Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 908 › Conversation 908-004

Nixon & Bull on Watergate and White House Staffing

Tuesday, May 1, 1973 · 8:18 AM–8:26 AM ET · Oval Office · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.Conversation908-004 on Tape 908StartTuesday, May 1, 1973 at 8:18 AMEndTuesday, May 1, 1973 at 8:26 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 908-004 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Stephen B. Bull to discuss the reorganization of White House staff and communication protocols following the recent departures of H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman. Nixon established clear administrative boundaries, delegating domestic policy coordination to Kenneth R. Cole, Jr. and directing Bull and Rose Mary Woods to manage scheduling for personal friends and VIP contacts. The conversation also touched upon the necessity of monitoring public and VIP reaction to the President's recent Watergate speech.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
I've seen it, Rudy.
No, no, no, I'm only thinking of the VIPs.
Yes, sir.
They're extracting from that.
So we'll have them for you right after.
And, uh, big calls.
Mm.
VIEs are, I want Rose to look them up for sure, all the ones that I shouldn't see and the ones that I shouldn't, you know what I mean?
Calls and... Yeah, yeah, yeah, I appreciate it.
Well, and let me explain.
All of them are gone.
All of them are gone.
You've got two problems.
One, it's cold here yet.
He's probably upstairs.
I always see if he is.
But here's the thing.
First, with regard to...
With regard to press inquiries or anything, that's all handled by CIGAR.
With regard to things on domestic matters, COLE is to handle it, just like Roche.
And he said, get right in.
He can handle it, handle it.
Any cabinet officer wants to see me about a domestic problem, COLE makes sure the city, not anybody else, you understand, like a shithole wants to come in.
Don't you ask to check with COLE first.
Fair enough.
With regard to national security matters,
I guess the jury will take his judgment for a while.
But we'll stomp on it pretty hard.
It won't be too hard.
With regard to, like Kevin, if it was with regard to friends and others that want to come in and so forth and so on, that's maybe your job, working with Rose.
And Howard, of course, should work on that.
Not Howard, but Parker.
I don't know about Parker, but Parker.
sit down on the throes, be a team all work together we generally all understand the lines there go right up, right forward use the same did you want to sit down here and hold him please?
no I'm actually in Kevin's room
And then I'll see Cole.
He's coming in.
Cole at 25 after.
All right.
Coming now.
No, no.
Steve.
I meant, I meant, take a look.
Take a look.
Take a look.
I've seen him.
I want to see him later.
All right.

NARA Description

On May 1, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:18 am and 8:26 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 908-004 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 908-004

Date: May 1, 1973
Time: Unknown between 8:18 am and 8:26 am
Location: Oval Office

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

The President met with Stephen B. Bull.

       William J. Baroody, Jr.

       Watergate
             -Reaction to President’s Watergate speech, April 30
                    -Very Important People [VIPs]
                    -Rose Mary Woods
             -Departures of H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman

       White House staffing
             -Kenneth R. Cole, Jr.
             -Ronald L. Ziegler
                    -Press inquiries
             -Cole
                    -Domestic issues
             -Henry A. Kissinger
                    -President’s schedule
                            -Cabinet
                            -Personal friends
                                   -Rose Mary Woods
                                   -David N. Parker

       President’s schedule
              -William E. Timmons
              -Cole
              -Ziegler

Bull left at an unknown time before 8:26 am.

Also recorded on May 1, 1973

  • 908-001 7:59 AM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, unknown person(s), and Nellie L. Yates met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:59 am and 8:13 am.
  • 908-002 7:59 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:59 am and 8:13 am.
  • 908-003 8:13 AM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon, William E. Timmons, and William J. Baroody, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:13 am to 8:18 am.
  • 908-005 8:18 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, unknown person(s), and Kenneth R. Cole, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:18 am and 8:30 am.
  • 908-006 8:30 AM · 26 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:30 am and 8:33 am.
  • 908-007 8:30 AM · 25 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:30 am and 8:33 am.
  • 123-003 8:33 AM · 1 hr 37 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Spiro Agnew, William P. Rogers, and bipartisan Congressional leaders, including Dr. John A. Hannah, Michael J. ("Mike") Mansfield, Hugh Scott, J. William Fulbright, George D. Aiken, John L. McClellan, Daniel K. Inouye, Edward W. Brooke, Sam Nunn, Jesse A. Helms, Carl B. Albert, Thomas P. ("Tip") O'Neill, Jr., Gerald R. Ford, John J. McFall, Leslie C. Arends, Dr. Thomas E. ("Doc") Morgan, William S. Mailliard, George H. Mahon, Richard W. Bolling, William L. Dickinson, Roy L. Ash, William E. Timmons, Thomas C. Korologos, Max L. Friedersdorf, Gerald L. Warren, and John F. Lehman, Jr., met in the Cabinet Room of the White House from 8:33 am to 10:05 am.
  • 908-008 10:14 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:14 am to 10:26 am.

All 181 conversations from May 1, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 908-004, May 1, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/908-004 (accessed October 5, 2026).