Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 9 › Conversation 009-055

Nixon phone call with Colson on Military draft and Senate lobbying

Thursday, September 16, 1971 · 9:24 PM–9:31 PM ET · White House Telephone · 7 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.Conversation009-055 on Tape 9 (tape position 01:45:52–01:52:57)StartThursday, September 16, 1971 at 9:24 PMEndThursday, September 16, 1971 at 9:31 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 009-055 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Charles Colson discuss strategies for securing a pivotal Senate vote on the military draft and managing the associated political fallout. Nixon emphasizes the national security implications of the draft, framing opposition as a threat to global peace initiatives and United States' standing. They assess the legislative outlook, expressing confidence that winning a key tabling motion will psychologically defeat the opposition and stall the ongoing debate.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 2 minutes of this recording (about 30% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello?
Hello?
Good evening, Mr. President.
Were you on the Sequoia?
Yes, sir.
I took several members of the senior staff out, which was a very nice thing to do.
Good.
Just coming in when you called.
Right, right.
Well, I thought I'd better not talk over that open... Oh, hell no.
I didn't want to get you there.
That open radio circuit, I don't trust.
Well, also your remarks on the draft were just more than most irresponsible.
I can imagine some of you.
Yeah, and to say that they are going to vote against the draft is a vote to make the United States number two in the world.
A vote against the draft is to seriously jeopardize our peace initiatives all over the world.
In the Mideast, I said.
And, you know, what are the Jews about?
Well, I would hate myself to be a senator tomorrow voting against the draft.
Well, it looks like we're going to win the vote.
We're going to have one more senator than we planned today.
Is he going to be it?
Will he vote with us?
He's got to vote with us on this test, will he?
I want you to tell him we've got to have him on this vote.
First vote.
He's got to vote with us.
He's aching, you know.
He's slobbering away on it.
Well, they can go from that field over.
I know.
That's true.
No, no, but Bob, Bob very clearly was open to it.
He was good.
That's the reason he...
It'll make it.
The answer really isn't the answer.
It's not clear about... Oh, hell no.
Thank you, guys.
You're more popular in all three of them cities, really, today.
Well, these days, the governor is a lot sober tonight.
But all the staff at that school is...
Really?
Okay.
Well, I also got in a couple of good looks on the economy.
I said we would have a follow-on program and it would have tea.
Well, your phrase was excellent.
The drug on it can't be affected without tea.
You had some great catch-on.
It was beautiful the way you surprised me.
I didn't like it either.
Of course, winning this doesn't really do anything but just protract the debate.
It just protracts the debate.
Even if we win it, it just means that we just go back to the jury filibuster.
Well, maybe if they lose the tabling motion, then there isn't much tripping when they continue to deviate.
I can prevail or still try to, but I just don't know.
It breaks their back psychologically.
If they don't have the motion to reconnect, or to come back to campus, they'll peter out.
I hope so.
Okay, bye.
Bye.
Bye.
Thank you.

NARA Description

On September 16, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 9:24 pm to 9:31 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 009-055 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 9-55

Date: September 16, 1971
Time: 9:24 pm - 9:31 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Charles W. Colson.

     Colson's previous location
          -Sequoia
          -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
                -Senior staff

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

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 01/03/2018.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[009-055-w001]
[Duration: 3m 29s]

       Press Conference
             -Edmund S. Muskie’s speech
             -Draft
             -Edmund S. Muskie’s speech
                   -Press coverage
                   -The President’s view
                         -1960, 1968
                   -Henry Hubbard
                         -Call to William L. Safire
                         -Edmund S. Muskie’s reaction
                   -Press coverage
                         -Paul N. (“Pete”) McCloskey, Jr.

                       -Columns
                              -Robert D. Novak
                              -Rowland Evans
                              -David S. Broder
                 -Edward W. Brooke
                       -Massachusetts
                       -Vice Presidency
                       -Jesse L. Jackson
                       -Black community
                              -Voting
            -The President’s delivery
                 -Ronald L. Ziegler
                 -William L. Safire

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

       Press Conference
          -Draft issue
               -Vote
                      -Senate
                      -Middle East
                      -Robert T. Stafford
                      -Deane C. Davis
                      -George D. Aiken
                      -Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield
          -Economy
          -Draft issue
               -Vote
               -Tabling motion

Also recorded on September 17, 1971

  • 009-049 9:12 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:12 pm.
  • 009-050 9:13 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:13 pm.
  • 009-051 9:13 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:13 pm and 9:17 pm.
  • 009-052 9:17 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 9:17 pm to 9:19 pm.
  • 278-039 9:17 PM · 50 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:17 pm to 9:20 pm.
  • 009-053 9:19 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:19 pm and 9:22 pm.
  • 009-054 9:22 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Maj. Maj. George K. Robinson talked on the telephone from 9:22 pm to 9:23 pm.
  • 009-056 9:34 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 9:34 pm to 9:37 pm.

All 48 conversations from September 17, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 009-055, September 17, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/009-055 (accessed October 9, 2026).