Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 898 › Conversation 898-018

Nixon with unidentified visitors in the Oval Office on Sam Ervin

Tuesday, April 17, 1973 · 2:20 PM–2:30 PM ET · Oval Office · 9 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation898-018 on Tape 898StartTuesday, April 17, 1973 at 2:20 PMEndTuesday, April 17, 1973 at 2:30 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 898-018 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon initiates a call to Senator Sam Ervin, the Chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee. The President attempts to contact Ervin directly, likely to discuss the burgeoning Watergate investigation and the political pressure surrounding the administration's involvement. The interaction serves as a brief attempt at communication during a period of escalating confrontation between the White House and the Senate inquiry.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Mr. Ervin, Mr. Ervin, please.

NARA Description

On April 17, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:20 pm and 2:30 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 898-018 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 898-18

Date: April 17, 1973
Time: Unknown between 2:20 pm and 2:39 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 38-85]

Also recorded on April 17, 1973

  • 898-013 2:20 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:20 pm and 2:30 pm.
  • 898-014 2:20 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:20 pm and 2:30 pm.
  • 898-015 2:20 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:20 pm and 2:30 pm.
  • 898-016 2:20 PM · 23 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:20 pm and 2:30 pm.
  • 898-017 2:20 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:20 pm and 2:30 pm.
  • 038-085 2:30 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:30 pm and 2:39 pm.
  • 038-086 2:39 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone from 2:39 pm to 2:40 pm.
  • 898-019 2:39 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:39 pm to 2:40 pm.

All 53 conversations from April 17, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 898-018, April 17, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/898-018 (accessed October 12, 2026).