{"conversationCode":"013-121","tapeNumber":13,"conversationNumber":121,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-013-121","startDateTime":"1971-11-04T20:47:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1971-11-04T20:52:00.000Z","startDate":"4-Nov-1971","startTime":"3:47 PM","endDate":"4-Nov-1971","endTime":"3:52 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.;","description":"On November 4, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 3:47 pm to 3:52 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 013-121 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"WHT","recordingDevice":"White House Telephone","latitudeEstimated":38.89767,"longitudeEstimated":-77.03655,"chronCode":2,"chronRelease":"Second Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"26-Oct-2000","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 013-121\n\nDate: November 4, 1971\nTime: 3:47 pm - 3:52 pm\nLocation: White House Telephone\n\nThe President talked with Charles W. Colson.\n\n[See Conversation No. 300-16]\n\n******************************************************************************\n\nBEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1\n[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 02/11/2019.\nSegment will remain closed.]\n[Personal Returnable]\n[013-121-w001]\n[Duration: 1s]\n\nEND WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1\n\n******************************************************************************\n\n       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542\n\n     President's schedule\n           -Indira Gandhi\n\n     National economy\n          -Grain shipments to Soviet Union\n                -Maritime unions\n                      -Agreement\n                      -John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson\n                -Peter G. Peterson's contacts with Soviet Embassy\n                -Public announcement\n                      -Timing\n                -Colson's forthcoming conversation with Henry A. Kissinger\n                -Continental Grain Company\n                -Effect in Farm Belt\n                -Public relations actions\n\n     Frank Stanton\n          -Conversation with Colson\n                -Daniel L. Schorr report\n\n     National economy\n          -Wholesale prices\n                -Colson's conversations with John W. Chancellor and Howard K. Smith\n          -Stock market\n                -Volume\n                -Chase Manhattan's lowering of prime rate\n                -Wholesale prices\n                      -Schorr story\n                -November 5th unemployment statistics\n                      -Chancellor, Smith\n          -Grain shipments to Soviet Union\n                -Kissinger's forthcoming call to Anatoliy F. Dobrynin\n                -Soviets' comments to Secretary of Agriculture\n          -Pay Board\n                -Colson's forthcoming meeting with Clark Mollenhoff\n                      -James R. (“Jimmy”) Hoffa\n\n       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542","filename":["013-121.mp3"],"tapeStart":"04:00:23","tapeEnd":"04:00:38","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Colson, Charles W."],"prevCode":"013-120","nextCode":"013-122","transcript":[{"start":0.93,"end":1.26,"text":"Hello."},{"start":2.53,"end":3.01,"text":"Mr. President."},{"start":3.03,"end":3.33,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":3.35,"end":4.15,"text":"Mr. Coulson."},{"start":4.17,"end":4.39,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":4.75,"end":6.51,"text":"There you are."},{"start":6.55,"end":6.91,"text":"Okay."},{"start":6.99,"end":7.29,"text":"Hello."},{"start":7.47,"end":8.25,"text":"Yes, sir, Mr. President."},{"start":8.43,"end":8.97,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":8.99,"end":9.21,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":9.25,"end":9.93,"text":"What's new today?"},{"start":10.38,"end":12.48,"text":"Well, I..."},{"start":12.62,"end":13.88,"text":"I think we got some good news."},{"start":15,"end":30.38,"text":"We got a call that the labor unions on the maritime side have bought our deal, and it looks like the corn will ship next week if the Russians stick to their end of the bargain, but we have..."},{"start":30.98,"end":35.63,"text":"It really is a rather historic thing, because both Kennedy and Johnson tried this."},{"start":36.59,"end":43.86,"text":"They were boycotted by the unions who wouldn't handle a cargo, and they never were able to ship anything."},{"start":45.88,"end":48.74,"text":"When and how can we get it out, Chuck?"},{"start":48.88,"end":51.49,"text":"Well, I've got everybody working on it right now, Mr. President."},{"start":51.65,"end":54.59,"text":"If the Russian embassy agrees..."},{"start":55.15,"end":56.55,"text":"And Peterson has been working on this."},{"start":56.61,"end":57.87,"text":"We'll be able to announce it tomorrow."},{"start":57.93,"end":66.99,"text":"We want to announce it tomorrow because the unions have asked us to so that they're... Well, now, rather than Peterson, may I just respectfully suggest"},{"start":67.45,"end":96.29,"text":"that uh get kissinger to shove him if there's any problem oh yes indeed he knows about it no he doesn't have a call into him uh yeah and i just haven't talked to me it just happened within the last hour i'll have him call you all right that'd be great he uh it if nothing goes wrong it won't go wrong now from the union side but if nothing goes wrong on the deal yeah uh basically with the russians or continental grain it's going to be a big jolt in the farm belt we've got everybody out there good alerted to speed"}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon and Charles Colson discuss a breakthrough with maritime unions that allows for the shipment of grain to the Soviet Union, a feat they note previous administrations failed to accomplish. Colson reports that the deal is set for a public announcement, contingent on final coordination with the Soviet embassy. The President directs Colson to involve Henry Kissinger to ensure the process remains on schedule, noting the significant positive impact this development is expected to have on the American farm belt.","topics":["Maritime unions","Grain shipments","Soviet Union","Agricultural policy","Public relations","Henry Kissinger"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-05T23:52:53.296Z"},"topicSlugs":["maritime-unions","grain-shipments","soviet-union","agricultural-policy","public-relations","henry-kissinger"],"audioDurationSec":97,"audioFiles":[{"file":"013-121.mp3","bytes":2339107,"durationSec":97.41,"bitrate":192106,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:22.041Z","findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:42:36.417Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/013-121.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/013-121","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/13/conversation-013-121","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}