Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 7 › Conversation 007-004

Nixon phone call with Colson on Economic Policy and Labor Relations

Monday, July 26, 1971 · 7:49 PM–8:01 PM ET · White House Telephone ·12 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Colson, Charles W.Conversation007-004 onTape 7 (tape position 00:05:01–00:16:41)StartMonday, July 26, 1971 at 7:49 PMEndMonday, July 26, 1971 at 8:01 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 007-004 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Charles Colson discussed political strategy, focusing on public relations initiatives and legislative briefings. Key topics included coordinating Congressional briefings for George Shultz and John Connally, monitoring domestic reaction to foreign policy developments regarding China, and planning a symbolic Labor Day gesture involving a golf outing with union leader George Meany. Additionally, they reviewed positive economic indicators, specifically retail and automobile sales figures, to assess the administration's messaging effectiveness.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
China thing worry them?
No?
Not in New York?
Or they're probably smart enough to see what it's all about.
That's good That's right
Right?
Did you get my suggestion about my playing golf with Meany?
Well, why don't you find out?
Offer a choice.
And if he doesn't want to do it, then I'll play the day before.
Just playing around with play.
That'll be our salute to labor.
That's right.
That's a good idea.
Forget that dignity of the work thing for a radio talk, right?
All right.
At least it shows that we adopt our hat to them.
At least they also... Is that right?
They ought to make a note of that.
Also, one of them ought to do an introduction or something.
Praise the president for the fact that he...
Fire.
You know, an interesting thing, I'm certainly glad we got our pull out on Sunday and I saw that Steve Gallop was just a week early.
I don't know if you saw that.
Yeah, I saw that, yeah.
Well, that apparently happened a little later.
That's been virtually no longer, you know.
Gallop was just a little late.
Well, that's the other way I see it.
Well done.
You played very well out here.
I hope it's not too bad.
Now these fellows then will, Connelly, they should see all the Republicans before they go home.
That didn't, I don't know why that didn't get around.
Those figures are correct, aren't they?
Oh, it did.
Well, the journal gave a good story.
They attributed it primarily to the sales, to the sales, to the promotional content, and, of course, acceptance.
That may have kicked it up a bit.
Yep.
Might have not.
It won't be at that level, but I think the month will be good.
Retail sales.
I'm rather surprised the Kraken didn't use that.
Okay.
Well, it's over.

NARA Description

On July 26, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 7:49 pm to 8:01 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 007-004 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 7-4

Date: July 26, 1971
Time: 7:49 pm - 8:01 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Charles W. Colson.

     George P. Shultz and John B. Connally briefing
          -Capitol Hill

     House of Representatives debate
         -Rowland Evans-Robert D. Novak column, July 25, 1971
               -John B. Anderson
               -Republican liberals

     Building trades meeting in New York
          -Henry C. Cashen II
                -Peter J. Brennan (?)
                      -(Donald F.?) Rodgers (?)
                -Nelson A. Rockefeller
          -Report
          -The President's meeting with Connally
          -Report

      The President's schedule

           -Golf date with George Meany
                -Labor Day
           -Radio talk by the President
           -Knights of Columbus
                -School issue

**********************************************************************

[Previous archivists categorized this section as unintelligible. It has been rereviewed and
released 08/08/2019.]
[Unintelligible]
[007-004-w001]
[Duration: 3m 5s]

     John A. Volpe
          -Catholic convention [?]
          -Message from the President
          -People’s Republic of China [PRC]

     Charles W. Colson
          -Conversations
          -[Unknown person]
          -People’s Republic of China [PRC]
               -Reactions
                     -Right-wing of the Republican Party

**********************************************************************

     Poll results
           -White House
           -George Gallup
                  -Timing

     Shultz and Connally briefing
          -Meeting with Republicans
          -Colson's talk with Shultz

     Economy
         -Sales figures
               -Automobiles

                       -Washington Daily News (?)
                       -Retail sales
                            -Reasons
                 -Paul W. McCracken

**********************************************************************
[Previous archivists categorized this section as unintelligible. It has been rereviewed and
released 08/08/2019.]
[Unintelligible]
[007-004-w002]
[Duration: 17s]

     Economy
         -Sales figures
               -Paul W. McCracken
                     -Location

**********************************************************************

Also recorded on July 26, 1971

  • 007-001 3:07 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:07 pm and 7:37 pm.
  • 546-001 4:20 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:20 pm to 4:32 pm.
  • 546-002 4:32 PM · 49 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Peter G. Peterson met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:32 pm to 5:19 pm.
  • 546-003 5:19 PM · 11 sec — Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 5:19 pm.
  • 546-004 5:20 PM · 52 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Clark MacGregor, and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:20 pm to 6:12 pm.
  • 546-005 6:12 PM · 1 min — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 6:12 pm and 6:40 pm.
  • 007-002 7:37 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 7:37 pm to 7:41 pm.
  • 007-003 7:41 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:41 pm and 7:49 pm.

Cite this conversation

Conversation 007-004, July 26, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/007-004 (accessed September 18, 2026).