Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 261 › Conversation 261-045

Nixon & Colson on Vietnam War and Lyndon B. Johnson

Thursday, July 1, 1971 · 6:30 PM–6:37 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 11 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.Conversation261-045 on Tape 261 (tape position 04:53:52–05:07:00)StartThursday, July 1, 1971 at 6:30 PMEndThursday, July 1, 1971 at 6:37 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 261-045 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Charles Colson discuss strategies for managing public perception regarding the Vietnam War, focusing specifically on the significantly reduced U.S. casualty figures. The President emphasizes the importance of publicizing these statistics and encourages Colson to pressure former President Lyndon B. Johnson to publicly support the administration's position on Vietnam. Nixon argues that Johnson has a historical stake in the conflict and urges him to request prime-time television access to present a convincing case to the American public.

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Position in tape: 04:53:52 – 05:07:00

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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Chuck, I want to be sure that you got the message from all of them with regard to making this month's casualty figures.
I think it's the lowest month in probably six years.
Yeah.
Did you get that out?
Putting it in in terms of a month, you see, you've got 19, 25, 25, 21 now.
In other words, the casualties this month are less than they were in a week a year ago, you see.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But I mean, I think we'll be able to be sure that that works well.
See if it's going to work.
That's a very, but it's a really very significant job.
Everything that I predicted is happening here.
Now, I think with John, we've talked to John about this or something, I think.
He'll have to reprogram it.
Scali understands this, you see.
Is there a meeting over yet?
Still at it?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I don't think I should do that.
I think that's wrong.
I think that's wrong.
Oh, I know the argument.
So we aren't in the possession of being repressive.
That's defensive.
I don't want to be defensive.
Yeah.
Yeah.
What's the purpose of it?
How does Skelly feel, because he's got the insurance?
Yeah, well.
Well, he's, yeah.
Well, you tell him.
I'm going to have to talk to him in the future, but the main thing I want him to know about this thing here.
How about Riders?
Have we got him?
Go ahead.
Oh, he did?
Today?
Sure.
Well now, how about you call the bill by Johnson?
Johnson really ought to come out.
He's got his place in history involved here.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Mad at me?
Yeah.
Yeah.
The injunction was to say?
Okay.
I would have the same thing, but you see, Chuck, we can cross that bridge.
No, we've done it.
Okay.
Oh, yeah, I know.
He says, yeah.
But, let me get in.
All right.
He should speak up.
And he'll do well if it'll be done.
He's got a hell of a lot to say, and it'll be big.
You know, look, you ought to call him back next year for it.
I don't know if it's a place in history or anything else.
But there's nothing like it, sending 50 million people a note.
You should speak up only on prime time.
You should say, look, they've been banned and so forth and so on.
You should ask for prime time television.
Go on prime time television.
9 o'clock, get 50 million people.
State the case, and he'll be convincing.
And it'll sell.
It's an amazing copy of this book.
See what I mean?
OK?
Bye.
But the point is that I think that's a jump in interest to do that.
And just to say this is a biased thing, it's wrong, one of the across are wrong tonight.
This would be quite temporary, how does it work?
Oh boy, build it up, figure out what to do.
But this is where I'll be smart and when he's well, he's being handled so well.
Sure.
Sure.
Good.
Okay.
Okay.
Yeah.
Well, Johnson always .
Sure.
Well, there is a CVS worker.
Well, of course, this may, of course, I mean, Canada would argue that this proves we have fun because the network is going wild with putting on specials and everything else.
But, you know, I'm not sure either.
They may be overfunding.
I think they're, I think they're making, look, good God, Chuck Kennedy's in this goddamn thing.
Johnson's in this.
I don't think we're in it at all, are we?
Yeah.
Yeah, that's right.
I'm going to wait.
I'm going to hold fire.
I don't worry.
I do have a little stinging.
Midwest, I don't have to make a statement for them to approve anything.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I can probably do, um... Somebody hold a pyramid on your face.
Wow.
Get the, you know, a fellow like me and the rest of the men.
I hope they get certain appointments.
They must be on our side, aren't they?
John, how many?
Oh, yeah.
Great.
No, but Texas is a hell of a big state.
And not just Southern, it's Western.
Well that then, now you've got that all at once all over again.
Well, who?
Couldn't, that's good.
He's not the guy to give you a chance to say he couldn't.
Well, actually, there is a drop, Johnson.
It may go up a little in the summer, but that's all right.
And we're getting out of the war.
How did you get that?
OK, well, let me know about why Johnson had it.
Okay.

NARA Description

On July 1, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:30 pm to 6:37 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 261-045 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 261-45

Date: July 1, 1971
Time: 6:30 pm - 6:37 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Charles W. Colson

[See Conversation No. 6-86]

Also recorded on July 1, 1971

  • 261-043 6:20 PM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:20 pm and 6:30 pm.
  • 006-086 6:30 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 6:30 pm to 6:37 pm.
  • 006-087 6:37 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 6:37 pm and 6:45 pm.
  • 261-046 6:37 PM · 30 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:37 pm and 6:45 pm.
  • 006-088 6:45 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 6:45 pm to 6:46 pm.
  • 261-047 6:45 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 6:45 pm to 6:46 pm.
  • 006-089 6:46 PM · 1 min — Edward R. F. Cox and Oliver F. ("Ollie") Atkins talked on the telephone on an unknown date, sometime between 6:46 pm on July 1, 1971 and 4:08 pm on July 2, 1971.
  • 261-048 6:46 PM · 7 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:46 pm and 7:00 pm.

All 57 conversations from July 1, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 261-045, July 1, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/261-045 (accessed October 5, 2026).