Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 429 › Conversation 429-005

Nixon & Ziegler on Watergate scandal and Grand Jury

Thursday, April 19, 1973 · 1:45 PM–1:46 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 55 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation429-005 on Tape 429StartThursday, April 19, 1973 at 1:45 PMEndThursday, April 19, 1973 at 1:46 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 429-005 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler discuss the need to maintain a clear firewall between the White House and ongoing Grand Jury proceedings to avoid potential legal contamination. Nixon emphasizes that he explicitly instructed officials not to disclose any Grand Jury findings to him to preserve the integrity of both the official investigation and his own internal review. The discussion underscores the administration's strategic effort to distance the President from sensitive information during the escalating Watergate investigation.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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I couldn't say even that this is true.
I had the President direct it specifically.
He was not to give a report from the Grand Jury.
I don't mean to tell you to do this, Jack Anderson, but that may taint this Grand Jury.
I don't mean to say that I have directed this, which is true.
I've told you to don't tell me anything from the Grand Jury.
That's the point.
I did.
He'll tell you that.
I said, Andrew, don't you do anything with the director.
I don't want to know.
I don't want to mess it up.
You see, in my direction, he only gives me other investigators.
But my own personal investigation will go over the facts and so forth.

NARA Description

On April 19, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:45 pm to 1:46 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 429-005 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 429-005

Date: April 19, 1973
Time: 1:45 pm - 1:46 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.

[See Conversation No. 038-111]

Also recorded on April 19, 1973

  • 038-110 1:41 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:41 pm and 1:45 pm.
  • 038-111 1:45 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 1:45 pm to 1:46 pm.
  • 038-112 1:46 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:46 pm and 1:48 pm.
  • 429-026 1:46 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:46 pm and 1:48 pm.
  • 038-113 1:48 PM · 50 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone from 1:48 pm to 1:50 pm.
  • 429-006 1:48 PM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:48 pm to 1:49 pm.
  • 429-007 1:50 PM · 19 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 1:50 pm and 1:57 pm.
  • 429-008 1:50 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, unknown person(s), and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:50 pm and 1:57 pm.

All 54 conversations from April 19, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 429-005, April 19, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/429-005 (accessed October 5, 2026).