Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 446 › Conversation 446-003

Nixon & Haldeman on White House records and Watergate investigation

Thursday, June 14, 1973 · 3:58 PM–4:10 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 12 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation446-003 on Tape 446StartThursday, June 14, 1973 at 3:58 PMEndThursday, June 14, 1973 at 4:10 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 446-003 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and H.R. Haldeman discuss the management of presidential records and materials, specifically focusing on the documentation of the administration's first four years. The two men also evaluate potential publishers for these materials and touch upon ongoing investigations, including the testimony of John Dean and others involved in the Watergate scandal. Nixon expresses concern regarding the motivations of those testifying and emphasizes the need for a strategic approach to documenting his presidency.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 4 minutes of this recording (about 33% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Oh, yeah.
I was receiving diplomatic credentials, so I couldn't turn to call.
Oh, yeah.
What's up?
No, I'm perfectly all right.
Yeah.
Yeah, we stay out of that, don't we?
Well, he did reach me, and he wanted to come in and see me.
I told him I couldn't do it tomorrow.
It was April, and I'd clocked for a sleep.
And as a matter of fact, it was in terms of time, because back there I was going to be heading to California right after the Depression.
I was there one week, and I got two months.
Right.
How does that sound to you?
Yeah.
I mean, there's no, if there's not, no.
No, that's not crap.
But what I meant is that time is not of the essence here.
The main thing is that I'll get to him and I'll talk to him.
I mean, I think it's the best thing that I can do.
Come on.
You may want to do it with me at all.
That's the case I'll do.
I hope he is as dumb as I can be.
What we have in mind is that you've got to write up the wiring stuff.
I don't know how anybody writes that up.
That's another story.
It can be written up by 18 or 19 other people.
But we want it for the first four years, which is far more important than trying to rush it, you know.
So he said an enormous amount of great material there, right?
get going on right now.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Well, I got the picture.
Sure.
Sure.
Well, he had gotten me these calls before.
As a matter of fact, I talked to him about ten minutes ago.
He took your license.
Somebody said he just called, so I called him back.
So, where are you?
I'll...
Well, let me, well, something's got to work out, because that fire, somebody's got to go through that stuff, and I'm not going to do it.
I'm not going to do it.
It's too much work.
It's too much work.
And also, also, John can do it.
He's got an enormous amount of material.
He would take the fire and take it, but it's like that.
It's a fascinating material.
I wish we had a
another more sophisticated publisher.
They're all on the left.
On the right.
Somebody's on the right.
Well, let's give some thought to it and look over the publisher.
The, uh, what's the, I apologize, what's the, is Bruder up today or is he back?
I wonder if he's doing this for purposes of getting his rap reduced, is that what it is?
Why does he have to remember that?
Remember we were sitting here that day in the office and he brought over that thing and he said he wasn't thinking about a jeweler.
He hasn't yet.
We all have a little bit to be thankful for.
I didn't meet any of these people, fortunately, except for Brother Dean.
It's a good thing.
But you never know what they would have said to me.
Also, you never know what they would say, even though, yeah.
Are they pushing him on what he told me?
It really gets stronger.
What kind of life?
Yeah, I think it's stronger than that.
I think it's stronger than that.
Do you want to say anything?
Well, once, three years ago, I was in the Democratic Party.
I mean, it's a card.
I suppose you might have to throw something else.
But nevertheless, let's consider her a benality.
But we're not stupid.
But she doesn't make it.
But what about me?
She does.
She doesn't like me.
How does he get him in?
Does he get him in?
Hold on a second.
Covering the beans there.
Earlier on, was he getting in?
Is anybody on the committee, uh, asking about, uh, Dr. Manson's, uh, reasons for wanting him to serve?
Or is he?
Or is he?
Oh, I see.
Does he tell about how Dean and, Dean and Mitchell Manson, they agreed as to how he was to touch my, um, subordination version?
Yes.
All in all, I think that's fine.
I, uh, well, I, uh, I know we've got some tough economics on it.
I think that, uh, well, if the Congress is not ready to send in a 98 or a 300, then I think they're right.
Uh,
What do you think will get you back, Jackass?
End of the line.
You don't have to worry about it.
They told me Stanley did very well.
They said he just laid it out there.
I heard that and it really shook me.
And then Gurney stood up and he said, is he pompous?
Well, I'll tell you, it's just, I'm sure it's your little pet, but again, it's going to, I honestly feel it's going to come out, you know.
But, you know, I feel that we've just very effectively started to make some significant moves now.
That's good, isn't it?
That's good.
Okay, thank you, and I'll talk to you for at least 10 days.
Probably 10 days.

NARA Description

On June 14, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:58 pm to 4:10 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 446-003 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 446-3

Date: June 14, 1973
Time: 3:58 pm - 4:10 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

[See Conversation No. 40-111]
                                               -2-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Also recorded on June 14, 1973

  • 040-110 3:46 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at 3:46 pm.
  • 446-002 3:46 PM · 11 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 3:46 pm.
  • 040-111 3:58 PM · 13 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:58 pm and 4:10 pm.
  • 040-112 4:10 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:10 pm and 4:12 pm.
  • 446-004 4:10 PM · 16 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 4:10 pm and 4:12 pm.
  • 040-113 4:12 PM · 20 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone from 4:12 pm to 4:13 pm.
  • 446-005 4:12 PM · 17 sec — White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:12 pm to 4:13 pm.
  • 446-006 4:15 PM · 1 hr 43 min — President Richard M. Nixon, J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr., Ronald L. Ziegler, unknown person(s), and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:15 pm to 5:58 pm.

All 74 conversations from June 14, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 446-003, June 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/446-003 (accessed October 9, 2026).