Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 45 › Conversation 045-201

Nixon phone call with Woods on Watergate and John Mitchell

Thursday, May 10, 1973 · 4:51 PM–4:52 PM ET · White House Telephone · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Woods, Rose MaryConversation045-201 on Tape 45StartThursday, May 10, 1973 at 4:51 PMEndThursday, May 10, 1973 at 4:52 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 045-201 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon instructed his personal secretary, Rose Mary Woods, to relay a message of support to Maurice Stans and John Mitchell to avoid direct presidential contact that might create political exposure. He tasked Woods with assuring them of his confidence in their eventual vindication while specifically requesting that she also attempt to reach John and Martha Mitchell. This conversation highlights the President's efforts to maintain back-channel morale among key associates embroiled in the Watergate investigation without creating a traceable record of his involvement.

Audio

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NARA Description

On May 10, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone from 4:51 pm to 4:52 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 045-201 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 45-201

Date: May 10, 1973
Time: 4:51 pm - 4:52 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Rose Mary Woods.

     Watergate
          -Instructions to Woods
                -Possible telephone calls to Maurice H. Stans, John N. Mitchell
                -Martha (Beall) Mitchell

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

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Hello?
Hello.
Hi, Rose.
Hi.
I was wondering if, you know, I don't want to call Maury and John because they'll be asked and they should not have an answer, but if you wouldn't mind calling Keech and saying that the boss thought...
knows that in the end they'll be vindicated, just has every confidence.
Would you do that, please?
Sure.
You see, I shouldn't, you know, I don't want them to be in a position where they say, well, did the president call?
Well, I think I should tell them that, don't you?
Yeah, tell them that, exactly.
That said, that the president felt that he knows that you'll be asked and that you shouldn't be involved in that, but you're just passing a personal note to them from me that I was just, that I went and forgotten them, and I think it's a hell of a note, okay?
Sure.
Because, you know, it's a very, very
This darn thing is very complicated, you know, this contribution and who gave what and who lied and this and that.
Yeah.
You know, it's just too bad.
It really is.
It really is.
Such nice guys.
Yeah.
So I'll be glad.
Marty was so delighted to hear this.
Yeah, but you tell him that I called and try to get John and Martha around, okay?
Yeah.
Thank you, Russ.
Okay, thanks.

Also recorded on May 10, 1973

  • 045-199 4:42 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 4:42 pm to 4:49 pm.
  • 045-200 4:49 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:49 pm and 4:51 pm.
  • 045-202 4:52 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:52 pm and 4:54 pm.
  • 045-203 4:54 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 4:54 pm to 5:00 pm.
  • 045-204 5:00 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:00 pm and 5:01 pm.
  • 045-205 5:01 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers talked on the telephone from 5:01 pm to 5:04 pm.
  • 045-206 5:04 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:04 pm and 5:17 pm.
  • 045-207 5:04 PM · 13 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:04 pm and 5:17 pm.

All 84 conversations from May 10, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 045-201, May 10, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/045-201 (accessed November 2, 2026).