Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 390 › Conversation 390-012
Nixon & Colson on 1972 campaign and Media coverage
Thursday, November 2, 1972 · 5:12 PM–5:30 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 17 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Charles Colson met to discuss campaign strategy and address the political fallout from recent heckling incidents targeting the First Family in Boston. The discussion encompassed media relations, public opinion regarding the First Lady, and an analysis of shifting voter demographics, particularly among Catholics, Jewish voters, and labor groups. They further assessed the political landscape for the upcoming election, weighing the influence of campaign surrogates and the effectiveness of current messaging.
- 1972 campaign
- Media coverage
- Political strategy
- Voter demographics
- Pat Nixon
- Charles Colson
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 10 minutes of this recording (about 61% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On November 2, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, White House operator, and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:12 pm to 5:30 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 390-012 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 390-12
Date: November 2, 1972
Time: 5:12 pm - 5:30 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Charles W. Colson.
1972 campaign
-Hecklers in Boston
-Response
-Press relations
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-Double standard
-Violence
-Deprivation of speaker's rights
-Unknown person
-Colson’s conversation with George Gordon [?]
-Ziegler
-Robert J. Dole
-Herbert G. Klein
-Media and press coverage
-Boston
-Nassau rally
-Liberty Island
-San Francisco
-Liberty Island
-Washington Post and New York Times
-George S. McGovern
-Public reaction
-Colson’s recent conversation with John F. Collins
-Cab driver’s view
-Boston Herald Traveler, Boston Globe
-Bostonians’ view of Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
-Apology
-Reaction of McGovern supporters
-McGovern’s response
-Television [TV] interview
-Washington Post
- 10 -
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
Conversation No. 390-12 (cont’d)
-McGovern’s campaign
-Possible “bomb”
-Response
-Colson’s schedule
-Denver
-Dennis Davis [?]
-Speech to College Republicans
-Mrs. Nixon
*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]
-The President’s campaign
-Error
-Democratic convention
-Minnesota
-Wisconsin
-South Dakota
-West Virginia
-Minnesota
-Wisconsin
-McGovern’s chances
-Hecklers in Boston
-Compared to Chicago
-Public reaction
-John B. Connally
-Departure from Democratic Party
-Henry A. Wallace, Harry S. Truman
-McGovern
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
-American people
-Goals in election
-Hecklers in Boston
-Media coverage
-Mrs. Nixon
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************
- 11 -
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
Conversation No. 390-12 (cont’d)
-Response
-The President’s forthcoming conversation with H.R. (“Bob”)
Haldeman
-Media coverage
-Wires
-Accusations that McGovern encouraging demonstrations against
First Family and surrogates
-Ziegler quotation
-Mrs. Nixon
-Klein
-Dole
-Agnew
-Number
-Impact
-Collins’ view
-TV advertisement
-Mrs. Nixon
-McGovern
-Hecklers
-Jerry Rubin
-McGovern
-Possible public statement
*****************************************************************
[Begin item reviewed under deed of gift]
-Samuel Lubell interviews
-New Majority
-The President’s speech, “Look to the Future”
-Revisions
-Quotation
-Appeal for support
-Middle America
-Support for the President
-New areas
-Jews
-Economic issues
-Taxes
- 12 -
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
Conversation No. 390-12 (cont’d)
-Democrats
-Losses
-New majority
-Republicans
-Lack of enthusiasm
-Liberals
-Italian-Americans
-Labor
-Catholics
-Voting
-Candidates
-Maryland
-Illinois
-New York
-Ticket splitting
-Albert E. Sindlinger polls
-Projections
-Democrats
-Voting patterns
-New York
The President talked with White House operator at an unknown time between 5:12 pm and 5:29
pm.
[Conversation No. 390-12A]
[See Conversation No. 32-151]
1972 campaign
-Connally
-Compared to the President
The President talked with Mrs. Nixon between 5:29 pm and 5:31 pm.
[Conversation No. 390-12B]
[See conversation No. 32-152]
[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
****************************************************************
- 13 -
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
Conversation No. 390-12 (cont’d)
Colson left at 5:30 pm.Also recorded on November 2, 1972
- 032-151 5:09 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:09 pm and 5:29 pm.
- 032-152 5:29 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon talked on the telephone from 5:29 pm to 5:31 pm.
- 390-013 5:31 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 5:31 pm and 5:35 pm.
- 032-153 5:35 PM · 25 sec — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, and unknown person(s) talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 5:35 pm and 6:38 pm.
- 390-014 5:35 PM · 1 hr 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Manolo Sanchez, Alexander P. Butterfield, White House operator, unknown person(s), and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 5:35 pm to 6:38 pm.
- 032-154 6:00 PM · 5 min — H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and John D. Ehrlichman talked on the telephone from 6:00 pm to 6:04 pm.
- 390-015 6:38 PM · 18 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 6:38 pm and 6:50 pm.
- 390-016 6:38 PM · 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 6:38 pm and 6:50 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 390-012, November 2, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/390-012 (accessed October 11, 2026).