045-146

Nixon phone call with Ziegler on Watergate scandal and Press relations

Wednesday, May 2, 1973 · 2:22 PM–2:24 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation045-146 on Tape 45StartWednesday, May 2, 1973 at 2:22 PMEndWednesday, May 2, 1973 at 2:24 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 045-146 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler reviewed the outcome of Ziegler's recent press briefing, which focused heavily on the Watergate scandal and ongoing legal proceedings. They specifically discussed media inquiries regarding potential White House involvement in the break-in and whether the President withheld information during recent public addresses. Additionally, Nixon directed Ziegler to arrange a photo opportunity during a scheduled meeting with the Labor-Management Advisory Board to highlight the administration's focus on economic policy.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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.
Yes, sir.
You survived your conference?
Yes, I sure did.
Yeah, okay.
Anything new come up that I should know about?
No, just the things that we expected.
Right.
I said you had talked.
Mentioned the vice president with you and indicated responsibilities for him without locking anything in.
Good.
They questioned heavily and hard on the
you know, the trials per trial and that type of thing, but I stood on the position which we discussed that it wasn't appropriate for me to say anything.
That's the only thing you can do on that, aren't you?
Yes, sir, I think so.
They went to the point, did the president order the break?
No, no, no, no, not at all.
Were we aware at the time of the speech that Ehrlichman had testified before the FBI on Friday or given a statement to the FBI on Friday
that he was aware of a break-in and did nothing about it.
He said, I just can't say anything, you know, prejudiced rights and so forth.
That was their primary area of question.
Right, right.
They want to see whether or not I said something in the speech that I should have revealed, whether it wasn't a damn thing.
No, no, I don't think it goes so much to revelation as it does to the question of confidence.
That's what I mean.
They want to know whether or not in the speech I knew something that I did not reveal.
Yeah.
That's right.
Of course, I didn't know.
I didn't know any about—I knew about the break-in, but I didn't know anything about the—I mentioned the activities, you know what I mean.
Right, right.
That's fine.
But that's the way it went, and we knew we were going to face this.
That's right.
And that's how it's developing, but we'll face it.
Yes, sir.
Did you get out your economic statement today?
Well, we're going to do that at 4 o'clock.
Yes, sir.
After your meeting with the... Labor management.
Labor management.
It would be a good idea to have a press picture of that, don't you think?
All right, fine.
On the economy show you meeting... Fine.
All right, fine, Ron.
Be in the cabinet room and... Fine.
Okay, sir.
Fine.

NARA Description

On May 2, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 2:22 pm to 2:24 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 045-146 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 45-146

Date: May 2, 1973
Time: 2:22 pm - 2:24 p.m.
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Ronald Ziegler.

[See also Conversation No. 432-19]

     Ziegler’s previous press briefing
           -John B. Connally
           -President’s meeting with Spiro T. Agnew
           -Daniel Ellsberg trial
                 -President’s knowledge
                       -John D. Ehrlichman’s statement to Federal Bureau of Investigation
                        [FBI]

     Economic statement
          -Timing of release

     President’s schedule
           -Labor-Management Advisory Board
                 -Press photograph
                                               -92-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Also recorded on May 2, 1973

  • 432-019 2:22 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:22 pm and 2:24 pm.
  • 045-147 2:24 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:24 pm and 2:28 pm.
  • 432-020 2:24 PM · 8 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 2:24 pm and 2:28 pm.
  • 045-148 2:28 PM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 2:28 pm to 2:29 pm.
  • 432-021 2:28 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:28 pm and 2:29 pm.
  • 432-022 2:38 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:38 pm and 2:41 pm.
  • 909-027 2:46 PM · 52 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:46 pm and 3:21 pm.
  • 909-031 2:46 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and George P. Shultz met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:46 pm and 3:21 pm.

All 82 conversations from May 2, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 045-146, May 2, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/045-146 (accessed October 5, 2026).