{"conversationCode":"362-031","tapeNumber":362,"conversationNumber":31,"identifier":"37-wht-conversation-362-031","startDateTime":"1972-09-06T18:50:00.000Z","endDateTime":"1972-09-06T19:28:00.000Z","startDate":"6-Sep-1972","startTime":"2:50 PM","endDate":"6-Sep-1972","endTime":"3:28 PM","dateCertainty":"certain","timeCertainty":"certain","participants":"Nixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.;","description":"On September 6, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:50 pm to 3:28 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 362-031 of the White House Tapes.","locationCode":"EOB","recordingDevice":"Old Executive Office Building","latitudeEstimated":38.897567,"longitudeEstimated":-77.039147,"chronCode":4,"chronRelease":"Fourth Chronological Release","chronReleaseDate":"10-Dec-2003","aogpRelease":null,"aogpSegment":null,"lastModified":"2015-07-27T17:04:10.235Z","findingAid":"Conversation No. 362-31\n\nDate: September 6, 1972\nTime: 2:50 pm - 3:28 pm\nLocation: Executive Office Building\n\nThe President met with Charles W. Colson.\n\n            R. Sargent Shriver\n                -A report by Joseph W. Alsop\n                    -A diplomat\n                -Television coverage\n                    -Colson's conversation with Kenneth W. Clawson\n\n              -Max Frankel\n                  -New York Times editorial\n                  -Philosophical leanings\n                       -George S. McGovern\n              -Richard A. Moore\n              -Memorandum\n              -Possible news story\n                  -Reuters\n                  -Frankel\n                  -Reuters\n                  -Henry A. Kissinger[?]\n                  -Reuters\n                  -Alsop\n                  -Frankel\n\n*****************************************************************\n\nBEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1\n[Personal returnable]\n[Duration: 20m 16s    ]\n\nEND WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1\n\n*****************************************************************\n\n          Vietnam\n              -North Vietnamese\n                  -Kissinger\n                  -Support for guerrillas\n                      -Hijacking\n\n*****************************************************************\n\nBEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3\n[Personal returnable]\n\n[Duration: 9m 1s     ]\n\nEND WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3\n\n*****************************************************************\n\nThe President and Colson left at 3:28 pm.","filename":["362-031.mp3"],"tapeStart":"","tapeEnd":"","participantsList":["Nixon, Richard M. (President)","Colson, Charles W."],"prevCode":"362-030","nextCode":"363-001","transcript":[{"start":0.03,"end":19.53,"text":"All right."},{"start":19.55,"end":19.75,"text":"All right."},{"start":19.77,"end":20.45,"text":"I was thinking on that thing also."},{"start":20.48,"end":20.98,"text":"You should not report it."},{"start":28.16,"end":49.61,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":49.63,"end":49.73,"text":"Yeah."},{"start":51.75,"end":74.08,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":79.09,"end":99.41,"text":"Thank you."},{"start":108.82,"end":130.63,"text":"."},{"start":147.74,"end":174.96,"text":"I don't know."},{"start":187.43,"end":208.03,"text":"Yeah, all right, don't do it again."},{"start":208.05,"end":209.23,"text":"Just like he, that's what he said in front of me, go ahead."},{"start":215.41,"end":243.59,"text":"I'm trying to get an idea of my feet, and I try the rudder."},{"start":246.78,"end":265.86,"text":"Right."},{"start":265.88,"end":266,"text":"Right."},{"start":284.56,"end":303.1,"text":"Oh, thank you, that was a good idea."},{"start":303.12,"end":304.72,"text":"I think you'll find the North VFD, I know it's missing, she's got to be checked."},{"start":304.74,"end":306.2,"text":"I think the North VFD is trying to find a plan to support the guerrillas."},{"start":306.22,"end":307.35,"text":"And the guerrillas are hijacking and so forth and so on."}],"aiSummary":{"text":"President Nixon and Charles Colson met to discuss political strategy and media relations, focusing on negative coverage from journalists such as Max Frankel and the perceived philosophical leanings of the New York Times. The discussion also addressed political maneuvering regarding R. Sargent Shriver and George McGovern. Additionally, they reviewed intelligence concerning North Vietnamese efforts to support guerrilla operations and hijacking activities during the ongoing conflict in Vietnam.","topics":["Media Relations","New York Times","Vietnam War","Political Strategy","Max Frankel","Guerrilla Warfare"],"generatedAt":"2026-04-06T16:58:37.636Z"},"topicSlugs":["media-relations","new-york-times","vietnam-war","political-strategy","max-frankel","guerrilla-warfare"],"audioDurationSec":320,"audioFiles":[{"file":"362-031.mp3","bytes":7679372,"durationSec":319.91,"bitrate":192040,"missing":false}],"audioIsShared":false,"audioProbedAt":"2026-09-18T02:19:44.874Z","findingAidSource":"nixonlibrary.gov subject log (2024-05), reslice-v2","findingAidUpdatedAt":"2026-09-18T08:43:26.906Z","transcriptGapSeconds":219,"transcriptGapShare":0.68,"transcriptQuality":"incomplete","audio":["https://nixon.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/audio/362-031.mp3"],"url":"https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/362-031","nixonLibraryUrl":"https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/362/conversation-362-031","license":"Public domain (U.S. Government work). AI-generated fields (transcript, aiSummary) are provided as-is without warranty."}