Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 46 › Conversation 046-025

Nixon phone call with Higby on Watergate and John W. Dean III

Monday, May 14, 1973 · 11:25 AM–11:28 AM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Higby, Lawrence M.Conversation046-025 on Tape 46StartMonday, May 14, 1973 at 11:25 AMEndMonday, May 14, 1973 at 11:28 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 046-025 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Lawrence Higby discuss efforts to verify whether any presidential memoranda were sent to John W. Dean III regarding Watergate. Higby confirms that secretaries Beverly J. Kaye and Pat McKee have independently denied typing such documents, and Nixon directs him to further verify this by contacting Terry L. Decker. Nixon expresses strong frustration regarding the scrutiny of his past files, insisting that he never authored memoranda on Watergate-related matters.

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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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.
Hello.
What have you found out so far?
I found out so far that there's a definite no from the three girls that are here.
There's one other person we should check, and that's Terry Decker.
No, I don't think she ever did one at any.
She did some stuff for you up at Camp David.
And I just want to make sure we close the loop.
But I've talked to Bev and Pat.
Yeah.
And they said that they never did a memorandum for Dean.
Never did one for Dean.
And their memories are good, are they?
Yeah, I think so.
Now, the only way we can verify it, which is very easy to do, is just for me to go over and take a quick look.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
No, no, to hell with it.
Because, you see, what would have happened if the memorandum, you see, Larry, would have been done to Dean?
What I would have done with that would have...
I mean, I might have made a memorandum and made the copy to him and not have any copy made, just have the tape returned to me and then filed.
And those I've got myself, so I can check those.
No, I wouldn't go over and look at the goddamn thing.
You're welcome about... Just to put your mind at ease, I'll be happy to do it if you want.
Yeah, yeah.
Well...
It's up to you.
Okay, but Terry Decker, I...
Why don't you get her on the phone and ask her right now.
OK.
I've got a call with her.
See, she did a whole group of them, I remember, very specifically up at Camp David about a month and a half ago when you were up there for a weekend.
You did three tapes.
And I remember...
Were they mainly to Haldeman or Herhont?
Almost all to Haldeman, a couple to Henry and a couple to John.
But I recall seeing them, and I'm sure there was none to Dean.
At what time of day?
Well, but these were ones where copies were made, were there not?
In other words, these were ones where she made...
In other words, you saw the copies in the SS, didn't you?
Well, I saw the Haldeman tape.
I mean, the Haldeman memo.
Oh.
What about the Ehrlichman one you didn't see?
I saw the Ehrlichman one also.
And the Kissinger one.
And the Kissinger one.
And they all came through your office.
Yeah, Bob handled them all for you.
Well, for God's sakes, and that would cover that.
I mean, I wouldn't have written one to Dean without having her...
They were on different subjects, though.
They weren't on Watergate.
They weren't policy goals.
Oh, look, I never wrote any goddamn things on Watergate.
Yeah, I know it.
As you know, we weren't thinking about that.
Hell no.
That's what people are forgetting around this damn place.
Right.
But I just wanted to check the files, you know, so that...
I don't know.
Do you think it's worth checking with Terry?
Yeah.
I think we ought to just to be sure.
And as I say, if you want me to, I'll wander across the street.
But I concur with what each one of the girls have told me.
There just wasn't anything.
Each of the girls told you this?
Independently, on their own.
And they said, did I ever, what did you ask them, did he ever write a memorandum to me?
I said, do you recall those special memos that we did?
Right.
And I said, do you recall any one of those ever going to John Dean?
And it all was a very emphatic no.
Oh, good.
All right.
I can wander across and take a look if you like.
Okay.
All right.
And report back to me.
You call me as soon as you finish, though, and call me after you hear from Terry.
Sure will.
Fine.
Good.

NARA Description

On May 14, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Lawrence M. Higby talked on the telephone from 11:25 am to 11:28 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 046-025 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 46-25

Date: May 14, 1973
Time: 11:25 am - 11:28 am
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Lawrence M. Higby.
                                             -16-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

[See also Conversation No. 917-8]

     Watergate
          -Possible memoranda from the President to John W. Dean, III
                -Terry L. Decker
                -Beverly J. Kaye and Pat McKee
                -President’s procedures
                      -Tapes from one and a half months ago
                            -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman and Henry A.
                            Kissinger
                            -Subjects
                -Higby’s questions to secretaries

Also recorded on May 14, 1973

  • 917-008 11:25 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Lawrence M. Higby met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:25 am to 11:28 am.
  • 917-009 11:28 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:28 am and 11:40 am.
  • 917-011 11:28 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:28 am and 11:40 am.
  • 917-013 11:28 AM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:28 am and 11:40 am.
  • 917-014 11:28 AM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:28 am and 11:40 am.
  • 917-015 11:28 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:28 am and 11:40 am.
  • 917-016 11:28 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:28 am and 11:40 am.
  • 917-017 11:28 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:28 am and 11:40 am.

All 102 conversations from May 14, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 046-025, May 14, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/046-025 (accessed October 1, 2026).