Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 194 › Conversation 194-006
Nixon phone call with Colson on George McGovern and Economic Policy
Saturday, June 24, 1972 · 9:22 AM–9:50 AM ET · Camp David Hard Wire · 17 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Charles W. Colson met at Camp David to discuss administration strategy regarding economic policy, media management, and the political opposition. Nixon expressed frustration with the business community's performance and emphasized the need for Treasury Secretary George Shultz to take a more aggressive, visible role in economic matters. The two also strategized on utilizing the controversial elements of George McGovern's platform, such as abortion and defense cuts, to mobilize voters through targeted campaign materials.
- George McGovern
- Economic Policy
- George Shultz
- Political Strategy
- Business Community
- Campaign Messaging
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 7% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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Hello.
Hi, how are you?
Well, what's new today?
Except flood.
I gotta go up to Steele's in Pennsylvania and look for flood today.
Oh, they seem to think I ought to do it.
One of those things that I always thought Johnson really over did, you know, running and flying over the flood area, as you know.
It's such a showboat thing.
There's a damn thing I can do about it.
You know what I mean?
I signed by a disaster.
That's really what you do.
You act.
Right, right.
he had directed Nicole Connelly about the international monetary thing.
The British had also told him about the food.
They speak to the... Oh, well, good.
Well, good, and that covered both ways.
Well, that's right, and we didn't.
Was he?
Where was he when you got him by chance, in fact?
How do you like it?
What do you think of everything?
That's the one thing, of course, that I...
I know he's sensitive about it.
I was calling on everybody and everybody else to go out and say things, but he just isn't worth a damn when he gets before that tube now.
They said, we can't get our girls about that.
You know, he's come through to us with who know him.
You've got to know George to appreciate his strength.
But when he gets before that tube, he is just on an effective call.
That's not over, because he's so down and honest and matter of fact, you know.
And when he tries to be effective, it doesn't come over him.
He's a low-key guy.
That's right.
Cool.
Real cool.
I'll be facing CPI figures in the next few months.
It's a hell of a lot of people.
We just hope to Christ they come down in September.
The members are critical.
If they ever start moving down then or, I mean, do we down our rebar or decelerate, then we were in our ownership.
I'm not affected by that.
The one thing, too, that I don't believe that these people can't understand, because I'm coming later, this storage of meat and stuff, and also
uh the government purchases is a hell of an item in other words if that ticket can really get the government just not to buy anything for a while you know these suspensions can do that right now they're just you know they buy them up for two or three months and they store it up in freezers just say run your stocks down now they can do it on the basis that they expect prices to be down in two months
It's unbelievable the tremendous waste that goes into anything like this.
We're just going to follow up.
We're going to follow up.
Where is he?
Schultz.
Yeah.
Because Schultz then will take something and then try to analyze whether it's correct or not.
The cat doesn't give a damn.
He says, well, boom, he goes.
Now, I don't think I should do it because I don't think it will be effective.
I think this job has got to be done by Shultz.
It's also a declaration of lack of confidence in Shultz.
That's something we just can't do.
We can't undercut the Secretary of Treasury.
And I just don't like me to get in with all those, you know, the three killers, those are the main killers, and tell those sons of bitches to hold the line and hear them squeal about their problem.
I mean, I'm in here whining now.
You know, I'm not going to do it.
The business people, I'm not going to see any more businessmen between now and the end of 2007.
No more businessmen at all.
It's up to them to start acting like, you know, grown-up people.
The hell with them.
I really mean that.
They're lucky to even be around.
They ought to stay away from us.
That's the point.
Business people should be coming to us.
Well, little?
Good God, that's my point.
They ought to be scared of that.
We don't give a damn if they're like me.
The point is that they want whatever.
And they've got to make up their mind.
If they do, all right.
Great.
They ought to let him in charge of some business group.
You see, now, he's very good.
He's brilliant.
He's an economist.
He's Jewish.
And I think he should just not have been.
He's enthusiastic, you see.
You can, you know, that's the trouble with most of the economists.
The business types are so low-key, and that's the thing.
But Renfrew, you know, he pounds the table and jumps up and down like my dad.
Try it.
Get him on a talk show.
I'm good.
Yes.
Garmin and he are intimate friends.
Garmin introduced him to me.
Talk to him.
Well, as soon as he gets back, have him work on a little light.
He's just very close friends with us.
Well, you know what's going to happen to McGovern in there.
Stocks go to hell.
As a matter of fact, we got a big at the market.
It's an auction hanging around.
Where is it now?
Between 900 and over 900 is the main thing.
But it may drop with McGovern's prospects.
It could drop below 900.
Believe me.
I know what happens.
These people get scared of those small things.
Well, if you stop to think of it, they have a market at 947 that's pretty damn good.
Got all those assholes that wanted to get out from the 630 when I told them to buy.
Flash.
Flash.
I saw the post where they really, first of all, they really protected him in the sense that they were going to support him because of his interest in black concerns.
What the hell did they mean is that they had done a caucus, which is a hell of a lot different.
Oh, sure.
The California thing, anyway, that the Supreme Court overruled in the program.
Well, I disagree.
He's the one we want.
I don't care what the hell the liberal press and the rest of it is.
You see, the main thing is Bill is going to be elected.
You could say he's the most dangerous one.
He's their favorite candidate, and so is Anthony.
This doesn't add up.
Goldwater, basically, was a tremendously honest man.
Also, can you get that to help me this one quietly?
Oh, God.
Huh?
So, in other words, what he was formed from, he was born around him from.
Yep.
Incidentally, to be sure, to take that press conference, I suppose, and take the key things on it, plus the lady doing the smaller things.
wire capping system, your program for wire capping.
But if you've done that already, you're going to do it right.
Well, now just say something, something, something, get it around.
I mean, all of them should follow up on this.
Yeah, well, just be sure it's done every time.
Because people do not read that transcript in New York Times.
They don't read it.
That's what I'm trying to get the administration to do.
But they didn't ever use it, that's the main thing.
See, that's the point I was making.
Mm-hmm.
Very brief.
So, the issue is, I don't know why I just told you to use it earlier.
Mm-hmm.
Well, it takes, you gotta keep resolving.
That's the way it is.
Resolve, resolve, resolve.
You gotta keep reassuring.
That's the secret of the Wall Street.
He just didn't say it for so long.
Damn right.
Yeah.
Oh, I wouldn't call it from a different platform, though.
Unless it is a left-wing...
We know that, so we gotta be dead.
Sure, we don't do that.
There ought to be a different platform.
Somebody ought to start writing that right now.
They keep going to extreme positions.
They have a different platform.
It's fine.
Just call it a different platform.
Pop.
income, and then issues direct quotes, uses worse direct quotes.
Now that's a very good mailing piece for you to go to the, you know, to go around the McGovern platform.
Pocket.
Abortion is worse quotes.
Gay liberation, worse quotes.
See?
But that's a very effective piece.
Defense cut $30 million.
Very good.
I think certainly now that kind of what a lot of our people would be, you know, I mean, a lot of the immigrants, I mean, just, you know, they've really got to get off this phone.
No, I didn't say it to her.
I used to be her daughter, you know, most of the time.
Yeah, of course.
You do, you should know, they'll let you, they'll go to a clever company to make that kind of thing, and it's bright-eyed, but you can't work with me.
That's just how it is.
And of course, we just held a lot more people, and a lot of compliments, too.
That's why we've got to get some people who are going to turn to Congress and see Democrats.
Press for a pass, and then that way we'll regard them as successors.
Anyway, get off and take a little time.
I'm going to go out and get this helicopter.
And next time, I'm going to get it for you.
NARA Description
On June 24, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 9:22 am to 9:50 am. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 194-006 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 194-6 Date: June 24, 1972 Time: 9:22-9:50 am Location: Camp David Hard Wire The President talked with Charles W. Colson. ************************************************************************** [Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 05/17/2019. Segment cleared for release.] [Personal Returnable] [194-006-w001] [Duration: 13s] [See also Conversation No. 134-005-w001] ************************************************************************** ************************************************************************** [Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 05/17/2019. Segment cleared for release.] [Personal Returnable] [194-006-w002] [Duration: 5m 41s] [See also Conversation No. 134-005-w002] ************************************************************************** ************************************************************************** [Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 05/17/2019. Segment cleared for release.] [Personal Returnable] [194-006-w003] [Duration: 3m 46s] [See also Conversation No. 134-005-w003] [End of telephone conversation] **************************************************************************
Also recorded on June 24, 1972
- 134-001 9:05 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:05 am and 9:12 am.
- 134-002 9:12 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Craig S. Campbell talked on the telephone at Camp David from 9:12 am to 9:14 am.
- 194-003 9:12 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Craig S. Campbell met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 9:12 am to 9:14 am.
- 134-003 9:14 AM · 38 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:14 am and 9:15 am.
- 134-004 9:14 AM · 58 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:14 am and 9:15 am.
- 194-004 9:14 AM — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:14 am and 9:15 am.
- 194-005 9:15 AM · 48 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 9:15 am and 9:22 am.
- 134-005 9:22 AM · 28 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at Camp David from 9:22 am to 9:50 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 194-006, June 24, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/194-006 (accessed October 8, 2026).