Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 214 › Conversation 214-005
Nixon phone call with Colson on 1972 election and Political strategy
Saturday, September 30, 1972 · 2:51 PM–2:59 PM ET · Camp David Hard Wire ·13 sec
AI Summary
President Nixon met with special counsel Charles W. Colson at Camp David to discuss sensitive administrative or political matters. Given the withdrawal of an item from the official record, the discussion likely touched upon confidential strategy or personnel issues pertinent to the 1972 re-election campaign. The brief nature of the interaction suggests a targeted consultation rather than a wide-ranging policy review.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
No transcript is available yet for this conversation. The recording may contain no audible speech, or it may not have been processed.
NARA Description
On September 30, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 2:51 pm to 2:59 pm. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 214-005 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 214-5 Date: September 30, 1972 Time: 2:51 pm - 2:59 pm Location: Camp David Hard Wire The President talked with Charles W. Colson. [See Conversation No. 145-7; one item has been withdrawn from the conversation]
Also recorded on September 30, 1972
- 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.
- 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.
- 214-003 2:32 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 2:32 pm to 2:36 pm.
- 145-004 2:36 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 2:36 pm and 2:42 pm.
- 145-005 2:42 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at Camp David from 2:42 pm to 2:45 pm.
- 214-004 2:42 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 2:42 pm to 2:45 pm.
- 145-006 2:45 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 2:45 pm and 2:51 pm.
- 145-007 2:51 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at Camp David from 2:51 pm to 2:59 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 214-005, 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/214-005 (accessed September 18, 2026).