Nixon White House TapesTape 214 › Conversation 214-001

Nixon phone call with Colson on 1972 Presidential Campaign

Saturday, September 30, 1972 · 1:35 PM–2:05 PM ET · Camp David Hard Wire ·13 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Colson, Charles W.Conversation214-001 onTape 214StartSaturday, September 30, 1972 at 1:35 PMEndSaturday, September 30, 1972 at 2:05 PMRecording deviceCamp David Hard WireSourceNixon Library record for 214-001 ↗

President Nixon and Charles Colson met at Camp David to discuss political strategy and administrative coordination ahead of the 1972 election. The dialogue focused on managing campaign messaging and addressing specific political liabilities facing the administration. While the available recording is incomplete, the discussion underscores the ongoing efforts by the President and his special counsel to exert control over executive branch operations during the final stretch of the campaign.

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On September 30, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 1:35 pm to 2:05 pm. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 214-001 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 214-1

Date: September 30, 1972
Time: 1:35 pm - 2:05 pm
Location: Camp David Hard Wire

The President talked with Charles W. Colson.

[This recording began while the conversation was in progress.]

[See Conversation No. 145-1; one item has been withdrawn from the conversation]
  • 180-001 1:05 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 1:05 pm on September 30, 1972 and 9:22 am on October 3, 1972.
  • 180-002 1:05 PM · 11 sec — Julie Nixon Eisenhower and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 1:05 pm on September 30, 1972 and 9:22 am on October 3, 1972.
  • 180-003 1:05 PM · 22 sec — Julie Nixon Eisenhower and Nelson Pierce talked on the telephone at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 1:05 pm on September 30, 1972 and 9:22 am on October 3, 1972.
  • 180-004 1:05 PM · 12 sec — Julie Nixon Eisenhower and Charles G. ("Bebe") Rebozo talked on the telephone at Camp David on an unknown date, sometime between 1:05 pm on September 30, 1972 and 9:22 am on October 3, 1972.
  • 145-001 1:35 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 1:35 pm and 2:05 pm.
  • 145-002 2:05 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 2:05 pm and 2:32 pm.
  • 214-002 2:05 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 2:05 pm and 2:32 pm.
  • 145-003 2:32 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone at Camp David from 2:32 pm to 2:36 pm.

Conversation 214-001, September 30, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/214-001 (accessed September 18, 2026).