Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 1 › Conversation 001-056

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

Friday, April 9, 1971 · 10:27 AM–10:28 AM ET · White House Telephone · 2 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation001-056 on Tape 1 (tape position 02:03:52–02:03:58)StartFriday, April 9, 1971 at 10:27 AMEndFriday, April 9, 1971 at 10:28 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 001-056 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon initiates a brief telephone request through the White House operator to be connected with Charles W. Colson. The call serves as an administrative bridge to facilitate direct communication with his aide. No substantive policy discussions or decisions are recorded during this short connection.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

Coulson, please.
Yes, sir.

NARA Description

On April 9, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone from 10:27 am to 10:28 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 001-056 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 1-56

Date: April 9, 1971
Time: 10:27 am - 10:28 am
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 476-9A]

     Call to Charles W. Colson

Also recorded on April 9, 1971

  • 001-055 10:03 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 10:03 am to 10:27 am.
  • 476-008 10:03 AM · 24 min — President Richard M. Nixon, George P. Shultz, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:03 am to 10:27 am.
  • 476-009 10:27 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, unknown person(s), and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:27 am and 10:28 am.
  • 001-057 10:28 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 10:28 am to 10:31 am.
  • 476-010 10:28 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:28 am to 10:31 am.
  • 001-058 10:31 AM · 1 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:31 am and 11:01 am.
  • 476-011 10:33 AM · 30 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Paul W. McCracken, White House operator, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:33 am to 11:05 am.
  • 001-059 11:01 AM · 38 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 11:01 am to 11:02 am.

All 42 conversations from April 9, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 001-056, April 9, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/001-056 (accessed October 12, 2026).