Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 46 › Conversation 046-051

Nixon phone call with Klein on Watergate and San Clemente property

Monday, May 14, 1973 · 9:55 PM–10:02 PM ET · White House Telephone · 7 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Klein, Herbert G.Conversation046-051 on Tape 46StartMonday, May 14, 1973 at 9:55 PMEndMonday, May 14, 1973 at 10:02 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 046-051 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Herbert G. Klein discuss a defamatory Associated Press story falsely alleging that campaign funds were used to purchase property in San Clemente. Nixon expresses outrage at the report, emphasizing that it is libelous and demanding a retraction while strictly advising Klein against disclosing additional details that might invite further press scrutiny. They agree that Klein will confront the reporter, James W. Gallagher, and use his upcoming speech to criticize the press and the Ervin Committee for their role in circulating irresponsible allegations.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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I had Mr. Klein up there.
Yes, sir.
How are you?
What, have you got a hold of Gallagher at all on this?
No, I didn't, because I talked to Ron, and he said he wanted to wait until tomorrow morning to be sure about the other questions they might ask.
I think this story is a preposterous thing about him.
I know, but the point is it's a terrible opening, and the AP is in a hell of a spot on this, because—
I know the libel laws.
Well, the libel laws make them totally liable.
Yeah, they're totally liable, and naturally the president has problems in doing it.
But I won't hesitate on this one, believe me.
Gallagher better get off his ass.
You better get on him and say he better retract this goddamn story.
Yeah, all right, I will.
The only thing that bothers me on the whole thing at all is that, you know, it's obviously a totally funny story, and there's...
Yeah, but they printed it, Herb.
What?
They printed it.
The Santa Ana Register says they stand by it.
You see?
Yeah, that's right.
So?
Which makes it a total libel.
Right.
And the AP has been—has reproduced it.
Well, the only—as I was going to say, the only thing that bothers me at all on this thing is—there's no doubt they were totally wrong—is if from this thing then comes
another statement about the property, which is perfectly legitimate, whoever does, but they force it out.
We don't care about that.
I'm perfectly, we're happy about that.
Well, sure, and it's a perfectly legitimate thing.
That's right, that's right.
I don't own it.
I know you don't.
But, you know, if they put the other part out, it would have eased a lot of the problem on it.
And, um,
Because I understand, frankly, Marco is crying some kind of a statement on the thing overall.
The statement that he should make should be the one we've made previously, that the property adjacent is held in trust.
You know what I mean?
And that's the case, and it isn't... Yeah, don't claim any part of it.
Only as a beneficiary of the goddamn trust at some time in the future, and then it goes to a foundation or something, that's all.
You know what I mean?
I have no money in it.
Well, I know you don't.
That's the point.
Well, I'll do it right away.
I don't know.
Well, maybe you don't want to bother with it.
What bothered me is not telling them how damn wrong they are.
And I think we're getting more and more.
In fact, I've got a speech tomorrow, which I'm going to say this, in a situation where they're coming out with irresponsible things without checking anything.
And this is a part of it.
I saw an NBC show last night, which was the same thing.
All the way through, but... You see, the attacks to attack the President of the United States for basically having taken a million dollars in campaign funds to buy a piece of property is totally liable.
It's totally false, libelous, you know, per se.
And now, God damn it, Gallagher shouldn't have allowed this.
It's totally disgraceful.
What I'm trying to say is the only difficulty I have...
is that I like to shove back some other facts on them as to exactly what the holding on it is to prove it even more wrong.
And that's what I'm having trouble getting somebody to give me.
And you know and I know that it's all been set up for a long time on the most legitimate basis in the world.
And I can say it's libelous, which is correct, but I also
to complete the case with just the other information.
Well, the trouble with that is you start saying, well, now, as a matter of fact, there are this and that and the other thing, that gives them something else to write.
Screw them.
The point is, what we have said is totally true.
The president owns the four and a half acres, period.
The balance is held in trust, period.
And he has, you know what I mean, that's the whole goddamn story, period.
No, I don't have any million dollars or anybody else in the present.
No, you never do anything like that.
Well, the point is I don't have that money.
That's the point.
No, well, of course, you know, they can go worse.
They allege that it's from a campaign fund, which— I know, that from the 1968 campaign fund, we took a million dollars and bought the San Clemente property.
All totally false.
Absolutely false.
Well, maybe you want to wait till tomorrow.
I don't know.
Well, if you want to, go ahead.
I'll call him now.
You see my point.
I like to dispute him totally on the whole damn thing.
And hard people, you know, suddenly go scurrying around too much.
And I can do that, but it's more effective if you can say, this is dead wrong, you're wrong, it's libelous, it's irresponsible.
And then, you know, then the other.
Now, maybe I can do that and say...
When they ask in the morning, they'll have the other hardwoods.
I never have any doubt about any of these things as to what's fully right or wrong regarding you.
The whole damn thing is so goddamn clean, it's just unbelievable.
Well, everything you've ever done is— Yeah, the whole thing.
I don't own a goddamn thing there except that four and a half acres.
And the other is held in trust by friends for the goddamn foundation someday, I hope.
Sure.
That's all there is to it.
Well, let me get Wes and get on that goddamn... Well, I don't know.
Maybe you want to wait.
Wait, let the son of a bitch...
Wait till the morning.
Wait till tomorrow.
Well, I'll do it for sure.
I just think that...
But don't try to open up anymore.
Don't give the AP any more to write.
I'm not going to give more to write.
You see, I'd like to say, well, as a matter of fact, here's the whole story.
I don't think that maybe if we had been... God damn it, stick on what we already have said.
My position should be to defend anything.
Don't go beyond what we've already said, which is totally true, totally defensible.
And it's no campaign fund whatever in this thing.
None of the president's money's in this goddamn thing.
No, no.
That's absolutely right.
And there's... Well, in any event, you see, the other thing in your speech tomorrow, I would say that this indicts the committee.
The failure of the committee.
Irvin made a half-assed statement, so did Baker.
But the committee should apologize, retract...
and failing to apologize and retract, letting this story lay for two days, indicts the committee in advance of its hearings.
Do you see?
That sure does.
Okay, boy.
Because it was all traced to those people.
Oh, sure.
They did it.
They put it up.
Sure.
That's where it came from.
Okay.
All right.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On May 14, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Herbert G. Klein talked on the telephone from 9:55 pm to 10:02 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 046-051 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 46-51

Date: May 14, 1973
Time: 9:55 pm - 10:02 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Herbert G. Klein.
                                             -30-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

     Watergate
          -Klein’s conversations
                -James W. Gallagher
                -Ronald L. Ziegler
          -Story regarding the President’s finances
                -Associated Press
                      -Possible libel suit
                      -Gallagher
                -Santa Ana Register
                -Property ownership in San Clemente
                      -Frank DeMarco, Jr.’s forthcoming statement
                      -President
          -Klein’s forthcoming speech
                -Charges against President
                      -National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC]
          -Story regarding President’s finances
                -Gallagher
                -Klein’s response
                -Ownership of property in San Clemente
                -Klein’s forthcoming conversation with Gallagher
                -Ownership of property in San Clemente
                -Previous White House statements
                -Klein’s forthcoming speech, May 15
                      -Ervin Committee

Also recorded on May 15, 1973

  • 046-043 9:15 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 9:15 pm to 9:22 pm.
  • 046-044 9:22 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:22 pm and 9:32 pm.
  • 046-045 9:32 PM · 15 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at 9:32 pm.
  • 046-046 9:33 PM · 13 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at 9:33 pm.
  • 046-047 9:33 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:33 pm and 9:40 pm.
  • 046-048 9:33 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:33 pm and 9:40 pm.
  • 046-049 9:40 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Leonard Garment, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone from 9:40 pm to 9:46 pm.
  • 046-050 9:47 PM · 7 min — Lawrence M. Higby and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone from 9:47 pm to 9:53 pm.

All 67 conversations from May 15, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 046-051, May 15, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/046-051 (accessed October 1, 2026).