Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 10 › Conversation 010-020

Nixon phone call with Colson on Economic Policy and Congressional Relations

Tuesday, September 28, 1971 · 6:26 PM–6:30 PM ET · White House Telephone ·3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Colson, Charles W.Conversation010-020 onTape 10 (tape position 00:25:28–00:28:53)StartTuesday, September 28, 1971 at 6:26 PMEndTuesday, September 28, 1971 at 6:30 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 010-020 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Charles Colson discuss efforts to generate congressional mail support for the administration's economic program, specifically targeting legislative opposition to a proposed pay raise. Nixon stresses the necessity of pressuring business groups like the Chamber of Commerce to ensure compliance with the campaign. Additionally, the pair discusses political messaging against Senator Edward Kennedy regarding his criticisms of the administration’s handling of prisoners of war in Vietnam.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Chuck, these fellows, when they were in here, were very insistent that we just had to get some mail up there, and they've left here now.
But I just wanted to be sure that some of your boys haven't dropped the poll on that.
No, I went back after your call, Mr. President, and talked to Keshen, who has gone through the lists with me, and, God, he's been to about 20 groups.
One of the problems I will...
have to confess is that most of these groups have been engineering mail to the Congress on the general economic program.
Only the Chamber and one or two others, the ASAE groups, have gotten very excited over the pay raise.
The problem is that this is the first vote which would blow the whole lid off the program.
It would destroy the program.
Of course it would.
Psychologically, it would be terrible.
But we...
I talked last week with 50 of the Washington VPs of the major corporations and told them to generate mail, and the Chamber is doing it, and the ASAE.
We've got about 50 groups that are involved in the overall campaign, but we haven't.
Maybe they tell you they do it, and then they don't do it, and maybe you've just got to follow through and say that.
Well, they've been pretty good.
They maybe aren't feeling the results yet, but they will before this week is over, because we just launched them on that.
I see.
uh... the middle of last week let's see their telegrams and right bulletins go out they'd be getting let's see tuesday they'd be starting to get mail now i would think if it if it works i've run spot checks on these they're all such a bunch of damn cry babies you've got to get stuff to them chuck you know make up something one of the one of the difficulties mr president is that when you even when you do it they love to come in and tell you well they love to put the blame somewhere else but i know all right well
Anyway, I told them, and that's the reason I called when they were there.
I just wanted to know what you were following through, so see if they get some mail.
And I'll call each of them and check with them on how their mail is running, because we'll stir it up.
Maury Stans did a hell of a job for us today.
Good, good.
He had a press conference and took on the Democrats.
He got a lot of wires.
Somebody was telling me Jerry Ford said that Teddy Kennedy made an outlandish talk.
He said the blood of the POWs is on the president's hands and a lot of that.
Well, he did.
He said that they're rotting in the jails over there because we won't accept the Viet Cong offer.
Well, Christ.
What the hell?
A Viet Cong offer is not... What is their offer?
Well, people would rot in jail always if you don't accept a surrender terms.
I mean, that's war.
I hope somebody takes him on on it.
I don't know if we've got anybody with the guts to do it, have we?
Well, they still have...
Bob took a beating over there yesterday from the wives, and so he damn well ought to take Teddy on.
Am I right?
He had a Q&A with him?
He went over and had the Q&A, and he didn't pull it off too well.
He had a bad time of it because he just wasn't very firm and confident.
He kind of vacillated, and then they started a little bit of...
cat calling and he just he lost his composure with him but most of the people over there it's been touchy but and i know you're going over which yeah which has its risks except i think i think they're under control it's a tough one it's a hell of a tough one yeah okay thank you sir

NARA Description

On September 28, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 6:26 pm to 6:30 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 010-020 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 10-20

Date: September 28, 1971
Time: 6:26 pm - 6:30 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Charles W. Colson.

[See Conversation No. 579-15C]

     President's schedule

          -Meeting with legislative leaders
              -Mail to Capitol Hill
                    -Henry C. Cashen, II
                          -Chamber of Commerce
                          -American Society of Association Executives [ASAE]
                          -Pay raise
                    -Colson's activities

     Activities, September 28, 1971
          -Maurice H. Stans
                 -Democrats
          -Gerald R. Ford
                 -Edward M. Kennedy
                      -Prisoners of War [POWs]
                            -Viet Cong
                 -Robert J. Dole
                      -National League of Families

Also recorded on September 28, 1971

  • 010-015 5:51 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 5:51 pm.
  • 010-016 5:51 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:51 pm and 5:53 pm.
  • 010-018 5:53 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon talked on the telephone from 5:53 pm to 5:54 pm.
  • 010-019 5:55 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:55 pm and 6:26 pm.
  • 010-021 6:30 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:30 pm and 8:15 pm.
  • 010-022 6:30 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:30 pm and 8:15 pm.
  • 010-023 6:30 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:30 pm and 8:15 pm.
  • 579-016 6:42 PM · 4 sec — Stephen B. Bull and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 6:42 pm and 11:59 pm.

All 30 conversations from September 28, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 010-020, September 28, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/010-020 (accessed September 18, 2026).