Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 45 › Conversation 045-221
Nixon phone call with Bellmon on Senate campaign and Watergate
Friday, May 11, 1973 · 8:43 AM–8:44 AM ET · White House Telephone · 1 min
AI Summary
President Nixon calls Senator Henry Bellmon to express strong support for his upcoming Senate candidacy announcement. The two discuss the political landscape in Oklahoma, with Nixon dismissing the potential negative impact of the Watergate scandal on Bellmon's campaign. Nixon concludes the call by offering to campaign on Bellmon's behalf and authorizing him to publicly share the President's endorsement with the press.
- Henry Bellmon
- Senate campaign
- Watergate
- Political endorsements
- Oklahoma politics
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On May 11, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry L. Bellmon talked on the telephone from 8:43 am to 8:44 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 045-221 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 45-221
Date: May 11, 1973
Time: 8:43 am - 8:44 am
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with Henry L. Bellmon.
[See also Conversation No. 916-8B]
*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
President’s conversation with George H. W. Bush
-William E. Brock, III
-Bellmon’s forthcoming race
-Announcement
-Speech by President
-Watergate
-Effect in Oklahoma
-Press relations
-President’s support
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************Also recorded on May 11, 1973
- 916-001 8:10 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:10 am and 8:27 am.
- 916-002 8:10 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:10 am and 8:27 am.
- 916-003 8:10 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:10 am and 8:27 am.
- 916-004 8:10 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:10 am and 8:27 am.
- 045-218 8:27 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:27 am and 8:30 am.
- 045-219 8:27 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:27 am and 8:30 am.
- 916-008 8:27 AM · 1 hr 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, Rose Mary Woods, White House operator, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:27 am to 9:16 am.
- 045-220 8:30 AM · 15 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at 8:30 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 045-221, May 11, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/045-221 (accessed October 5, 2026).