Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 433 › Conversation 433-027

Nixon & Ziegler on Watergate scandal and Press relations

Tuesday, May 1, 1973 · 2:59 PM–3:01 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation433-027 on Tape 433StartTuesday, May 1, 1973 at 2:59 PMEndTuesday, May 1, 1973 at 3:01 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 433-027 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler discussed the intense scrutiny from the press and ongoing Watergate-related investigations. Ziegler expressed his intention to terminate a subordinate for unauthorized comments that portrayed certain individuals as criminals. Nixon directed Ziegler to brief the Cabinet briefly and strictly, emphasizing that the focus should remain solely on the departure of the two previously implicated men and the administration's established procedural response.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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What are the jackals after you this time about?
Investigations.
Yeah.
And I shouldn't have put that out there, so I'm going to fire him tomorrow for that.
That was a terrible thing for him to do, make them appear like criminals.
I'm going to fire his ass up, believe me.
He may be intended it that way.
God damn his Jewish soul.
Go ahead.
Doesn't know.
In the cabinet, will you very briefly, maybe no more than 20 minutes, and just say, the president just laid out the procedures, and we'll be following them.
The two men have left, and that's all.
Period.
The attitude is very good.
Is that clear?

NARA Description

On May 1, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:59 pm to 3:01 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 433-027 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 433-27

Date: May 1, 1973
Time: 2:59 pm - 3:01 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.
                                            -13-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

[See Conversation No. 45-93]

Also recorded on May 1, 1973

  • 045-091 2:51 PM · 51 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:51 pm and 2:52 pm.
  • 433-024 2:51 PM · 49 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:51 pm to 2:52 pm.
  • 045-092 2:54 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:54 pm and 2:59 pm.
  • 433-025 2:54 PM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 2:54 pm.
  • 433-026 2:54 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 2:54 pm and 2:59 pm.
  • 045-093 2:59 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 2:59 pm to 3:01 pm.
  • 045-094 3:01 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:01 pm and 5:35 pm.
  • 908-017 3:07 PM · 35 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:07 pm and 3:10 pm.

All 181 conversations from May 1, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 433-027, 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/433-027 (accessed October 5, 2026).