Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 25 › Conversation 025-066

Nixon phone call with Colson on 1972 Presidential Campaign and George McGovern

Wednesday, June 14, 1972 · 2:18 PM–2:40 PM ET · White House Telephone · 23 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.Conversation025-066 on Tape 25 (tape position 02:36:35–02:58:23)StartWednesday, June 14, 1972 at 2:18 PMEndWednesday, June 14, 1972 at 2:40 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 025-066 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Charles Colson strategized on campaign messaging and public relations ahead of the 1972 election. They discussed coordinating campaign appearances and speeches for administration officials, including William P. Rogers and Henry Kissinger, to emphasize foreign policy successes and contrast the administration's platform against George McGovern. Additionally, they analyzed electoral demographics, specifically focusing on the Jewish vote and the potential influence of Henry 'Scoop' Jackson on key states.

Audio

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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 June 14, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 2:18 pm to 2:40 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 025-066 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 25-66

Date: June 14, 1972
Time: 2:18-2:40 pm
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with Charles W. Colson.

[See Conversation No. 343-18]

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

[Previous archivists categorized this section as unintelligible. It has been rereviewed and
released 10/30/2017.]
[Unintelligible]
[025-066-w001]
[Duration: 21m 51s]

     William P. Rogers
          -Meeting with the President
          -Press conference

     Questions for Charles W. Colson
          -Responses

     Veterans of Foreign Wars [VFW]

     Labor unions
          -William P. Rogers’s speeches

     William P. Rogers
          -Call from Charles W. Colson
          -Events in key states
                -Detroit
                -Chicago
                -New York City
                      -Night club
                      -Importance of doing event at night
                      -Night time shows
                -Cleveland
                -Columbus
                -Pittsburgh
                      -Foreign relations
                -Philadelphia

     Henry A. Kissinger
         -Speeches
               -Timing
         -Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT] Treaty

     George S. McGovern
         -Tough questions
         -Henry A. Kissinger
         -Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson
         -Statements
     Defense
          -Submarines
          -Carriers

     Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson
         -Foreign policy ideology
               -George S. McGovern
         -Jewish votes

Manolo Sanchez enters the room at an unknown time.

     Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson
         -Israel

     Jewish vote in California

     Sending unknown person out for campaign work
          -Places to visit
                -Detroit
                -The South
                -Ohio
                -Illinois
                -Pittsburgh
                -Rochester
          -Schedule
                -Democratic convention
                -Republican convention

     1972 campaign
          -Spiro T. Agnew
          -Franklin D. Roosevelt
                -History
                -Body part
          -Spiro T. Agnew
          -George S. McGovern
                -Numbers
          -George C. Wallace
          -Campaigning in Maine
          -William J. Fulbright
          -William P. Rogers

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

Also recorded on June 14, 1972

  • 025-065 1:05 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:05 pm and 2:18 pm.
  • 343-017 1:05 PM · 56 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 1:05 pm and 2:18 pm.
  • 343-018 2:18 PM · 16 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:18 pm to 2:40 pm.
  • 025-067 2:40 PM · 1 min — Unknown person(s) talked on the telephone on an unknown date, sometime between 2:40 pm on June 14, 1972 and 5:31 pm on June 15, 1972.
  • 733-009 2:53 PM — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 2:53 pm and 2:54 pm.
  • 733-010 2:54 PM — President Richard M. Nixon, Warren E. Burger, Manolo Sanchez, Stephen B. Bull, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 2:54 pm to 3:59 pm.
  • 733-011 3:59 PM — President Richard M. Nixon, Manolo Sanchez, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:59 pm and 4:02 pm.
  • 733-012 4:02 PM — President Richard M. Nixon, Clark MacGregor, Henry A. Kissinger, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:02 pm to 6:03 pm.

All 23 conversations from June 14, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 025-066, June 14, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/025-066 (accessed September 30, 2026).