Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 20 › Conversation 020-015
Nixon phone call with Colson on 1972 Presidential Election and Edmund Muskie
Tuesday, February 1, 1972 · 9:49 PM–10:15 PM ET · White House Telephone · 26 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Charles Colson discussed the political landscape ahead of the 1972 election, focusing heavily on the Democratic field, particularly the campaigns of Edmund Muskie and Edward Kennedy. The conversation covered domestic policy issues, including concerns over pending unemployment figures and the political implications of busing and recent court decisions. They also reviewed media coverage, recent polling data, and the status of ongoing labor negotiations regarding a dock strike.
- 1972 Presidential Election
- Edmund Muskie
- Edward Kennedy
- Busing
- Unemployment statistics
- Labor strikes
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 2 minutes of this recording (about 9% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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).
Each line starts with a timestamp button; press it to play the audio from that point.
Hello.
Hello.
Good evening, Mr. President.
Well, what's the news on your front tonight?
Well, we...
I just finished the governor's.
Well, you got rid of them pretty fast, I think.
Well, we started at 7, so they finish at 9.30.
Oh, that's right.
That's a long time.
Good.
Good.
They're going to do it, huh?
Good.
Aaron.
Right.
the dripping of the water after we can do that we'll keep it up to you reagan and evan
That's the way.
Good.
Yeah, and eventually it'll begin to play.
Hope we can settle it.
Mm-hmm.
Go do that.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, he sent that in.
Mm-hmm.
When do the unemployment figures come out this week?
Friday.
I'll have those either late tomorrow or Thursday.
Thursday.
I'm not even going to predict.
Oh, no.
Hell, yeah.
Every time I guess those figures, I'm off.
Yeah.
I just can't see.
We're going to get a break eventually.
Well, if we don't get it this month, we may not.
They adjusted the number back there.
It didn't rise in December, as we thought.
Yep.
Well, we weren't going to worry about it.
No, no.
I don't know what you mean.
You saw that, didn't you?
No, I didn't.
You told me about it.
Well, he, uh, I think he kind of met it head on.
He felt that he, uh, didn't agree with it, but in fact, that he did not agree with it.
And, uh, he took the time to study what it might do, in fact, to, uh, uh, that he, uh, felt that it was wrong to, uh, bother him.
Well, it plays very well.
He took a very responsible line, saying he did not believe in the course of it.
you
NARA Description
On February 1, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 9:49 pm to 10:15 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 020-015 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 20-15
Date: February 1, 1972
Time: 9:49 pm - 10:15 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with Charles W. Colson.
Greetings
Governor's dinner
**********************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 04/29/2019.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[020-015-w001]
[Duration: 12m 54s]
1972 election
-Edmund S. Muskie foreign policy address on February 2, 1972
-Vietnam reference
-Democratic Party silence on Vietnam
-Benefits of reference
-Press coverage
-Potential left-leaning content of speech
-Arizona and Iowa caucuses
-Reports by Charles W. Colson's friend
-Bangor News
-Edmund S. Muskie activity
-Feeling of Edmund S. Muskie campaign
-Delegate counts
-Edmund S. Muskie prospects
-Attempt to appeal to George S. McGovern bloc of voters
-Edmund S. Muskie effort
-Edmund S. Muskie foreign policy address on February 2, 1972
-Appeal to left wing of Democratic Party
-Potential Administration response
-Press coverage of President
-New Republic editorial
-[First name unknown] Downey
-Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy activities
-Activities of Democratic presidential candidates
-John V. Lindsay
-George S. McGovern
-Sindlinger poll
-Results
-President's position
-Reelection question
-Charles W. Colson’s lunch on January 31 with Richard M. Scammon
-Effort on behalf of President’s reelection
-Quality
-Potential of Edmund S. Muskie nomination
-Richard M. Scammon view
-John B. Connally view
-Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy nomination
-Potential of Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy nomination
-Charles W. Colson’s lunch on February 1 with Jay Lovestone
-Jay Lovestone's view of likelihood
-Timing
-Foundation of support for later effort
-Age
-Potential nomination in 1976
-Chappaquiddick
-Reaction to President's speech on January 30
-Issue of race
-Sammy Davis, Jr.
-Positive reaction
-Raymond Conniff’s handling
-Junior Chamber of Commerce convention in Florida
-Straw poll
-Spiro T. Agnew performance
-President's standing
-John N. Ashbrook standing
-Results for Democratic candidates
-George C. Wallace
-Hubert H. Humphrey
-Edmund S. Muskie
-George C. Wallace standing
-Positivity towards President
-Spiro T. Agnew standing
-Hubert H. Humphrey standing
-Sentiment in Florida for George C. Wallace
-Ideological orientation of Jaycees
-Business-oriented
-Lack of minority presence
-Minority input
-Charles W. Colson's conversation with President on January 30
-[First name unknown] Noyes
-Write-in possibility
-Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy
-As compared to Edmund S. Muskie
-Catholics
-Speeches in support of President by [first name unknown] Golden [?]
-Forthcoming appearance on National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC]
-February 2
-Perceived media bias
-Length and number of television appearances
-Democratic campaign officials as compared to Republicans
-State of the Union
-National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC]
-Bob [surname unknown]
-Upcoming speech February 2
-National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC]
**********************************************************************
Congress
-Schedule
-Gerald R. Ford and Hugh Scott
-Leslie C. Arends
Dock strike
-Ronald W. Reagan and [Forename unknown] Evans
-Briefing
-Statement
-James D. Hodgson
-Forthcoming statement by the President
-Frank E. Fitzsimmons effort in strike settlement
Economy
-News
-Herbert Stein
-Manufacturers orders
-Construction
-Unemployment figures
-Release
-Predictions
-Analysis of trends
-Need for concern
Busing
-Richmond decision
-John N. Mitchell’s comment
-Possible Justice Department action
-Reaction
-Education
Racial integration
**********************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 04/30/2019.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[020-015-w002]
[Duration: 7m 33s]
Busing
-As an issue
-Momentum
-Newsweek coverage
-Joseph W. Alsop’s column
-Florida
-Democratic presidential candidate use
-Edmund S. Muskie stance
-Newsweek coverage
-Charles W. Colson’s lunch February 1 with Richard M. Scammon
-Democratic presidential candidate stances
-Liberalism of Democratic National Convention [DNC] delegates
-Edmund S. Muskie stance
-Difficulties
Edmund S. Muskie campaign
-Media coverage and treatment
-John N. Mitchell’s opinion
-Frontrunner status
-Polling
-Compared to George S. McGovern
-Compared to Hubert H. Humphrey
-Forthcoming foreign policy speech
-Reasons
-Prospective content
-Prisoners of War [POW] return in exchange for Vietnam withdrawal
-George S. McGovern report
-Dan Rather program
-Vietnam War
-Democratic presidential candidate positions
-Nguyen van Thieu role
-Potential resignation
-Reaction by Left to Democratic presidential candidate approach
-Edmund S. Muskie conversation with congressmen
-Timing
-Release of text
-Potential Administration reaction
-Charles W. Colson’s previous talk with Henry A. Kissinger
**********************************************************************Also recorded on February 2, 1972
- 020-016 8:51 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:51 am and 9:10 am.
- 664-001 8:51 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:51 am and 9:10 am.
- 020-017 9:10 AM · 58 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles S. Gubser talked on the telephone from 9:10 am to 9:13 am.
- 664-002 9:10 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles S. Gubser met in the Oval Office of the White House from 9:10 am to 9:13 am.
- 020-018 9:13 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:13 am and 9:14 am.
- 664-003 9:13 AM · 34 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:13 am and 9:14 am.
- 664-004 9:13 AM · 33 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:13 am and 9:14 am.
- 020-019 9:14 AM · 47 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Thomas N. Downing talked on the telephone from 9:14 am to 9:15 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 020-015, February 2, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/020-015 (accessed October 12, 2026).