Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 235 › Conversation 235-008

Nixon phone call with Camp David Operator on Charles W. Colson

Saturday, December 9, 1972 · 1:58 PM ET · Camp David Hard Wire · 16 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Camp David OperatorConversation235-008 on Tape 235StartSaturday, December 9, 1972 at 1:58 PMEndSaturday, December 9, 1972 at 1:58 PMRecording deviceCamp David Hard WireSourceNixon Library record for 235-008 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon contacted the Camp David operator to facilitate a telephone call to his special counsel, Charles W. Colson. The interaction served as a brief administrative bridge to connect the President with his advisor. No substantive policy discussions occurred during this exchange as the operator worked to establish the connection.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Uh, operator Mr. Coulson is with us.
We'll be right back.

NARA Description

On December 9, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at 1:58 pm. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 235-008 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 235-8

Date: December 9, 1972
Time: 1:58 pm
Location: Camp David Hard Wire
                                               -5-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                                        Conversation No. 235-8 (cont’d)

The President talked with the Camp David operator.

       Call to Charles W. Colson

Also recorded on December 9, 1972

  • 157-026 12:22 PM · 35 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at Camp David from 12:22 pm to 12:58 pm.
  • 235-004 12:22 PM · 23 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David from 12:22 pm to 12:58 pm.
  • 235-005 12:58 PM · 29 sec — Helene (Colesie) Drown, William Hirsch, and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 12:58 pm and 1:58 pm.
  • 235-006 12:58 PM · 15 sec — Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon and Helene (Colesie) Drown met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 12:58 pm and 1:58 pm.
  • 235-007 12:58 PM · 1 min — Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon, Helene (Colesie) Drown, and Julie Nixon Eisenhower met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 12:58 pm and 1:58 pm.
  • 157-027 1:58 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at 1:58 pm.
  • 235-009 1:58 PM · 56 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 1:58 pm and 4:00 pm.
  • 157-028 4:00 PM · 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 4:00 pm and 6:50 pm.

All 41 conversations from December 9, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 235-008, December 9, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/235-008 (accessed October 10, 2026).