Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 359 › Conversation 359-004
Nixon & Colson on John B. Connally and 1972 Olympic Games
Thursday, September 7, 1972 · 2:45 PM–3:05 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building ·6 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Charles Colson met to discuss strategies for managing public relations and campaign messaging in light of recent international and domestic developments. The conversation focused on mitigating the political impact of negative news stories surrounding John B. Connally and leveraging the ongoing Middle East conflict—specifically the aftermath of the Munich Olympic attack—to influence voter sentiment. Nixon directed Colson to organize a coordinated defense of Connally by key allies and underscored the importance of suppressing unfavorable press coverage to maintain political momentum.
- John B. Connally
- 1972 Olympic Games
- Middle East policy
- Public relations
- Political campaigning
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
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Well, it's a good day.
Well, I think I've got to run over now.
Sir, you'd better not be so late.
The news is still, of course, the big story is still the Middle East.
Right.
The backstab is not going to do it.
Right.
Don't make any.
We're not using any yet.
No, I've pulled another one back today.
We had a good one, and I just killed it.
The governor says the governor's dead, because I'm sure they would have been lost.
With the Israelis going into weather...
The raiding started.
The raiding.
That's where we are.
But that'll weaken us, I would think, so they don't try to take the country.
But I think that that's still stirring in the spirit.
I would value an election-wise recovery.
Would that happen?
Let them.
Frankly, the whole week is just a killer of a government.
This is great.
Harris this morning called me and said, you're so lucky.
He said, this is just taking everybody's minds off.
I don't care who presented it.
I want you to put something down.
I want you to tell me.
I want Conley to defend it now.
I told you that he didn't work in here or anything, but he indulged in it.
But, you know, God and I want him to defend it.
And who's going to do it?
I want somebody to investigate it.
You'll say something.
He's taking it very well.
How about putting it...
I would be upset if I had his support.
I'd be worried.
But where were they heading there?
The last person, even Scott, he was just saying it's a terrible damn thing, a vicious thing.
A cold, a cold word, I mean, you know, or... Let's get it done.
I'm about several people to speak up.
Colleagues.
I'll be sent to you about it.
Well, you let us visit him.
But he's still going about it.
Sure.
No, I hear you.
I know, and he's still... Oh, he's still...
You know, at first he was insistent.
He was sure to give me a call if I could sell it.
I was, when I was broken up, I raised the bar on here, and I ordered, I ordered, and I raised the leadership meeting, and I told the mayor, and I told the whole region, I want that problem.
I'm just mad as hell, and I'm not going to have these snares.
You've got to get down hard, Chuck, with the snares.
You shouldn't be snaring everybody.
Yeah, that's coming through.
This little mayor, Mayor, uh, uh, uh,
Let's look now.
He's here today.
He may be over at your service.
I told the people.
I told Bill Ryan.
I told Bill Ryan.
I told Bill Ryan.
I told Bill Ryan.
I told Bill Ryan.
I told Bill Ryan.
I told Bill Ryan.
I told Bill Ryan.
I told Bill Ryan.
political mileage of the church.
He said that really just saw adverse men, didn't it?
He said that really may have helped the Jews.
They are pretty funny, don't they?
Well, I've done as much as I'm going to do.
I don't think a country can turn on these people just for a gun.
Northern Ireland was getting killed every day.
You would look, if you did more, you would look like you were free and you'd get chronic political hate.
That was a sharp rule of Irish.
Perceptive kind.
He said, it looked like the son of a bitch was crying.
NARA Description
On September 7, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:45 pm to 3:05 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 359-004 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 359-4
Date: September 7, 1972
Time: 2:45 pm - 3:05 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Charles W. Colson.
The President's schedule
-Diplomatic credentials ceremony
(rev. Oct-06)
News stories
-Middle East
-Governors
-Middle East
-Israelis
-Raid
-Lebanon
-Telephone call from Louis P. Harris
-Effect on campaign
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 2s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
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An unknown person talked with the President at an unknown time between 2:45 pm and 3:05
pm.
[Conversation No. 359-4A]
[Schedule]
[End of telephone conversation]
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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 2m 23s ]
(rev. Oct-06)
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
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Public relations
-Press story on John B. Connally
-The President’s instructions
-Defense of Connally
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, Robert J. Dole
-Conversation with the President
-Defense of Connally
-Congress
-John G. Tower
-Leadership meeting on domestic policies
-Hugh Scott
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Texas
-George S. McGovern
-Connally
-Press story
-Washington Post
-Connally's reactions
-Charges
-The President’s reaction
-The President’s instructions at leadership meeting
Foreign affairs
-Thomas G. Dunn of Elizabeth, New Jersey
-William F. Rhatican
-Killing of Israeli athletes at 1972 Olympic Games
-McGovern's actions
-Jewish voters
-The President's actions
-Comparison to Northern Ireland
-Dunn’s view
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
(rev. Oct-06)
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 7m 42s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
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Colson left at 3:05 pm.Also recorded on September 7, 1972
- 772-011 12:37 PM · 38 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:37 pm to 1:38 pm.
- 359-001 1:40 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:40 pm and 2:45 pm.
- 359-002 1:40 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:40 pm and 2:45 pm.
- 359-003 1:40 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:40 pm and 2:45 pm.
- 772-012 3:36 PM · 52 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Robert P. Griffin, Mickey S. Lolich, Thomas C. Korologos, White House photographer, Stephen B. Bull, Arthur F. Burns, George P. Shultz, Manolo Sanchez, and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:36 pm to 4:28 pm.
- 772-013 4:28 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:28 pm and 4:30 pm.
- 772-014 4:31 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, Edward W. Brooke, James R. Grover, William L. Scott, Dewey F. Bartlett, Peter V. Domenici, Jesse A. Helms, Ben C. Taledano, Jack Hawke, Ed Johnson, Bill Kid, Gene Taylor, David C. Treen, David Seratkin, Christopher S. Bond, Otis Bowen, James Holzhouser, Morris Kay, Richard Larson, Carveth Thompson, Harry S. Dent, John E. Nidecker, Richard K. Cook, George P. Shultz, Arthur F. Burns, and John D. Ehrlichman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:31 pm to 4:49 pm.
- 772-015 4:47 PM · 1 hr 26 min — President Richard M. Nixon, George P. Shultz, Arthur F. Burns, John D. Ehrlichman, Ronald L. Ziegler, Manolo Sanchez, unknown person(s), H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, Leonard Garment, William E. Timmons, Stephen B. Bull, Harry S. Dent, Charles W. Colson, Alexander P. Butterfield, and Patrick J. Buchanan met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 4:47 pm and 6:15 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 359-004, September 7, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/359-004 (accessed September 18, 2026).