Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 304 › Conversation 304-008

Nixon & Colson on Public Relations and Economic Policy

Monday, October 25, 1971 · 2:40 PM–2:59 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 15 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.Conversation304-008 on Tape 304 (tape position 00:12:55–00:28:23)StartMonday, October 25, 1971 at 2:40 PMEndMonday, October 25, 1971 at 2:59 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 304-008 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Charles Colson discuss public relations strategies and the administration's political positioning regarding upcoming economic challenges and polling data. They review the potential negative impact of certain staffing losses while emphasizing the need to maintain a positive public narrative through effective media management. The conversation concludes with directives to bolster the visibility of Donald Rumsfeld and prepare for shifting political tides within the Democratic Party.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 5 minutes of this recording (about 31% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello?
Yeah.
Where are you today?
Oh, you're staying here.
Well, how are things going?
Are we sure what it is?
It's alright.
You sure?
No problem.
A lot of time in this week we're bound to because they were out in the limelight.
That's all right.
The stories will never catch up with the television.
Yeah, that's right.
I've heard all this business about how it's done, only the Washington Center isn't doing that.
Well, there isn't much of a story to be told.
I mean, that's basically the story.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
That's going to be very tough.
I pray we may lose a couple of people.
Well, in addition to working on this day in the belly, we may lose a couple of people.
Well, we'll have to take that.
We'll take some depreciation to write on that.
We'll just write it through and that's what we'll do.
It's going to happen anyway.
Oh, yeah.
It's made up to me.
I wouldn't be worried about it.
I mean, I told him, you know, he didn't back around for the whole time.
But he may have done a little stuff across the board.
All right.
How about, uh, what's the, uh, what is the, what is the Harris thing, unless you tell me off?
I would be hurt.
I think I don't have a question on that.
The Russian thing, before it was, uh,
And this green card, this green card I'm sure is going to be marked plus and minus.
I'm just counting to that.
Oh, it'll be quite a bit marked plus.
Yes, I get it.
Yeah.
Who affects the president?
Why did he do it that way?
Why didn't he do this and that in court?
I mean, what the hell was it?
I considered a woman.
I considered a senator.
I have some compliments of them.
What the hell?
Everybody here, I think, recognizes these were minor choices, too.
You know, at least somebody didn't bring them down to how many tangles.
That's what I mean.
Yeah, I think that's good.
It's a good line to get across.
I suppose I wrote the speech, but it doesn't really work.
That's one of the things we had to think about.
Of course, we had records of himself all the time.
That's your right, that's your right.
From what I have heard from the people I've talked to today, they didn't even have the tolerance to be too resistant, which is apparently quite effective in their own world too.
That's good.
You know, the thing that's interesting to me, and we're going to have a hell of a lot more of this, is that the Democrats are all traction-oriented, almost as traction-oriented.
The economy is basically our toughest issue because it really gets down to what the hell happens.
See, when you look at Harris' poll, it still shows what we do for approval here.
policy, they still have a negative rating as far as jobs, employment, and all that is concerned.
I would work a little better.
But I think other times, you know, I have this feeling that they're off, that in some way it's the last of this year, you know, to start bubbling up some.
I've got it.
We're just wrong.
He opposed the holding of a national park.
We've done a play about that, and he goes to the world.
A lot of people are at that show.
But we hear all isolated reports .
Oh yeah, I think it'll move up.
Up front center, I think Rumsfeld will be well.
Yeah, let's keep him up.
I found him an edge.
Now let's let him get off the cell like hell.
Good.
Good.
Try to do everything you can.
Good.
Good.
I don't want to put you in trouble, but I know you should do something.
You're fine.
You're good.
You're fine.
You're good.
You're fine.
You're good.
You're fine.
I hope that means the fourth party rather than the Democratic Party, but I guess it doesn't.
He's wise to not get started until just now.
He must be very worried right now.
and also they'll get a tax allow
Okay.

NARA Description

On October 25, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:40 pm to 2:59 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 304-008 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 304-8

Date: October 25, 1971
Time: 2:40 pm 2:59 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Charles W. Colson.

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[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 09/25/2019.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[304-008-w001]
[Duration: 39s]

[See Conversation No. 012-115-w002]

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

Also recorded on October 25, 1971

  • 012-112 2:37 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 2:37 pm.
  • 012-113 2:37 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:37 pm and 2:40 pm.
  • 012-114 2:37 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:37 pm and 2:40 pm.
  • 304-005 2:37 PM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 2:37 pm.
  • 304-006 2:37 PM · 13 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 2:37 pm and 2:40 pm.
  • 304-007 2:37 PM · 3 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 2:37 pm and 2:40 pm.
  • 012-115 2:40 PM · 18 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 2:40 pm to 2:59 pm.
  • 012-116 3:01 PM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and William P. Rogers talked on the telephone from 3:01 pm to 3:11 pm.

All 50 conversations from October 25, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 304-008, October 25, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/304-008 (accessed October 9, 2026).