Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 34 › Conversation 034-146

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

Wednesday, November 29, 1972 · 7:57 PM ET · White House Telephone · 16 sec

ParticipantsWhite House operator; Nixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation034-146 on Tape 34StartWednesday, November 29, 1972 at 7:57 PMEndWednesday, November 29, 1972 at 7:57 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 034-146 ↗

President Nixon requested a telephone connection with special counsel Charles W. Colson to discuss administrative or political matters. Upon learning that Colson was currently commuting, the President authorized the operator to instruct Colson to return the call once he reached home. This brief exchange served solely as a logistical arrangement to facilitate a future private conversation between the two men.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello.
Mr. President, Mr. Colson is in route home.
Should be there in about 10 minutes.
Could I have him call you back?
Sure.
All right, sir.

On November 29, 1972, the White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at 7:57 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 034-146 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 34-146

Date: November 29, 1972
Time: 7:57 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The White House operator talked with the President.

       Requested call to Charles W. Colson
            -Colson’s location
            -Call-back instruction
  • 034-002 7:37 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:37 pm and 7:49 pm.
  • 034-003 7:49 PM · 24 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:49 pm and 7:53 pm.
  • 034-004 7:49 PM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:49 pm and 7:53 pm.
  • 034-005 7:53 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 7:53 pm to 7:55 pm.
  • 034-006 7:57 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 7:57 pm.
  • 034-007 7:57 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:57 pm and 7:58 pm.
  • 034-008 7:58 PM · 40 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 7:58 pm to 7:59 pm.
  • 034-009 8:12 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 8:12 pm to 8:20 pm.

Conversation 034-146, November 30, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/034-146 (accessed September 28, 2026).