Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 189 › Conversation 189-023

Nixon phone call with Colson on Political strategy and Media relations

Wednesday, May 17, 1972 · 2:46 PM–3:01 PM ET · Camp David Hard Wire · 6 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.Conversation189-023 on Tape 189 (tape position 01:41:17–01:47:22)StartWednesday, May 17, 1972 at 2:46 PMEndWednesday, May 17, 1972 at 3:01 PMRecording deviceCamp David Hard WireSourceNixon Library record for 189-023 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Charles Colson discussed strategies to counter liberal media narratives by highlighting historical precedents of political violence under Democratic administrations. The two focused on shifting public discourse regarding political unrest and social issues like busing by utilizing targeted mailers to opinion leaders and editors. Nixon encouraged a more aggressive communication approach to challenge liberal rhetoric and influence the upcoming political climate.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
So, just for purposes of the columnists and the others who try to write this morbid stuff, has it occurred to you to have Clawson, Zephyr, and a bunch of mine?
I don't know how it happened.
You know, you talk about this whole business of the left wing talking about this time of violence and so forth.
Yeah.
Well, did anybody remember that Truman got shot?
You remember?
You remember the Truman shooting at Blair House?
Yeah.
Does anybody remember when Franklin Roosevelt caught a pump on him, killed the mayor of Chicago in Miami?
Cermak, you remember him?
All right.
All right, fine.
Okay.
You've got the Cermak shooting.
You've got the Truman shooting.
You've got the Cermak shooting.
They were both
Nuts, of course, one was Puerto Rican, so the term act was just crazy.
And then the shooting in the House of Representatives.
Uh-huh.
That particularly affected the Truman Roosevelt, the R one, you see.
And then, of course, there was the D R one and so forth.
But my point is these things happen.
temporary presence Truman and Truman and Frank and FDR I mean so uh let's get that uh take a good columnist like a White or somebody uh just ought to point out now look here let's not take a Bill White take Wilson three of them ought to get sick you know some of you fellows are just missing something don't let these libs get away with as much crap
Well, also, we tend to beat our own breasts about our own problems.
I think that nothing like this has ever happened before in the world.
Something we did caused it.
You see, these goddamn liberals are just horrible that way.
They cause it themselves.
They're the ones who creates the division in this country.
Who creates the hatred about the war?
Who the hell's doing this?
That's right.
Sure.
Truman was kind of a hero to them at that time while he was living at the firehouse before the Korean War.
That's when they popped him.
See?
Everything else going according to, I guess, they're all Democrats worrying about Michiganite for writing it off as big because he got shot.
It's too big.
It's too big.
Huber, right into his I.T., he's going to have to do something on the busing issues.
Well, I know, but Christ is on both sides of it.
You can't put it that way.
I mean, we've conquered it, if anything, too much, but we've had to from a responsible standpoint.
He didn't have any responsibility.
He just ought to come out against it, if I were you, I would.
I made an interesting observation 30 days ago.
He said that Donald Hubert would be the one we want.
I said, why, John?
He said, because John Connolly just despises Hartke.
And he says anybody that would pick Hartke for his co-chairman has got to be out of his mind.
But he says, but he puts it on a very interesting ground.
He said, well, Gilbert just doesn't turn anybody on anymore.
And he said, he's not going to be able to anymore.
He said, whatever goes, turn them on.
What's your argument on that?
What do you have to say?
come in and pick it all up.
Do you think the lead, do you really think it worries him, you think, or what?
Because the idea that someone said that Teddy running as his vice president is possible.
No, Governor.
Three of the candidates.
I think the way to do that is really through very extensive, effective mailers to every opinion maker, another to a list of 10,000.
Just hit them.
One, two, three, four.
In other words, keep rolling it in.
Don't you think so?
Every editor, every, you know.
Keep it scared.
Forest housing, all right?
All right.
If we could hit the bussing thing the same way.
All right, all right.
All right, good.

NARA Description

On May 17, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 2:46 pm to 3:01 pm. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 189-023 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 189-23

Date: May 17, 1972
Time: 2:46 pm - 3:01 pm
Location: Camp David Hard Wire

The President talked with Charles W. Colson.

*****************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 09/11/2019.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[189-023-w001]
[Duration: 3m 7s]

[See Conversation No. 131-012]

[End of telephone conversation]

*****************************************************************

Also recorded on May 17, 1972

  • 131-008 2:36 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Walter R. Tkach talked on the telephone at Camp David from 2:36 pm to 2:40 pm.
  • 131-009 2:40 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 2:40 pm and 2:42 pm.
  • 189-020 2:40 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 2:40 pm and 2:42 pm.
  • 131-010 2:42 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at Camp David from 2:42 pm to 2:44 pm.
  • 189-021 2:42 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 2:42 pm to 2:44 pm.
  • 131-011 2:44 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 2:44 pm and 2:46 pm.
  • 189-022 2:44 PM · 4 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 2:44 pm and 2:46 pm.
  • 131-012 2:46 PM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at Camp David from 2:46 pm to 3:01 pm.

All 63 conversations from May 17, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 189-023, May 17, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/189-023 (accessed October 10, 2026).