Tonight, she said she told Mr. Clinton that this was a "sad and difficult time."

In the second conversation, he told Mr. Clinton he planned to make some public comments that would "not be comfortable to hear."

"We'll be able to work together," he told Mr. Clinton.

"We made the right decision in 1989," he told Mr. Clinton.

"I'm very proud of your work," he told Mr. Clinton.

"I want to thank you for galvanizing us to do this work," she told Mr. Clinton.

Some told Mr. Clinton privately that her nomination was dead.

"People who want guns are going to get them anyway," she told Mr. Clinton.

He told an aide to tell Mr. Clinton that he would call back.

"You've got to fight this thing," the friend recalled telling Mr. Clinton by telephone.