{"conversationCode":"307-030","tapeNumber":307,"conversationNumber":30,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-307-030","startDateTime":"1971-12-08T22:08:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1971-12-08T22:14:00.000Z","startDate":"8-Dec-1971","startTime":"5:08 PM","endDate":"8-Dec-1971","endTime":"5:14 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.;","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.","locationCode":"EOB","recordingDevice":"Old Executive Office Building","latitudeEstimated":38.897567,"longitudeEstimated":-77.039147,"chronCode":2,"chronRelease":"Second Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"26-Oct-2000","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 307-030\n\nDate: December 8, 1971\nTime: 5:08 pm - 5:14 pm\nLocation: Executive Office Building\n\nThe President talked with Charles W. Colson.\n\n       Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, NARA Online Public Access Catalog Identifier: 597542\n\n[See Conversation No. 16-60]","filename":["307-030.mp3"],"tapeStart":"01:58:20","tapeEnd":"02:01:48","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Colson, Charles W."],"prevCode":"307-029","nextCode":"307-031","transcript":[{"start":0.03,"end":22.54,"text":"Yeah, yeah."},{"start":22.56,"end":25.64,"text":"I think it's important that you hang on to this thing now, that you know it's going to be handled, but I would stay hypnotized by the long-term potential."},{"start":25.66,"end":28.48,"text":"It cannot be done through a goal, or it has to be done through constant communication incentives, which, in part, is important, and still is."},{"start":29.14,"end":50.48,"text":"I don't have any civil rights."},{"start":50.51,"end":51.17,"text":"Petro will handle it all himself."},{"start":51.19,"end":52.21,"text":"He will, I believe, say some other things on Hoppe."},{"start":52.23,"end":53.33,"text":"I know he'll discuss the situation directly with Bates."},{"start":53.35,"end":54.17,"text":"And he, Petro, will also be a little bit."},{"start":55.18,"end":79.51,"text":"We decided to go on, and that's that."},{"start":79.53,"end":81.23,"text":"I said, well, I'm John, I'm the chairman, and I don't want to hear any more about it."},{"start":81.25,"end":81.83,"text":"I don't want to be surprised."},{"start":81.85,"end":83.94,"text":"He was just telling the president, the president had a positive potential, a builder-directed potential,"},{"start":84.22,"end":97.47,"text":"And, uh, that, uh, Mitchell will work out whatever is satisfactory to him."},{"start":97.49,"end":97.65,"text":"Totally."},{"start":97.67,"end":98.75,"text":"Because, you know, he and Mitchell, you'll understand."},{"start":98.77,"end":99.58,"text":"But he has put all the messages to them."},{"start":99.59,"end":100.46,"text":"And they, Mitchell, please don't sell them."},{"start":102.23,"end":120.92,"text":"I think you talked to Mitchell, and I talked to Mitchell, and they're all agreed that Mitchell is going to handle it in office."},{"start":120.94,"end":121.5,"text":"They are getting on the way."},{"start":121.52,"end":122.54,"text":"We're telling them that the President is concerned."},{"start":122.56,"end":123.44,"text":"We're sure he wants this done the right way."},{"start":124.28,"end":146.53,"text":"He talked to Mitchell without his attention."},{"start":146.55,"end":147.88,"text":"He should not convey to Mitchell that he talked to you, of course."},{"start":147.9,"end":150.16,"text":"But he used to say to him that, and tell him to tell Mitchell everything he wants, and then Mitchell would do it."},{"start":150.18,"end":150.52,"text":"How's that sound?"},{"start":150.54,"end":150.64,"text":"Yeah?"},{"start":150.66,"end":150.76,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":150.78,"end":150.98,"text":"All right."},{"start":151,"end":151.3,"text":"We have ghosts."},{"start":151.32,"end":151.5,"text":"Oh, hell."},{"start":151.52,"end":152.16,"text":"Yeah, he and a lot of others do."},{"start":154.24,"end":175.74,"text":"I don't know if he's going to get out of the hospital."},{"start":175.76,"end":176.12,"text":"He's going to die."},{"start":176.14,"end":177.6,"text":"It's not that tough."},{"start":177.62,"end":179.37,"text":"I'm glad he knows that I'm personally very concerned about Keene's health and all that."},{"start":179.39,"end":179.89,"text":"And I hope nobody vomits."},{"start":179.91,"end":180.67,"text":"And he looks like he's got meaning."},{"start":180.69,"end":181.91,"text":"He'll talk a little bit, but I'm not quite sure."},{"start":181.93,"end":182.47,"text":"I'm not sure at the moment."},{"start":184.76,"end":197.97,"text":"But I'd love to."},{"start":197.99,"end":198.63,"text":"I've never said a word about it."},{"start":198.65,"end":198.99,"text":"We're used to it."},{"start":199.01,"end":199.35,"text":"We're used to it."},{"start":199.38,"end":199.47,"text":"Fine."},{"start":199.5,"end":199.59,"text":"Fine."},{"start":199.62,"end":199.72,"text":"Fine."},{"start":199.74,"end":200.02,"text":"We'll do that."},{"start":200.04,"end":200.14,"text":"Okay."},{"start":200.16,"end":200.36,"text":"All right."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"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.","topics":["John Mitchell","Political Strategy","Administration Management","Discretion","Internal Communications"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T14:20:26.205Z"},"topicSlugs":["john-mitchell","political-strategy","administration-management","discretion","internal-communications"],"audioDurationSec":202,"audioFiles":[{"file":"307-030.mp3","bytes":8097750,"durationSec":202.3,"bitrate":320221,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:38.956Z","findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:43:18.809Z","transcriptGapSeconds":112,"transcriptGapShare":0.55,"transcriptQuality":"incomplete","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/307-030.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/307-030","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/307/conversation-307-030","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}