Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 45 › Conversation 045-205

Nixon phone call with Rogers on Watergate scandal and Earl Warren

Thursday, May 10, 1973 · 5:01 PM–5:04 PM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Rogers, William P.Conversation045-205 on Tape 45StartThursday, May 10, 1973 at 5:01 PMEndThursday, May 10, 1973 at 5:04 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 045-205 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Secretary of State William P. Rogers discuss the possibility of appointing Earl Warren or Tom Clark to head a commission regarding the Watergate scandal, weighing the political sensitivities against the necessity for institutional legitimacy. Nixon expresses deep frustration over the recent indictments of John Mitchell and Maurice Stans in the Vesco case, comparing their conduct unfavorably to the Sherman Adams scandal. Additionally, the two coordinate their upcoming schedules to meet with Henry Kissinger and manage public communications regarding an impending U.S.–Soviet Union summit.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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John.
Yes, Mr. President.
Oh, I was talking to Al.
He said that Warren was sort of cool on the idea.
Yeah, well, he was very friendly and sounded interested, but I think he was genuinely concerned about the...
being involved in something that he thinks is political.
Yes.
Apparently under the regulations of the court or something, the same statute, it's supposed to be just judicial and nothing else.
Well, what in the world is this?
But I know.
But what the hell was the Warren Commission on Kennedy?
You think that wasn't political?
Well, who knows?
uh i think we might be able to talk him into it i uh i feel it's very important if he doesn't i really think clark would be the next best i've got to call in for the chief justice now he's home and all right check it out and let me say if you need me i'll talk to him too but i you know what i mean i'm a little ambivalent no no i'm not you know warren burger i can talk to him but you don't know i'll leave it to you you can speak my spokesman totally say warren this is important for this country right and we want
Warren first, or John Clark second, and that we expect him to come through.
And it isn't just political, for Christ's sakes.
This involves the whole judicial process and everything else.
Good God, when they today indict that poor damn Maury Stans and John Mitchell for the most utter stupidity and insanity in that Fesco case.
You know, when I start to think
What in the world is the matter with those guys, Bill?
Why, in the name of God, Vesco's a cheap kike.
Awful.
Yeah, but why the hell in the... Have they ever read about the Sherman Adams case?
The poor old Sherman Adams got kicked out for just making one phone call.
One phone call.
But these guys, you know, they did contributions and screwed around and so forth.
And God damn it...
Well, they should have told me at least.
I know.
Told me.
But they didn't.
Well, I'll tell you this.
Tom Clark would really be better than Warren and— Yes.
—Earl Warren.
Because he's younger.
But he doesn't have the prestige.
But if Warren would do it, it's great.
And incidentally, how about the two?
Yeah, well, that's a possibility.
Yeah.
Maybe Earl Warren would feel better about if Tom Clark was with him.
Right.
Well, let me talk to Warren Burger about it, and then I'll call you back.
Bye.
And you call me back.
I'll be here.
I'm going to be at the house.
Fine.
Are you home?
No, I'm in the office.
Yeah.
We'll be meeting at 11 tomorrow.
That'd be fine.
And I have set the—incidentally, I've set the picture up for then.
I mean, see, Henry is getting back late tonight.
Uh-huh.
And so you, he, and I will be the picture tomorrow.
Good.
See, but we'll be—we'll meet about Latin America, but as you know, the Soviet thing will be announced Saturday now, apparently.
They're going to have that for Saturday, but that'll be a good come off on the whole thing.
Well, I think the damn Soviet embassy's already leaked it all over the town, apparently.
Well, I just called Ron and told him to try to tell CBS that we weren't going to have it, you see, because they'd been playing in the other line.
I said, fine, just let them lay it.
But he said, well, the Soviet embassy's already saying everything's going very well.
It seems to me we can say we're going to talk about both things.
Henry's reporting on his trip.
And you are talking about your trip.
We'll meet at 11 o'clock.
Thank you, Mr. President.

NARA Description

On May 10, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers talked on the telephone from 5:01 pm to 5:04 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 045-205 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 45-205

Date: May 10, 1973
Time: 5:01 pm - 5:04 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with William P. Rogers.
                                      -131-

             NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                        Conversation No. 45-205 (cont’d)

Watergate
     -President’s telephone call to Alexander M. Haig
     -Earl Warren
           -View of possible commission
                 -Political nature
                 -Warren Commission
     -Tom C. Clark
     -Rogers’s telephone call to Warren E. Burger
           -Warren, Clark

Watergate
     -John N. Mitchell and Maurice H. Stans
           -Indictments
                 -Robert L. Vesco
           -Sherman Adams
     -Clark
           -Comparison with Warren
     -Rogers’s telephone call to Burger

President’s schedule
      -Meeting with Henry A. Kissinger and Rogers
            -Photograph
            -Latin America

US – Soviet Union summit
     -Ronald L. Ziegler
           Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
     -Soviet Embassy
           -Press statements

President’s schedule
      -Meeting with Henry A. Kissinger and Rogers
            -Kissinger’s trip
            -Rogers’s trip
                                            -132-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Also recorded on May 10, 1973

  • 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.
  • 045-201 4:51 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone from 4:51 pm to 4:52 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.
  • 045-206 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.
  • 045-208 5:04 PM · 11 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.

All 86 conversations from May 10, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 045-205, 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/045-205 (accessed October 12, 2026).