Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 13 › Conversation 013-126

Nixon phone call with Colson on Pay Board and Soviet grain deal

Thursday, November 4, 1971 · 4:57 PM–4:59 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.Conversation013-126 on Tape 13 (tape position 04:07:08–04:08:48)StartThursday, November 4, 1971 at 4:57 PMEndThursday, November 4, 1971 at 4:59 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 013-126 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Charles Colson discuss ongoing negotiations regarding the Pay Board and the status of a potential Soviet grain deal involving Henry Kissinger and Anatoliy Dobrynin. The two also review recent stock market performance, noting that despite late-day profit taking, the market showed signs of upward momentum. Nixon expresses concern regarding the negative impact of reporting by Daniel Schorr on market stability while anticipating upcoming unemployment data.

Audio

Download MP3 · 2.3 MB

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Yeah.
Yes, sir, Mr. President.
Nothing further on the pay bar before I get involved with these congressmen.
No, sir.
They're still meeting, and I've not heard from them, so...
In this sense, no news may be good news, but...
I'll let you know.
If there's a good break, I'll let you know.
George Schultz told me, I've talked to him in New York several times today, he told me that his information was that they were pretty close and that he figured tomorrow morning for it.
You got the word to Kissinger?
No, I told him.
I told him.
I told Henry on the...
to go forward on this screen.
He knows the background.
All he's got to do is be sure that Dobrynin is... You jingle him and just say that, please, let God do it.
Okay.
We'll keep that one going.
The market...
ended up closing flat it went down a couple of points it went down well it ended up a point it went down in the last few minutes on some last minute profit taking but 16 million shares traded so 16 million yes sir so that that shows ended with no no gain no gain it was up two-thirds of a point which is nothing 843 but uh fine but it uh it was a good strong day all day and they say a little profit taking moved in at the end i think
I think it's turning up.
It should have turned up because of the wholesale price, but I think, on the other hand, that shore stuff hurts.
Well, it was up during the day as high as seven points.
That's all right.
At least it's in the right direction.
And after a good day yesterday and with the unemployment tomorrow.
Yeah.
Who knows?
Coming well.
Good.
Okay, sir.

NARA Description

On November 4, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 4:57 pm to 4:59 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 013-126 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 013-126

Date: November 4, 1971
Time: 4:57 pm - 4:59 pm
Location: White House Telephone

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

The President talked with Charles W. Colson.

[See Conversation No. 614-18B]

     National economy
          -Pay Board
                -George P. Shultz's conversation with Colson
          -Soviet Union grain deal
                -Henry A. Kissinger
                     -Conversation with President
                     -Forthcoming conversation with Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
          -Stock market
                -Volume and close
                -Wholesale price index
                -Effect of Daniel L. Schorr's report
                -Prospects

Also recorded on November 4, 1971

  • 013-123 4:50 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:50 pm and 4:54 pm.
  • 614-014 4:50 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:50 pm and 4:54 pm.
  • 614-015 4:50 PM · 2 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:50 pm and 4:54 pm.
  • 614-016 4:50 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:50 pm and 4:54 pm.
  • 013-124 4:54 PM · 53 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon talked on the telephone from 4:54 pm to 4:55 pm.
  • 614-017 4:54 PM · 53 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:54 pm to 4:55 pm.
  • 013-125 4:55 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 4:55 pm and 4:57 pm.
  • 614-018 4:55 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:55 pm to 5:06 pm.

All 58 conversations from November 4, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 013-126, November 4, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/013-126 (accessed October 12, 2026).