Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 748 › Conversation 748-003
Nixon, Colson & Rockefeller on 1972 election and Revenue sharing
Thursday, July 20, 1972 · 9:45 AM–10:38 AM ET · Oval Office · 6 min
AI Summary
President Nixon met with Charles Colson to manage White House correspondence and coordinate political strategy regarding the 1972 election. The discussion covered administrative matters, including a condolence call to Margaretta Rockefeller, and shifted to tactical planning regarding labor union support. They specifically analyzed George McGovern's political rhetoric regarding 'power brokers' and reaffirmed Nixon's strategy for maintaining relations with labor leaders like George Meany.
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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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Point.
Well, it's always a search risk.
They all have the little things they want.
Farmers for this.
All concerned with revenue sharing, which isn't going to change.
Five votes in the election.
Well, that's what this meeting is about.
But I'm on the record now.
Or something.
Well, you have to do it because it's ours, and it's a good thing.
Yeah, yeah.
It's a good thing.
Yeah.
It ultimately is a good thing.
Would you check and call me?
Okay.
This is Nelson Rockefeller, the writer of the New York Times.
Goddamn, your mother died.
Nelson, you're making a trade.
You can't take a good vision.
Goddamn, this is not what I should be staffed to get a letter out for.
I mentioned that Nelson and I came through.
Do you want to be either?
We're awfully good at this.
We do letters and so forth.
But Jesus used to be the wife of the governor of New York's mother.
Nothing for the best.
Well, it's the life's fault.
We have too many people working on things and no responsibility.
And things like that, I mean, it's sort of catch as catch can.
Well, we do get very, very systematic.
We're pretty good.
I mean, I see letters and flowers and everybody to tell a lot of people less important.
I'll come back to the labor thing.
McGovern cannot do that now, Mr. President.
He will do two things.
If he attacks the labor bosses, he will alienate them now as a labor rank and file.
Not because he attacks the labor bosses, but because he sucked around and tried to get them.
And then when he couldn't get them, it was Saturday.
That's weakness to them.
Jesus, you just can't do that.
You went in there on the legitimate issue, where it was the public versus me on the payboard.
And you hit them, and you
But you hit him fair and square.
I wondered if you were going to have a problem with your friend about the power broker statement.
For most of them?
No.
He didn't want to fall down.
He said he couldn't see anything.
He is.
He was trying to set a picture.
Okay.
Okay.
Shave those off.
There we go.
This is a shot to find his car.
And then, Tom, I'm going to listen to you.
I'm going to tell you that you know something.
I'm sorry.
I'm going to tell you that you know something.
I was the president.
I'm complicated.
The president never took me on.
The president of the interview and others, I've never been involved, never done.
I've always shown respect for him as, you know, what a great American.
Well, just say to the member of my institution, I'm going to try to have a great American.
When others do not stand up on things that I told in this conference, a week after my office here, a week after he kicked me in the ass down there and there, that he was a great American.
He stood by matters of nationality.
is kneeling about that around because he wanted their votes.
What are your feelings about the way it's carried?
Bob was pleased with it.
I didn't care.
Most times.
Yeah.
Enormously.
I couldn't have played better.
Played better out there.
Yes, sir.
Only a fellow who started down for it.
Let's...
NARA Description
On July 20, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, Marjorie P. Acker, Margaretta ("Happy") Rockefeller, and Jay Lovestone met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:45 am to 10:38 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 748-003 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 748-3
Date: July 20, 1972
Time: 9:45 am - 10:38 am
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Charles W. Colson.
The President’s schedule
-Governors
-Revenue sharing
-1972 election
-Forthcoming meeting
Revenue sharing
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 4m 20s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
*****************************************************************
The President talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 9:45 am and 9:54
am.
[Conversation No. 748-3A]
Possible letter to Margaretta (“Happy”) Rockefeller
-Rockefeller's mother death
[End of telephone conversation]
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 4m 9s ]
The President left at an unknown time before 9:54 am.
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
*****************************************************************
An unknown person [H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman?] entered at an unknown time after 9:45 am.
The President’s schedule
An unknown person [Haldeman?] left and the President entered at an unknown time before 9:54
am.
The White House operator talked with Colson at an unknown time between 9:45 am and 9:54
am.
[Conversation No. 748-3B]
[See Conversation No. 27-16]
Marjorie P. Acker
-Telephone call
The President talked with Acker at an unknown time between 9:45 am and 9:54 am.
[End of telephone conversation]
The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 9:45 am and
9:54 am.
[Conversation No. 748-3C]
[See Conversation No. 27-17]
[End of telephone conversation]
Margaretta Rockefeller
-Condolence letter
-Nelson A. Rockefeller’s schedule
-Israel
-White House staff
-The President's conversation with Dr. W. Kenneth Riland July 19, 1972
-White House staff
White House staff
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 5m 5s ]
The P resident talked with Margaretta Rockefeller between 9:54 am and 9:56 am.
[Conversation No. 748-3d]
[See Conversation No. 27-18]
[End of telephone conversation]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
*****************************************************************
Labor
-Vote
-George S. McGovern
-The President’s action on Pay Board
-George Meany
McGovern's statement on “power brokers”
-Jay Lovestone
Lovestone’s schedule
The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 9:56 am and
10:38 am.
[Conversation No. 748-3E]
[See Conversation No. 27-19]
[End of telephone conversation]
Colson's forthcoming call to Lovestone
-McGovern's statement on "power brokers"
-The President’s reaction
-Effect on rank and file
-Meany
-The President's treatment
-John B. Connally
-News conference comment
-Timing
-American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial
Organizations [AFL-CIO] convention
-National defense
-Motive
-Votes
-Media coverage
-Haldeman
-News summary
-Unknown person
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 30m 44s ]
Colson talked with Lovestone at an unknown time between 9:56 am and 10:38 am.
[Conversation No. 748-3F]
[See Conversation No. 27-20]
[End of telephone conversation]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
*****************************************************************
Colson left at 10:38 am.Also recorded on July 20, 1972
- 748-001 9:33 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 9:33 am.
- 748-002 9:33 AM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:33 am to 9:45 am.
- 027-016 9:45 AM · 26 sec — the White House operator, Charles W. Colson, President Richard M. Nixon, and Marjorie P. Acker talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:45 am and 9:53 am.
- 027-017 9:54 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:54 am.
- 027-018 9:54 AM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Margaretta ("Happy") Rockefeller talked on the telephone from 9:54 am to 9:56 am.
- 027-019 9:56 AM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:56 am and 10:38 am.
- 027-020 9:56 AM · 17 sec — Charles W. Colson and Jay Lovestone talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:56 am and 10:38 am.
- 748-004 10:38 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:38 am and 10:59 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 748-003, July 20, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/748-003 (accessed September 24, 2026).