Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 45 › Conversation 045-154

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Richard G. Kleindienst

Wednesday, May 2, 1973 · 9:03 PM ET · White House Telephone · 21 sec

ParticipantsWhite House operator; Nixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation045-154 on Tape 45StartWednesday, May 2, 1973 at 9:03 PMEndWednesday, May 2, 1973 at 9:03 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 045-154 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon attempted to reach Attorney General Richard G. Kleindienst via telephone, but the White House operator was unable to connect the call to the Attorney General's residence. After being informed of the unsuccessful attempt, Nixon decided to postpone the outreach until the following day. No further action was taken during this brief exchange.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Hello?
I'm not getting an answer at Mr. Cline Dean's residence.
Do you want me to keep trying?
I'll try it tomorrow, thank you.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On May 2, 1973, White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at 9:03 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 045-154 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 45-154

Date: May 2, 1973
Time: 9:03 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The White House operator talked to the President.

     Telephone call to Richard G. Kleindienst
                                               -96-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                              Conversation No. 45-155 (cont’d)

Also recorded on May 3, 1973

  • 045-150 8:50 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:50 pm and 8:51 pm.
  • 045-151 8:51 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone from 8:51 pm to 8:52 pm.
  • 045-152 8:52 PM · 18 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:52 pm and 9:03 pm.
  • 045-153 8:52 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:52 pm and 9:03 pm.
  • 045-155 9:08 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 9:08 pm to 9:10 pm.
  • 911-001 8:27 AM · 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:27 am to 8:50 am.
  • 911-002 8:51 AM · 18 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Richard G. Kleindienst met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:51 am to 9:09 am.
  • 911-003 9:09 AM · 31 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:09 am and 9:11 am.

All 42 conversations from May 3, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 045-154, May 3, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/045-154 (accessed October 5, 2026).