Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 906 › Conversation 906-016
Nixon & Ziegler on Watergate scandal and John Dean
Friday, April 27, 1973 · 5:00 PM–5:37 PM ET · Oval Office · 10 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler met to discuss alarming rumors circulating via journalists Seymour Hersh and Bob Woodward regarding the Watergate scandal. The reports suggested that John Dean might implicate the President and that Vice President Spiro Agnew was preparing to resign. Ziegler proposed a strategy to mitigate the media fallout by having aide David Gergen contact Woodward to dismiss the rumors as lacking substance and fact.
- Watergate scandal
- John Dean
- Spiro Agnew
- Press relations
- Media rumors
- Bob Woodward
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
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Well, that's over with.
A couple things I think should be called to your attention, Mr. President, to see how we proceed with it.
There's information coming into my office from a number of different sources.
One is from
Shumway, who was told that Hirsch, Seymour Hirsch, in the New York Times, was told, told Bittman, that they may have information that takes this whole story to a new level.
And Shumway's source for this was apparently O'Brien.
And as a part of the transfer of this information, which comes from O'Brien, O'Brien being one of the lawyers, O'Brien,
Hirsch told Bittman, apparently Hirsch and Bittman are good friends, Hirsch told Bittman that they have information which will take this matter to a new level, a new plateau.
That means the president, of course.
Yes, sir.
Now, Bittman apparently communicated this to O'Brien.
They had their discussion.
And O'Brien told Shumway.
Shumway reported it over here.
As a part of the transfer of this information,
they indicated, and this is what makes me somewhat skeptical of it, of course, that Dean, in his testimony or statement, is reported to have implicated the president.
Now, Dean has not testified.
Dean has made a statement.
But that would be information that Peterson has had and therefore would have
in his discussions with you covered.
Now, also, okay, that's that side of the thing.
Woodward has called several people here.
Woodward is a personal friend of Gergen's from college days and so forth.
And also called Warren, and I had both of them milk as much as they could out of Woodward.
And Woodward's point is that they have very serious reports coming in today, stories reviewing, again, a new dimension, new plateau,
Two basic stories, the new level story suggesting, you know, someone implicating the president.
And the other one suggesting that the vice president is going to resign.
So they both fall into those, excuse me.
They both fall into these categories.
Now, the point, the reason I raise this is to how to head it off.
Now, there are several ways to do this, at least to approach it.
the direct dean approach, which I don't think is worthwhile.
The dean-garment approach, which I don't think is worthwhile.
Now, there is another approach, perhaps, and that would be a conversation that Gergen could have with Woodward and tell Woodward, look, you're looking for perspective on this.
You're looking for guidance on this.
You're confused about it, as Woodward said.
Stay 100% away from it.
There's no fact to it.
There's no substance to it, and so forth.
I've got Peters in here, and I'll talk to him and see what it is.
He says that Woodward says that they have this from Dean.
No, no, no, no.
Woodward does not say that.
The reference to Dean came through the Hirsch-Bittman-O'Brien channel.
Hirsch says that Bittman says that Dean says that.
Hirsch told Bittman that they have information that indicates the presence.
Bittman told that apparently to O'Brien.
O'Brien told it to Shumway.
Shumway then passed it back.
Yes, sir.
You still don't think he carried the tape recorder?
I don't think it matters that he did.
I don't think he did.
It don't mean anybody would believe you?
No, sir, but this again gets to the point of timing.
Yeah, I mean, this is the way, the reason I'm in races.
No, uh, yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
I sold that deal about 10% of all the rest of our economy now.
The point is that they have very serious reports coming as a new level story today.
Stories reviewing a new dimension, new plateau.
You know, someone implicating the president.
And the other one is suggesting that the vice president is going to resign.
Two basic stories.
The new level story.
And so they both fall into suggesting, you know, implicating the president.
And the other one is they both fall into these categories, suggesting that now the point the vice president is going to resign, so they both fall into this.
The reason I raise this is they both fall into these categories as to how to head it off.
Now, there are several ways to do this, at least two ways.
The point, the reason I approach it, the direction I raise this, is to how to head it off.
Now, there's the Dean approach, which I don't think is worthwhile.
The Dean Garment approach, which I don't think is worthwhile.
There are several ways to do this, at least to approach it.
Now, the direct Dean approach, which I don't think is worthwhile.
The Dean Garment approach.
There is another approach, perhaps.
And that would be, I don't think, worthwhile.
Now, there is another approach, perhaps.
Conversation that Gergen could have with Woodward.
And tell Woodward.
And that would be, you're looking for the perspective.
Conversation that Gergen could have with Woodward on this.
You're looking for guidance on this.
You're confused about it, as Woodward said.
Stay and tell Woodward, look, you're looking 100% away from it.
You're looking for perspective on this.
You're looking for guidance on this.
There's no fact to it.
There's no substance to it, and so forth.
You're confused about it, as Woodward said.
Stay 100% away from it.
There's no fact to it.
no substance to it.
He says that Woodward says that they have this from Dean.
No, no, no, no.
I've got Peters in here and I'll talk to him.
Woodward does not say that.
He says that Woodward says that they have this.
The reference to Dean came through the Hirsch Whitman O'Brien.
No, no.
Woodward does not say that.
The reference to Dean
speaking through the Hirsch.
Hirsch told Bittman that they have information that O'Brien is channeling.
Hirsch says to Bittman that in the case of the president.
Bittman told, Hirsch told Bittman to O'Brien.
O'Brien told it to Shumway.
Shumway then said that they have information that in the case of the president.
Bittman told O'Brien to O'Brien.
I don't think it matters.
I don't think it matters.
I don't think it matters.
I don't think it matters.
I don't think it matters.
No, uh, yes, sir.
I still hold that, no, sir, but the deal is that money gets to the point of money.
Yeah.
I mean, there's a way, for the reasons I'm going to raise, that are extraordinary.
Uh, no, uh, yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
I still hold that deal about Kendrick Carter and all that.
We'll be right back.
NARA Description
On April 27, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:00 pm and 5:37 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 906-016 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 906-16
Date: April 27, 1973
Time: Unknown between 5:00 pm and 5:37 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.
William D. Ruckelshaus
-Ziegler’s press briefing
Watergate
-Devan L. Shumway
-Seymour M. Hersh’s conversation with William O. Bittman
-Paul L. O’Brien
-New York Times’ information
-President
-John W. Dean, III’s implication of the President
-Henry E. Petersen
-Robert U. (“Bob”) Woodward
-Telephone calls
-David R. Gergen
-Gerald L. Warren
-Information about the President
-Possible resignation by Spiro T. Agnew
An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 5:00 pm.
Meeting with Petersen
The unknown man left at an unknown time before 5:37 pm.
Watergate
-26-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 906-16 (cont’d)
-White House reaction to Shumway and Woodward stories
-Dean, Leonard Garment
-Possible conversation between Gergen and Woodward
-Dean
-Woodward
-Hersh, Bittman, O’Brien, Shumway
-Possible recording of conversation with President
Zielger conferred with an unknown man at an unknown time before 5:37 pm.
Greeting
Photograph
Ziegler left at an unknown time before 5:37 pm.Also recorded on April 27, 1973
- 045-035 4:30 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:30 pm and 4:31 pm.
- 045-036 4:31 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry E. Petersen talked on the telephone from 4:31 pm to 4:35 pm.
- 906-010 4:31 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry E. Petersen met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:31 pm to 4:35 pm.
- 906-011 4:35 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:35 pm and 4:41 pm.
- 906-012 4:41 PM · 36 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Ronald L. Ziegler, and White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:41 pm to 5:00 pm.
- 906-013 5:00 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 5:00 pm and 5:37 pm.
- 906-014 5:00 PM · 23 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:00 pm and 5:37 pm.
- 906-015 5:00 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:00 pm and 5:37 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 906-016, April 27, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/906-016 (accessed October 5, 2026).