Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 444 › Conversation 444-026
Nixon & Buzhardt on Watergate investigation and Legal strategy
Tuesday, June 12, 1973 · 9:37 PM–9:56 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 7 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and White House counsel J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr. met to discuss legal defense strategies regarding ongoing investigations and potential witness reliability. The conversation centered on concerns regarding a witness's propensity for lying and the risk that their testimony could undermine the administration's legal position. They weighed the strategic implications of how specific evidence or documentation might be contested or utilized during formal proceedings.
- Watergate investigation
- Legal strategy
- Witness credibility
- Evidence management
- J. Fred Buzhardt
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 5 minutes of this recording (about 73% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On June 12, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:37 pm to 9:56 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 444-026 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 444-26 Date: June 12, 1973 Time: 9:37 pm - 9:56 pm Location: Executive Office Building The President talked with J. Fred Buzhardt. [See Conversation No. 40-43]
Also recorded on June 13, 1973
- 040-040 8:21 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:21 pm and 9:28 pm.
- 040-041 9:28 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 9:28 pm to 9:30 pm.
- 040-042 9:30 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:30 pm and 9:37 pm.
- 444-025 9:30 PM · 8 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 9:30 pm and 9:37 pm.
- 040-043 9:37 PM · 20 min — President Richard M. Nixon and J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr. talked on the telephone from 9:37 pm to 9:56 pm.
- 040-044 9:56 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:56 pm and 10:18 pm.
- 040-045 10:18 PM · 21 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at 10:18 pm.
- 040-046 10:18 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:18 pm and 10:57 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 444-026, June 13, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/444-026 (accessed October 9, 2026).