Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 424 › Conversation 424-001

Nixon, Haldeman & Sanchez on Watergate and Perjury

Tuesday, March 27, 1973 · 4:58 PM–5:20 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Sanchez, ManoloConversation424-001 on Tape 424StartTuesday, March 27, 1973 at 4:58 PMEndTuesday, March 27, 1973 at 5:20 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 424-001 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman discussed strategies for navigating the escalating Watergate scandal, specifically addressing the legal dangers of perjury and potential sentencing outcomes for the defendants under Judge John Sirica. They evaluated the political viability of invoking executive privilege against the Senate and weighed the risks of establishing an independent investigative panel modeled after the Warren Commission. Manolo Sanchez joined the meeting briefly toward the end to coordinate administrative logistics regarding Haldeman’s upcoming schedule.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 2 minutes of this recording (about 56% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Sorry, I'm trying to protect myself.
Then they try them on the, on the both of these other things as well as surgery and stuff.
Surgery is a five year round.
That's all we need is.
And then go ahead and search and go ahead and get knowledge and get them to know that we can get them on the other side.
I don't know how long this is going to take.
I don't remember.
I'm not damn sure.
I'm not sure.
I don't know.
I don't know.
Your point about the water condition, the traffic condition, I don't know whether it's yours or whether it's Brian's, but we've just discussed it, John, and I was supposed to be curious what it is.
It's the rate of heat that would make the patient, the method that you use to speed it, et cetera.
Correct.
It would automatically escalate the water rate to the key event that makes it to the construction.
I don't see how I can pull the executive privilege.
I'll do it against the Senate, but I think I've got to say that the White House people have got to know what I'm talking about.
My view on that one is that that's really
Almost just a grandstand play, going back to when I think I worked on it with the press, I don't know.
So it's anyone who does a worthwhile grandstand play.
Yeah, in that we're gonna be going anyway.
How could they not follow us?
And we've got nothing to say, so our going is not gonna come to anything.
Well, it's gonna be a good thing.
There's no way he's gonna look over to us.
Okay.
Okay.

NARA Description

On March 27, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 4:58 pm and 5:20 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 424-001 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 424-1

Date: March 27, 1973
Time: Unknown between 4:58 pm and 5:20 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman. This conversation continues Conversation
No. 423-13. A portion of the conversation was not recorded while the tape was being changed.

       Watergate
            -Charge of perjury
            -Statement for public
                  -Candor
                  -Acceptance of responsibility
            -Charges of perjury
            -Judge John Sirica
                  -Sentences for Cubans
            -Independent panel
                  -Warren Commission precedent
                  -Danger of exaggeration of case
                        -William P. Rogers
            -Executive privilege
                  -Use against Senate
                  -President's statement
                        -Value
                               -Reception by press
                  -Charles W. Colson [?]
                  -John W Dean, III

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 4:58 pm.

       Haldeman's next meeting with President

Sanchez left at 5:20 pm.

Haldeman's schedule
Haldeman left at an unknown time before 5:20 pm.
                                               -2-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                          Conversation No. 424-32 (cont’d)

Also recorded on March 27, 1973

  • 044-028 4:57 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:57 pm and 4:58 pm.
  • 044-029 4:58 PM · 7 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:58 pm and 5:20 pm.
  • 044-030 4:58 PM · 5 min — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:58 pm and 5:20 pm.
  • 044-031 5:20 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:20 pm and 5:22 pm.
  • 424-002 5:20 PM · 10 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 5:20 pm and 5:22 pm.
  • 044-032 5:22 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:22 pm and 5:34 pm.
  • 424-003 5:22 PM · 13 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:22 pm to 5:34 pm.
  • 044-033 5:34 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 5:34 pm.

All 50 conversations from March 27, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 424-001, March 27, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/424-001 (accessed October 2, 2026).