Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 406 › Conversation 406-044

Nixon & Bull on FBI and Security breach

Tuesday, January 30, 1973 · 9:26 PM–9:28 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.Conversation406-044 on Tape 406StartTuesday, January 30, 1973 at 9:26 PMEndTuesday, January 30, 1973 at 9:28 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 406-044 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon directed Stephen B. Bull to coordinate an immediate investigation into an unspecified security violation involving a United States Senator. Nixon demanded that the FBI, the Washington police, and other relevant authorities be mobilized instantly, explicitly sidelining the Secret Service. The President emphasized the urgency of the matter by setting a ten-minute deadline for a status report and insisting that John Dean facilitate the FBI's involvement.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Yep.
Who are you trying to get that information from?
Now, don't screw with him enough.
Now, you get over to John Dean right away.
If you talk to him, the United States Senator is going to be shocked.
Understand?
Yes.
A violation.
I want every FBI agent in this city to find out this.
I want to get Jerry Wilson the hell out of bed and get him to find out about it.
I want to report it in five minutes.
Is that clear?
And get off their ass now and screw the Secret Service.
They don't handle this.
This is the FBI's job.
It's the United States Senator's job.
And the Washington police.
And everybody together.
Now get going on it fast.
I expect it.
I'll give you ten minutes.
Ten minutes.
That's all.
I don't want to talk to John Dean.
He has to get off of his ass and get the secret, get the FBI into something.
It's not a local problem.
It's a United States Senator's problem.
I have got to know what the score is.
I want to find out.
Right away.

NARA Description

On January 30, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:26 pm to 9:28 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 406-044 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 406-44

Date: January 30, 1973
                                             -27-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                           Conversation No. 406-56 (cont’d)

Time: 9:26 pm - 9:28 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Stephen B. Bull.

[See Conversation No. 36-134]

Also recorded on January 31, 1973

  • 036-131 9:15 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:15 pm and 9:17 pm.
  • 036-132 9:17 PM · 23 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 9:17 pm to 9:18 pm.
  • 406-042 9:17 PM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:17 pm to 9:18 pm.
  • 036-133 9:18 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:18 pm and 9:26 pm.
  • 406-043 9:18 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:18 pm and 9:26 pm.
  • 036-134 9:26 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 9:26 pm to 9:28 pm.
  • 406-045 9:28 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 9:28 pm.
  • 406-046 9:28 PM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:28 pm and 9:40 pm.

All 86 conversations from January 31, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 406-044, January 31, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/406-044 (accessed October 9, 2026).