{"conversationCode":"403-015","tapeNumber":403,"conversationNumber":15,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-403-015","startDateTime":"1973-01-31T15:04:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1973-01-31T15:06:00.000Z","startDate":"31-Jan-1973","startTime":"10:04 AM","endDate":"31-Jan-1973","endTime":"10:06 AM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Brennan, Peter J.;","description":"On January 31, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Peter J. Brennan met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:04 am to 10:06 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 403-015 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"EOB","recordingDevice":"Old Executive Office Building","latitudeEstimated":38.897567,"longitudeEstimated":-77.039147,"chronCode":"5.3","chronRelease":"Fifth Chronological Release: Part III","chronReleaseDate":"23-Jun-2009","aogpRelease":"Abuse of Governmental Power Release","aogpSegment":"Segment 0","lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 403-15\n\nDate: January 31, 1973\nTime: 10:04 am – 10:06 am\nLocation: Executive Office Building\n\nThe President talked with Patrick J. Buchanan.\n\n[See Conversation No. 43-4]\n\f                                                -10-\n\n                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM","filename":["403-015.mp3"],"tapeStart":"","tapeEnd":"","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Brennan, Peter J."],"prevCode":"403-014","nextCode":"403-016","transcript":[{"start":0.18,"end":5.53,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":5.55,"end":19.72,"text":"I, uh, was trying to reach Irwin, and, uh, my name's in the U.S. and the world, of course."},{"start":19.74,"end":20.94,"text":"So, uh, you'll probably have to, sort of, dig out something."},{"start":20.96,"end":21.22,"text":"I don't know."},{"start":21.24,"end":21.5,"text":"I don't know."},{"start":21.71,"end":36.23,"text":"Uh, the Watergate thing, I really want to comment and so forth, but I'm not sure that we have a general idea."},{"start":36.25,"end":38.01,"text":"I mean, I've got this global rule that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it."},{"start":38.03,"end":39.25,"text":"Let me say this first, in regard to the Watergate, generally,"},{"start":40.04,"end":67,"text":"Oh, I think in my position that I don't... Oh, I've already stated that I don't approve of S.P.N.I."},{"start":67.02,"end":67.82,"text":"for burglary and all that sort of stuff."},{"start":68.26,"end":77.75,"text":"Yeah, that's right."},{"start":80.34,"end":84.77,"text":"But my point is that they're, what they were trying to say, well, now, what about higher options?"},{"start":84.79,"end":86.43,"text":"I think the court, the proceedings were added, but so forth and so on."},{"start":86.45,"end":88.56,"text":"I don't know if there's any comment upon that, so it's perhaps the right thing to do."},{"start":88.58,"end":90.3,"text":"Well, anyway, the other point is, check that out to see what kind of answers you need."},{"start":90.63,"end":115.18,"text":"Well, for example, he'll say, what about Spencer Mitchell?"},{"start":115.2,"end":116.43,"text":"Do you think the courts have adequately handled this problem?"},{"start":116.45,"end":117.55,"text":"Do you favor the return of the delegation, for example?"},{"start":117.57,"end":119.61,"text":"And then, do you favor the, what do they call White House people, including the most justified people?"},{"start":124.7,"end":139.94,"text":"But anyway, and uh..."},{"start":140.89,"end":149.52,"text":"Oh, the other one was regarding the chaperone."},{"start":149.54,"end":153.9,"text":"Of course, the granny is all wound up in her well, isn't there?"},{"start":153.92,"end":154.04,"text":"Right."},{"start":154.06,"end":162.19,"text":"But what is the, you're, you're, you would talk to the FBI and say, for example, let's say, look, what if Mr. Chaperone follows the granny's way?"},{"start":163.73,"end":164.51,"text":"I mean, are you going to follow that?"},{"start":164.86,"end":166.02,"text":"I, of course, actually, I'm going to say it."},{"start":176.73,"end":178.72,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":178.74,"end":179.16,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":179.18,"end":181.83,"text":"Well, can't we say that?"},{"start":181.97,"end":183.52,"text":"That's my point."},{"start":183.54,"end":185.29,"text":"Well, in other words, there's Dean..."},{"start":185.66,"end":195.97,"text":"The dean investigates it very well as well as I do."},{"start":195.99,"end":200.53,"text":"That's my point."},{"start":200.55,"end":201.41,"text":"That's the very good point."},{"start":202.54,"end":203.04,"text":"How do you find that out?"},{"start":203.96,"end":204.44,"text":"That's what I am saying."},{"start":204.46,"end":205.24,"text":"You say that he hasn't investigated it."},{"start":205.26,"end":205.72,"text":"That's what I'm saying."},{"start":205.74,"end":207.78,"text":"I just go to Congress and stand in the middle and I say that to you."},{"start":211.19,"end":216.28,"text":"All right."},{"start":217.45,"end":217.69,"text":"Okay."},{"start":217.71,"end":218.27,"text":"You can see what I want."},{"start":218.29,"end":219.87,"text":"Get me just one, please."},{"start":219.89,"end":220.84,"text":"Not too much."},{"start":221.52,"end":221.78,"text":"Not too much."},{"start":221.8,"end":222.36,"text":"I don't want to answer that."},{"start":222.38,"end":222.78,"text":"It's a great church."},{"start":222.8,"end":223.22,"text":"That's what I prefer."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon consults with Patrick J. Buchanan to strategize responses to potential media inquiries regarding the ongoing Watergate scandal. The discussion focuses on maintaining a consistent public stance, specifically distancing the administration from the burglary while reinforcing confidence in the internal investigation conducted by John Dean. Nixon emphasizes the need for a restrained, unified messaging approach when addressing questions from the press or Congress.","topics":["Watergate scandal","Public relations","John Dean","Media strategy","Internal investigations"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T18:21:06.842Z"},"topicSlugs":["watergate-scandal","public-relations","john-dean","media-strategy","internal-investigations"],"audioDurationSec":230,"audioFiles":[{"file":"403-015.mp3","bytes":5525817,"durationSec":230.11,"bitrate":192113,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:45.438Z","findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:43:34.291Z","transcriptGapSeconds":67,"transcriptGapShare":0.29,"transcriptQuality":"incomplete","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/403-015.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/403-015","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/403/conversation-403-015","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}