Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 24 › Conversation 024-034

Colson & Haldeman on Vietnam and Western Union

Monday, May 8, 1972 · 10:52 PM–11:22 PM ET · White House Telephone · 4 min

ParticipantsColson, Charles W.; Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Conversation024-034 on Tape 24 (tape position 00:42:22–00:45:57)StartMonday, May 8, 1972 at 10:52 PMEndMonday, May 8, 1972 at 11:22 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 024-034 ↗

AI Summary

Charles W. Colson and H.R. Haldeman discuss the public and operational fallout following President Nixon's speech regarding the blockade of Vietnam. Colson reports that Western Union is experiencing systemic technical failures due to an overwhelming surge in public telegrams and plans to issue a public apology to address the backlog. Additionally, they review positive feedback from pollsters Albert Sindlinger and Louis Harris, who describe the President's actions as a strategic 'masterstroke' that effectively rallies public support and challenges the Soviet Union.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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Hello.
Mr. Haldeman.
Yeah.
Mr. Colson.
Okay.
Mr. Haldeman.
Right.
Hi, Chair.
Hi, Bob.
Well, let me give you a report first on Western Union.
I talked to Mr. McFaul, who's the president.
Yeah.
And he's very embarrassed.
He said that they're backed up all over the country, all of their... Tell him to get that out to the press tonight.
Yeah, we are.
And don't worry.
And he said if we'd had any idea, he said this was one of the greatest speeches the president ever gave.
He was slapping all over me.
He said, you know, he said I...
obvious he said if i'd ever known this kind of a speech was coming he said and i said well we told me get on it now though oh he is he's moving in emergency crews he said all of their they have a long distance telephone hookup you know you dial you know when you get a central system and he said their central office office in in philadelphia in pennsylvania has just gone haywired they can't get any close the whole system is broken down all over the country
So he's going to put out emergency calls and get a crew into Pennsylvania where they have the 8-0 direct lines.
And he said he would put a statement out that he's going to call me in the morning and give me a complete report on the severity of the problem, and we'll put a statement out apologizing to all the Western Union customers.
And said, Jesus, let us know when you're going to do it.
Okay, good.
Now, Sindlinger was just, Sindlinger and Harris were both just carried away with themselves.
Sindlinger in particular, he said, Christ, he said, if I...
had to design a speech based upon the attitude of the public.
He said, I could not possibly.
He said, I wouldn't have changed a cover.
He said, it's put the ball in the Soviets' court.
That's what the people want.
He didn't cancel the summit, and the public doesn't want the summit canceled.
And he said that, but he was tough, and he was firm, and he said that just beautiful delivery, and he said a 10-strike in every respect.
Lou Harris was kind of interesting.
Lou fashions himself, you know, as kind of an international expert.
and goes to the Soviet Union.
He said, this is going to do it.
He said, this will bring the Russians around.
He said, the president has really called their bluff.
He said, it was a masterstroke, subsequently.
And I kept saying, well, fine, fine, Lou, but how's it going to react?
And he said, well, the public will really rally behind him.
He said, initially, it'll last for a while.
If we get a protracted stalemate and a lot of confrontation over a long period of time, it could erode.
But he said, at the moment, he said, I think the president has
He said he's much closer to the, not at the bottom line yet, but much closer than he's ever been.
And he said the public will support him.
He said it's just the kind of a speech that will set off their support.
And he kept saying over and over again, he said the mining of Haiphong, it's a masterstroke.
He said this will cause the Russians to cave.
And he said it's a great message to Hanoi that they can't have Saigon.
And he said two other things.
He said that no other option comes through very strong.
And that will be what the public will react to.
And the other thing is that the candor.
He said this will increase the president's reputation for candor.
He said the last two speeches have because he has laid it out so clearly to the American people and shown so convincingly what he's trying to do that he said I think he's going to gain short run enormously.
And if it works, of course, he's going to gain long run enormously.
If it doesn't work,
He still may gain in the long run if it, you know, if it...
He still could gain in the long run.
Yeah.
Good.
Both good reactions.
Okay.
Ken Cross is sitting with me, and I'll get the Western Union story out right now.
Okay.
Okay.
Don't get it out of here.
Have them get it.
No, no.
I understand.
All right.
Okay.
Thanks.

NARA Description

On May 8, 1972, Charles W. Colson and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:52 pm and 11:22 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 024-034 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 24-34

Date: May 8, 1972
Time: Unknown between 10:52 pm and 11:22 pm
Location: White House Telephone

Charles W. Colson talked with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

[See also Conversation No. 336-69U]

     Vietnam
          -Blockade
               -The President's speech
                    -Western Union
                          -Colson's Request for a call to Russell McFall
                          -Backlog of calls
                          -Statement for press
                          -Conversation with McFall
                          -Emergency crews
                          -Central office
                          -Emergency crews
                          -McFall's report to Colson
                    -Albert E. Sindlinger’s view
                          -Response of public
                                -Soviet summit
                                     -Possible cancellation
                    -Louis P. Harris’s views
                          -Impact on Soviets
                          -Public support for the President

                               -Length
                          -Impact on Soviets
                          -The President's candor
                          -Benefits for the President
                     -Western Union
                          -Kenneth W. Clawson

Also recorded on May 9, 1972

  • 024-028 10:47 PM · 41 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and George Meany talked on the telephone from 10:47 pm to 10:48 pm.
  • 024-029 10:49 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Tricia Nixon Cox, and Edward R. F. Cox talked on the telephone from 10:49 pm to 10:52 pm.
  • 024-030 10:52 PM · 8 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:52 pm and 11:22 pm.
  • 024-031 10:52 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:52 pm and 11:22 pm.
  • 024-032 10:52 PM · 20 sec — the White House operator and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:52 pm and 11:22 pm.
  • 024-033 10:52 PM · 4 min — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman and William F. ("Billy") Graham talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:52 pm and 11:22 pm.
  • 024-035 10:52 PM · 53 sec — Charles W. Colson and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:52 pm and 11:22 pm.
  • 024-036 10:52 PM · 23 sec — Lawrence M. Higby and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:52 pm and 11:22 pm.

All 96 conversations from May 9, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 024-034, May 9, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/024-034 (accessed October 9, 2026).