Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 235 › Conversation 235-010

Nixon phone call with Colson on Political strategy and Public relations

Saturday, December 9, 1972 · 4:00 PM–6:50 PM ET · Camp David Hard Wire · 11 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.Conversation235-010 on Tape 235StartSaturday, December 9, 1972 at 4:00 PMEndSaturday, December 9, 1972 at 6:50 PMRecording deviceCamp David Hard WireSourceNixon Library record for 235-010 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Charles Colson met at Camp David to discuss political strategy and public relations regarding the Democratic Party and media figures. The conversation includes discussions on political messaging, the potential neutralization of political opponents, and general administrative staffing concerns. While the dialogue is frequently interrupted by background noise and commentary on a televised football game, the two focused on maintaining an aggressive posture toward their critics.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 7 minutes of this recording (about 65% 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.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Go?
Yeah.
I guess, uh, what's happening on the Democrats?
Yeah, that didn't work.
But she knew that she resigned.
But she won't take straws.
Great.
Well, isn't that good news for us?
According to Connelly, I had a call and Connelly said that the second voter will be one person or the radicals vote.
Is that true or not?
You can see it isn't, but this is the thing.
You're out of seats.
You're out of people.
I get to remove the TV fixture with good news about color TV.
The less we lack of many TV repairs, look, chassis tubes.
Sure.
Get hot.
We can with age.
I don't really need a lot of TV repairs, so why is it you can't take every chassis tube built on XL100 color TVs?
XL100s are 100% solid-state, designed for all the lights and different colors.
Get chassis tubes brought over to boot camp on XL100.
Sure.
I really want to try to get us scamming in more, you know, like,
Let's get him with us.
Right.
I think he's right.
Another, I think another thing, however, is that we have to add to that.
I mean, it's not a good meeting at the very end of the bell.
It's an amazing event.
Oh, yeah, it's a great meeting.
That's the longest run this year for Caldwell.
You know, I read, uh, I passed it on to you, I read, uh, Kevin's piece, I don't know the reason, but I also read Dave Wilson's column.
I think the Wilson column, which is circulating, I don't know if you've seen it,
Oh, he put it all on his own.
Because, you know, we can't, let me say this.
You remember what they did before the Uber?
Unjustified media destroyed him after that.
Now, with this phone, he just cannot be allowed to have that Harriet Benhart.
That was beautiful.
But I'll tell you,
Now, this Monday's guy has got to be destroyed.
Right.
Well, there's no kidding yourself about it.
They just completely dominated the place.
No, but my daughter Julia was making it.
It was a very interesting experience.
You know, it was a real point of view.
We really did this on our own.
Very much in person.
Out of the way.
They always do.
Well, if they aren't, she isn't.
If they are, she isn't.
We just hand that over to me, Chuck.
Monday, I'll be back.
I was a little impressed by the bullying you had there.
Is he happy?
Does he think there's, what was the reaction from the Prince of Cambridge and all that?
They weren't as tough as Harvard were.
I mean, how'd they accept you running out of the election?
I'm going to try to use more of the key rate, not much.
I'm taking it to the east.
I'm taking it to Edgewood.
I'm a little mixed up here.
It's from there, right into Hireway.
I've got a whole bunch of cowboys.
Loading 74, head for 52.
We've got to run out of control.
He's going down after Brunei, and it fits, sir.
All right, let's watch it at 5 o'clock.
Your screen is not informing me, Ed.
Well, we're, uh, working.
It's a great program.
We're going in at the time of the EMR.
We're going in at the time of the EMR.
As you can see, Henry's leaving down on Monday.
That guy just told me.
He...
Negotiating.
Personnel attend.
Clear the door.
That's a 20, 28 yard line from Dallas.
We've just got a, we've got an interview.
That's for the room.
2-8, powerway blocking.
That's a 22 yard line from the Paris, parallel 3 coming in.
Four to 13.
46 yards to the passing department.
How much money do we have?
Two lanes.
Out to a very cold 63 coming in from the side.
Take this down.
It ought to be Christ.
Just think it's now 10 Thursdays before 6 Thursdays and I go to those pastors to buy.
Oh, everybody helped.
Her point was that she, her mother, she said a very deep reaction.
She said, you know,
We all know that she said in 68 we don't live anymore because that's what we're gonna want to know.
We had to change the enemy.
It's a good way to encourage her and the injury and pass an arrest and see what it was at this time.
It's not the only way to actually get her broke.
We gotta put the end of the street right away and get out of the hole.
We're the end of the people with us.
We'll be over there at 854 on the left side of your street.
You see the crack back right there?
Yes, sir.
Hey, the rest of the game is free.
Let's watch the whole thing.
Get to it, baby.
You gotta tell me before I leave.
It's not like I'm holding you up, Sam.
Then you don't seem to express the best of this on my devil's mind.
Oh, it's all right.
Wait.
It's our best future.
Everybody's sorry.
I don't think you're cold enough for asking to do this to me.
Good.

NARA Description

On December 9, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 4:00 pm and 6:50 pm. The Camp David Hard Wire taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 235-010 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 235-10

Date: December 9, 1972
Time: Unknown between 4:00 pm and 6:50 pm
Location: Camp David Hard Wire

The President talked with Charles W. Colson.

[See Conversation No. 157-28]
                                             -6-

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Also recorded on December 9, 1972

  • 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.
  • 157-029 4:00 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Camp David operator talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 4:00 pm and 6:50 pm.
  • 157-030 4:00 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 4:00 pm and 6:50 pm.
  • 157-031 4:00 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 4:00 pm and 6:50 pm.
  • 157-032 4:00 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 4:00 pm and 6:50 pm.
  • 157-033 4:00 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 4:00 pm and 6:50 pm.
  • 157-034 4:00 PM · 37 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez talked on the telephone at Camp David at an unknown time between 4:00 pm and 6:50 pm.
  • 157-035 4:00 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Julie Nixon Eisenhower 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 235-010, 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/235-010 (accessed October 10, 2026).