Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 307 › Conversation 307-030
Nixon & Colson on John Mitchell and Political Strategy
Wednesday, December 8, 1971 · 5:08 PM–5:14 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 3 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Charles Colson discuss the management of sensitive political assignments and the coordination of communications with Attorney General John Mitchell. They focus on ensuring that Petro acts as the primary point of contact for specific objectives while maintaining discretion regarding the President's personal involvement. Additionally, the conversation touches upon the health of an individual named Keene and the importance of professional handling of these administrative matters.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 2 minutes of this recording (about 55% 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.
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NARA Description
On December 8, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:08 pm to 5:14 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 307-030 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 307-030
Date: December 8, 1971
Time: 5:08 pm - 5:14 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President talked with Charles W. Colson.
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542
[See Conversation No. 16-60]Also recorded on December 8, 1971
- 307-028 5:01 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:01 pm and 5:08 pm.
- 307-029 5:01 PM · 6 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 5:01 pm and 5:08 pm.
- 307-035 5:01 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:01 pm and 5:08 pm.
- 016-060 5:08 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 5:08 pm to 5:14 pm.
- 016-061 5:14 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:14 pm and 5:16 pm.
- 307-031 5:14 PM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:14 pm and 5:16 pm.
- 307-032 5:14 PM · 8 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 5:14 pm and 5:16 pm.
- 016-062 5:16 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon talked on the telephone from 5:16 pm to 5:17 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 307-030, December 8, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/307-030 (accessed October 12, 2026).