Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 34 › Conversation 034-110
Nixon phone call with Colson on New Majority and Vietnam War
Sunday, December 17, 1972 · 9:56 AM–10:02 AM ET · White House Telephone · 5 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Charles Colson discuss the success of White House events aimed at building a 'New Majority' by engaging supporters outside the traditional political elite, including labor and Democratic voters. The conversation also addresses the public and media reaction to the recent Vietnam peace negotiations and Henry Kissinger's briefings. Nixon expresses a strategic preference for immediate military escalation, specifically the use of B-52s, arguing that absorbing political heat now is preferable to delaying the conflict.
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Transcript (AI-generated)
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Hello.
Mr. Colson.
Yeah.
Good morning, Mr. President.
Were you going to be there for some more of the new majority today?
No, I didn't put myself on the list today because... Yeah, probably just as well.
Well, I wanted to make space for other people.
Right.
It's such a... What group is this?
This is just... You said there would be some repetition of what we had.
Well, there'd be some repetition of Friday, unfortunately, because what we did was to... Yeah.
We used the two dinners plus the church service as the select
but then we invited everybody to Friday, so... Oh, I see.
We just, uh, we did Friday sort of as a... That's why there were, yeah, I saw on Friday there were quite a few who came and admitted the others.
Yeah, you'd see, you'd see some repetition.
They wanted to stay for the Christmas tree lighting, and so they... Yeah, yeah.
And we didn't RSVP that, so we didn't... All right, all right, good, good.
They just couldn't.
But that doesn't make it ever such a lot.
You'll see a little repetition.
That's why I don't have the... Yeah, but that's all right, that's all right.
They...
At least they're all getting the message.
That's the important thing.
They are that.
And I think that—I talked to Croson after I met with him yesterday.
We've got to do more to get this story out and get some columns about this.
Yeah.
Jack's analogy is a great one.
Yeah.
That's really quite true, you know.
Yeah, it is.
The kind of people that came in and actually
A little grumbling on the part of the Republicans isn't bad, you know.
You know, the fact that, well, look, after all, they're always here.
And they'll be here, too.
But I just think the fact that people are here that had never been here before, and that the Democrats and labor people that were here had never been here when the Democrats were here.
That's the point.
And here we are bringing them in.
We're bringing these people in, and it's the heart of the people that give support to our country and
character and so forth and so on.
Well, it's really a cross-cut of the country, too.
It's not the elite.
That's the point.
The elite are always here.
That's right.
They've always been here for it.
And expected.
Correct.
That's right.
That's right.
That's right.
Good, good, good.
How did you think Henry's thing played?
You haven't seen your paper this morning, probably.
As a matter of fact, I was just going up my driveway to get the newspapers.
I slept a little bit this morning.
But the radio, I was just amazed at how...
Well, it's a headline story, of course, and it should be.
But you see, what it has to set up, Chuck, the important thing is that we're going to lay in a few V-52s tomorrow.
But my view on that is I'd much rather take the heat on that now than take it six months from now.
Oh, God.
Isn't that naturally the point?
You see, the whole point of all of this is that
I know everybody says, oh, Jesus, let's not do anything for the inauguration.
Let's not do anything for Christmas and all that sort of thing.
And my own view has been always get it over as quick as we can and use it while we can because six months from now, we won't have any of the gold, you know.
We may still have it, but we may not, see?
Yeah, I think you still will.
But you know you have it now.
And I think you also know that the public right now is so
I don't think that this is going to be a problem.
What surprised me, frankly, was the—I didn't see this morning's paper, but the way they downplayed it on the radio, it just was another announcement that used to be reported on the talks.
the peace agreement that had been hoped for.
It was very, very low-key.
Yeah, they said that the paper split wasn't one that was acceptable, that we were—that it was very close, that everything was there, but they wouldn't produce it and we weren't going to want to take it.
So there is to it.
They let people—they let the—I think the thing to do, we're going
No, that's the doves in the spot where they say, accept the agreement of the enemy's offer.
That's a damn tough spot for them, isn't it?
That's the spot that killed McKenna.
You know, when he got in that position, he was absolutely dead.
That would galvanize our side.
Well, we'll revert people who are in the veterans' groups and what have you, really.
Yeah.
But basically what we're doing, we're just insisting on the right kind of peace.
The peace will last and so forth and so on.
Right.
Honorable peace to the prisoners.
What's that?
Honorable peace to the prisoners.
Oh, yes.
That's right.
Okay, Chuck.
If we get a bounce back, we'll be ready for it.
Good.
You got the team ready.
Good.
All right.
Good.
Thank you.
NARA Description
On December 17, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 9:56 am to 10:02 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 034-110 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 34-110
Date: December 17, 1972
Time: 9:56 am - 10:02 am
Location: White House Telephone
The President talked with Charles W. Colson.
White House social affairs
-Forthcoming worship service
-New Majority
-Colson’s schedule
-Reception for 1972 re-election supporters
-Christmas tree lighting
-Colson’s recent conversation with Kenneth W. Clawson
-Press coverage
-Andrew Jackson analogy
-New Majority
-Republicans
-Democrats, labor
Henry A. Kissinger briefing, December 16, 1972
-Press and radio coverage
-US bombing
-88-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 34-110 (cont’d)
-B-52s
-Timing
-1973 Inauguration
-Christmas
-Mood of country
-Retail sales
-Industrial production
-Radio coverage
-Settlement agreement
-Press coverage
-Doves
-George S. McGovern
-Veterans groups
-Prisoners of War [POWs]Also recorded on December 17, 1972
- 034-109 9:52 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 9:52 am to 9:55 am.
- 034-153 9:55 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:55 am and 9:56 am.
- 034-111 10:02 AM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:02 am and 10:03 am.
- 034-112 10:03 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone from 10:03 am to 10:09 am.
- 034-113 10:09 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:09 am and 10:49 am.
- 034-114 10:49 AM · 22 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 10:49 am to 11:11 am.
- 382-014 1:19 PM · 41 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 1:19 pm and 2:24 pm.
- 382-015 1:19 PM · 26 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 1:19 pm and 2:24 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 034-110, December 17, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/034-110 (accessed October 5, 2026).