Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 909 › Conversation 909-008

Nixon & Connally on Watergate and Public relations

Wednesday, May 2, 1973 · 9:53 AM–9:54 AM ET · Oval Office · 53 sec

ParticipantsConnally, John B.; Nixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation909-008 on Tape 909StartWednesday, May 2, 1973 at 9:53 AMEndWednesday, May 2, 1973 at 9:54 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 909-008 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with John B. Connally to discuss the favorable public reception following the President’s recent televised address regarding the Watergate scandal. The exchange served as a brief morale-boosting session, with Nixon commending Connally for his loyalty and steadfast support during a period of intense political pressure. No substantive policy decisions were made, as the interaction focused primarily on personal rapport and mutual encouragement.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello?
Hello, my John, how are you?
Well, that's very, very courageous of you to go that early.
Yeah, that's your brave man.
I'm very proud of you, and by golly, let me say, as you know, John, what really makes a man is having a little fight, and we are sure, don't we?
We had a very good reaction from the talk the other night.
Well, you were very kind.
Well, I sure appreciate it.
Give me a hug, will you?

NARA Description

On May 2, 1973, John B. Connally and President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:53 am to 9:54 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 909-008 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 909-8

Date: May 2, 1973
Time: 9:53 am-9:54 am
Location: Oval Office

John B. Connally talked with the President.

[See Conversation No. 45-131]

Also recorded on May 2, 1973

  • 909-007 9:50 AM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:50 am and 9:53 am.
  • 045-131 9:53 AM · 57 sec — John B. Connally and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone from 9:53 am to 9:54 am.
  • 045-132 9:54 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:54 am and 9:59 am.
  • 909-009 9:54 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:54 am and 9:59 am.
  • 909-010 9:54 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:54 am and 9:59 am.
  • 909-011 9:59 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, unknown person(s), and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:59 am to 10:08 am.
  • 045-133 10:02 AM · 42 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 10:02 am to 10:04 am.
  • 045-134 10:08 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:08 am and 10:14 am.

All 82 conversations from May 2, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 909-008, May 2, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/909-008 (accessed October 5, 2026).