Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 360 › Conversation 360-005

Nixon, Colson & Bull on 1972 Presidential Campaign and Watergate

Friday, September 8, 1972 · 2:13 PM–3:01 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building ·44 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.; Bull, Stephen B.; Nixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.; Bull, Stephen B.Conversation360-005 onTape 360StartFriday, September 8, 1972 at 2:13 PMEndFriday, September 8, 1972 at 3:01 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 360-005 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Charles Colson met to discuss campaign strategy and political messaging for the upcoming 1972 election. They reviewed polling data, economic issues, and strategies to counter George McGovern, while also addressing ongoing concerns regarding Watergate and the Vietnam War. A key outcome included the President instructing his speechwriters to develop more effective, aggressive responses to political attacks and allegations of a 'cover-up.'

Audio

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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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Thank you.

I was wondering in that connection .

Thank you.

Yes.

Thank you.

... ... ... ... ...

Thank you.

Well, I'll just put a report.

All right.

Well, they have something

They're realizing, too, these guys are bringing things up a little bit, except for the person who's going to have a lot of fun.

If I were the person who's going to have a lot of fun,

Thank you.

That's why on that profile

Well, you're

Yeah.

Okay.

Thank you.

That does it.

Don't do it under this.

We'll have one get out.

We can't do it under this.

It isn't really new.

Don't do it under that.

You've got to get the same thing.

No longer snagging me to help you with this.

I'm getting into some colorful language.

This is the most difficult.

It's covered up.

Massive cover-up.

to get the writers to think this through a lot better.

Let's get the writers to work on that in order to make it more colorful.

Thank you.

Whoa, that'd be great.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Thank you.

I agree.

Thank you.

Four days.

Thank you.

Well, it doesn't.

Thank you.

Oh, that is one line I'm watching.

Oh yeah.

Don't use such language against him.

Smear.

Thank you.

It was our .

Thank you.

Yeah.

All right.

Thank you.

I can't tell all these .

All right.

Thank you.

NARA Description

On September 8, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:13 pm to 3:01 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 360-005 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 360-5

Date: September 8, 1972
Time: 2:13 pm - 3:01 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

                                         (rev. Oct-06)

The President met with Charles W. Colson.

         The President's schedule
          -Meeting with Cabinet and Republican Congressional leaders, September 12, 1972
          -H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
          -Poll figures
          -George P. Shultz
          -Vietnam War
          -Tone
          -Economic issue

         Michael J. Mansfield’s possible trip to the People’s Republic of China [PRC]
          -Henry A. Kissinger's conversation with Mansfield
          -Administration position
          -Administration statements
                   -Colson’s view
                       -Lyndon B. Johnson
                       -Demonstrators

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

BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 3m 10s     ]

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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

         Vietnam War
          -Leak
                  -William J. Porter
                  -Colson’s efforts
                  -Joseph W. Alsop
                  -Abram Chayes

                                          (rev. Oct-06)

                        -Possible statement
                    -Robert J. Dole

          Economic issues
            -Herbert Stein speech
                     -Network coverage
            -Food prices
                     -Earl L. Butz
          -Presentation
            -Peter G. Peterson
                     -New York City
                     -Thomas R. Shepherd, Jr.
            -Herbert G. Klein
            -Robert H. Finch
            -Richard A. Moore
          -McGovern’s policies
            -Taxes and spending
            -Lifestyle
            -Welfare proposal
                     -Congress
                     -Income levels
                     -Administration response
                         -The president’s instructions
            -Richard Dougherty’s staement

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 2:13 pm.

          The President's schedule
           -Camp David
           -Folder
           -Forthcoming meeting
                    -Maurice H. Stans

Bull left at an unknown time before 3:01 pm.

          Issues
            -John G. Tower
            -Charles H. Percy
            -Polls
            -Vietnam War
                    -Percy

                             (rev. Oct-06)

               -McGovern
          -Support by American people
          -Poll
               -Louis P. Harris profile
          -The President's May 8, 1972 decision to mine Haiphong
           harbor
               -The president’s view
-Watergate
 -The President’s view
 -1701 Pennsylvania Avenue
          -Surveillance
               -Leak
 -Dole’s forthcoming press conference
          -Announcement
          -Speechwriters
               -The President’s instructions to Colson
                   -“Cover-up” charge
          -Patrick J. Buchanan
               -Style

US-Soviet Union grain deal
 -Announcement
          -Butz
               -Forthcoming press conference
          -McGovern
          -1964
               -George Meany
 -Public relations
          -McGovern
 -Butz
          -Colson’s view
          -The President’s view
          -Possible comments on Clarence D. Palmby

James R. (“Jimmy”) Hoffa
  -Planned trip to Hanoi
          -Passport
          -[William L. Taub]
          -Colson’s recent telephone conversation with Frank E. Fitzsimmons
          -William P. Rogers’s recent telephone calls to Meany and Fitzsimmons

                             (rev. Oct-06)

1972 campaign finances
 -McGovern
         -Henry Kimmelman
              -The President’s view
 -John B. Connally
 -Alleged violations
         -Maurice Stans
         -Media
              -John Ehrlichman’s conversation with the President
              -Butz
         -Investigation
              -General Accounting Office [GAO]
              -International Telephone and Telegraph [ITT]

1972 New Hampshire campaign
 -Vietnam War
         -Wesley Powell
             -Possible White House visit
             -Thomas J. McIntyre
 -Louis C. Wyman
 -Thomas J. McIntyre
 -McGovern
 -Wyman
         -William Loeb
 -McIntyre
         -McGovern
 -Loeb

Edward M. Kennedy
 -Amanda Burden
 -Source of information
 -Chappaquiddick
 -R. Sargent Shriver
 -Edmund S. Muskie
         -National Inquirer magazine

Louis P. Harris poll
 -Monday magazine
 -Shriver

                             (rev. Oct-06)

1972 campaign practices
 -Charges
          -The President's conduct of the Vietnam War
          -McGovern’s campaign
 -Poll data
          -Charts
 -The President's campaign role
 -Presidential candidates
          -Minimum vote percentage
 -Stans and John N. Mitchell
          -Invitation to forthcoming meeting
 -Powell
          -Role

         -Issues
              -Vietnam
              -Busing
              -National defense
              -Portsmouth, New Hampshire
                  -Military bases
                      -McGovern
                          -George H. Gallup

1972 New Hampshire campaign
 -Robert C. Hill

The President's schedule
 -1972 campaign
          -The President’s view
          -Colson’s view
               -Media and press coverage
                   -National Broadcasting Company [NBC]
          -Colson's conversation with an unknown person
               -Congressional candidacy

Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
 -Press conference
          -Surrogates

1972 campaign
 -US-Israel policy

                                        (rev. Oct-06)

            -1972 campaign issue
                    -Jews
            -McGovern campaign
                    -Organizational discussion
                        -Gordon Weil
                             -Pacifism
            -Polls
                    -Gallup and Louis P. Harris polls
            -Eugene J. McCarthy

          Instructions

Colson left at 3:01 pm.

Also recorded on September 8, 1972

360-001 1:05 PM · 14 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 1:05 pm and 2:12 pm.
360-002 1:05 PM · 35 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 1:05 pm and 2:12 pm.
360-003 1:05 PM · 7 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 1:05 pm and 2:12 pm.
773-018 1:05 PM · 50 sec — Unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House on an unknown date, sometime between 1:05 pm on September 8, 1972 and 9:18 am on September 11, 1972.
360-004 2:12 PM · 48 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:12 pm to 2:13 pm.
360-006 3:01 PM · 34 min — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, Egil ("Bud") Krogh, Jr., and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:01 pm to 3:40 pm.
360-007 3:40 PM · 14 sec — 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 3:40 pm and 3:44 pm.
360-008 3:40 PM · 2 min — 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 3:40 pm and 3:44 pm.

All 44 conversations from September 8, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 360-005, September 8, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/360-005 (accessed September 18, 2026).