Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 744 › Conversation 744-022

Nixon & Ziegler on Watergate scandal and E. Howard Hunt

Friday, June 30, 1972 · 3:18 PM–3:24 PM ET · Oval Office

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation744-022 on Tape 744 (tape position 03:53:45–03:58:44)StartFriday, June 30, 1972 at 3:18 PMEndFriday, June 30, 1972 at 3:24 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 744-022 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler met to coordinate the administration's public response regarding the burgeoning Watergate scandal. They specifically discussed managing inquiries about E. Howard Hunt’s involvement, including a potential map of the Democratic National Committee headquarters found on his desk, and formulated a strategy for Ziegler’s upcoming press briefing. Additionally, the pair touched upon the implications of the recent Supreme Court decision on the death penalty and upcoming veto considerations.

Audio

Easy Nixon does not have audio for this conversation yet: the Nixon Library lists it as “being processed”, and the National Archives Catalog has not put it online. It will be added once it is released. See the Nixon Library record ↗.

NARA Description

On June 30, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:18 pm to 3:24 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 744-022 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 744-22

Date: June 30, 1972

Time: 3:18-3:24 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.

      Richard G. Kleindienst

      Briefing

     Watergate break-in
         -E. Howard Hunt, Jr.
                -Map of Democratic National Committee headquarters

      Supreme Court decision on death penalty
          -Briefing by Kleindienst
          -Applications of death penalty

           Watergate break-in
                -Hunt
                -Washington Daily News story
                     -Hunt's desk
                           -Charles W. Colson
                           -Map
                           -Bugging devices
                     -Ziegler's response to question at briefing
                     -John W. Dean, III's opinion
                -Kleindienst

      News leads

      Vetoes

Ziegler left at 3:24 pm.

Transcript (AI-generated)

No transcript is available because Easy Nixon does not have the audio yet.

Also recorded on June 30, 1972

347-005 2:10 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:10 pm and 2:55 pm.
347-006 2:10 PM · 48 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:10 pm and 2:55 pm.
744-021 2:55 PM — President Richard M. Nixon, Clark MacGregor, Stephen B. Bull, Ernesto V. Lagdameo, and Mrs. Ernesto V. Lagdameo met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:55 pm to 3:18 pm.
026-055 3:24 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Caspar W. ("Cap") Weinberger talked on the telephone from 3:24 pm to 3:28 pm.
744-023 3:24 PM — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 3:24 pm.
744-024 3:24 PM — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Richard G. Kleindienst, and Caspar W. ("Cap") Weinberger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:24 pm to 4:22 pm.
745-001 3:24 PM — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Stephen B. Bull, and Richard A. Moore met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:24 pm to 4:29 pm.
026-056 3:28 PM · 47 min — The recording device engaged on an unknown date, sometime between 3:28 pm on June 30, 1972 and 8:01 am on July 1, 1972, but the conversation appears to be blank.

All 43 conversations from June 30, 1972 →

Nixon phone call with Brennan on Law enforcement and Death penalty March 11, 1973 · 5 min
Nixon phone call with Colson on Watergate scandal October 15, 1972 · 11 min
Nixon, Haig & Sanchez on Watergate and John W. Dean III June 12, 1973 · 42 min
Nixon phone call with Ehrlichman on Watergate scandal and E. Howard Hunt April 13, 1973 · 15 min
Nixon phone call with Ehrlichman on Watergate and E. Howard Hunt April 13, 1973 · 4 min
Ehrlichman & Gray on Watergate scandal and E. Howard Hunt April 15, 1973 · 2 min

Cite this conversation

Conversation 744-022, June 30, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/744-022 (accessed November 2, 2026).