Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 31 › Conversation 031-033

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Charles W. Colson

Thursday, October 12, 1972 · 6:09 PM–6:10 PM ET · White House Telephone · 15 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation031-033 on Tape 31StartThursday, October 12, 1972 at 6:09 PMEndThursday, October 12, 1972 at 6:10 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 031-033 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon contacted the White House operator to clarify the logistics of a previously requested meeting with Charles W. Colson. He instructed the operator to summon Colson to the Oval Office only if he was currently at the White House. The President explicitly directed that Colson should not be disturbed if he had already departed for home.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Operator, I asked for Mr. Colson to come to my office.
Don't have him come if he's home.
Only if he's at the here.
All right, sir.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On October 12, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:09 pm and 6:10 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 031-033 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 31-33

Date: October 12, 1972
Time: Unknown between 6:09 pm and 6:10 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 366-5]

        Instructions about previous request for Charles W. Colson

Also recorded on October 12, 1972

  • 796-003 9:45 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:45 am to 9:52 am.
  • 796-004 10:05 AM · 33 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), Ronald L. Ziegler, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:05 am to 10:33 am.
  • 031-032 6:09 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 6:09 pm.
  • 366-004 6:09 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 6:09 pm.
  • 366-005 6:09 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:09 pm and 6:10 pm.
  • 031-034 6:10 PM · 12 sec — Henry A. Kissinger and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:10 pm and 7:05 pm.
  • 031-035 6:10 PM · 9 sec — Henry A. Kissinger and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:10 pm and 7:05 pm.
  • 366-006 6:10 PM · 2 hr 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, Stephen B. Bull, Manolo Sanchez, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:10 pm to 8:46 pm.

All 12 conversations from October 12, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 031-033, October 12, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/031-033 (accessed October 10, 2026).