Nixon phone call with Colson on 1972 election

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Hello.

Mr. Colson for you, sir.

Yeah.

Yes, sir, Mr. President.

I guess I wonder what's happening on the Democrats.

Well, the first vote they had was to impeach... Yeah, that didn't work.

That failed, and...

I've just been listening to the car radio because I was driving.

What'd she do then?

She resigned?

Well, she's offered to quit if there's an acceptable compromise candidate.

But she won't take straws?

She will not take straws.

Great.

Well, isn't that good news for us?

Marvelous news.

And Nicole's vote's good news for us, isn't it?

Yeah, they were divided right about up the middle, 100 to 105.

Great.

Which was just perfect.

According to Connolly, I had to call him and call him.

Connolly says that the second vote will be one where more of the radicals vote.

It's not true.

You see, it isn't a...

This is a...

I don't know how it's structured.

The only person we've had over there getting information to us is Charlie Snyder, who's Wallace's man, who's on the committee.

But... Who'd he vote for?

I wasn't much doubt about that.

Westwood?

I think he voted to keep her in, yes.

Sure.

He's trying to screw them up.

And, of course, he doesn't want O'Brien the way he won't let the Wallace people go for O'Brien.

Good.

And Manet and Mitchell were supposed to be agreeing on which way they will go.

I mean, trying to join forces.

You could go out of there.

I mean, they could go out of there with Westwood still in, which would be the best for the whole world.

Because that just, in this whole coalition that ran the ads this week, you know, the Come Home Democrats coalition.

What was that?

Oh, did they run ads?

I didn't know.

Yes.

Oh, yeah, they ran ads.

The McGovernites did?

No, no.

These were the, you know, the Ben Wattenbergs and the conservative Democrats.

Oh, yeah.

Scamming.

Scamming?

No, he wouldn't sign it.

Because he won't.

He doesn't call himself a Democrat anymore.

I really want to try to get us scamming in more, you know.

Let's get him with us.

He belongs with us.

And if we could just figure some way, well, maybe as you were talking about today, a little bit of a occasionally, occasionally a kitchen cabinet kind of a thing, just occasionally advising us.

Because God, his judgment is sound.

And

He'll be with us.

Good news, good news, good news.

He'll stay with us because he thinks the election was won on just exactly the issues that he told us.

I think he's right.

Oh, absolutely right.

I think it was an election on the social issue, not...

necessarily just...

I think another thing, however, that you'd have to add to that, I don't think he gives enough credit to May 8th, the theory of the Lubels and the May 8th thing had one hell of an impact.

Well, so did Russia and China, my guess.

Oh, yes.

I mean, we had a lot of positive things going.

They all fell into place right when you think about it.

It was just perfect.

But I think Scanlon's point is great validity, too.

He wrote a brilliant analysis for the FFL-CIO, which I...

You know, I read, I passed it on to you, I read Buchanan's piece, which I think was brilliant, but I also read Dick Wilson's column.

I think the Wilson column should be circulated about 10,000.

You see, he's a respected guy, and...

And that was a hell of a column.

Oh, he picked it up beautifully.

Oh, and he put it all as his own.

And others have been doing very much the same thing.

Have they?

Because, you know, we can't... Let me say this.

You remember what they did for poor old Hoover?

Unjustifiably, they destroyed him after that.

That's right.

Now, with this fellow, he just cannot be allowed to have that Harriet Van Horn.

That was beautiful of Buchanan to do that, but I'll tell you...

Now it's a thing that this guy has got to be and his people destroyed.

Well, he sure does.

And I think today, of course, is a marvelous step because it'll keep him fighting.

I don't much care how it comes out.

That's right.

the McGovernites remain in that much control and have that much power.

That committee isn't going to change between now and the next election.

They don't want to.

You know, a point my daughter Julie was making, it's very interesting, and she's rather perceptive talking about what we've done.

You know, the real point is that some people recognize that we really did this on our own.

I mean, this was very much a personal victory in every sense of the word.

Completely.

I mean, hell, there isn't any party, Mr. President.

I read an analysis that the RNC put together of how Republican counties in Michigan voted with heavier turnout than Democratic counties.

Well, their contention was that proved they got out the vote.

They always do.

Of course.

And the point is they didn't as much as they usually do.

And our majorities in Democratic counties, like Wayne and Macomb,

in those counties was a hell of a lot bigger than ever before.

If you really looked at where valid they are and see how they're labeled.

But the point is, your point is absolutely valid, that it was done by you.

that he wrote about 10 days ago in which he said...

I've got to read White's.

Would you be sure that gets to me some way?

Yes, sir.

He said that anybody who complains about the president not helping the Republican Party is nuts.

Would you send that over to me, Chuck, Monday?

I'll be back Monday.

Yes, sir, I will.

He made a gorgeous point.

He said the president captured the center...

He said we captured the center...

He said we captured the center of the country and that the Republican Party, if it had been smart, would have just grabbed hold of...

the centrist coalition that Nixon was building.

Instead of complaining about republicanism, you know, they missed the boat.

How's the mood in Princeton?

Are they booing you up there?

Oh, sir, it's very quiet.

I was just visiting my son's room, and it's got some Nixon posters up, but they haven't thrown them out of here yet, so...

Is he happy?

Very.

What was the reaction on the Princeton campus when it all happened?

Were they very down?

They weren't as tough as Harvard, were they?

No.

It's a lot quieter, and it's a lot quieter than it's ever been before.

But I mean, how'd they accept the election?

Just as if it hadn't happened.

I see.

Well, that's not fair.

There's about a quarter of the campus that are activists on our side.

The rest of them are blasé to politics, frankly.

They didn't turn out to be the new social reformers that McGovern was planning on.

And a very tolerant, my son says, a very tolerant atmosphere here now.

And he can go around and be activist, young Republican things, and put his Nixon buttons up and not nobody... Two years ago, that would have been suicide, but...

It's a hell of a lot better feeling.

He said actually about a third of the students at Kansas were for it.

Well, I really appreciate what they've done.

And now in the country, I think we got about half the college vote.

Oh, sure.

I mean, my God, you balance Princeton or Harvard or Yale and Columbia against Ohio State and Kentucky and Vanderbilt and Tulane.

Of course, I'm damn sure we did.

These kids aren't that far off.

I think the radical

They can't muster any kind of an active demonstration anymore.

The fire has gone out of it.

That's one of the other things that you've done.

Now we're going to keep it up.

Well, we're continuing to work.

Just for your private information on Vietnam, Hague is coming back to consult with me tomorrow.

I heard that on the... Henry's meeting again on Monday.

But I just told him, just keep negotiating.

I said, that's the thing to do.

Keep it going.

I have to say, having read what I read the other day, that it sounded to me like they were testing him.

Yeah, that's right.

But we've just got to make a deal.

Don't you agree?

I'd like to see us, yes, sir.

But if you don't...

Oh, sure.

Naturally, I'd like to see us do it.

But if you don't, I think that...

I don't think you have to go to the country.

I think the country's with you.

I don't think the country's ever been more with you.

All the fire is out of the other side.

There's a feeling of...

There's a good feeling in the country.

I get this from everybody I talk to.

And it's gotten steadily better since the election because it's a divisive...

I mean, McGovern and his rhetoric, that was a trauma for the country.

But everybody's kind of glad that's over and a happy feeling.

Exactly.

economy is good.

Now, I think the country, Mr. President, is with you, and I think if Henry hangs in there, I think you'll get it, because I think they were pushing it, but testing it.

Well, we've made some progress since that last stock.

That's great.

Not as much as we want, but some.

Well, if we can get it, we should get it, of course, but whatever the outcome, I don't think at this point, this juncture, you have to worry.

I think there's a feeling of normalcy and

This is my reading.

People I respect read that Sendinger's Consumer Confidence Index keeps going up.

Is it going up?

It must be going up.

My God, no.

The market's going up, and everybody on Wall Street is happy as hell.

It ought to be.

Christ.

Oh, my God.

Just think, it's now 10.30, and it was 6.30 when I told those bastards to buy.

That's right.

Just think of that.

Almost 100% increase.

God.

Well, it's a...

It's a great tribute to you.

And Julie's point is right.

You did a lot.

No, everybody helped.

Her point was that she and her mother and sister and everything had done a job.

But she said a very interesting reaction.

She said, you know, we all helped.

But she said in 68, we helped really more because then we had to change the image of being a loser and a mean man and the rest.

And he said this time, she said...

that really it was the people with us.

Oh, no question.

You brought them around.

I think the phrase you used earlier, the national confidence, self-confidence coming back is really what's happening in the country.

That to me, I know when we were talking about Key Biscayne that there isn't a future for the Republican Party.

Well, as a party that may be, but I think these four years are going to be very different than the second four years.

I think you

country more behind you now on the things that really count.

And I think that's transferable.

I think at least... Well, we hope so.

Well, anyway, our best to everybody concerned.

Well, thank you, Mr. President.

We just hope the Democrats keep screwed up.

Well, it sounded, as I say, I kept first-hand reports, but then once it leaves to drive, it's good up here to have dinner with my son.

I'm coming back tonight.

Good.

I'll get a full report from Snyder on what went on on your side.

Okay.

Bye.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Nixon phone call with Colson on 1972 election

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on December 9, 1972

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