Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 7 › Conversation 007-013

Nixon phone call with Colson on 1972 Presidential Campaign and Economy

Tuesday, July 27, 1971 · 7:42 PM–8:07 PM ET · White House Telephone · 21 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.Conversation007-013 on Tape 7 (tape position 00:20:12–00:41:36)StartTuesday, July 27, 1971 at 7:42 PMEndTuesday, July 27, 1971 at 8:07 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 007-013 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Charles Colson discuss the political fallout of recent administrative events, including the public reaction to the upcoming trip to the People's Republic of China and preparations for the 1972 presidential campaign. The conversation covers political intelligence regarding potential Democratic challengers such as Edmund Muskie and Ted Kennedy, alongside a briefing on economic indicators. Nixon emphasizes the need for an upbeat message regarding the economy while coordinating with George Shultz and John Connally to manage administrative messaging.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 6 minutes of this recording (about 28% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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I'm so sorry for you, because I realize that many people going through the line, that's kind of urgent.

But, no, that's... That's a tremendous influential group.

Thank you.

And they were really quite representative.

Not a lot of power, but we rallied up through the membership of their varying associations.

Thank you.

Yes, thank you.

Uh, maybe higher than that.

But, that's a, that's an awful lot of coverage.

It's a good kind of coverage.

They were pretty enthusiastic, too, right?

Some of those guys actually left the country.

There's an awful lot of very, very up-to-date stuff to do here.

Silver, Jewelry, Manufacturing, and so on.

Quite a big business, right?

Mm-hmm.

Because there's a little bit, this year, a bit more travel.

I'm wondering that a lot of the years that we've been here have been phenomenal.

I must say, a great number of them.

Oh, yeah.

About a third.

At least a third.

How did the briefing go as well?

I think they had two arrows briefed.

I don't know whether we did it or didn't.

I probably should have just given it to them.

Well, I know they tried to get the, kind of, couldn't, you know, tried to get some of these, uh, bunch of, like, treasuries, but didn't want to come.

So, I don't know.

Oh, Johnny Wolfe is the one who did it.

I don't know.

Thanks for asking.

You're an awesome human being and I thank everyone for your time.

I know there's a lot of good stuff out there for you.

I guess you're right.

Yeah, we want to get, I think we could take the stand.

Hutch, open to the, Hutch, the up-beat kind of guy.

Stand, Hutch.

Talk about, not about air particularly, but about the economy.

Talk up-beat, I'm sure.

I would describe it as very, I would describe it as very up-beat.

Right, sure.

Yeah, well, we really can't do it.

Yeah, I told him that before.

I know you get the thought that I want.

I think we don't have time to do that.

But I told him that we could get that done.

Yeah.

Okay, anything else today?

We'll have a little bit of static in the next few minutes.

I don't know if you can hear me.

Yeah.

We've got a pretty busy day.

We've got a lot of things to do.

It's going to be because of the market.

We just want to be secure.

That's how the deal is going to be.

We can't do anything that everyone's going to do.

I think it's definitely going to be one of the most impressive things we've done.

But that isn't much of a deal.

That's not much of a deal.

And that will be the next go.

It makes it sound good.

It is very good.

That may not work.

Get it on.

Well, you can get all of that out of the way.

Of course, that's just.

... ... ... ... ...

the indicator thing.

... ...

Well, both summers are really our roughest time, just having to get out.

So I think if we can get down to eight meters,

Right.

Well, the one thing that certainly, I must say, at the end of the China issue, we're going to be in trouble now.

That at least is a positive.

It affects all of us.

Well, I don't think the one thing Arthur didn't count on.

Right.

Hello, King.

NARA Description

On July 27, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:42 pm and 8:07 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 007-013 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 7-13

Date: July 27, 1971
Time: 7:42 pm - unknown before 8:07 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Charles W. Colson.

     The President's schedule
          -Reception
               -American Society of Association Executives
               -Importance
               -Attendees
                      -Size of organization
                      -Reaction to trip to the People's Republic of China [PRC] and Union of
                            Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]

     Briefing [George P. Shultz and John B. Connally]
           -Henry C. Cashen II
           -Clark MacGregor
           -George W. Romney
           -John D. Ehrlichman
           -Donald H. Rumsfeld
           -Connally
           -Johnnie M. Walters
           -Shultz

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

[Previous archivists categorized this section as unintelligible. It has been rereviewed and
released 08/08/2019.]
[Unintelligible]
[007-013-w002]
[Duration: 28s]

     Briefing [George P. Shultz and John B. Connally]

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

     Briefing [George P. Shultz and John B. Connally]
           -Trade unions
           -Connally and Shultz
           -Maurice H. Stans
           -James D. Hodgson
           -Outlook
           -Connally
           -Arthur F. Burns

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

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 08/08/2019.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[007-013-w001]
[Duration: 6m 19s]

     1972 campaign
          -Edmund S. Muskie
          -Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy
               -Charles W. Colson’s opinion
          -Richard M. Scammon
               -Inside reports
               -Washingtonian magazine
          -Edmund S. Muskie
               -Enthusiasm
               -Reporters
               -Poll results
               -Reaction

              -Busing [?]
              -Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy
                    -Candidacy
         -George S. McGovern
              -Radicalism
         -Eugene J. McCarthy
              -Viability
         -Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy
              -Viability

    Briefing
          -John B. Connally
          -Timing
               -July 28, 1971
          -George P. Shultz

    1972 campaign
         -Republican candidates
              -Big names
              -Fact sheets

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

    Economy
        -Indicators
        -Stock market
        -Indicators
              -Department of Commerce
        -Trade balance
        -Budget figures
        -Connally and Shultz
        -Indicators
        -Gross National Product [GNP]
              -Timing
         -Connally
        -Stans
        -Hodgson
        -Shultz
        -Peter M. Flanigan
        -PRC trip announcement
              -Impact

Also recorded on July 27, 1971

548-005 3:10 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at 3:10 pm.
548-006 3:10 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Durward G. ("Doc") Hall, Mrs. Durward G. ("Doc") Hall, Melanie Ellison, White House photographer, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:10 pm to 3:16 pm.
548-007 3:17 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, William J. ("Jack") Edwards, White House photographer, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:17 pm to 3:23 pm.
548-008 3:23 PM · 3 min — John G. Tower, Guy D. Newman, White House photographer, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:23 pm to 3:26 pm.
548-009 3:26 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Lowell P. Weicker, Jr., Paul Calley, White House photographer, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:26 pm to 3:31 pm.
548-010 3:31 PM · 18 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Otto E. Passman, William E. Timmons, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:31 pm to 3:49 pm.
548-011 3:49 PM · 50 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, White House photographer, William M. Magruder, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:49 pm to 4:37 pm.
548-012 4:37 PM · 33 sec — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:37 pm and 11:59 pm.

All 31 conversations from July 27, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 007-013, July 27, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/007-013 (accessed October 9, 2026).