Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 23 › Conversation 023-053
Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Charles W. Colson
Thursday, April 20, 1972 · 2:48 PM–3:08 PM ET · White House Telephone · 6 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon initiates a brief telephone exchange to request that the White House operator connect him with Charles W. Colson. The call serves as a logistical coordination to facilitate direct communication between the President and his special counsel. No further substantive discussion occurs during this interaction.
Audio
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On April 20, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:48 pm and 3:08 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 023-053 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 23-53
Date: April 20, 1972
Time: Unknown between 2:48 and 3:08 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with the White House operator.
[See also Conversation No. 332-18]
Request for a call to Charles W. ColsonAlso recorded on April 20, 1972
- 023-052 2:46 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 2:46 pm to 2:48 pm.
- 332-016 2:46 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:46 pm to 2:48 pm.
- 332-017 2:48 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:48 pm and 3:08 pm.
- 332-018 2:48 PM · 22 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 2:48 pm and 3:08 pm.
- 023-054 3:08 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 3:08 pm to 3:09 pm.
- 332-019 3:08 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:08 pm to 3:09 pm.
- 332-020 3:09 PM · 52 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:09 pm and 3:10 pm.
- 023-055 3:10 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:10 pm and 3:15 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 023-053, April 20, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/023-053 (accessed October 1, 2026).