Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 326 › Conversation 326-016
Nixon & Colson on Media relations and Public relations
Friday, March 24, 1972 · 12:54 PM–1:12 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building
AI Summary
President Nixon and Charles Colson discuss media management strategies to counter perceived negative coverage, focusing on ways to discredit critics and news organizations through orchestrated public campaigns. The two discuss mobilizing supporters to write letters to editors and network executives to protest perceived bias and unfair reporting. Nixon emphasizes the need for an aggressive, proactive communication strategy to control the narrative rather than waiting until the election cycle to respond.
Audio
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This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the player above contains the full tape segment shared with neighbouring conversations. It begins about 02:00:08 into the tape and ends around 02:14:11.
Transcript (AI-generated)
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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· Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.
2:00:25So, ah, anything further to add before I, before I put them on here?
2:00:31Well, then I'll just, I'll just put them on here.
2:00:41How about that?
2:00:46Yeah, now that's a lot easier.
2:00:57That's right.
2:01:01All right.
2:01:02Well, I think he made his greatest growth during the Kennedy-Johnson administration.
2:01:06That's when he became a giant conglomerate.
2:01:09Okay.
2:01:09With regard to the other names, that would be all I wanted to do.
2:01:21All right.
2:01:22Good.
2:01:22Well, that last sentence was very important.
2:01:25Yeah, fine.
2:01:27Yeah.
2:01:28Yeah.
2:01:32Well, the point is, though, that I think he puts up tests.
2:01:35The point is, is that the Dural will play well, and I'll wait a minute.
2:01:38These are not other tests.
2:01:39The Tidal tests, yeah.
2:01:43Well, what about, I thought the Dural was using three games in a row, you know?
2:01:49Yeah.
2:01:54Yeah.
2:01:55Yeah.
2:02:07Why are they backing off?
2:02:40That's right.
2:02:44Right.
2:02:44Well, I think he made his greatest growth during the Kennedy-Johnson administration.
2:02:48That's when he became a giant conglomerate.
2:02:51Okay.
2:02:51With regard to the other name.
2:02:52That's the only one.
2:03:02Right.
2:03:03Good.
2:03:04Well, that last sentence was very important.
2:03:06Yeah, fine.
2:03:15Ja, ja.
2:03:16Ja, ja.
2:03:16Ja, ja.
2:03:49Why are they backing off?
2:03:52Get her confused.
2:03:56Get her confused.
2:04:04Yeah.
2:04:05Why?
2:04:16Right.
2:04:17Well, they shouldn't.
2:04:18Well, they ought to just to show that like last week, Peter Beard going out was essential.
2:04:21That's what broke.
2:04:22And they kept this week from being a disaster.
2:04:26So right now they ought to put out their own test saying they have an expert that said it's untrue.
2:04:30And then just confuse them with Jesus.
2:04:37Yeah.
2:04:38Good.
2:04:39Good.
2:04:39All right.
2:04:55Well, now the others should just start to have a showdown.
2:05:01Scott and Boyd ought to really get tough with these ones.
2:05:05Why the hell doesn't Mitchell get over these ones?
2:05:07He can't, honestly.
2:05:08He can't.
2:05:18I don't know.
2:05:19The point of this one is basically, he's not against this in a sense, but he is a partisan.
2:05:33I don't know.
2:05:34I didn't notice that.
2:05:34They brought that up again.
2:05:35Yeah.
2:05:38Well, how does that apply if we're just presidential and not the...
2:05:50Now all this equal timing, do you think somebody's going to ask me about debating that today?
2:06:46Yeah, the badgers are just trying to bail out their money.
2:06:49How about keep going?
2:06:50Yeah.
2:06:55Yeah.
2:06:57Yeah.
2:06:57Yeah.
2:06:57The last thing to do is just play a tough game.
2:07:10They want to be able to let people squeal a little while and that's that.
2:07:20Bye.
2:07:47I don't know whether it comes across very good, just being out there before the cameras on it.
2:08:03I don't know.
2:08:18I need two or three other great things.
2:08:46Get your people around the country to write some scathing and effective letters to the editors of Times, who should be putting this on the edge of the cover.
2:08:59I think that's very important.
2:09:03Second, I think some scathing letters should go to these networks, and just in regard to...
2:09:13Remember, I believe these things have more effect on others than the United States.
2:09:18They ought to get them, you know.
2:09:20Others about the unfairness that they're having in the buses and so forth.
2:09:27But what I meant is that the raising hell of the networks should start now, Chuck, and not in November.
2:09:31See, this is too late now.
2:09:34Is anybody on top of that?
2:09:36Calls should be made, raising hell, letters should be written, you know, getting our top people to talk to us.
2:09:42Yeah.
2:09:42Yeah.
2:09:42Right.
2:09:43But at the time of this, we've taken about, when I say a hundred, maybe even twenty.
2:09:53Twenty or thirty letters, but that is for the end.
2:09:59It's a question of proof.
2:10:03I mean, a charge is made and no proof.
2:10:05I mean, and just say this is typical of a publication, in the case of Tom, of a publication that would be taken in by the Irving Post, that they would be taken in by this.
2:10:16I write something like that.
2:10:18Have a statement made by that.
2:10:19Have somebody attack Tom Gregg on the cover of that.
2:10:21I agree with that.
2:10:21Say, typical of a publication, of a publication that would have been taken in by the Irving Post, that they would be taken in by that.
2:10:31Okay?
2:11:00It's funny, that's right.
2:11:00I know, exactly the same way.
2:11:01On the other hand, I do know that when we get into these things, that we've got to always keep our balance, remembering the fact that if we don't, then the world is going to end.
2:11:10You know?
2:11:10Yeah.
2:11:12Yeah.
2:11:12Yeah.
2:11:14Yeah.
2:11:21Yeah.
2:11:59Smear, smear, smear, smear.
2:12:13Smear it.
2:12:19Smear it.
2:12:20Smear it.
2:12:21Smear it.
2:12:23Smear it.
2:12:24Smear it.
2:12:26Smear it.
2:12:30I hope they just get the whips to pass over them, okay?
2:12:32Get the whips, they look, and you say, smear, smear, smear, and then start singing, start singing, start creating tunnels, and we'll funnel these people.
2:12:42Well, I'm not saying that I think that on the main thing, you know, we've got to have some of the guns, and we're going to keep them right there where it is.
2:12:54Of course, the networks have to run, and unfortunately, I mean, it is,
2:13:28Over there, CPI.
2:13:29Who is it?
2:13:29Yeah, yeah.
2:13:31Yeah.
2:13:33Yeah.
2:13:33Yeah, yeah.
2:13:36All right.
2:13:36Tell, I want you to tell Schultz this.
2:13:39Sure, they're leaking.
2:13:42They're leaking to everybody but us.
2:13:44We still got more over there.
2:13:47That son of a bitch is gone, I'll tell you.
2:13:50We've got a lot of these guys on his overday after.
2:13:53Remember the bit?
2:13:57That's right.
2:13:59He's going to be out of there.
2:14:01Just sorry we can't throw arguments out with him.
2:14:03The way he's been acting.
2:14:08Everybody tells me Conner did very well.
2:14:09They said he just knocked their brains out.
NARA Description
On March 24, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:54 pm to 1:12 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 326-016 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 326-16 Date: March 24, 1972 Time: 12:54 pm - 1:12 pm Location: Executive Office Building The President talked with Charles W. Colson. [See Conversation No. 22-13; one item has been withdrawn from this conversation]
Also recorded on March 24, 1972
- 022-013 12:54 PM · 18 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 12:54 pm to 1:12 pm.
- 022-014 1:12 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:12 pm and 1:16 pm.
- 326-017 1:12 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:12 pm and 1:16 pm.
- 022-015 1:16 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 1:16 pm to 1:17 pm.
- 326-018 1:16 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:16 pm to 1:17 pm.
- 326-019 1:24 PM · 34 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Ronald L. Ziegler, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:24 pm to 2:00 pm.
- 022-016 1:28 PM · 51 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 1:28 pm to 1:29 pm.
- 022-017 1:29 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:29 pm and 2:05 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 326-016, March 24, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/326-016 (accessed October 1, 2026).