Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 32 › Conversation 032-072

Nixon phone call with Colson on 1972 Presidential Election

Friday, October 27, 1972 · 9:55 AM–11:05 AM ET · White House Telephone ·1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.; White House operatorConversation032-072 onTape 32StartFriday, October 27, 1972 at 9:55 AMEndFriday, October 27, 1972 at 11:05 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 032-072 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Charles Colson coordinated efforts to gauge public sentiment regarding potential Vietnam peace negotiations through various polling contacts. Colson engaged with Dick Howard to analyze recent poll data from Albert Sindlinger while simultaneously arranging a briefing with pollster Louis Harris. These actions underscore the administration's focus on monitoring domestic reactions to foreign policy developments in the final stages of the 1972 election campaign.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Carlson's office?

Give me Dick, please.

Okay.

I'll call Semlinger right now and ask him what kind of reactions he was getting last night, what kind of open-ended comments, how he thinks of the piece.

Announcements are, were the announcements yesterday applying?

Mm-hmm.

All right.

And put something down and let me get it in first.

Okay.

This is Mr. Coulson.

Could I have my office, please?

Surety, sir.

Mr. Coulson's office.

Call Harris and ask to tell him.

Yeah.

See if we can bring him in.

Okay.

He said he would have it at 11.

Okay.

NARA Description

On October 27, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:55 am and 11:05 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 032-072 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 32-72

Date: October 27, 1972
Time: Unknown between 9:55 am and 11:05 am
Location: White House Telephone

Charles W. Colson talked with the White House operator. The President can be heard in the
background.

        Request for a call to office

Colson talked with an unknown woman at an unknown time between 9:55 am and 11:05 am.

        Call to W Richard (“Dick”) Howard

Colson talked with Howard at an unknown time between 9:55 and 11:05 am.

        1972 election
            -Polls
                -Albert E. Sindlinger
                     -Call from Howard
                     -Public reactions
                         -Vietnam peace settlements

Colson talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 9:55 am and 11:05
am.

        Request for a call to office
                                                57

                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                          Tape Subject Log
                                            (rev. Oct-06)


Colson talked with an unknown woman at an unknown time between 9:55 am and 11:05 am.

        Call to Louis P. Harris
             -Meeting with Colson
                 -Delivery of poll results

Also recorded on October 27, 1972

374-012 9:50 AM · 16 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 9:50 am and 9:52 am.
032-069 9:52 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:52 am.
032-070 9:52 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:52 am.
032-071 9:52 AM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Dwight L. Chapin talked on the telephone from 9:52 am to 9:54 am.
374-013 9:52 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 9:52 am.
374-014 9:52 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 9:52 am.
374-015 9:52 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Dwight L. Chapin met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:52 am to 9:54 am.
374-016 9:55 AM · 27 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:55 am to 11:08 am.

All 51 conversations from October 27, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 032-072, October 27, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/032-072 (accessed September 18, 2026).