Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 31 › Conversation 031-087

Nixon phone call with Colson on POWs and Television Coverage

Monday, October 16, 1972 · 7:14 PM–7:59 PM ET · White House Telephone · 9 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.Conversation031-087 on Tape 31StartMonday, October 16, 1972 at 7:14 PMEndMonday, October 16, 1972 at 7:59 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 031-087 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Charles Colson reviewed the highly positive network television coverage of the President's appearance earlier that day before the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia. They agreed that the footage, which highlighted Nixon's emotional connection to the families and his firm stance against amnesty for draft evaders, was a significant political success that contrasted sharply with the more strident and negative campaign coverage of George McGovern. Furthermore, the two discussed campaign strategy, concluding that Clark MacGregor’s effective counter-attacks regarding political smear charges successfully neutralized allegations against the Nixon campaign in the public eye.

Audio

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NARA Description

On October 16, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 7:14 pm to 7:59 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 031-087 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 31-87

Date: October 16, 1972
Time: 7:41 pm - 7:59 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Charles W. Colson.

        Television coverage of the President
            -The President's October 16, 1972 appearance before the National League of
            Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia
                 -William F. (“Billy”) Graham's comments
                     -Coverage compared to the President's Atlanta trip

               -Network coverage
               -Audience reaction
               -Camera angles
               -The President's remarks on amnesty
               -The President's remarks on Vietnam War prisoners of war [POW’s]
               -Columbia Broadcasting Sytem [CBS] comments about George S. McGovern
               and the National League of Families
               -Colson’s reaction
               -Coverage
                   -William J. Baroody, Jr.
                        -Polls
                            -George H. Gallup

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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 25s ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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       Television coverage
           -Campaign practices
                -Clark MacGregor's comments about smear campaign
                    -Donald H. Segretti, Dwight L. Chapin
                -McGovern’s allegations
                -McGregor’s comments
           -Possible public reaction
                -Lyndon K. (“Mort”) Allin
           -The President's appearance before POW families group, October 16, 1972
                -Colson’s view
                -Compared with McGovern’s coverage
                -CBS coverage
                -Audience reaction
                -Amnesty issue comments
                -Comparison to coverage of McGovern’s activities

                 -McGovern’s possible reaction
                 -National Broadcasting Company [NBC]
                     -Comment on Vietnam negotiations
                 -The President's position on amnesty and POW issue

        Campaign practices
           -MacGregor's comments

        Campaign strategy
           -Reaction to charges against the President and the
            President's campaign
                -MacGregor, Robert J. Dole

Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute 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.

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Billy was saying he was outraged that
When we went to Atlanta, they played it down.
They didn't play it up like they should have in the lead.
He didn't like, you know, but he thought this was, they finally played up ahead is what he thought was important.
Oh, God.
Well, it was the lead on all three shows tonight.
I watched all three of them.
I had the ABC rerun so I could see all three.
Two of them talked about the tears and the applause in the audience.
They had magnificent footage of you coming in
The gals all applauding and cheering and a lot of noise.
For some reason, the camera angle was extraordinary because it was very close up of your face, very close, almost filled the screen.
Very strong, very, I mean, we couldn't have set it up any better.
All of them used the lines that were the best ones.
The Amnesty, all three used the Amnesty lines.
Good.
They all used the, we shall under no circumstances abandon, we cannot leave them to the... Mercy.
Mercy or the faith of the enemy.
Right.
Just fantastic, or to the goodwill of the enemy, whatever that phrase.
Right.
And I guess it was at least, well, I didn't time it, but I would say at least three minutes on each of the three.
And...
one of them—let's see, I guess it was CBS made the point that it was a friendly crowd and one that McGovern—this was one of the POW groups that McGovern wouldn't dare go to or couldn't go to.
Well, this is the Bickman, too.
They take three or four dissidents or half a dozen and play them up, and this is the mass of them.
Oh, that's right.
But I must say that my morale is awfully high tonight.
I'm not going to have my usual one scotch and sugar.
I'm going to have a martini because I really, Mr. President, this was, and sure as agrees, was the best night we've had on TV this year and for this campaign.
Really?
Yes, sir.
Well, I got spine tingles watching you talk to these gals, and I think anybody else watching in the country would.
I just think Joe Broody was sitting with me.
He said, my God, he said, I wish Gallup would go in the field.
That's worth two points.
It was a hell of a night, and Andy McGregor was on, I think he was on all three, charging the smear, the low-road campaign, vilification of the president.
And then the way in which they all covered the Segretti-Chapin thing was to say there were charges and there were countercharges and washing the day between the Republicans and the Democrats.
And then they had McGovern talking about our saboteurs out sabotaging his campaign.
And then they had McGregor on charging the Democrats with smear innuendo guilt by association at low road.
So it was really, I think on that exchange, frankly, to those of us in Washington, we know what the charge is and what the answer is.
But frankly, to the man out in the country, McGregor and McGovern arguing over
was doing what to whom in the campaign.
Just washed that right out.
As a matter of fact, I think that was a—to the average citizen, I don't—probably Mort Allen won't see it this way, but to the average citizen, that was a complete wash. And what people got tonight was spectacular footage of you—emotional.
I don't—I almost picked up the phone and asked to talk to you.
It was just so—it was so superb.
And it led all three, and it was—
Well, one of the secretaries in my office was damn near in tears.
It was moving footage, and that's kind of the way to describe it.
It was a stroke.
Yeah.
Just one of those times when it— Well, that's good.
That's good.
As I say, they'll be probably firing some film out of this.
Yeah.
It was just—it was just so superb.
Right.
And the comparison with McGovern, who looked
There was one profile shot of you when he was saying, oh, I know which one.
It was CBS, which had the best coverage.
They said at the end there were tears and applause when you said, you're in my hearts and my prayers.
I will never let you down.
It was a profile shot that really just spine-tingling.
It really was.
And an enormous outburst from him.
And, of course, the huge response in the amnesty lines.
All three had that.
Oh, they used the applause, good.
And they used the applause.
Yes, sir.
Only one of them cut it out at one point.
Well, they all had applause throughout.
One cut off at the embassy and the other two had it.
But just tremendous.
I don't know how many millions of people had it tonight, but it— Well, anyway, whatever it was, we—it's good we got this night.
Boy, this was our night.
You can take all the Washington Post headlines
for a month and roll them up and they don't add up to one of those TV shows.
That'll really bug them, too, won't it?
It will.
McGovern must be tonight, Mr. President, if he watches, if he gets reports on the network, he must tonight be going up the walls because his coverage was angry and strident and bawling out the newspaper man and threatening to fire this boy who was doing his job.
Then having to apologize afterwards, you know, that's the very thing that's hurt him all along, when he's had to go back around.
And saying that you leading the three networks, talking to this group that he can't go to, you know, he couldn't go into that room.
And we've got eight of our fellows up there tonight circulating, and I talked to one of them just before I left the office.
That's, boy, those girls, families are assured.
sure lifted by that it was a great feeling good good good it was it was marvelous well that's fine we're glad we got the i knew it was i knew that if they covered it it would be an adequate and very good positive thing but we're you never know what they're going to do covering it no you don't i i knew it was i had the feeling it would be the lead i i had a feeling they would zap us by yeah cutting the applause yeah nbc uh started by saying that
little dig they started by saying that there'd been hopes that you might have a report on the negotiations.
And then they opened with the can't comment on the negotiations, but went right into the balance of it, which was all positive.
And the CBS was nothing but— And they all carried the amnesty line.
All three.
And that we wouldn't leave the mercy, our POWs to the mercy of the goodwill of the— Of the enemy.
Goodwill of the enemy.
It was a hell of a response on all three.
And each one made the point that while you didn't mention your opponent to
took issue with him on Vietnam by—and then went right into your token and got it.
And of course the enthusiasm of the crowd came through on TV.
It really hit him.
I'm sure not as great as being there, but— That's all right.
But it was a—it really was—it was a—I'm very pleased that we finally got McGregor.
I was worried when I told you this afternoon because he hadn't agreed to do it, but— It's all right.
It's good.
He did it.
And it just washed that one
Absolutely.
At this point, that's right.
And that's what we'll do.
We'll just crack it and let it lie, see what they do with it tomorrow.
We can only get our fellows to understand.
It's so important that for three weeks, any political church is going to be a political church as long as we counterattack and as long as they have to say—
The politicians, we're trading charges.
That's right.
The public just tunes that out.
That's right.
They don't give a damn.
But if it's a steady drumbeat of charges against us, then we don't blast back at them.
You must blast everyone from now on.
I really thank the president for the three weeks that they attack us.
We just, I mean, like this.
Either Dole or McGregor every night.
Yeah, well, Dole put out a hell of a good statement.
Good.
Well, good.
I'm glad to hear it.
Well, it was a great day, Mr. President.
Good.
Well, have your martini and have fun.
Thank you, Mr. President.

Also recorded on October 16, 1972

  • 031-082 7:19 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 7:19 pm.
  • 031-083 7:19 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:19 pm and 7:20 pm.
  • 031-084 7:20 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Tricia Nixon Cox talked on the telephone from 7:20 pm to 7:21 pm.
  • 031-085 7:25 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon and William F. ("Billy") Graham talked on the telephone from 7:25 pm to 7:37 pm.
  • 031-086 7:37 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:37 pm and 7:41 pm.
  • 031-088 7:59 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:59 pm and 8:00 pm.
  • 031-089 7:59 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:59 pm and 8:00 pm.
  • 031-090 8:00 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Frank Scumaci talked on the telephone from 8:00 pm to 8:01 pm.

All 103 conversations from October 16, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 031-087, October 16, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/031-087 (accessed October 29, 2026).