Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 433 › Conversation 433-011

Nixon & Bull on Presidential records and National security

Tuesday, May 1, 1973 · 1:07 PM–1:08 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 55 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.Conversation433-011 on Tape 433StartTuesday, May 1, 1973 at 1:07 PMEndTuesday, May 1, 1973 at 1:08 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 433-011 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon instructed Stephen B. Bull to ensure that all staff correspondence and files, particularly those concerning national security, are categorized as presidential property rather than the personal property of individual staff members. Nixon explicitly distinguished these records from Watergate-related materials, for which he expressed indifference regarding their disposition. Bull was tasked with drafting a memorandum to formalize this policy for review by Rodney Smith.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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The point is to be held that all files, any correspondence or anything that has to do with between me and any member of my staff, belongs to the president, not to them.
It's not their files, goddammit, they're mine.
Do you get that point?
Yep.
And tell what Dan and I are about that.
And anything in the national security area is an area that is mine.
It's not theirs.
in the national security area.
That is mine.
Not theirs.
Anything on Watergate, anything shut, they can do anything they want.
I don't give a goddamn about that.
Okay?
Time to rewrite the memorandum along those lines so that Rodney can look at it after he's captured it.

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 1:07 pm to 1:08 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 433-011 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 433-11

Date: May 1, 1973
                                             -6-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Time: 1:07 pm - 1:08 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Stephen B. Bull.

[See Conversation No. 45-79]

Also recorded on May 1, 1973

  • 045-077 1:04 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 1:04 pm to 1:06 pm.
  • 433-009 1:04 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:04 pm to 1:06 pm.
  • 045-078 1:06 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:06 pm and 1:07 pm.
  • 433-010 1:06 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 1:06 pm and 1:07 pm.
  • 045-079 1:07 PM · 56 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 1:07 pm to 1:08 pm.
  • 045-080 1:08 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:08 pm and 1:10 pm.
  • 433-012 1:08 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 1:08 pm and 1:10 pm.
  • 045-081 1:10 PM · 42 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone from 1:10 pm to 1:11 pm.

All 181 conversations from May 1, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 433-011, 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/433-011 (accessed October 5, 2026).