Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 1 › Conversation 001-031

Nixon phone call with Colson on Southeast Asia policy and Organized labor

Wednesday, April 7, 1971 · 10:46 PM–10:48 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.Conversation001-031 on Tape 1 (tape position 01:08:54–01:10:56)StartWednesday, April 7, 1971 at 10:46 PMEndWednesday, April 7, 1971 at 10:48 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 001-031 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Charles Colson discuss the positive reception among organized labor leaders regarding the President’s recent televised speech on Southeast Asia. Colson highlights favorable feedback from key figures like Frank Rafferty and Frank Fitzsimmons, suggesting that this support signals a potential strengthening of the administration's political coalition. Nixon instructs Colson to capitalize on this momentum by encouraging labor leaders, including George Meany and Peter Brennan, to issue public statements of support immediately.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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yeah mr coulson sir hello hello mr president hello chuck how what is your soundings tonight well we got to we got a very very enthusiastic response from uh labor people in particular mr president i understand but it's hard to put it in writing it was just a feeling that you get on the telephone with people genuinely genuinely moved i think the ending of that speech was just tremendous uh i think you
Well, we'll see.
All I can know, all these people are, you know, we had very few friends before this began, and now a few of them may come along, but what the hell.
Well, I think you're going to start getting, Mr. President, some of that same coalition back.
I think the Rafferty, who's the rising star among the building trades.
Who?
Rafferty.
Yeah.
He's the painter's union.
Oh, yeah, he's a good man.
Oh, he's a solid man, and he's a...
Only a goddamn fool would tell the enemy when he was getting out.
He said, what the devil do these people want?
We're with the president.
And just tell them we'll do anything for it.
Well, let's see if some of them can't say that and see if Meany can't make a real strong statement.
Brennan might make a good statement.
That'd be helpful, you know.
Yes, sir.
Well, they're going to be here in Washington, the building trades, in another 10 days.
Well, try to get them to say it now, you know, tomorrow.
Well, a number of them said they would.
Fitzsimmons, the team's just putting up... Oh, is he all right?
Oh, he's... Yeah, he's just seven.
Good.
But you... You did it again, Mr. President.
You caught that mood.
I know that some of the sophisticates in the media are going to say that it was a corny ending and... Bullshit.
That's right.
They had activists who...
It was not corny.
Of course not.
It was very, very deliberate and honest and true.
Well, I...
We know what the cynics will say, but you hit middle America right where you wanted to be hit.
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. President.

NARA Description

On April 7, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 10:46 pm to 10:48 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 001-031 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 1-31
Date: April 7, 1971
Time: 10:46 pm - 10:48 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Charles W. Colson.

     President's previous speech on Southeast Asia
           -Organized labor's reaction
                 -Ending of speech
                 -S. Frank Raferty
                 -George Meany
                 -Peter J. Brennan
                 -Building trades leaders
                 -Frank E. Fitzsimmons
          -Media reaction
                 -Ending
                       -Tone

Also recorded on April 8, 1971

  • 001-026 10:35 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 10:35 pm to 10:37 pm.
  • 001-027 10:38 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles G. ("Bebe") Rebozo, and Manolo Sanchez talked on the telephone from 10:38 pm to 10:45 pm.
  • 001-028 10:45 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 10:45 pm.
  • 001-029 10:45 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 10:45 pm.
  • 001-030 10:45 PM · 2 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 10:45 pm.
  • 001-032 10:49 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon, and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone from 10:49 pm to 10:50 pm.
  • 001-033 10:51 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Nelson A. Rockefeller talked on the telephone from 10:51 pm to 10:52 pm.
  • 001-034 10:52 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:52 pm and 11:08 pm.

All 67 conversations from April 8, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 001-031, April 8, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/001-031 (accessed October 9, 2026).