Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 384 › Conversation 384-003

Nixon & Colson on Labor Unions and George Meany

Sunday, December 10, 1972 · 9:55 AM–10:02 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 6 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.Conversation384-003 on Tape 384StartSunday, December 10, 1972 at 9:55 AMEndSunday, December 10, 1972 at 10:02 AMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 384-003 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Charles Colson discuss political strategy regarding labor union leadership, specifically focusing on the influence of AFL-CIO President George Meany. Nixon directs Colson to contact a target individual to exert pressure and ensure they do not align with the Democratic left. The conversation highlights the administration's concern with managing labor figures to prevent political opposition from consolidating power.

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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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Hello.
Well, how was your trip to Braxton?
You alive or not?
Fine.
Right.
Well, I guess we, uh, were a little bit too, uh, over-counted on that straw.
You got it?
Yeah.
Yeah.
How bad is it that it's for us?
Yeah.
It wasn't just comedy.
It was sort of a cop-out.
Yeah.
Even if the deficit or the security doesn't have a place to go for the big marvels, you know, people are probably not going to find out right now.
They checked the first boat, and then after that, we started walking around.
This guy didn't stop that.
He didn't make quite a few of the problems.
He didn't go at all.
He didn't get many.
He was not that sure of that time.
Brennan, I'm sure that's where he would come, of course, if he already had it.
But let's go right after Meany and put Jen up in the grass.
We've got to keep that in check.
to be a field aid for the left wing.
And if he waits too long, then, you know, there's going to be one hell of a time where every ship leaves and every person gets a power.
Yeah.
And Chuck, there's no alternative to a pirate, but a lot of other pirates can't beat, you know what I mean, on the basis of brawn and adversity.
Yeah.
There they are.
Yeah.
Hello.
No, I think you ought to call and give me your code 13-0.
Just say that you're going on your own.
That's the thing.
So I just say, look, you're worried about my business dues, and then I pour it to him.
I say, for Christ's sake, help me.
He's got labor.
He's got all that.
He's got all that.
I think, uh, and he said, you know, uh, he had, he had, he had a lot of heavy work, but...
You know, he's a very clever fellow.
But on the other hand, it's good that he hears from a few people.
Because he'll hear from the Democratic left.
They'll want to keep him in.
You know, the Mary Lasters and all that have been built in.
They're all signing around him now.
But surely the old left figure, he's their only horse.
Yeah, well, after all the meetings against Jackson, it was a good one.
Well, anyway, I give him a call.
All right.

NARA Description

On December 10, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:55 am to 10:02 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 384-003 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 384-3

Date: December 10, 1972
Time: 9:55 am - 10:02 am
Location: Executive Office Bulding

The President talked with Charles W. Colson.

[See Conversation No. 34-28]
                                             -2-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Also recorded on December 10, 1972

  • 236-001 7:30 AM · 31 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, and Helene (Colesie) Drown met in the Aspen Lodge study at Camp David at an unknown time between 7:30 am and 8:30 am.
  • 034-027 9:50 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:50 am and 9:55 am.
  • 384-001 9:50 AM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 9:50 am and 9:55 am.
  • 384-002 9:50 AM · 11 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 9:50 am and 9:55 am.
  • 034-028 9:55 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 9:55 am to 10:02 am.
  • 384-004 10:01 AM · 3 hr 25 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Manolo Sanchez, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., White House operator, Anatoliy F. Dobrynin, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:01 am to 1:12 pm.
  • 034-029 11:50 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:50 am and 12:04 pm.
  • 034-030 12:04 PM · 10 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Anatoliy F. Dobrynin talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:04 pm and 12:55 pm.

All 19 conversations from December 10, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 384-003, December 10, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/384-003 (accessed September 28, 2026).