Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 436 › Conversation 436-013

Nixon & Ziegler on Watergate and Legal proceedings

Monday, May 14, 1973 · 4:00 PM–4:04 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation436-013 on Tape 436StartMonday, May 14, 1973 at 4:00 PMEndMonday, May 14, 1973 at 4:04 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 436-013 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler briefly discussed the progress of a court proceeding involving a judge reviewing documentation. The conversation reflects the administration's defensive posture regarding legal challenges and the need to maintain a composed public stance. No specific directives were issued, but the exchange underscores the mounting pressure from ongoing investigations during this period.

Audio

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NARA Description

On May 14, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:00 pm to 4:04 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 436-013 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 436-13
                                               -17-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Date: May 14, 1973
Time: 4:00 pm - 4:04 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler.

[See Conversation No. 46-31]

Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 35% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

Hello?
Iran?
Did the Rebels not survive?
You play more accused of being under an FBI, or an assigned worker, or whatever.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
The judge, I understand, is now reading the papers.
He is late.
He's going to be coming down at 3 o'clock.
But on the other hand, we can, your philosophy is so correct, we'll keep our balance.
I don't take this, I mean, but...
All right.
All right.

Also recorded on May 14, 1973

  • 046-029 3:51 PM · 36 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 3:51 pm to 3:52 pm.
  • 435-032 3:51 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:51 pm and 4:19 pm.
  • 435-033 3:51 PM · 11 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 3:51 pm and 4:19 pm.
  • 436-010 3:51 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 3:51 pm.
  • 436-011 3:51 PM · 33 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:51 pm to 3:52 pm.
  • 046-030 3:52 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:52 pm and 4:00 pm.
  • 436-012 3:52 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 3:52 pm and 4:00 pm.
  • 046-031 4:00 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 4:00 pm to 4:04 pm.

All 113 conversations from May 14, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 436-013, May 14, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/436-013 (accessed November 15, 2026).