{"conversationCode":"139-002","tapeNumber":139,"conversationNumber":2,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-139-002","startDateTime":"1972-08-09T02:53:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1972-08-09T03:31:00.000Z","startDate":"8-Aug-1972","startTime":"10:53 PM","endDate":"8-Aug-1972","endTime":"11:31 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.;","description":"On August 8, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at Camp David from 10:53 pm to 11:31 pm. The Camp David Study Table taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 139-002 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"CDST","recordingDevice":"Camp David Study Table","latitudeEstimated":39.648333,"longitudeEstimated":-77.465,"chronCode":4,"chronRelease":"Fourth Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"10-Dec-2003","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 139-2\n\nDate: August 8, 1972\nTime: 10:53 pm - 11:31 pm\nLocation: Camp David Study Table\n\nThe President talked with Charles W. Colson.\n\n[See Conversation No. 200-3]\n\n*****************************************************************\n\nBEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1\n[Personal returnable]\n[Duration: 30m 1s ]\n\nEND WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1\n\n*****************************************************************\n\n     Veterans of Foreign Wars [VFWs]\n          -Patrick E. Carr\n                -Louisiana\n          -Tax exempt status\n                -Carr’s comments about George S. McGovern\n\n                     -Internal Revenue Service [IRS] investigation\n                          -Colson's conversation with George P. Shultz\n                          -The President’s view\n                                -Common Cause\n\n*****************************************************************\n\nBEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2\n[Personal returnable]\n[Duration: 7m ]\n\nEND WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2\n\n*****************************************************************","filename":["139-002.mp3"],"tapeStart":"","tapeEnd":"","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Colson, Charles W."],"prevCode":"139-001","nextCode":"139-003","transcript":[{"start":12.3,"end":36.8,"text":"just kick them right in the ass the hell with them"},{"start":38.05,"end":42.24,"text":"Why don't they go after some of the Democrats' organizations, a common cause?"},{"start":42.66,"end":46,"text":"Well, I'd love to see it, but bureaucracy."},{"start":46.9,"end":47.3,"text":"I know."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon and Charles Colson discuss using the IRS to target political opponents, specifically identifying the organization Common Cause as a potential subject for investigation. Nixon expresses frustration with bureaucratic inertia, urging Colson to pursue a more aggressive strategy by auditing Democratic-aligned groups in retaliation for similar tactics used against the administration. The conversation further addresses political maneuvers involving the Veterans of Foreign Wars and criticism directed at George McGovern.","topics":["IRS","Political Strategy","Common Cause","George McGovern","Tax-exempt Status","Bureaucracy"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T08:37:46.150Z"},"topicSlugs":["irs","political-strategy","common-cause","george-mcgovern","tax-exempt-status","bureaucracy"],"audioDurationSec":60,"audioFiles":[{"file":"139-002.mp3","bytes":1448854,"durationSec":60.31,"bitrate":192198,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:33.323Z","findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:42:53.958Z","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/139-002.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/139-002","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/139/conversation-139-002","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}