In this telephone conversation, the president orders Kleindeinst, the deputy attorney general of the United States, to not file a sensitive legal brief. The Department of Justice had planned to oppose a merger involving International Telephone and Telegraph Company (ITT) and a number of smaller companies.

The Senate and, later, the Watergate special prosecutor, investigated whether ITT provided campaign contributions and support for the Republican National Convention to be held in San Diego in 1972 in exchange for a favorable ruling on its proposed merger. Previously, the head of the anti-trust division at the Justice Department had opposed the merger.