Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 9 › Conversation 009-099

Nixon phone call with Colson on Economic Policy and Public Relations

Monday, September 20, 1971 · 5:04 PM–5:12 PM ET · White House Telephone · 8 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.Conversation009-099 on Tape 9 (tape position 02:35:49–02:43:46)StartMonday, September 20, 1971 at 5:04 PMEndMonday, September 20, 1971 at 5:12 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 009-099 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Charles Colson reviewed positive public relations developments and favorable economic trends in the wake of the administration's recent policy initiatives. They discussed successful outreach efforts involving political endorsements from Miss America and US Jaycees members, as well as the positive reception of staff field trips in Columbus and Dallas. Additionally, they examined economic data from Albert Sindlinger and Harold Passer, concluding that consumer sentiment and retail metrics remained strong despite the impending release of the Consumer Price Index.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Yeah.
Mr. Colson, sir.
Yeah.
Yes, sir, Mr. President.
Any reports today?
Well, you...
I think we got a very good...
I haven't looked at all the wires today, but got some very good stuff from the appointment of...
I'll never pronounce it right, because... Mexican?
Yeah.
Mrs. Buenales?
Oh, yes.
Buenales?
Yeah, that's going to be good.
That's a good one, and... That's got to be written across the country.
Oh, yeah.
And your comments, asking for...
signature with conley there they played it up as a very nice little story yeah on the wires i think that'll get good play and miss america will oh yeah she would they were so pretty both of them by the way those girls when they came out of there told henry cashin that they wanted to
The new Miss America said that you were the most marvelous man she'd ever met in her life, that she wanted to start working for you politically and would campaign for us and speak for us.
Apparently there were a couple of them.
Well, she's a graduate of Ohio University, you know, so they're both smart as a hood.
Well, they are.
And they're both conservative and they're both on our side.
I want to get them both lined up for... We sure got a good man in that little JC guy, that Chinese.
Isn't he a fire guy?
He's going to go hog wild for us.
Well, we've talked to him about several things, and since he...
I've just been going through the Sindlinger material today that I have now right up to date.
And you'll be interested that the trend Sindlinger shows is what Harold Passer told me also, that it continues very strong, just edging up week after week.
This last week it leveled off with Sindlinger, but it...
It has gone, since August 15th, it has gone steadily up.
It's back up now.
Is there a reason for it leveling off?
Well, I guess it doesn't go up every week.
Well, it leveled off one-tenth of one percent, nothing.
It's at 120 now, basically.
It was at 118 right after the speech.
It's at 120.7 this week.
And it had hit a low this summer of 117, which was...
which was very low by Senliger standards.
So, Passer says that the auto sales were very strong in the first 10 days of this month, but the general retail sales running week to week, 7, 8, 9% ahead of last year.
One good week was 9%.
And he feels quite bullish.
He said that there'll be a little waiting to see now as we get closer to the data phase, too, but
But he thinks the trend is continuing very strong.
I checked with him today because they get usually the preliminary on the weekly figures on Sundays.
And he said that he's particularly encouraged by the auto sales, which he thought were coming very well.
Also, we had last week for the first time some reports back from our people who have started these trips out into the road.
They went to Columbus and Dallas last week.
And their reports are just excellent.
I'm getting a full memo on it, and I'll just send you in the highlights.
But the attitude out in the country, at least in those two areas, very, very good.
Very receptive to the briefings.
Good.
Very strong on what you're doing.
Still very enthusiastic.
You know, you kind of expect it after a month to wane a bit.
Yeah.
The reports from these two, at least, and we'll see how the others go this week, but the reports from these two were very, very good.
People still wanting to participate, wanting to cooperate, feeling encouraged and bullish.
Right.
Okay, well, we'll see how that... Once the CPI out today, yeah?
No, the CPI comes out on Wednesday, this week, Mr. President.
Yeah.
That'll be, well, it'll be a confusing one because it covers the whole...
I know, it covers both segments, but nevertheless, it'll tell something.
Well, it should be, of course, it was low in July, and if we, with any luck, if it's...
It may hold about where it is.
That's all right.
Well, I would consider that...
Very good.
Yeah, I'd consider that great news if it holds there.
Sure.
But we are getting, we're getting good, good play still from all of our organized groups.
Good.
Information that they keep sending back into us.
I think the attitudes out there are excellent towards the economic picture.
That's good.
Well, just keep your spirit up.
We'll do it.
Okay, sir.
Thank you, Mr. President.

NARA Description

On September 20, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 5:04 pm to 5:12 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 009-099 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 9-99

Date: September 20, 1971
Time: 5:04 pm - 5:12 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Charles W. Colson.

[See Conversation No. 577-16A]

     National Security Council [NSC] meeting

     Appointments
         -Romana Acosta Banuelos
              -Press coverage
                    -Signature with John B. Connally

     Miss America
          -Press coverage
          -Henry C. Cashen II
          -Laurie Lee Schaefer
          -Phyllis Ann George
          -Schaefer
                -Support for the President
                -Politics
                -Ohio University

     US Jaycees

          -Ronald G.S. Au

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

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 01/03/2018.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[009-099-w001]
[Duration: 3m 2s]

      Edmund S. Muskie
          -Statement about a black Vice Presidential candidate
                -The President’s response
                      -Time magazine
          -Busing
                -South
                      -Press coverage in Carolina
                      -Governors’ Conference
                             -Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS] coverage
                -Tool for integration
                      -The President’s opinion

      Charles W. Colson’s talk with Elliot L. Richardson
           -Busing
                 -Edmund S. Muskie
           -Health
                 -Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy

      The President’s conversation with Edward W. Brooke
           -Speech
           -Health
           -Speech
                 -Timing

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

     Polls on economic policy
           -Albert E. Sindlinger
           -Harold C. Passer
           -Percentage points

           -Passer
                -Auto sales
                -Retail sales
                -Phase II

     Economic policy
         -Trips by White House staff members
               -Reports
               -Columbus
               -Dallas
               -Support in the country
         -Consumer Price Index [CPI]
               -Figures
         -Organized groups
         -Attitudes

Also recorded on September 20, 1971

  • 577-012 4:41 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:41 pm to 5:04 pm.
  • 009-098 5:04 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 5:04 pm.
  • 577-013 5:04 PM · 50 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:04 pm and 5:12 pm.
  • 577-014 5:04 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:04 pm and 5:12 pm.
  • 577-015 5:04 PM · 38 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:04 pm and 5:12 pm.
  • 577-016 5:04 PM · 27 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:04 pm to 5:12 pm.
  • 009-100 5:12 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:12 pm and 7:40 pm.
  • 577-017 5:34 PM · 44 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 5:34 pm to 6:19 pm.

All 41 conversations from September 20, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 009-099, September 20, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/009-099 (accessed October 22, 2026).