Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 917 › Conversation 917-020

Nixon & Ziegler on Watergate and Pentagon Papers

Monday, May 14, 1973 · 11:42 AM–11:59 AM ET · Oval Office · 8 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.Conversation917-020 on Tape 917StartMonday, May 14, 1973 at 11:42 AMEndMonday, May 14, 1973 at 11:59 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 917-020 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler met to coordinate the White House response to upcoming media reports concerning the Pentagon Papers investigation and wiretapping activities. Nixon instructed Ziegler to frame the administration's involvement in the Egil Krogh-led investigation as a routine, legitimate national security measure. The two also discussed the status of presidential files and sought to downplay the administration's prior knowledge of sensitive intelligence activities by emphasizing the President's lack of personal recollection of specific documents.

Audio

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NARA Description

On May 14, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:42 am to 11:59 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 917-020 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 917-020

Date: May 14, 1973
Time: 11:42 am - 11:59 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Ronald L. Ziegler.

       Watergate
             -Washington Star story, May 14
                    -President’s letter to J. Edgar Hoover
                             -Egil (“Bud”) Krogh, Jr.
                    -Ziegler’s forthcoming press briefing
             -William D. Ruckelshaus’s forthcoming statement
             -Ziegler’s statement on wiretaps
                    -White House knowledge
                             -John W. Dean, III and Henry A. Kissinger
                             -National security
             -Search of President’s files
                    -President’s memoranda [memos] to Dean, March 1973

                             -George S. McGovern
                             -Barry M. Goldwater
                                      -Washington Post story
                                              -College student [?]
                                              -Violence
                                      -McGovern
                                      -Peace groups
                                      -Demonstrations
                                              -Funding
                                      -1972 campaign work
                                      -President’s order
                                      -President’s recollections
                                              -Meeting
                                      -Evidence
                                      -Goldwater
                             -Charles W. Colson [?]
               -William C. Sullivan
                      -Wiretaps, 1964 and 1968
               -Dean
                      -Possible memos from the President
                      -Documents
                             -Possible content
                                      -E. Howard Hunt, Jr.
                                      -Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]
                                      -John D. Ehrlichman’s knowledge of wiretaps
               -Pentagon Papers investigation
                      -President’s letter to Hoover concerning Krogh
                             -Ehrlichman
                      -Krogh
                             -Ehrlichman’s orders
                             -Hunt, Ellsberg’s psychiatrist

Ziegler left at 11:59 am.

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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The Star has a story this afternoon, which is not a problem at all.

I just want to know how to handle it.

In June of 71, at the time of the Pentagon paper leaks, when we had a great concern about national security affairs, a letter was sent to Edgar over your signature that said Crowe is the guy in charge of this investigation.

Now, I assume that took place totally

of those things that came across my choice in my son.

Right, right.

So I think what I'm going to simply say is not to be uptight about it at all.

This gentleman has great concern about the .

Absolutely, absolutely.

And he was designated as the man to be in charge.

Yes.

Absolutely.

Yep.

Good.

They're working on that now.

Well, I, when I did say it, I'll just have Dean Crowe on it.

I said that no one in the White House was aware of

Oh.

Perhaps, but God damn it, that's what Dean told me.

Tell me.

Henry was aware.

I know, but I'm crumbling.

See, I wasn't aware, but the people I checked indicated they weren't now, so I'm fine.

I stumbled right on the couch.

I don't want you to get your credibility out.

Well, it's, it's, it's out there on this, it's out there on all the rest of that stuff, too.

No, you could just say you were not aware of anything.

this being a national security area that's it's probably understandable that you were not put that way and frankly you didn't probe in the national security special agent why don't you say that

— 1 min 23 s with no transcribed speech —

I agree.

But the only memory I ever wrote to you on the evening of mine.

Would you see my point?

How goddamn innocent that is.

Sure.

I say, look, in the 36th, can't we get the dope out on L.A. Neptune?

And you notice how I said, how I had ordered no demonstrations against the governor there.

Maybe Goldwater has the guts to do this.

Not as a semblance of any thought of it.

I didn't think I'd ever written anything, but that just probably popped out of my head one day because I didn't see it.

I don't know what it was, but I said, this is an uncut one.

I really have a copy.

That's good.

Sure it is.

It's reassuring sometimes.

Yes, it is.

And sometimes, you know, if you have a recollection of something.

I mean, you always think that you might have done it, which I don't think I would have ever written anything that was wrong.

Because I had no knowledge.

But I got it taken out of context.

Goddamn papers, whatever.

What the hell do you think are in them now?

They say they've got secret men.

I had the slightest idea.

You've never felt those papers or all that before?

I still don't.

It may be that some of them are made.

It may be that they're used as money.

On activity, maybe.

Yeah, but he says if they're intercepted,

I see 100% of the FBI agents.

If they're FBI agents, I don't give a shit because they're all back in the mirror.

God damn it, they are FBI agents.

I don't even know that.

If they're 100%, they cause problems.

Yes, sir.

Absolutely.

I just wanted to make sure.

Don't send me anything about this.

Oh, sure.

Of course I ordered it.

Sure.

I said, Crowe was the man.

I'll tell you, I did it.

Personally.

And I didn't have a personal recollection of it.

But I did what happened.

I said, Crowe was the best guy to handle it.

He gave me at least a paper and I signed it.

That's what happened, I'm sure.

Okay.

Also recorded on May 14, 1973

917-009 11:28 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:28 am and 11:40 am.
917-011 11:28 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:28 am and 11:40 am.
917-013 11:28 AM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:28 am and 11:40 am.
917-014 11:28 AM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:28 am and 11:40 am.
917-015 11:28 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:28 am and 11:40 am.
917-016 11:28 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:28 am and 11:40 am.
917-017 11:28 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:28 am and 11:40 am.
917-019 11:40 AM · 38 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:40 am to 11:42 am.

All 113 conversations from May 14, 1973 →

Nixon, Haldeman & Bull on Pentagon Papers and Public Relations June 15, 1971 · 37 min
Nixon phone call with Ziegler on Watergate scandal and Egil Krogh May 2, 1973 · 3 min
Nixon & Ehrlichman on Watergate and Egil Krogh May 2, 1973 · 52 min
Nixon phone call with Haig on Watergate and National Security May 15, 1973 · 7 min
Nixon phone call with Haig on Watergate and Wiretapping May 11, 1973 · 12 min
Nixon phone call with Ziegler on Howard K. Smith and Wiretapping May 17, 1973 · 1 min

Cite this conversation

Conversation 917-020, May 14, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/917-020 (accessed November 15, 2026).