Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 881 › Conversation 881-008

Nixon & Ehrlichman on Watergate and John W. Dean III

Friday, March 16, 1973 · 4:51 PM–4:52 PM ET · Oval Office · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ehrlichman, John D.Conversation881-008 on Tape 881StartFriday, March 16, 1973 at 4:51 PMEndFriday, March 16, 1973 at 4:52 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 881-008 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman discussed a recent Washington Post editorial comparing the current Watergate controversy, specifically regarding John W. Dean III, to the historical case of Sherman Adams. They deliberated on the potential necessity for staff members to resign if formal criminal charges were brought against them. The two men reached a consensus that any White House staffer accused of a crime would be required to leave their position.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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There was a Chairman Adams piece in the Post this morning, which was on the editorial page.
It was a sort of historical review, a fairly factual piece, and it tried to draw parallels.
All of them?
No, largely around Dean and whether or not he should testify.
Yeah, it was...
That is what I'm finding.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And he was charged with the crime.
Sure.
That's why he was.
I wouldn't question that.
He was the president's lawyer.
Yeah.
Well, that's true.
Let's suppose if anybody in this staff is charged with a crime, he was up there.
Do you agree with that?
Absolutely.
That is what we're talking about.
That's right.
And I think that's a clear thing.
I was talking to you.
Yeah.
I was talking about a crime.
I was talking about the information.
I was talking to you.
Yeah.

NARA Description

On March 16, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:51 pm to 4:52 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 881-008 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 881-8

Date: March 16, 1973
Time: 4:51 pm - 4:52 pm
Location: Oval Office
                                               -33-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                               Conversation No. 881-8 (cont’d)

The President met with John D. Ehrlichman.

[The recording began while the conversation was in progress]

       Watergate
            -Sherman Adams analogy in Washington Post article, March 16, 1973
                 -Parallels with John W. Dean, III's testimony
                       -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
                       -Differences
            -White House staff
                 -Testimony
                       -Charges of criminality

Ehrlichman left at 4:52 pm.

Also recorded on March 16, 1973

  • 420-008 2:51 PM · 16 sec — 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 2:51 pm and 3:00 pm.
  • 420-009 2:51 PM · 33 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:51 pm and 3:00 pm.
  • 420-011 3:00 PM · 1 hr 44 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:00 pm to 4:47 pm.
  • 881-009 4:52 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:52 pm and 5:02 pm.
  • 881-010 4:52 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:52 pm and 5:02 pm.
  • 881-011 5:06 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:06 pm and 5:10 pm.
  • 881-012 5:10 PM · 1 hr 31 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, John D. Ehrlichman, unknown person(s), Henry A. Kissinger, and Herman Kahn met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:10 pm to 6:43 pm.
  • 881-013 6:43 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at 6:43 pm.

All 33 conversations from March 16, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 881-008, March 16, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/881-008 (accessed October 12, 2026).