Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 164 › Conversation 164-038

Nixon phone call with Ziegler on Watergate and H. R. Haldeman

Sunday, April 29, 1973 · 12:32 PM–12:34 PM ET · Camp David Study Table · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation164-038 on Tape 164StartSunday, April 29, 1973 at 12:32 PMEndSunday, April 29, 1973 at 12:34 PMRecording deviceCamp David Study TableSourceNixon Library record for 164-038 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler strategize on the public framing of the resignations of H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman. They aim to draft resignation letters that pivot away from a mere leave of absence to account for the prolonged uncertainty surrounding the upcoming Ervin Committee hearings. By emphasizing the aides' confidence in their eventual exoneration, Nixon seeks to manage the political optics of the departures.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Yes, sir.
The way that the resignation thing should be handled, see in the letter, he said, we have considered your suggestion, Mr. President, today.
I mean, I've considered the leave of absence until this matter is cleared up, but this would not be fair to the, I mean, there needs to be a, because we cannot, you know, we don't know how long it's going to take, that we cannot have a period of time in which there is any, you know,
You know?
Yeah, right.
You get what I mean?
Yes, sir.
So it shows that they... How does that sound to you?
Right, I think so.
Does it sound all right, though?
Is it something that, you know, makes it look a little better from their standpoint?
Right.
In other words, you can't have a period of time of uncertainty before... Yeah, because of the period of time of uncertainty that I...
And we've discussed the possible... With the upcoming Irving Committee.
Irving Committee hearings, which will take several months and so forth.
We're confident we will be cleared and so forth.
We believe that the only course is resignation.
Right.
Okay.
Confident, cleared, and at the future... Fine.
Right.
Fine.
All right, you call him, let me know.
Yes, sir.

NARA Description

On April 29, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone at Camp David from 12:32 pm to 12:34 pm. The Camp David Study Table taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 164-038 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 164-38

Date: April 29, 1973
Time: 12:32 pm - 12:34 pm
Location: Camp David Study Table

The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.

     Watergate
          -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman
                -Resignation letter
                      -Handling
                      -Wording
                      -Tenor
                      -Wording
                      -Ervin Committee hearings

Also recorded on April 29, 1973

  • 164-031 10:36 AM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:36 am and 11:46 am.
  • 164-032 11:46 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, William P. Rogers, and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 11:46 am and 11:52 am.
  • 164-033 11:52 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 11:52 am and 12:01 pm.
  • 164-034 12:01 PM · 21 sec — Camp David operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at Camp David at 12:01 pm.
  • 164-035 12:01 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 12:01 pm and 12:28 pm.
  • 164-036 12:28 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William P. Rogers talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 12:28 pm and 12:30 pm.
  • 164-037 12:30 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 12:30 pm and 12:32 pm.
  • 164-039 12:49 PM · 4 min — Ronald L. Ziegler and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at Camp David from 12:49 pm to 12:52 pm.

All 17 conversations from April 29, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 164-038, April 29, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/164-038 (accessed October 12, 2026).