Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 394 › Conversation 394-003
Nixon, Colson & Holm on Vietnam War and Watergate
Friday, January 5, 1973 · 12:02 PM–12:36 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 34 min
AI Summary
President Nixon met with Charles Colson to discuss administration strategies regarding the Vietnam peace negotiations, congressional relations, and the ongoing Watergate investigations. A primary focus was managing public and political fallout from the U.S. bombing campaigns in North Vietnam and coordinating with bipartisan leaders. The participants also explored legal developments surrounding the Watergate burglars, specifically E. Howard Hunt, including potential justifications for clemency and maintaining deniability for the White House.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 23 minutes of this recording (about 67% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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
Each line starts with a timestamp button; press it to play the audio from that point.
NARA Description
On January 5, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, Holly Holm, and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:02 pm and 12:36 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 394-003 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 394-3
Date: January 5, 1973
Time: Unknown between 12:02 pm and 12:36 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Charles W. Colson.
Vietnam negotiations
-Press relations
-Television [TV] news coverage
-Columbia Broadcasting System [CBS]
-Congress
-“End-the-war fulminations”
-Balance
-John G. Tower
-Robert J. Dole
-US bombing North of 20th Parallel
-Hospital
-W. Ramsey Clark
-John F. Kennedy
-Bay of Pigs
-Colson’s office
-Press relations
-Congressional relations
-Colson’s recent conversation with John A. Scali
-Scali’s conversations
-[North Vietnam]
-James Roosevelt
-Democrats
-Samuel Rayburn
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
-Foreign policy
-Scali
-The President’s recent bipartisan leadership meeting
-Colson’s possible role
-The President’s bipartisan leadership meeting
-Foreign policy
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-Rowland Evans and Robert D. Novak
-4-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 394-3 (cont’d)
-Public opinion
-US bombing north of the 20th Parallel
-US bombing north of 20th Parallel
-The President’s bipartisan leadership meeting
-Purpose
-Statements by the President and Kissinger
-Time
-Congressional relations
-The President’s bipartisan leadership meeting
-The President’s May 8, 1972 decision
-October 8, 1972 agreement
-Cessation of US bombing north of 20th Parallel
-November 1972
-North Vietnam’s military tactics
-Resumption of talks
-Tone
-Cessation of US bombing north of 20th Parallel
-Haiphong, Hanoi
-Duration
-Prisoners of War [POWS]
-US withdrawal
-Cease-fire
-Public opinion
-William E. Timmons
-Personality
-Clark MacGregor
-Colson’s conversation with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-Attack line
-Barry M. Goldwater
-Charge [against Democrats]
-US withdrawal
-POWs
-The President’s objectives
-Peace
-Cease-fire
-Cambodia, Laos, Indochina
-Compared to opponents’ objective
-US
-Southeast Asia, world
-Idealism
-5-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 394-3 (cont’d)
-Cease-fire
-Morality
White House staff
-Congressional relations
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew’s view
-Timmons
-The President’s role
-The President’s conversation with Haldeman
-Need for meeting
-1972 election
-Workload
-Second term reorganization
-Colson’s work with John D. Ehrlichman
-New Majority
Second term reorganization
-The President’s schedule
-Roy L. Ash
-Dr. Edward E. David, Jr.
-Colson’s schedule
-1972 election
-Meeting with Roosevelt
Watergate
-E. Howard Hunt, Jr.
-Possible plea
-Colson’s meeting with Ehrlichman
-Colson’s role
-Conversations with the US Attorney
-Colson’s role
-Contacts with [William O. Bittman]
-US Attorney
-Hunt’s cooperation
-Hunt’s loss of [Dorothy Hunt]
-Jeb Stuart Magruder
-Haldeman
-Howard Hunt
-Family
-Dorothy Hunt
-6-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 394-3 (cont’d)
-Children
-Possible clemency
-Jail sentence
-Duration
-Justification
-Howard Hunt’s family
-Dorothy Hunt
-Children
-Timing
-Christmas
-Justification
-Howard Hunt’s family
-Colson’s involvement
-Deniability
-Roles
-John N. Mitchell
-Magruder
-Haldeman
-John W. Dean, III
-Knowledge
-The President's knowledge
-Motives
-Plan to disrupt Republican National Convention
-Howard Hunt
-Possible clemency
-Justification
-Timing
-Burglars
-Cubans
-Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
-Colson’s involvement
-Deniability
-Justification
-Howard Hunt’s family
-Colson’s conversation [with William O. Bittman]
-The President’s awareness
-Timing
-Christmas
-Howard Hunt’s finances
-Taxes
-7-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 394-3 (cont’d)
-Bittman
-Colson’s efforts
Congressional relations
-Attitudes
-The President’s conversation with Colson
-Democrats
-Division
-1972 election
-Republicans
-Attitude
-Leadership
-Hugh Scott
-The President’s meeting with Haldeman
-Senators
-Leadership
-Scott
-Charles H. Percy
-The President’s meeting with Henry A. Kissinger
-Recent trip
-Report
-Meeting with Kissinger
-Timing
-Christmas 1972
-Effect
-“Hawks”
-Colson’s conversation with Kissinger
-Tone
-Conversation with Kissinger
-Vietnam negotiations
-Success
-Anti-Ballistic Missiles
-Judges
-Vietnam negotiations
-Future
-The President’s view
-The President’s bipartisan leadership meeting
Vietnam negotiations
-Kissinger’s “peace is at hand” comment, October 26, 1972
-8-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 394-3 (cont’d)
-Effect
-1972 election
-Public relations [PR]
-Success or failure
-The President’s responsibility
-Congressional relations
-The President’s bipartisan leadership meeting
-John A. Scali
-North Vietnam infiltration
-Timing
-Central Intelligence Agency [CIA] reports
-Scali
-Buildup
-Lyndon B. Johnson [?]
-Colson’s conversation with an unknown person
-Kissinger
-Publicity
-Leaks
-US bombing north of 20th Parallel
-Justification
-Possible North Vietnam offensive
The President’s schedule
-Bipartisan leadership meeting
-Remarks
Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 12:02 pm.
-Refreshment
-Consumme
Sanchez left at an unknown time before 12:36 pm.
Colson talked with Holly Holm at an unknown time between 12:02 pm and 12:36 pm.
[Conversation No. 394-3A]
[See Conversation No. 35-91]
[End of telephone conversation]
-9-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 394-3 (cont’d)
Watergate
-U.S. Attorney [Harold H. Titus, Jr.]
-[Earl J. Silbert]
-Background
-Justice Department
-1964
-1970
-Career
-Success, failure
-Titus
-Reappointment
-Burglars
-Plea
-Congressional relations
-Immunization
-Lying
-The President’s current meeting with Colson
-Colson’s relationship with Haldeman and Ehrlichman
-Colson’s conversation with DeVan L. Shumway
-Ehrlichman
-Mitchell
-Perjury
-Congressional relations
Congressional relations
-Timmons
-Telephone call from Colson
Colson left at an unknown time before 12:36 pm.Also recorded on January 5, 1973
- 394-001 11:53 AM · 30 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 11:53 am and 12:02 pm.
- 394-002 11:53 AM · 2 min — 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 11:53 am and 12:02 pm.
- 035-091 12:02 PM · 55 sec — Charles W. Colson, White House operator, and Holly Holm talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:02 pm and 12:36 pm.
- 035-092 12:02 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:02 pm and 12:36 pm.
- 035-093 12:02 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:02 pm and 12:36 pm.
- 394-004 12:02 PM · 9 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 12:02 pm and 12:36 pm.
- 394-005 12:02 PM · 12 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 12:02 pm and 12:36 pm.
- 035-094 12:36 PM · 12 sec — the White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at 12:36 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 394-003, January 5, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/394-003 (accessed October 11, 2026).