Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 46 › Conversation 046-110
Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Ronald L. Ziegler
Thursday, May 17, 1973 · 8:04 PM–8:07 PM ET · White House Telephone · 10 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon initiates a call through the White House operator to reach Press Secretary Ronald L. Ziegler. The conversation serves as a brief logistical bridge to establish direct communication with his primary spokesperson during the escalating Watergate crisis. No substantive policy discussions or decisions are recorded in this short exchange.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 17, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:04 pm and 8:07 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 046-110 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 46-110
Date: May 17, 1973
Time: Unknown between 8:04 pm and 8:07 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with the White House operator.
Telephone call to Ronald L. ZieglerAlso recorded on May 18, 1973
- 046-109 8:01 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr. talked on the telephone from 8:01 pm to 8:04 pm.
- 046-111 8:07 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone from 8:07 pm to 8:17 pm.
- 046-112 10:37 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:37 pm and 10:41 pm.
- 046-113 10:41 PM · 13 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 10:41 pm to 10:54 pm.
- 922-001 8:18 AM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:18 am and 8:38 am.
- 922-002 8:18 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:18 am and 8:38 am.
- 922-015 8:18 AM · 2 min — unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:18 am and 8:38 am.
- 121-002 8:38 AM · 1 hr 41 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, and Cabinet officers and staffers, including [David] Kenneth Rush, William E. Simon, Elliot L. Richardson, Rogers C. B. Morton, Earl L. Butz, Frederick B. Dent, Richard F. Schubert, Frank C. Carlucci, James T. Lynn, John W. Barnum, Roy L. Ash, John A. Scali, Anne L. Armstrong, George H. W. Bush, Dr. James R. Schlesinger, Arthur J. Sohmer, General Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Peter M. Flanigan, William E. Timmons, Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., Leonard Garment, Raymond K. Price, Jr., General Brent G. Scowcroft, Frederic V. Malek, David N. Parker, Herbert G. Klein, and the White House photographer, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 8:38 am and 11:59 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 046-110, May 18, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/046-110 (accessed October 12, 2026).