Nixon White House TapesTape 35 › Conversation 035-044

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

Sunday, December 31, 1972 · 7:57 PM–8:00 PM ET · White House Telephone · 12 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operatorConversation035-044 on Tape 35StartSunday, December 31, 1972 at 7:57 PMEndSunday, December 31, 1972 at 8:00 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 035-044 ↗

President Nixon contacted the White House operator to initiate an urgent telephone call to his special counsel, Charles W. Colson. The brief exchange served as a direct request for administrative assistance in connecting the President with Colson. No further substantive policy matters or decisions were discussed during this brief connection attempt.

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Colson, please.
Thank you.

On December 31, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:57 pm and 8:00 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 035-044 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 35-44

Date: December 31, 1972
Time: Unknown between 7:57 pm and 8:00 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with the White House operator.

       Request for a call to Charles W. Colson
                                               -47-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
  • 035-040 7:34 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 7:34 pm to 7:44 pm.
  • 035-041 7:45 PM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon and George E. Allen talked on the telephone from 7:45 pm to 7:55 pm.
  • 035-042 7:55 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:55 pm and 7:56 pm.
  • 035-043 7:56 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and George E. Allen talked on the telephone from 7:56 pm to 7:57 pm.
  • 035-045 8:00 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 8:00 pm to 8:02 pm.
  • 035-046 8:10 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 8:10 pm.
  • 829-001 7:32 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, James D. ("Don") Hughes, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:32 am and 9:25 am.
  • 829-002 7:32 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Clifford M. Hardin met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:32 am and 9:25 am.

Conversation 035-044, January 1, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/035-044 (accessed September 18, 2026).