{"conversationCode":"252-017","tapeNumber":252,"conversationNumber":17,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-252-017","startDateTime":"1971-04-28T20:33:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1971-04-28T20:47:00.000Z","startDate":"28-Apr-1971","startTime":"4:33 PM","endDate":"28-Apr-1971","endTime":"4:47 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.;","description":"On April 28, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 4:33 pm to 4:47 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 252-017 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"EOB","recordingDevice":"Old Executive Office Building","latitudeEstimated":38.897567,"longitudeEstimated":-77.039147,"chronCode":1,"chronRelease":"First Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"5-Oct-1999","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 252-17\n\nDate: April 28, 1971\nTime: 4:33 pm - 4:47 pm\nLocation: Executive Office Building\n\nThe President talked with Charles W. Colson\n\n[See Conversation No. 42-68]","filename":["252-017-splice.mp3"],"tapeStart":"00:34:51","tapeEnd":"00:43:01","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Colson, Charles W."],"prevCode":"252-016","nextCode":"252-018","tapeTranscriptFile":"252a.mp3,252b.mp3","transcript":[{"start":2107.23,"end":2108.55,"text":"I mean, he was one of the ones that kind of... Oh, he's..."},{"start":2108.61,"end":2108.93,"text":"I don't know."},{"start":2108.95,"end":2109.29,"text":"I don't know."},{"start":2109.31,"end":2109.71,"text":"I don't know."},{"start":2109.73,"end":2110.01,"text":"I don't know."},{"start":2127.7,"end":2132.91,"text":"Now we're about to go into cheating."},{"start":2133.19,"end":2140.71,"text":"I don't know if you can understand it or not, but I'm trying to hold it."},{"start":2140.75,"end":2143.13,"text":"Why don't you show it to me?"},{"start":2143.15,"end":2147.75,"text":"I'm going to have to be very..."},{"start":2160.17,"end":2165.78,"text":"uh they uh they uh"},{"start":2168.78,"end":2173.63,"text":"We didn't expect it to be that way."},{"start":2173.77,"end":2184.19,"text":"Now, uh, they, they're, they're, maybe they'll, they're going to, uh, there's some points where they will be on the hills."},{"start":2184.29,"end":2190,"text":"Uh, we'll have to see."},{"start":2191.34,"end":2192.54,"text":"We'll have to see."},{"start":2192.72,"end":2194.06,"text":"Yeah, I'll, I'll, uh,"},{"start":2196.09,"end":2196.73,"text":"I think I'll play out of this."},{"start":2219.86,"end":2229.79,"text":"Of course, the thing is that it's just an unconscionable suspension."},{"start":2229.81,"end":2234.85,"text":"I don't know what you can do with it, but I'll tell you this."},{"start":2234.89,"end":2237.75,"text":"I want to be sure that the bridge has got the word."},{"start":2237.85,"end":2240.75,"text":"Not a thing for CPS on that spin-off."},{"start":2242.13,"end":2247.44,"text":"It's complicated as hell."},{"start":2250.14,"end":2252.4,"text":"... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..."},{"start":2280.74,"end":2285.04,"text":"I don't know."},{"start":2287.06,"end":2290.97,"text":"I can talk to you in a second."},{"start":2291.05,"end":2293.37,"text":"I'd rather it isn't."},{"start":2293.53,"end":2300.81,"text":"Also, let me say, I don't know if you're calling my director, but I'd also like to do a call with him."},{"start":2301.01,"end":2302.39,"text":"I'd like to see how he's doing."},{"start":2302.43,"end":2304.7,"text":"That's what we've got to do."},{"start":2305.58,"end":2308.3,"text":"See whether he can do me a favor, you know."},{"start":2309.92,"end":2336.78,"text":"I think it's a good idea, but I think he's going to be disappointed with the fact that it's damn less than he thinks."},{"start":2337.43,"end":2356.9,"text":"do you think we're going to get ten minutes or five, ten minutes, you know, people never really do it for us, they do it for the other way around."},{"start":2357.04,"end":2361.72,"text":"Another thing, too, is how about the tigers, how are they doing?"},{"start":2361.8,"end":2364.51,"text":"How are they doing?"},{"start":2365.19,"end":2366.37,"text":"What do you mean?"},{"start":2366.47,"end":2367.43,"text":"What do you mean?"},{"start":2367.47,"end":2369.61,"text":"Demonstrate to me."},{"start":2369.63,"end":2369.77,"text":"Right."},{"start":2369.85,"end":2372.25,"text":"Well, that certainly doesn't help hurt our cause, does it?"},{"start":2372.29,"end":2374.89,"text":"And they basically turned it off, but..."},{"start":2375.19,"end":2382.89,"text":"Some of our, you know, our softest things should have been done that way."},{"start":2382.97,"end":2385.35,"text":"They're absolutely wrong, but water pointed out the problem that way."},{"start":2385.43,"end":2388.03,"text":"Finally did something smart."},{"start":2388.85,"end":2389.89,"text":"That's right."},{"start":2390.05,"end":2390.49,"text":"What the hell?"},{"start":2390.51,"end":2392.87,"text":"They're going to go in and bring this office up close to them, you know?"},{"start":2395.43,"end":2395.67,"text":"Sure."},{"start":2395.69,"end":2397.03,"text":"I think it's very important."},{"start":2397.13,"end":2404.37,"text":"I'm thinking out of this post, and I think we know that we can, inside, we may be the agenda we react to."},{"start":2404.43,"end":2407.71,"text":"He thinks we do, you know, of course."},{"start":2407.83,"end":2409.61,"text":"And I don't think we are."},{"start":2409.63,"end":2414.21,"text":"I think the network, you know, I think there was a few things."},{"start":2414.29,"end":2416.95,"text":"I think we're going to come out of it."},{"start":2416.97,"end":2421.87,"text":"I mean, we hit a crack at it, and I'll hit it again tomorrow night."},{"start":2423.96,"end":2427.92,"text":"You understand the power we have in the presence."},{"start":2428.18,"end":2430.44,"text":"That will wash it off."},{"start":2430.46,"end":2432.72,"text":"We have to go on again."},{"start":2432.84,"end":2434,"text":"It's hard work."},{"start":2434.16,"end":2448.01,"text":"The trouble is we haven't got anybody who's had confidence in Captain."},{"start":2448.09,"end":2449.23,"text":"He's good though."},{"start":2449.29,"end":2450.63,"text":"He's positive."},{"start":2451.17,"end":2452.47,"text":"He's positive."},{"start":2453.05,"end":2463.7,"text":"you know, that Christian was a great secretary, but I think in terms of making news, you never saw him."},{"start":2464.72,"end":2466.58,"text":"Oh, it is insane."},{"start":2466.72,"end":2472.16,"text":"In the office, I know that they're somewhere under that seat, beginning to see through this awfully hard for these people."},{"start":2472.18,"end":2481.05,"text":"Sure, the news isn't always, I mean, it's always good, but there's so much of it that is positive that these badgers are having one hell of a time knocking it down."},{"start":2484.33,"end":2484.81,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":2484.89,"end":2485.51,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":2510.23,"end":2514.25,"text":"You've got to make it part of the center."},{"start":2514.31,"end":2517.19,"text":"You've got to make it part of the center."},{"start":2517.31,"end":2521.37,"text":"You've got to make it part of the center."},{"start":2521.45,"end":2524.26,"text":"You've got to make it part of the center."},{"start":2524.36,"end":2529.72,"text":"You've got to make it part of the center."},{"start":2529.82,"end":2535.28,"text":"You've got to make it part of the center."},{"start":2537.42,"end":2548.19,"text":"It's very possible that they may not make it, you know, if you try to, uh, you know, try to enjoy it."},{"start":2548.41,"end":2549.37,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":2549.39,"end":2552.67,"text":"Well, I have action telephones."},{"start":2552.71,"end":2557.19,"text":"They can't go any faster than they should."},{"start":2557.29,"end":2563.46,"text":"And I really think they're against it, so don't go into my way to feed them."},{"start":2563.72,"end":2564.32,"text":"I agree."},{"start":2564.38,"end":2565.72,"text":"I've said it myself."},{"start":2566.96,"end":2571.22,"text":"Anyway, keep faith."},{"start":2571.24,"end":2577.6,"text":"Don't worry."},{"start":2577.64,"end":2578.22,"text":"Bye."},{"start":2578.46,"end":2583.51,"text":"Uh, don't worry."}],"transcriptBoundary":{"start":2091,"end":2581,"startMethod":"llm-alignment","endMethod":"llm-alignment"},"transcriptConfidence":"high","transcriptSource":"bigtape","aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon and Charles Colson met to discuss media strategy and public relations efforts in the face of ongoing political criticism. The conversation touched upon the necessity of maintaining a firm public stance and managing information provided to major news outlets like CBS. Nixon emphasized the importance of utilizing presidential authority to influence public perception and underscored the need for continued, persistent communication to counteract opposing political narratives.","topics":["Public relations","Media strategy","CBS","Political communication","Presidential influence"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T11:50:19.341Z"},"topicSlugs":["public-relations","media-strategy","cbs","political-communication","presidential-influence"],"audioDurationSec":493,"audioFiles":[{"file":"252-017-splice.mp3","bytes":7870503,"durationSec":493.01,"bitrate":127713,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T14:10:24.808Z","originalFilename":["252a.mp3","252b.mp3"],"spliceSource":{"spliceType":"bigtape","sourceFiles":["252a.mp3"],"cutStart":2089.5,"cutEnd":2582.5,"adjustedStart":2089.5,"adjustedEnd":2582.5,"boundaryMethod":"llm-alignment","confidence":"high","splicedAt":"2026-09-18T14:10:24.808Z"},"transcriptPrev":{"segments":84,"replacedAt":"2026-09-18T14:11:37.974Z"},"audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/252-017-splice.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/252-017","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/252/conversation-252-017","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}