Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 212 › Conversation 212-004

Nixon phone call with Colson on Vietnam War and draft evaders

Tuesday, September 19, 1972 · 7:46 PM–8:10 PM ET · Camp David Hard Wire ·1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Colson, Charles W.Conversation212-004 onTape 212StartTuesday, September 19, 1972 at 7:46 PMEndTuesday, September 19, 1972 at 8:10 PMRecording deviceCamp David Hard WireSourceNixon Library record for 212-004 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Charles Colson discuss the political necessity of maintaining a hardline stance against Vietnam War draft evaders and deserters. They agree on the importance of demanding that these individuals face legal penalties for their actions, even after the war concludes. The conversation focuses on leveraging this rhetoric as a strategy to enforce patriotic standards and public accountability.

Audio

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello?
Did you get home?
Yeah, well, are you having dinner, I guess, huh?
That's good.
They'll have to serve.
We've got to carry hard on that.
Anybody who has deserted his country and served, I mean, he's got to pay the penalty.
Who's the word?
Penalty.
He doesn't, but he says that to us.
Yeah.
We've got to say that even when they're all home and the war is over, they've got to pay the penalty for having deserted their country.
The penalty.
That's right.
Try it Try it

NARA Description

On September 19, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 7:46 pm to 8:10 pm. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 212-004 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 212-4

Date: September 19, 1972
Time: 7:46 pm - 8:10 pm
Location: Camp David Hard Wire

The President talked with Charles W. Colson.

[See Conversation no. 144-2; two items have been withdrawn from this conversation]

Also recorded on September 19, 1972

  • 783-025 3:27 PM · 17 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Rose Mary Woods, Stephen B. Bull, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:27 pm to 3:42 pm.
  • 783-026 3:42 PM · 57 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, William E. Timmons, Henry A. Kissinger, John B. Connally, Clark MacGregor, George E. Christian, Stephen B. Bull, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:42 pm to 5:41 pm.
  • 783-027 5:41 PM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:41 pm and 11:59 pm.
  • 212-001 6:23 PM · 40 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 6:23 pm to 6:55 pm.
  • 212-002 6:55 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 6:55 pm and 7:46 pm.
  • 144-001 7:45 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, unknown person(s), and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 7:45 pm and 7:46 pm.
  • 212-003 7:45 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at 7:45 pm.
  • 144-002 7:46 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at Camp David from 7:46 pm to 8:10 pm.

All 46 conversations from September 19, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 212-004, September 19, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/212-004 (accessed September 18, 2026).