On October 16, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, White House operator, George E. Christian, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Frank E. Fitzsimmons met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:25 pm to 3:29 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 367-010 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 367-10
Date: October 16, 1972
Time: 2:25 pm - 3:29 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Charles W. Colson.
The President's schedule
-The President's October 16, 1972 appearance before the National League of
Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia
-Reaction
-George S. McGovern
-Colson’s staff report
-Hugh [last name unknown]
-Melville Stephens
The White House operator talked with the President at an unknown between 2:25 pm and 2:27
pm.
[Conversation No. 367-10A]
[See Conversation No. 31-60]
[End of telephone conversation]
Schedule
-George E. Christian
-John B. Connally
Vietnam War issue
-Prisoners of war [POWs], amnesty
-The President's appearance before POW families group
-Reaction of audience
-Tone
-Press reaction
(rev. Oct-06)
The President talked with Christian between 2:27 pm and 2:30 pm.
[Conversation No. 367-10B]
[See Conversation No. 31-61; one item has been withdrawn]
[End of telephone conversation]
Press conference
-Connally
-Timing
The White House operator talked with the President at 2:31 pm.
[Conversation No. 367-10C]
[See Conversation No. 31-62]
[End of telephone conversation]
Connally
-Television broadcast
-The President’s view
-Discussion of foreign policy issues
-Economic issues
Foreign policy issues
-Effectiveness of issue
-Appeal
-George Meany
-Patriotism
-Compared to lifestyle issues
-Amnesty
-Connally
-McGovern
-Moral character
-Primacy of issue
-Welfare and social issues
-McGovern’s $1000 per person proposal
-Compared to national security issue
-Appeal to workers
(rev. Oct-06)
-Connally
-Vietnam issue
-Stephens
-Republicans
-McGovern
-Recent speech
-Communist government in South Vietnam
-St. Louis Post-Dispatch
-Tone
-Quote
-The President’s recent statement
The White House operator talked with the President at 2:35 pm.
[Conversation No. 367-10D]
[See Conversation No. 31-63]
[End of telephone conversation]
Vietnam War
-POWs
-Administration policy
-The President's October 16, 1972 remarks to POW families
-Wire service coverage
-Albert E. Sindlinger
-Reception
-The press
-The President's May 8, 1972 decision to bomb Hanoi and mine Haiphong
harbor
-Reaction of POW families to the President's recent appearance, October 16, 1972
-Colson’s view
Watergate
-Donald H. Segretti
-Campaign practices
-Washington Post
-Issue
-The Establishment
-Focus
-The President
(rev. Oct-06)
-Separation of Watergate and campaign practices
charges
-Grand jury
-Prospect
George P. Shultz's call to Colson
The President talked with an unknown person [H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman ?] at an unknown time
between 2:35 pm and 3:25 pm.
[Conversation No. 367-10H]
Instructions for staff
[End of telephone conversation]
Press relations
-Schultz’s call to Colson
-Schultz
-The President’s view
-Charges made against the President's campaign
-Clark MacGregor
-Hugh W. Sloan, Jr.
-Response by administration to charges
-Ronald L. Ziegler, Herbert G. Klein
-Robert H. Finch
-Cabinet officers
-Connally
-Joseph McCarthyism
-Contact with the press
-Smear campaign
-Washington Post editorials
-Possible cutoff of Washington Post
-Haldeman
-Shultz
-New York Times, Time, Newsweek
-Television networks
-The President’s view
-Robert J. Dole
-MacGregor
-The President's press conference
(rev. Oct-06)
-May Day riots, 1971
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 8m 32s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
*****************************************************************
Issues
-Vietnam War
-McGovern
-Debate
-Amnesty
-POWs
-The President’s recent press conference
-The President’s demeanor
-McGovern
-As standard bearer of Democratic Party
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
-Democratic Party tradition
-Connally
-Support
-Recent speech
-Patrick J. Buchanan
-Polls
-Presentation of issues
-Television
-Weekend news stories
-Knight newspapers
-Commercials
-Thomas F. Eagleton
-Panels
-Question and answer sessions
-Telephone questions from the public
-The President’s 1968 campaign
(rev. Oct-06)
-Manner
-Amnesty, Defense Department cuts
-International Telephone and Telegraph [ITT]
-Public interest
-Buchanan
-Democrats for Nixon
-Welfare
-Richard M. Scammon
-Scammon’s view
-McGovern’s trip to San Francisco
-[Homosexual] vote
-Veterans of Foreign Wars [VFW]
-Media
-McGovern’s recent Vietnam speech
-Daniel Yankelovich
-Louis P. Harris
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 2m 43s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
*****************************************************************
Campaign practices
-Alleged McGovern tactics
-Response
Issues
-Vietnam War
-McGovern’s recent speech
-Dole
-Connally
-McGovern
-Credibility
(rev. Oct-06)
-Editorials
-Number
-Response from administration
-The press
-Hugh S. Sidey
-The President’s view
The Establishment
-Instructions for Buchanan
-Columns
-William F. Buckley, Jr.
1972 election
-Buchanan’s analysis
-Opposition views
-Compared to those of American majority
-Colson’s view
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 6m 22s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
*****************************************************************
The President talked with an unknown person at an unknown time between 2:35 pm and 3:25
pm.
[Conversation No. 367-10E]
[End of telephone conversation]
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
(rev. Oct-06)
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 6m 27s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
*****************************************************************
The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 2:35 pm and
3:25 pm.
[Conversation No. 367-10F]
[See Conversation No. 31-64]
[End of telephone conversation]
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 21s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
*****************************************************************
The White House operator talked with Colson at 3:25 pm.
[See Conversation No. 31-65]
Colson conferred with the President at an unknown time between 3:25 pm and 3:28 pm.
The President talked with Frank E. Fitzsimmons at an unknown time between 3:25 pm and 3:28
pm.
[Conversation No. 367-10G]
(rev. Oct-06)
[See Conversation No. 31-65; one item has been withdrawn]
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 23m 20s ]
[END OF TELEPHONE CONVERSATION]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 7
*****************************************************************
Colson left at 3:49 pm.This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.