Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 410 › Conversation 410-030

Nixon & Ehrlichman on L. Patrick Gray III and FBI

Thursday, March 15, 1973 · 4:47 PM–4:50 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ehrlichman, John D.Conversation410-030 on Tape 410StartThursday, March 15, 1973 at 4:47 PMEndThursday, March 15, 1973 at 4:50 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 410-030 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and John Ehrlichman discuss the logistics and political risks surrounding the confirmation process for L. Patrick Gray III as FBI Director. They weigh the necessity of vetting potential conflicts, such as Gray's past performance and committee questioning, against the urgency of the appointment. The dialogue reflects a strategic effort to manage the confirmation timeline while considering alternative career placements for Gray, such as a judgeship, should the political situation prove untenable.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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You didn't want to do the grazing.
The grazing is, can we do it in a half hour?
Can we tell him to put a solvent in?
Don't you think we should?
The one thing incidentally about the situation of confirmation, John, that occurs in the news,
They're going to say, what about this same committee?
They'll say, what about your performance session?
Not as much, but I think the thing to do is to come over any time you want.
But understand, I'm just going through papers, and if you're doing something else, I'm going through the papers.
All right, well.

NARA Description

On March 15, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:47 pm and 4:50 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 410-030 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 410-30

Date: March 15, 1973
Time: Unknown between 4:47 pm and 4:50 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with John D. Ehrlichman.

       Appointment with President

       L[ouis] Patrick Gray, III
              -William C. Sullivan’s appointment
              -Changes in Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]
              -Confirmation
              -Alternate position
                      -Judge
                      -Question

       Meeting with President
             -Timing
                                             -57-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                        (rev. Sept.10)

Also recorded on March 15, 1973

  • 410-025 4:34 PM · 34 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:34 pm to 4:35 pm.
  • 410-026 4:35 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:35 pm and 4:42 pm.
  • 410-027 4:42 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William E. Timmons met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:42 pm to 4:44 pm.
  • 410-028 4:45 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 4:45 pm.
  • 410-029 4:45 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:45 pm to 4:47 pm.
  • 410-031 4:47 PM · 18 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 4:47 pm and 4:50 pm.
  • 410-032 4:50 PM · 33 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Gen. Brent G. Scowcroft met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:50 pm to 4:52 pm.
  • 410-033 4:52 PM · 43 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:52 pm to 5:43 pm.

All 83 conversations from March 15, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 410-030, March 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/410-030 (accessed October 1, 2026).