Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 34 › Conversation 034-017

Nixon phone call with an unidentified caller on Charles W. Colson

Tuesday, December 5, 1972 · 8:10 AM–8:26 AM ET · White House Telephone · 14 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation034-017 on Tape 34StartTuesday, December 5, 1972 at 8:10 AMEndTuesday, December 5, 1972 at 8:26 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 034-017 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon contacted the White House operator to facilitate an urgent communication with Charles W. Colson. The primary purpose of the brief exchange was to place a telephone call to the Special Counsel to the President. No further substantive policy discussions were recorded during this brief administrative request.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

I can get a person, please.

NARA Description

On December 5, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:10 am and 8:26 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 034-017 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 34-17

Date: December 5, 1972
Time: Unknown between 8:10 am and 8:26 am
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

[See Conversation No. 387-4A]

       Request for a call to Charles W. Colson

Also recorded on December 5, 1972

  • 034-016 7:57 AM · 19 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 7:57 am.
  • 387-001 7:57 AM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 7:57 am.
  • 387-002 7:57 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Peter J. Brennan met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 7:57 am and 8:10 am.
  • 387-004 8:10 AM · 1 hr 60 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Col. Richard T. Kennedy, White House operator, Charles W. Colson, unknown person(s), Manolo Sanchez, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Tricia Nixon Cox met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:10 am to 9:50 am.
  • 034-018 8:26 AM · 42 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 8:26 am to 8:27 am.
  • 034-019 8:56 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Col. Richard T. Kennedy talked on the telephone from 8:56 am to 8:59 am.
  • 034-020 9:44 AM · 56 sec — Tricia Nixon Cox and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone from 9:44 am to 9:45 am.
  • 034-021 10:13 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 10:13 am.

All 48 conversations from December 5, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 034-017, December 5, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/034-017 (accessed September 18, 2026).