Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 429 › Conversation 429-024

Nixon & Haldeman on Watergate scandal and Crisis management

Thursday, April 19, 1973 · 9:37 PM–9:53 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 4 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation429-024 on Tape 429StartThursday, April 19, 1973 at 9:37 PMEndThursday, April 19, 1973 at 9:53 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 429-024 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H.R. Haldeman discuss the management of developing Watergate-related narratives and the handling of sensitive materials allegedly removed from the White House. The conversation focuses on legal strategy and the risks associated with public stories, ultimately advising that they allow the narrative to play out without direct intervention. The exchange highlights the administration's efforts to contain damaging information while navigating uncertainty regarding the actions of their legal team and associates.

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 38% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
So, I bought, oh, I talked to the two boys here.
They really are, like, very, very, they only had a half hour with the Westerns, which is a half hour.
Have you ever thought about what the hell it is?
The cases of stuff that was carried out at the White House, is that what it is?
Neither.
That's what it is.
to a party.
But they haven't found that.
They haven't carried it.
Somebody that worked for them.
This is a .
So what the hell else can you do?
What the hell would it do with me?
I asked them, I judged them, I said to them, like words, if they don't buy it, they're not going to sell it.
Right?
Yes.
They said, well, they didn't see it, but at least they knew what they were doing.
They said, well, that's what happened.
What you do is to let them run their story.
That's what you do.
That's what you do.
That's what you do.
That's what you do.
That's what you do.
That's what you do.
That's what you do.
That's what you do.
That's what you do.
That's what you do.
That's what you do.
That's what you do.
That's what you do.
That's what you do.
That's what you do.
That's what you do.
That's what you do.
That's what you do.
That's what you do.
Yeah.
I do what you want.
Stay with the family.
Family, yeah, sure.
All right.
Go out to the campaign.
They may be afraid of the Bible.
I thought first of it.
What do I say about textiles?
Right.
If I say that, you know, that's what happened.
Well, that's the thing about the stuff that was going on.
But you say silver, what does he say about it?
I didn't hear that.
But in other words, the lawyer says that he offered the silver, not the story.
Well, anyway, that's right.
We don't know.
I couldn't agree more.
So we're not going to do that.
So it's certainly a difficult one here to figure out.
That's right.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On April 19, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:37 pm to 9:53 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 429-024 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 429-024

Date: April 19, 1973
Time: 9:37 pm - 9:53 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

[See Conversation No. 038-126]

[A transcript of the following portion of this conversation was initially prepared for the
Watergate Special Prosecution Force (WSPF) and can be found in Record Group (RG) 460, Box
174, pages 1-15. The Nixon Presidential Materials Staff reviewed the transcript and made
changes as necessary. This transcript has been reviewed under the provisions of the Presidential
Recordings and Materials Preservation Act of 1974 (PRMPA). The National Archives does not
guarantee its accuracy.]

[Begin transcribed portion]

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

[End transcribed portion]

Also recorded on April 20, 1973

  • 429-022 8:26 PM · 1 hr 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John J. Wilson, Frank H. Strickler, and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:26 pm to 9:32 pm.
  • 038-124 9:32 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:32 pm and 9:37 pm.
  • 038-125 9:32 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:32 pm and 9:37 pm.
  • 429-023 9:32 PM · 10 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 9:32 pm and 9:37 pm.
  • 038-126 9:37 PM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 9:37 pm to 9:53 pm.
  • 038-127 9:54 PM · 15 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at 9:54 pm.
  • 429-025 9:54 PM · 11 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 9:54 pm.
  • 903-001 8:15 AM · 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:15 am to 8:39 am.

All 34 conversations from April 20, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 429-024, April 20, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/429-024 (accessed October 5, 2026).