Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 18 › Conversation 018-090

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Charles W. Colson

Monday, January 17, 1972 · 2:43 PM–2:47 PM ET · White House Telephone · 6 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation018-090 on Tape 18 (tape position 04:06:02–04:06:08)StartMonday, January 17, 1972 at 2:43 PMEndMonday, January 17, 1972 at 2:47 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 018-090 ↗

President Nixon contacted the White House operator to facilitate an urgent communication with Charles W. Colson. The brief exchange served as a logistical request to place a telephone call to the Special Counsel to the President. No further policy or substantive matters were discussed during this brief connection.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Thank you, sir.

On January 17, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:43 pm and 2:47 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 018-090 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 18-90

Date: January 17, 1972
Time: Unknown between 2:43 pm and 2:47 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 315-5]

     Request for a call to Charles W. Colson
  • 315-017 2:34 PM · 25 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:34 pm and 3:43 pm.
  • 315-018 2:34 PM · 35 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:34 pm and 3:43 pm.
  • 315-019 2:34 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Roger Staubach met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:34 pm and 3:43 pm.
  • 018-089 2:39 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Raymond K. Price, Jr. talked on the telephone from 2:39 pm to 2:43 pm.
  • 315-004 2:39 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Raymond K. Price, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:39 pm to 2:43 pm.
  • 315-005 2:43 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:43 pm and 2:47 pm.
  • 018-091 2:47 PM · 22 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 2:47 pm to 3:10 pm.
  • 315-006 2:47 PM · 12 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:47 pm to 3:10 pm.

Conversation 018-090, January 17, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/018-090 (accessed September 29, 2026).