Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 365 › Conversation 365-007
Nixon & Colson on Campaign Strategy and Press Relations
Friday, October 13, 1972 · 12:45 PM–3:00 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 15 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Charles Colson met to discuss campaign strategy, media relations, and their ongoing antagonism toward the press and political opponents. The conversation focused on discrediting Democratic tactics and the perceived bias of major news outlets like The Washington Post and The New York Times, which Nixon deemed hostile to his administration. They also evaluated the political impact of George McGovern's campaign, the Vietnam War, and potential economic issues, while strategizing on how to manipulate media coverage and public perception ahead of the upcoming election.
- Campaign Strategy
- Press Relations
- Media Bias
- Vietnam War
- Political Sabotage
- George McGovern
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 8 minutes of this recording (about 54% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.
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NARA Description
On October 13, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:45 pm and 3:00 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 365-007 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 365-7
Date: October 13, 1972
Time: 12:45 pm - unknown before 3:00 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Charles W. Colson.
The President's schedule
-October 13, 1972 meeting with Claire (Hodgson) Ruth, Ralph Branca, Bobby
Thompson
-Sports celebrities
-Joe Namath
-Tom Seaver
-Black athletes
-R. Sargent Shriver
-Buttons
-Ivan Bell
-Harry O'Donnell
-Press secretary for Thomas E. Dewey
-Nelson A. Rockefeller
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 5m 1s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
*****************************************************************
Campaign practices
-Republican response
-Barry M. Goldwater
-Media response
-[Arnold] Eric Sevareid
-Sabotage
-Colson’s conversation with Dole
-Democrats tactics characterized
-Dick Tuck
-Patrick J. Buchanan
-Violent demonstrations against the President
-San Francisco
-Destruction of Phoenix campaign headquarters
office
-Washington Post and Washington Star
-Press coverage
-Washington Post
-Story about Robert Mardian
-Justice Department link
-News summary
-Representation of the US
-The President's substitution of the White House
news summary
-Washington Star
-Kenneth W. Clawson theory
-Black liberals
-Access to the White House
-Carroll Kilpatrick
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-New York Times
-Robert B. Semple, Jr.
-Edward Dale
-Actions in the Pentagon Papers case
-Henry A. Kissinger
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 3m 33s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
*****************************************************************
Vietnam War
-George S. McGovern's October 10, 1972, speech and proposals
-Washington Star article
-Negotiations
-J. William Fulbright
Campaign practices
-McGovern's campaign
-Audio tape ban by McGovern [at University of Minnesota,
October 12, 1972
-McGovern’s Vietnam speech
-Colson’s talk with [Wendell B. Colson, III]
-Princeton University
-Radio program
-Veracity
-Source
-Colson’s view
-Harvard College student
-Unknown person
-Radio interview
-Relationship with Colson
-1960
-Colson’s view
-Anonymous telephone call
-Network coverage
-“Double standard”
-McGovern
-John D. Ehrlichman
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 7m 14s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
*****************************************************************
Issues
-Unknown man
-Vietnam War
-McGovern's positions characterized
-Espionage
-The economy
-Consumer confidence
-Alfred E. Sindlinger
-Stock market
-As reflection of nation's attitude
-Polls
-Gross National Product [GNP] figures
-Possible apprehension by the public
-Election
-Vietnam War
-National defense
-Welfare
-Costs
-$1000 per person proposal
-Marvin L. Kalb story
-Effectiveness as issue
-Democrats
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 13m 24s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
*****************************************************************
Colson left at an unknown time before 3:00 pm.Also recorded on October 13, 1972
- 797-012 12:02 PM · 18 min — President Richard M. Nixon, staff, and members of the executive board of the Utility Workers of America, including Donald F. Rodgers, Willie J. Usery, Jr., Harold T. Rigley, James Joy, Jr., Patrick Gallagher, C. J. Luciano, and Valentine Murphy, members of the press, and the White House photographer, met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:02 pm to 12:20 pm.
- 797-013 12:22 PM · 46 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 12:22 pm.
- 797-014 12:22 PM · 17 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Claire (Hodgson) Ruth, Bobby Thompson, Ralph Branca, Henry C. Cashen, II, White House photographer, Harry O'Donnell, Mrs. Patrick E. O'Donnell, and Tony Butrico met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:22 pm to 12:40 pm.
- 365-006 12:40 PM · 13 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 12:40 pm and 12:45 pm.
- 797-015 12:40 PM · 43 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:40 pm and 12:45 pm.
- 797-016 12:45 PM · 25 sec — United States Secret Service agents and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 12:45 pm and 3:00 pm.
- 365-008 1:38 PM · 13 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 1:38 pm and 3:00 pm.
- 365-009 1:38 PM · 13 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 1:38 pm and 3:00 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 365-007, October 13, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/365-007 (accessed October 1, 2026).