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Conversation 006-157

TapeTape 6StartSunday, July 18, 1971 at 6:05 PMEndMonday, July 19, 1971 at 6:26 PMTape start time03:14:32Tape end time03:33:37ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Colson, Charles W.Recording deviceWhite House Telephone
AI Summary

President Nixon and Charles Colson discussed the positive political and public impact of the recent announcement regarding the opening of relations with the People’s Republic of China. They examined the domestic reception, noting enthusiastic support from the military and the administration's 'official family' while assessing the potential pressure this shift places on congressional and Democratic opponents. Additionally, the conversation touched upon media relations, specifically addressing biased television news coverage and their strategies for managing press perception.

ChinaForeign PolicyPublic OpinionMedia BiasVietnamDomestic Politics
AudioNARA Description

President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone on an unknown date, sometime between 6:05 pm on July 18, 1971 and 6:26 pm on July 19, 1971. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 006-157 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 6-157

Date: Unknown between July 18 and July 19, 1971
Time: Unknown between 7:59 pm, July 18 and 6:44 pm, July 19, 1971
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Charles W. Colson.

     President's trip from California to Washington, July 18, 1971
           -Airport arrival
                 -H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman's role
           -US-People’s Republic of China [PRC] breakthrough
                 -Military reaction
                 -Colson's conversation with unknown man ["Chappie" James ?]
                 -Geo-political impact
                 -Effect
                 -US position in world

     John F. Kennedy
          -Dean G. Acheson's interview in British newspaper

     Democrats

Vietnam
     -Edmund S. Muskie
     -Paul N. McCloskey, Jr.
     -News media
     -Pentagon Papers
     -New York Times, Washington Post
     -Jerald F. terHorst's article

President's schedule
      -terHorst
            -The President's conversation with Haldeman

Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy
    -Book on Chappaquiddick incident (The Bridge at Chappaquiddick)
    -Veracity of statements

Pentagon Papers

Vietnam
     -US casualty figures
Colson's conversation with Frank Stanton
     -The President's previous meeting with National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC]
     -Television news coverage of administration by Columbia Broadcasting System
           [CBS]
     -Tone
     -Roger H. Mudd
     -NBC
           -Julian Goodman's conversation after meeting with the President

The US-PRC initiative
     -Hugh S. Sidey's characterization of foreign relations impact
           -The press and its impact on public opinion
     -Statement by the Australians
           -Indochina
     -Effect on Congress
           -Charles H. Percy, Charles McC. Mathias, Jr.
           -Paul J. Fannin
           -Congressional comment
     -Press reaction to the President's airport reception
           -Greeting by the Presidents' family
     -Impact of announcement

               -The stock market
                     -Arthur F. Burns
          -Public reaction

                                                               Conversation
                                                               Conv. No. 6-157
                                                                            No.(cont.)
                                                                                6-158

Date: July 19, 1971
Time: 8:01 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

     Call to Joseph L. Taylor
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

Hello.
Good evening, Mr. President.
Well, that was quite a little welcome to you.
Yes, I think you had arranged it.
It all seemed quite enthusiastic.
Alderman Arranger?
Alderman Arranger.
I keep talking about him, and I thought it was quite enthusiastic.
You know, an interesting thing is that the military are enthusiastic about this.
You know, they're hard-line.
They know what this is all about.
Well, I took a test.
And I put it there.
And there was both.
There was both.
There was both.
There was both.
There was both.
There was both.
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There was both.
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There was both.
There was both.
There was both.
There was both.
There was both.
There was both.
There was both.
There was both.
There was both.
There was both.
I thought it was very nice, too, but I don't know how many people were there, but there was just about everybody from the official family who was in Washington.
Right.
Right.
And it was a great feeling.
I was watching him on the grass while we were waiting for the plane to land.
It was a great feeling, too, wanting to congratulate you first.
That was just the first step.
It was a great lift for me.
I think it probably has.
We're still the world leader.
Nothing we haven't had for at least 10 years.
No.
He said the only reason that Kennedy is really highly regarded now is because he's a good man.
And had he lived, people would still hate him.
People would not sympathize with him.
People thought that he was a good man, but not a great man.
And that he did not understand the color of the East.
He didn't understand the great traffic.
But it was very complimentary of you as far as I've heard of him.
Because I've heard of him.
I've heard of him for a long time.
It's been a traumatic experience for him.
He must be trying to say, well, now what are we going to do about Vietnam and all that.
McCloskey, I understand you're wrong, saying that he's going to do about Vietnam.
Well, McCloskey and McCloskey have taken the role.
i think the story is
I think that's basically what it is.
incidentally uh
that he didn't have them there, I don't think he should be there.
Well, it certainly took him a while.
I think a certain shake in our Democratic friends.
What are they doing?
They must be in a position.
Teddy's not saying anything.
I kept calling you.
We have some of these planes up and that's right.
I've been watching the wire.
We haven't been able to get them back.
No, I don't think we have.
We'll try to pressure them in the morning.
Sure is.
I don't know what these are.
I don't know what any of these are.
Right now, there's got to be a little leery.
I'm not sure what to find next.
Lemonary figures.
Casual.
11.
I'm sure there were that many people who were killed that day.
I had a meeting with him that was very much like the one you had with FEC.
Except he had asked for it.
And every one he agreed with.
He said, I can't argue with Roger.
He admitted that Roger was very biased against him.
And he said that he had seen some of the clear points before.
And I said, why did that?
What he said was, I said it correctly.
You have my word.
I have two words for you.
A couple of them.
I use the word Latin German.
I'm good on that.
Any time that we have a bad, very biased opinion, that we know that I was wrong, and he would have a primitive sense of justice, and then he'd want you to step further and he'd say, if there's ever any authority that you really feel is important that our people might have it, it might sound like you mean it, but if it's only that, then I'll leave it to you.
I'll leave it to you.
I'll see you at the 11th.
I'll see you at the 11th.
Of course you see it.
Oh.
Mm-hmm.
He said, I'm taking you back to the practice.
He said, you probably don't believe me, but I'll prove it to you.
I said, sure, it's unusual.
I said, oh, by the way, you told me that you had a long talk with Julian just after MP3 came into view.
And I started to say to him, I said, I don't want to tell you what I'm going to do, but I'm going to tell you what.
I'll tell you that's quite an effect.
Can't do it any worse.
That's right.
That's right.
Exactly.
Exactly.
imagine the leadership that the country has here.
It couldn't have been.
It couldn't have been.
But it's special.
People who do tend to like to think like that.
I think we really do.
I don't know if you read the press today on the radio and TV, but when you know people are here, and they'll be there for you, you know who they'll be.
I just had a thought, which is funny, that we were expecting to hear all kinds of, like, the statements are very interesting, but the kind of effort that we were making with that,
Well, it's an interesting week.
You won't have as much of a problem.
Yeah.
I think that's where I believe we'll start to see the end.
I think you'll find our own truth.
That's what I mean, our truth.
Oh, sure.
I think you'll find our own truth.
I'm going to wipe the floor with my thigh.
I'm going to wipe the floor with my thigh.
Oh, we didn't have time.
Well, the press had to be, had to be a little bit of pressure, I mean, because you had the nose, uh, filled up, so it had to be a little bit more focused about it.
Yes, and as a matter of fact, this adventure will help you.
It will take a little time.
It takes a little time.
It takes a little time.
The market opens right in your first hour.
That's right.
That was because they weren't ready to approve yet.
That's because
well we'll see what goes on okay
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