Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 220 › Conversation 220-014

Nixon phone call with Colson on Press relations and Water bill veto

Sunday, October 15, 1972 · 11:07 AM–11:21 AM ET · Camp David Hard Wire · 8 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.Conversation220-014 on Tape 220StartSunday, October 15, 1972 at 11:07 AMEndSunday, October 15, 1972 at 11:21 AMRecording deviceCamp David Hard WireSourceNixon Library record for 220-014 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Charles Colson discuss negative press coverage in The Washington Post and The New York Times, concluding that the administration should remain unfazed by the reporting. They explore political strategies regarding an expected congressional override of a water bill veto, specifically proposing that Republicans avoid a quorum to prevent the vote. Finally, Nixon outlines plans for a non-political appearance in Philadelphia to sign a bill, intending to showcase support from governors and local allies while avoiding the optics of a standard motorcade.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 4 minutes of this recording (about 58% 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.

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I must say that the going through the
from pages of the Times and the Post, and I'm just glad they don't affect the country that much.
My God, that Post story was, I mean, you talk about hearsay, you know, and somebody told this and all that, and he saw the God Almighty.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
It's incredible.
I told Paul, I said, don't let everybody worry about it.
You can't do a thing about it.
Don't you agree?
Time is also going to use it, so time magazine and so on, you know, that's fine.
That means that time doesn't have to go to the extent.
It'll get arrived for two or three days.
That's right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Maybe that's just as well.
In a way, then they have to write about it, don't they?
Those aren't people that want me to get out of Camp Van.
Let's face it, they're concerned about the fact that they now get a chance to override the water veto.
I don't know if that's too bad either.
I mean, if they override a veto, they override a veto.
That's all.
Make the case and then it's Congress against the President.
It's a possibility.
It is a possibility.
If the Republicans are smart, then they just don't bother coming back.
They don't get a quorum.
Well, that's the strategy.
In other words, if the Republicans come back, they're on the spot and have control over the President.
If they're not back, they don't get blamed for not being back.
If there's no quorum, there's no hope.
Exactly.
What'd Bill say?
I think they're on the farm.
Sustaining of each other's interests.
Is Bill exempt?
Not really.
All right.
At least, in a sense, Chuck is a good reason for me to be around, and I, and I would love to hold out for him Friday, and then there's terrorism.
It's going to be, you know, I'm, you know, I've told you because of this, it's going to be announced tomorrow, and I'm just working on it today.
Learning, of course, let me say to you, because my stage has been learning about forever, sharing the past, and writing a nice, serious story.
He invited me to come to Philadelphia and sign the bill there, and to go speak up in the first Congress.
So you see there are 50 governors, 500 fighting against, who signed the manned bill.
He said, no, I said, it was a conflict, but I'll have 20,000 people that are for Nixon on front of that hall.
I had the idea a few days ago and raised it with all of them.
And then I was glad to listen about two weeks ago.
And then I had vetoed myself because of Shapp.
And then I thought, I don't need to worry about Shapp because we're inviting all 50 governors.
So I'll just, I'll ride in with Rizzo.
In fact, not on a helicopter, as a matter of fact.
We'll have to ride a couple blocks, or four or five blocks.
So we don't have the problem of building motorcades.
We don't want a motorcade.
We don't want it to be political.
So we'll just come right up here and spend a cell, sign that thing, and we'll be on a hell of a show.
It reminds us how to do this, and it starts with you.
So I don't care if it's a name.
That's right.
You see those
You couldn't just go the whole week with nothing.
I just felt that I was wrong.
You know, I had the knowledge of Congressmen and we did work with them for a certain price.
But the Philadelphia was perfect.
You know, I could go Friday with them and go to a night out with them.
Well, I didn't think that we had gone far since we've done that.
I had called in my government's radio guy and said, I don't think this is going to work.
Well,
I saw him, sorry, where he used to walk.
He used to come from behind the wall and gradually close the gap.
That's the line that's been blocked over so fast.
So I was asking him, you know, I'm sure we've got him.
He got off the top.
He had at least a second chance.
He had a second chance.
He had a second chance.
He had a second chance.
He had a second chance.
What is the situation?
I don't see that you can't go over something.
We know it really isn't what they showed us.
If they showed us that they want to talk about closing gas, or this kind of thing, our opinion would be more than just fine.
It would be 25 or 26, right?
Anglowich, or Shakilowich was 40 earlier or something, somewhere, some un-planted, out-landed trigger.
He was, like, way, very, very high, but you would never eat that.
Anglowich is a weird gentleman, Chuck, because he was over sexual experience.
You know, you see, he reported right after the convention and hasn't reported since.
So, so, you know, I don't think, you know, he can yell at us more.
He was a dead loser.
That's what they're trying to get at, aren't they?
Okay.
Hmm.
Hmm.
Hmm.
Hmm.

NARA Description

On October 15, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 11:07 am to 11:21 am. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 220-014 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 220-014

Date: October 15, 1972
Time: 11:07 am - 11:21 am
Location: Camp David Hard Wire

The President talked with Charles W. Colson.

       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542

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

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 09/17/2019.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[220-014-w001]
[Duration: 28s]

[See Conversation No. 149-010-w001]

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

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

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 09/17/2019.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[220-014-w002]
[Duration: 55s]

[See Conversation No. 149-010-w002]

[End of telephone conversation]

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

Also recorded on October 15, 1972

  • 149-009 10:55 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:55 am and 11:07 am.
  • 220-013 10:55 AM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 10:55 am and 11:07 am.
  • 149-010 11:07 AM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at Camp David from 11:07 am to 11:21 am.
  • 149-011 11:24 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at 11:24 am.
  • 149-012 11:24 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 11:24 am and 11:35 am.
  • 149-013 11:24 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 11:24 am and 12:00 pm.
  • 220-015 11:24 AM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at 11:24 am.
  • 220-016 11:24 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 11:24 am and 11:35 am.

All 23 conversations from October 15, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 220-014, October 15, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/220-014 (accessed October 10, 2026).