Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 7 › Conversation 007-076
Nixon phone call with Colson on Media bias and Television networks
Sunday, August 8, 1971 · 8:11 PM–8:20 PM ET · White House Telephone · 8 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Charles W. Colson reviewed recent public relations efforts and television coverage regarding the President's travel, specifically focusing on reception crowds in Maine and New Hampshire. The two discussed the potential impact of Edith Efron’s book, *The News Twisters*, which alleged that television networks displayed a pro-Democratic bias during the 1968 campaign. They further explored strategies to leverage these criticisms against the media in the lead-up to the 1972 election.
- Media bias
- Television networks
- 1972 presidential campaign
- Public relations
- The News Twisters
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 2 minutes of this recording (about 22% 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.
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NARA Description
On August 8, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 8:11 pm to 8:20 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 007-076 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 7-76
Date: August 8, 1971
Time: 8:11 pm - 8:20 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with Charles W. Colson.
The President's schedule
-Maine
-Margaret Chase Smith
-Bangor airport reception
-Television coverage
-New Hampshire
-Smith
Astronauts
-Television coverage
******************************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 08/09/2019.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[007-076-w001]
[Duration: 2m 35s]
1968 campaign
-Forthcoming book by Edith Efron
-News Twisters
-Charles W. Colson's analysis
-TV Guide
-Television networks
-Effort to elect Hubert H. Humphrey
-Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
-Potential impact
-Campaigning
-Telethon
-News Twisters
-Spiro T. Agnew
-Bias
-1972 campaign
-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman analysis
******************************************************************************
Television networks
-Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
-Economy
******************************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 08/09/2019.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[007-076-w002]
[Duration: 29s]
Television networks
-Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
-An internal letter
-Criticism of the Administration
-Re election
-Democrats
******************************************************************************
Television networks
-Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
-Economy
-Colson's telephone call
******************************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 08/09/2019.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[007-076-w003]
[Duration: 59s]
1968 campaign
-News Twisters
-Impact
-Harley O. Staggers
-The President’s request
******************************************************************************Also recorded on August 9, 1971
- 007-074 8:05 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Tricia Nixon Cox, White House operator, and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon talked on the telephone from 8:05 pm to 8:09 pm.
- 007-075 8:09 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:09 pm and 8:11 pm.
- 007-163 8:09 PM · 11 sec — the White House operator and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:09 pm and 8:11 pm.
- 007-077 8:49 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:49 am and 12:01 pm.
- 557-001 8:52 AM · 3 hr 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, Henry A. Kissinger, unknown person(s), and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 8:52 am to 11:47 am.
- 557-002 11:47 AM · 58 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:47 am and 11:59 am.
- 557-003 11:59 AM · 50 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:59 am to 12:02 pm.
- 007-078 12:02 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and George P. Shultz talked on the telephone from 12:02 pm to 12:03 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 007-076, August 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/007-076 (accessed October 9, 2026).