Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 371 › Conversation 371-006
Nixon & Colson on Watergate and 1972 Presidential Campaign
Friday, October 20, 1972 · 9:16 AM–9:50 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 13 min
AI Summary
President Richard Nixon met with Charles W. Colson to evaluate campaign strategy in the final weeks before the 1972 election. The discussion focused on countering recent allegations made by George McGovern regarding the Watergate scandal and assessing the political impact of ongoing Vietnam peace negotiations. The two reviewed campaign tactics and public perception, ultimately deciding to maintain a focus on the President's official duties while downplaying the opposition's attacks.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 8 minutes of this recording (about 64% 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.
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data
· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Each line starts with a timestamp button; press it to play the audio from that point.
Oh, did I?
What do you think about the government's charges against him?
Well, he's going a bit far on that.
I think he is so overruled.
But the church was not supposed to do it.
It was just so fast.
I really had to give the American people a break.
I hope so.
We got to do it.
We did it very, very hard.
We just snared the filthy campaign.
And just to see if we can't do it.
He doesn't do it very much.
He doesn't do it very much.
He doesn't really show the...
He doesn't come up with it very, very much.
I don't think he does.
I don't think he does.
So that I helped him, and we were able to get him to go to self-practice.
That's one of their beliefs and some of the local beliefs.
Frankly, my husband's first record of sending me up to the U.S. and all of his friends,
I just can't believe what we know.
We know that he had nothing to do with it.
We know that he had nothing to do with it.
We know that he had nothing to do with it.
We know that he had nothing to do with it.
We know that he had nothing to do with it.
We know that he had nothing to do with it.
Telephones will be tapped to your houses.
Houses.
Homes will be in the surveillance.
Don't believe me.
People have been killed.
And so, it's such an unbelievable journey.
Like I said, the president can't really dismiss the government and the government.
I mean, I think people have the idea.
That's right.
They're the rules.
They're the government.
Economics came off recently.
Well, last night we did a car.
It was a children's car.
We did a car test.
uh... uh... uh... uh... uh...
It must have just been killing me to realize that I was believed to have disappeared, and that he saw it, and even the other skeptics, like Martin Carroll, were coming out saying, well, it's a serious crime that's going on.
And my writer says, well, if it happens, it's because of these portions.
So, you know, if it doesn't work, you've got to just...
Yeah.
We're just about to go into the end of the day.
I don't know if you'll see it, but that's the last thing we'll show you.
So, you can't stop looking at it.
I actually believe in the last two weeks.
That's what it is.
They, uh, go ahead and you've got a half score.
And, uh, we're going to, uh, we're going to show us people, the people that people, uh, show us that, you know, that's what we're doing.
and I would make money except for the pistol because I don't even have a lot of money so I would make about a hundred percent of it and I would use that as a source of money for the pistol alright?
and finally that's what I'm trying to do and that's what I'm trying to do and that's what I'm trying to do and that's what I'm trying to do and that's what I'm trying to do and that's what I'm trying to do and that's what I'm trying to do and that's what I'm trying to do
I was pressed by him.
I was pressed by him.
No, that's the only risk at this point.
He's bearing an underdog.
The only way to suggest that there's a change of interest.
I do think it would be awesome to get in line.
That's a clever speech.
But I think that could do well, too.
I didn't think that, you know, that thing was so far over us that we could all do it.
It's a hard one.
You know, I don't think there's another thing in the yard.
But it showed something that was such a good decision.
I just thought about doing it.
What else do you need?
Well, I think it's important that I come back and do it.
We were staying in trouble that whole year.
It was very, very Christmas-y.
Kissing your family, you know, you just want to follow through.
I felt like yesterday was going to be very hard on the budget and on the legislation.
No new taxes.
And then you make some of the white-knighted campaigners, just based out of, like, staying very Christmas-y while this guy is living around the church and all sorts of stuff.
You know what?
We don't have to do that.
We'll do it again.
We just have to continue to show you the very presidential stance.
And to let Medicaid get away at Amnesty and the Christmas and just have our...
I mean, I think he... You asked me yesterday whether we should get separate Medicaid funds just right.
He's being prejudiced, but he also has a...
but the thing is, I'm sure that was very difficult.
I'm sure that was a man.
I'm sure that was a man.
I'm sure that was a man.
I'm sure that was a man.
I'm sure that was a man.
I'm sure that was a man.
I'm sure that was a man.
It's extremely hard to do it.
It's very, very difficult to do it.
You can see I'm torn up.
I can't even imagine.
It's really difficult.
It's really hard to kind of come to terms with it.
It's really hard to come to terms with it.
It's hard to come to terms with it.
This is what you call police in here.
That's what, that's what, that's what police do.
Well, it's good to have it.
Yeah.
Well, it's good to have it.
Well, it's good to have it.
That's it.
I actually went to the front line.
And, you know, I believe you can't one-take the 38 this week with the season.
Uh, really, I don't know if we can score this week at all.
We've got eight minutes.
We took a defeat in those sorts of campuses, for example.
I'm not sure that matters all that much.
Uh, but we've got it out there.
So we thought they were going to have a score and a collection issue, and it's a great story.
And we just knocked the ball in the park with the, with the, with the other one.
And on balance, I think we got, got today with the football game.
We got a hell of a visit.
I, I, I like you too, Bill, and I think that's the greatest thing today.
I know we've got better than that, but we've got to get better than that.
Just the way I am, I can't say I've got this much to do.
I don't know what they're trying to do.
I don't know.
I just think, I think they're just trying to make the people wonder who the hell is up.
Just want me to scan a little bit later.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
Yeah.
That has to come back.
I can't tell you.
I don't know if I had any angle to put it, but he agreed to give her a job.
Yes, he agreed.
I know that, well, in America, someone like the President, well, he is the President.
That's right.
That's right.
That's right.
That's right.
That's right.
That's right.
That's right.
That's right.
Praise hell.
NARA Description
On October 20, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:16 am to 9:50 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 371-006 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 371-6
Date: October 20, 1972
Time: 9:16 am - 9:50 am
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Charles W. Colson.
Colson's schedule
The President's schedule
-Gen. William C. Westmoreland
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 6m 36s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
*****************************************************************
George S. McGovern
-Watergate allegations
-The President’s involvement
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 56s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
*****************************************************************
Campaign practices and Watergate
-McGovern’s October 19, 1972 attacks
-Allegations regarding the President
-White House response
-The President’s view
-McGovern’s tone
-Compared to Hubert H. Humphrey
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 3m 50s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 3
*****************************************************************
Campaign practices and Watergate
-McGovern’s allegations regarding the President
-Vietnam
-McGovern’s strategy
-Possible public response
-Food prices
Campaign issues
-National economy news
-George P. Shultz
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Consumer Price Index [CPI]
-Vietnam
-Henry A. Kissinger’s efforts on a possible peace settlement
-Effect on McGovern’s campaign
-Marvin Kalb’s statement
-R. Sargent Shriver’s statement
-Thomas W. Braden’s article
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 2m 49s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 4
*****************************************************************
Campaign practices
-McGovern campaign
-In-fighting
-Desperation
-Thomas P. Eagleton, Shriver
-Money problems
-Publicity
-Al Smith Dinner
-McGovern's speech
-Vice President Agnew’s speech
-Terrence Cardinal Cooke
Issues
-The President's role
-Kissinger's role
-Budget
-Taxes
-The President's conduct compared to McGovern's conduct
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 2m 53s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 5
*****************************************************************
Campaign issues
-The President’s strategy
-Agnew's statements on amnesty
-Agnew’s handling of hecklers
Demonstrators
-Ehrlichman’s conversation with Frank L. Rizzo
-Police State comment
News stories
-Patrick J. Buchanan’s ability to monitor the news
-McGovern’s lack of success
-Corruption issue and Donald H. Segretti
-Visit from prisoner of war [POW] wives, October 16, 1972
The President's schedule
-Revenue sharing
-Signing ceremony I Philadelphia, October 20, 1972\
-Radio speech on education, October 25, 1972
Revenue sharing
1972 Campaign practices
McGovern's allegations regarding the President
-Agnew’ statements
-The President compared to Adolf Hitler
-Public reaction
-Agnew’s recent speech in Cleveland
-Labor
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 1m 40s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 6
*****************************************************************
Colson left at 9:50 am.Also recorded on October 20, 1972
- 371-001 8:16 AM · 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 8:16 am and 8:25 am.
- 371-003 8:25 AM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:25 am to 8:40 am.
- 371-004 9:11 AM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:11 am to 9:14 am.
- 031-150 9:15 AM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:15 am.
- 371-005 9:15 AM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:15 am to 9:16 am.
- 371-007 9:50 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:50 am and 10:04 am.
- 371-008 9:50 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:50 am and 10:04 am.
- 371-009 10:04 AM · 31 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., and Gen. William Westmoreland met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:04 am to 10:35 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 371-006, October 20, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/371-006 (accessed October 10, 2026).