Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 31 › Conversation 031-012

Nixon, Colson & Haldeman on Polling data and George McGovern

Friday, October 6, 1972 · 12:37 PM–1:40 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsColson, Charles W.; White House operator; Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Hall, Joan; Lallathin, SusanConversation031-012 on Tape 31StartFriday, October 6, 1972 at 12:37 PMEndFriday, October 6, 1972 at 1:40 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 031-012 ↗

AI Summary

Charles W. Colson coordinated with White House staff, including Joan Hall and Susan Lallathin, to gather and verify the latest polling data while President Nixon and H. R. Haldeman consulted in the background. The discussion focused on confirming specific poll figures for Nixon and his opponent, George McGovern, along with the associated point spread. Colson ultimately directed staff to finalize the report and deliver the typed results to his office.

Audio

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NARA Description

On October 6, 1972, Charles W. Colson, White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Joan Hall, and Susan Lallathin talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:37 pm and 1:40 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 031-012 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 31-12

Date: October 6, 1972
Time: Unknown between 12:37 pm and 1:40 pm
Location: White House Telephone

Charles W. Colson talked with the White House operator.

         Request for a call to his office

Colson talked with Joan Hall. The President and H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman can be heard in the
background.

        Colson's schedule
            -Dick [surname unknown]

        Poll figures
             -Albert E. Sindlinger
             -Point spread

Hall conferred with Susan Lallathin.

        Poll figures

[End of conferral]

        Poll figures
             -The President, George S. McGovern

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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).

This is Mr. Coulson.

Could I have my office, please?

Tell Dick to wait.

What?

Where?

20.3?

61.2?

Is that what you want?

Are those the two figures?

Dimension 5.

The three figures, Nixon, McGovern, and the spread.

61.0 to 20.

One point two.

Sixty-eight point two.

One point oh.

Twenty-two point two.

Okay.

All right?

Yeah, send it in when it's typed in.

Also recorded on October 6, 1972

031-010 12:29 PM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, unknown person(s), and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:29 pm and 12:30 pm.
354-011 12:29 PM · 9 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 12:29 pm and 12:31 pm.
354-012 12:29 PM · 8 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 12:29 pm and 12:31 pm.
354-014 12:30 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 12:30 pm.
354-015 12:30 PM · 41 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:30 pm and 12:31 pm.
031-011 12:31 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox talked on the telephone from 12:31 pm to 12:34 pm.
354-016 12:31 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:31 pm to 12:34 pm.
354-017 12:35 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:35 pm to 1:55 pm.

All 73 conversations from October 6, 1972 →

Nixon phone call with Colson on 1972 campaign and George McGovern September 23, 1972 · 27 min
Nixon, Haldeman & Colson on Watergate scandal and CIA June 23, 1972 · 23 min
Nixon phone call with Dent on Democratic Primaries and George McGovern June 7, 1972 · 25 min
Nixon phone call with Haldeman on 1972 Presidential Campaign August 17, 1972 · 41 min
Nixon, Colson & Haldeman on 1972 Presidential Campaign and George McGovern October 5, 1972 · 57 min
Nixon & Colson on 1972 election and Campaign strategy November 1, 1972 · 15 min

Cite this conversation

Conversation 031-012, October 6, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/031-012 (accessed November 15, 2026).