Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 19 › Conversation 019-176

Nixon phone call with Colson on Vietnam War and 1972 Presidential Campaign

Sunday, January 30, 1972 · 5:07 PM–5:24 PM ET · White House Telephone · 18 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.Conversation019-176 on Tape 19StartSunday, January 30, 1972 at 5:07 PMEndSunday, January 30, 1972 at 5:24 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 019-176 ↗ · National Archives Catalog, NAID 417192671 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Charles W. Colson discussed domestic political strategy, focusing on public reaction to Nixon’s recent Vietnam policy speech and the polling strength of Democratic presidential candidates. The two evaluated the impact of anti-war protests, specifically criticizing a recent demonstration by a member of the Ray Conniff Singers at a White House dinner as poorly timed and counterproductive. Additionally, they reviewed economic indicators and campaign logistics regarding potential primary challengers.

Audio

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NARA Description

On January 30, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 5:07 pm to 5:24 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 019-176 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 19-176

Date: January 30, 1972
Time: 5:07 pm - 5:24 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Charles W. Colson.

     Congressman Charles W. Whalen, Jr.
         -Call from the President
               -Brad Morris
               -Vietnam negotiations
         -Support for the President
               -Economic policy
         -Dayton, Ohio

     The President's January 25, 1972 speech on Vietnam
          -Henry A. Kissinger
               -Reaction in New York City
                      -Audience in theater
          -Reaction
               -Albert E. Sindlinger's poll
                      -The President's November 3, 1969 speech
                      -“Hawks”
                      -The President’s efforts to end war
               -Democrats

                   -Edmund S. Muskie
                   -Hubert H. Humphrey
                   -John V. Lindsay
                   -George S. McGovern

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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 3m 53s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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

    Campaign practices
        -Possible write-ins in New Hampshire
        -Lindsay

Show the rest of the log (61 more lines)

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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 2m 27s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2

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

    Campaign practices
        -Edmund S. Muskie
              -Stance
              -Possible actions
        -Polls
              -Issues
                    -The President’s January 25, 1972 speech on Vietnam

               -Dan Rather's interview with the President
               -Thelma C. (“Pat’) Nixon's trip to Africa
               -The President’s birthday
               -Muskie
                     -India-Pakistan War
                           -John N. Anderson papers
                     -Vietnam
                           -Bombing
               -Louis P. Harris's views
                     -Vietnam
                           -Bombing
     -Smith Hempstone, Jr.’s views
          -The President’s opponents

Vietnam
     -New York Times
          -Henry A. Kissinger's view
     -Washington Post
          -Marshall Green's letter
     -Washington Star

Hempstone [?]

George P. Shultz
    -”Face the Nation” appearance
          -Melvin R. Laird
          -Daniel L. Schorr

National economy
     -Economic indicators
           -Unemployment

Ray Conniff
     -Conversation with the President, January 30, 1972
          -Carol Feraci of Ray Coniff Singers
               -Conduct at White House dinner, January 28, 2972
                     -Timing of anti-Vietnam War protest
                           -Effect

     The President's schedule
          -Shultz
          -Laird

Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 4 minutes of this recording (about 24% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.

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).

I called Wayland and he was very grateful.

I told him I appreciate it.

Well, Henry was happy, and I said, you know, to the theater, where he worked last night, and everybody was coming up to him and watching, and he was running all the time, and he said, well, it's not real.

Of course, it's not real.

He said that he'd send me some messages.

Well, no, no, no.

... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ...

Stay close, stay close.

— 3 min 53 s with no transcribed speech —

Another one, another one, another one, another one, another one, another one, another one.

— 2 min 55 s with no transcribed speech —

Mm-hmm.

Now let's go to the main point.

And our point is that the person

All right.

The bombing.

I really feel it.

I understand.

See that?

Henry was the first man in the world to have a post-baccalaureate.

— 1 min 15 s with no transcribed speech —

for the pilot's purpose.

Of course, one of them is a doctor, totally honest, very honest.

Uninsured, unemployed.

Depends on how many people they add to the labor force.

I talked to Ray Conniff today, and, you know, he's a great guy.

He's been one of our supporters for years.

He said, you know, right?

I checked with my people.

I said, it wouldn't have done any good this time because I reject this girl.

She said she'd be proud and honored to come.

She's with the substitute.

But I thought she was a plan, but I didn't do any harm to her.

I don't think he did it for them.

I think if you were the kind to do it, he did it for all of them.

And also, it was such a grossly bad manner.

Well, it was.

But I think if you were the kind to do it,

The sympathy that people have for the beating he's taken on Ford, which now I think everybody feels he's guilty about, and I think even the critics feel so, the honest ones.

For her to do it now, it just makes people angry.

I don't know what sympathy is.

If she'd done it two weeks ago, that might have had some effect.

But she picked the wrong time, and everybody else don't get that experience.

Public will feel very sympathetic to put up with that.

I'll get Shelton's call.

Thank you.

No, I think you're going to be just as layered.

I'll take that call.

Yeah, I'm going to have a rerun in the morning.

Good.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Also recorded on January 30, 1972

019-172 4:53 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 4:53 pm to 4:56 pm.
019-173 4:56 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 4:56 pm.
019-174 4:57 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 4:57 pm.
019-175 4:57 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone from 4:57 pm to 5:03 pm.
019-177 5:24 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:24 pm and 5:26 pm.
019-178 5:26 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and George P. Shultz talked on the telephone from 5:26 pm to 5:29 pm.
019-179 5:29 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:29 pm and 5:33 pm.
019-180 5:32 PM · 25 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 5:32 pm to 5:33 pm.

All 11 conversations from January 30, 1972 →

Nixon phone call with Colson on Economic policy and Public opinion November 10, 1971 · 11 min
Nixon, Connally & Shultz on Economic Policy and Labor Relations July 21, 1971 · 2 hr 11 min
Nixon phone call with Haldeman on Economic Policy and Wage-Price Freeze August 15, 1971 · 15 min
Nixon phone call with Haig on Wage-price freeze and Economic policy August 15, 1971 · 2 min
Nixon phone call with Haldeman on Economic Policy and Wage-Price Freeze August 15, 1971 · 19 min
Nixon phone call with Klein on wage-price freeze and economic policy August 15, 1971 · 2 min

Cite this conversation

Conversation 019-176, January 30, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417192671). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/019-176 (accessed November 1, 2026).