Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 393 › Conversation 393-003
Nixon & Colson on Public relations and Harry S. Truman funeral
Tuesday, January 2, 1973 · 3:13 PM–3:33 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 11 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Charles Colson met to discuss managing the administration's public relations strategy, specifically regarding the upcoming funeral of Harry S. Truman and the President's image. The discussion touched upon navigating antiwar sentiment and media coverage of US bombing campaigns in Vietnam, with Colson providing input on how to frame these sensitive topics. They emphasized the public's desire for normalcy and the need to effectively communicate the administration's policy positions to counter domestic criticism.
- Public relations
- Harry S. Truman funeral
- Vietnam War
- Antiwar sentiment
- Media coverage
- Presidential image
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 7 minutes of this recording (about 65% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 January 2, 1973, 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 3:13 pm and 3:33 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 393-003 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 393-3
Date: January 2, 1973
Time: Unknown time between 3:13 pm and 3:33 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Charles W. Colson.
Harry S. Truman funeral
-Washington memorial service
-The President's attendance
-7-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 393-3 (cont’d)
-Press coverage
-Gerald L. Warren
-Lyndon B. Johnson’s attendance
-Private funeral in Independence, Missouri
-Dean Francis B. Sayre
-Possible remarks
-Press coverage
Public relations [PR]
-John A. Scali
-Sayre
-Opposition to Vietnam War
-Antiwar sentiment
-Public opinion
-Normalcy
-The President's public image
-John D. Ehrlichman
-1972 campaign
-Richard M. Scammon
-Roberto W. Clemente
-Importance to Americans
US bombing of Vietnam
-Press coverage
-Scali
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Source
-Max Frankel
-James B. (“Scotty”) Reston
-Frankel
-Kissinger
-Scali
-Colson’s reading of article
Vietnam
-Democratic caucus
-End-the-war resolution
-Senate
-New members
-Doves
-8-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 393-3 (cont’d)
-Andrew J. Young, Jr.
-S. Fletcher Thompson
-Barbara Jordan
Colson left at an unknown time before 3:33 pm.Also recorded on January 2, 1973
- 035-060 3:03 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 3:03 pm to 3:05 pm.
- 035-061 3:05 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:05 pm and 3:10 pm.
- 035-062 3:10 PM · 30 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 3:10 pm to 3:11 pm.
- 035-063 3:11 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:11 pm and 3:12 pm.
- 035-064 3:12 PM · 43 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 3:12 pm to 3:13 pm.
- 035-065 3:13 PM · 2 min — Charles W. Colson, White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and Gerald L. Warren talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 3:13 pm and 3:30 pm.
- 393-002 3:13 PM · 57 sec — Charles W. Colson and Gerald L. Warren met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 3:13 pm and 3:33 pm.
- 830-001 3:33 PM · 15 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:33 pm and 3:35 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 393-003, January 2, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/393-003 (accessed October 2, 2026).