Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 433 › Conversation 433-001

Nixon & Bull on Watergate scandal and Executive privilege

Tuesday, May 1, 1973 · 12:50 PM–12:58 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building ·7 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Bull, Stephen B.Conversation433-001 onTape 433StartTuesday, May 1, 1973 at 12:50 PMEndTuesday, May 1, 1973 at 12:58 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 433-001 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Stephen B. Bull to strategize on limiting the scope of documents provided to FBI agents currently stationed at the White House for the Watergate investigation. Nixon expressed deep frustration with the broad language of proposed document requests, which he deemed overly restrictive regarding his personal papers and presidential staff memoranda. He directed Bull to ensure that all national security files and executive privilege materials remain protected, explicitly ordering that the language of the document releases be narrowed to exclude his private files and sensitive national security records.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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They currently have some agents here in the White House.
So they're standing outside all of his office.
Well, I want to ask early.
Early on, there's some national security files I can't take care of.
They can only have files that have to do with this.
Yes, sir.
These are files within the offices of all the government agencies.
I understand what I mean.
They cannot have files.
to say.
We had to step out until about...
The point is...
There should be a reference to not only personal files, but files that have to do with the Watergate matter.
That's all.
You know what I mean?
It should be limited to that.
And no national security files.
All national security files are not.
None of those are going to be elected.
Do you understand what I mean?
Yes, sir.
I'm not going to give them all my files.
I'd have to do it without them.
It's a hell of a sum of dishes.
Why would I take any files?
They could take dozens of things, and all the files would have to be in the Watergate letter.
Tell John to work out some language, or somebody around this goddamn place can work out some language that is less restrictive than that.
The garment's stupid as hell.
You see,
Bring it here.
Trouble with this speaker.
All correspondence memorized and open center.
No, sir.
It's much too broad.
He knows goddamn well.
All correspondence, memoranda, notes, et cetera, include the connection of official duties as opposed to personal papers of individuals.
For example, no personal, no personal papers of the president, no personal memoranda
from the president, you know.
Memoranda between the president and members of his staff are privileged, you know what I mean, and I'm not going to turn those over to anybody.
And anything that has to do with being
You understand.
Tell them to try to work something out.
It's less that any, any, any, any.
I'm not going to have any files.
And I can't.
I've written memoranda.
None of my memoranda anybody can.
Memoranda written to me cannot be included in this sort of thing.
That's point one.
Second, all files on national security matters.
cannot be included in this, except for memoranda of the matters of national security matters.
Files can't be included as far as I'm concerned.
That's the way I would describe it.
Memoranda to or from the president.
No, memoranda to or from the president are included.
They're not going to be in the custody of the FBI.
I mean, you know what I mean, and subject to the perusal of other people.
And second, national security files.
Any memorandum that has to do with national security, a national security hearing.
And the first point we put, all personal.
All, you see, and all memorandum to or from the president.
are mine.
They belong to me.
They don't belong to them.
And all national security files, any files that have to do with national security belong to the president, not to them.
As far as other files are concerned, that's the way I'd like to have them.
You realize that now, don't you, sir?
All right.

NARA Description

On May 1, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:50 pm to 12:58 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 433-001 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 433-1

Date: May 1, 1973
Time: 12:50 pm - 12:58 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Stephen B. Bull.

      Watergate
           -Leonard Garment, Elliot L. Richardson
           -Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] agents in White House
                 -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
           -Proposed Presidential statement
                 -John D. Ehrlichman
                 -National security files
                 -Presidential personal files
           -Garment
           -Ehrlichman
           -Content of statement
                 -Personal files
                 -Watergate related files
                 -National security files
                 -Ehrlichman
                 -Garment
           -Privileged files
                 -Memorandum to or from President
                       -John W. Dean, III
                 -National security
                 -FBI
           -Garment

      President’s schedule
            -Cabinet meeting
                  -Timing

Bull left at 12:58 pm.
                                               -2-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                      (rev. March-2011)

Also recorded on May 1, 1973

  • 908-016 12:40 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:40 pm to 12:49 pm.
  • 908-026 12:49 PM · 2 min — United States Secret Service agents and President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:49 pm and 3:07 pm.
  • 045-073 12:58 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:58 pm and 12:59 pm.
  • 045-074 12:58 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:58 pm and 12:59 pm.
  • 045-075 12:59 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 12:59 pm to 1:00 pm.
  • 433-002 12:59 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Dr. Walter R. Tkach met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:59 pm to 1:00 pm.
  • 045-076 1:00 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:00 pm and 1:04 pm.
  • 433-003 1:00 PM · 15 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 1:00 pm and 1:04 pm.

All 181 conversations from May 1, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 433-001, May 1, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/433-001 (accessed September 18, 2026).