Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 35 › Conversation 035-056

Nixon, Colson & Warren on Roberto Clemente and Presidential statements

Tuesday, January 2, 1973 · 10:21 AM–11:20 AM ET · White House Telephone · 57 sec

ParticipantsColson, Charles W.; White House operator; [Unknown person(s)]; Woods, Rose Mary; Warren, Gerald L.; Nixon, Richard M. (President)Conversation035-056 on Tape 35StartTuesday, January 2, 1973 at 10:21 AMEndTuesday, January 2, 1973 at 11:20 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 035-056 ↗

AI Summary

Charles W. Colson coordinated with Press Secretary Gerald L. Warren to expedite the release of an official presidential statement regarding the death of baseball legend Roberto Clemente. The participants prioritized the immediate recording and distribution of the statement to radio outlets, prompting Warren to delay his scheduled press briefing to ensure the tape could be broadcast promptly. The conversation also briefly touched upon humanitarian efforts for Nicaragua earthquake victims and the health of Rose Mary Woods.

  • Roberto Clemente
  • Gerald L. Warren
  • Presidential statements
  • Radio broadcasting
  • Nicaragua earthquake relief
  • White House press operations

Audio

Download MP3 · 1.3 MB

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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

· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Jerry Warren, please.
Mr. Coulson.
Thank you.
Rose?
Would you...
Officer to the President, Jerry.
Hello?
Jerry Warren, please.
Mr. Coulson.
Just a moment.
Mr. Coulson.
Jerry, President, just tape that thing in so we can get it right out to the radio people who would like to use it.
I'll do that.
So it'll play during the day.
Yeah, I'll do that before my briefing.
I'll delay my briefing until that's done.
So you just taped it?
Yeah.
So as soon as you get whatever you need to hand out, you'd like to get it right out?
I'll do it.
Good.
Thanks.

NARA Description

On January 2, 1973, Charles W. Colson, White House operator, unknown person(s), Rose Mary Woods, Gerald L. Warren, and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:21 am and 11:20 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 035-056 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 35-56

Date: January 2, 1973
Time: Unknown between 10:21 am and 11:20 am
Location: White House Telephone

Charles W. Colson talked with the White House operator.

       Request for a call to Gerald L. Warren

[The President can be heard talking with Rose Mary Woods in the background.]

Colson talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 10:21 am and 11:20 am.

       Request to speak with Warren

[The President can be heard speaking with Woods in the background.]

       Red Cross
            -Nicaragua earthquake victims

Colson talked with Warren at an unknown time between 10:21 am and 11:20 am.

       Roberto Clemente’s death
            -Presidential statement
                  -Audio tape

[The President can be heard talking with Woods in the background.]

       Woods’s health

Colson talked with Warren at an unknown time between 10:21 am and 11:20 am.

       Clemente’s death
            -Presidential statement
                  -Audio tape
                        -Distribution
                               -Radio
                               -Warren’s forthcoming press conference
                                    -Delay
                                             -55-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                            Conversation No. 35-56 (cont’d)

                              -Taping
                                   -Timing

Also recorded on January 2, 1973

  • 035-052 9:03 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:03 am and 10:15 am.
  • 829-025 9:03 AM · 48 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:03 am and 9:28 am.
  • 829-026 9:03 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:03 am and 9:28 am.
  • 829-027 9:03 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 9:03 am and 9:28 am.
  • 035-053 10:15 AM · 29 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 10:15 am to 10:16 am.
  • 035-054 10:16 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:16 am and 10:20 am.
  • 035-055 10:20 AM · 24 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 10:20 am to 10:21 am.
  • 829-031 11:28 AM · 22 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, Rose Mary Woods, and Marjorie P. Acker met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:28 am to 11:46 am.

All 52 conversations from January 2, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 035-056, January 2, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/035-056 (accessed October 2, 2026).