Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 394 › Conversation 394-007
Nixon, Colson & Timmons on Congressional Relations and Watergate
Friday, January 5, 1973 · 12:36 PM–1:02 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 26 min
AI Summary
In this meeting, President Nixon and Charles Colson discussed a wide range of administrative and political concerns, including congressional relations, press strategy, and economic indicators. The conversation touched upon the management of the Watergate scandal, the ongoing Vietnam peace negotiations, and the President's upcoming schedule. The participants coordinated efforts to maintain bipartisan support in Congress and managed public perception surrounding administration officials and staff.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 15 minutes of this recording (about 57% 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.
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NARA Description
On January 5, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, White House operator, Stephen B. Bull, and William E. Timmons met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:36 pm and 1:02 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 394-007 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 394-7
Date: January 5, 1973
Time: Unknown between 12:36 pm and 1:02 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Charles W. Colson.
Telephone call
-Ronald L. Ziegler’s schedule
-Press conference
-11-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 394-7 (cont’d)
The President talked with Stephen B. Bull between 12:37 pm and 12:38 pm.
[Conversation No. 394-7A]
[See Conversation No. 35-95]
Congressional relations
-Colson's recent conversations with William E. Timmons
-Tone
-The President’s bipartisan leadership meeting
-George H. Mahon
-Standing ovation
-Democrats, Republicans
-Hugh Scott
-Gerald R. Ford
-Henry A. Kissinger’s meeting with Scott and Ford
-Kissinger meeting with Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield
-Timmon’s schedule
-[Freshmen Congressmen and bipartisan leadership reception]
Colson take with the White House operator at an unknown time between 12:38 pm and 1:02 pm.
[See Conversation No. 35-96]
Colson talked with Timmons at an unknown time between 12:38 pm and 1:02 pm.
[See Conversation No. 35-96]
Congressional relations
-Mansfield
-Possibility of leaks
-Timmons’s schedule
-Meeting with Scott, Ford
-Timmons
-Personality
-Enthusiasm
-Overstatements
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-Scott, Ford
-12-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 394-7 (cont’d)
Unemployment
-Statistics
-Lack of change
-Herbert Stein’s view
-Revisions
-January 1973, December, November, October 1972
Stock market
-Status
-Press relations
-Associated Press [AP]
-Washington Star
-AP
-Wire service reports
-Wall Street
Roberto Clemente fund
-Daniel M. Galbreath’s statement
-The President’s meeting with Galbreath, Dave Giusti [and Steve Blass]
-“Sports city”
-The President’s message and contribution
Press relations
-The President’s schedule
-January 1, 1973
-Roger H. Mudd
-Frank Cormier’s AP article
-Timing
-Oval Office
-[Lock on door]
-New York Daily News
-Second term reorganization
-Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
-Swearing in as Army Vice Chief of Staff
-Distinguished Service Medal
-The President’s presentation
-Washington Star
-AP
-Harry S. Truman’s memorial service
-13-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 394-7 (cont’d)
-The President’s attendance
-Mary McGrory
-The President’s telephone call to Lyndon B. Johnson
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-Public relations
-Independence, Missouri
-John A. Scali
-Funeral
-Television [TV]
-Middle America
-Archie Bunker
-Walter L. Cronkite, Jr.
-Edward M. Kennedy
-Washingtonian magazine article
-Liberal orientation
-New Yorker
-[Nancy Clinch]
-Background
-Psychology
-Kennedy Family
-Presidency
-Assassination fears
-Expectations
-Harvard University
-Rugby match, 1954
-Women
-Drinking
-Driving
-Chappaquiddick
-Colson’s conversation with the President
-Agnew
-Amanda Burden
Watergate
-H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman, Colson
-Cover-up
-Possible revelation
-Knowledge
-Ronald L. Ziegler’s possible statement
-John N. Mitchell
-14-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 394-7 (cont’d)
-Order
-Jeb Stuart Magruder
-Hearsay
-Magruder
-Work with Colson
-Haldeman
-Role
-Approval
-Hearsay
-Decisions
-Decisions
-Mitchell
-Indirect approval
-Loss of memory
-Colson’s view
-Personality
-February – April 1972
-Preoccupation
-Richard G. Kleindienst
-Lack of fears
-International Telephone and Telegraph [ITT]
-The President’s trip to the People’s Republic of China
[PRC]
-The President’s May 8, 1972 decision
-1972 election
Congressional relations
-Tone
-White House Staff
-The President’s meeting with Haldeman
-The President’s previous crises
-Ehrlichman
-Meeting with Congressional leaders
-The President’s role compared to White House Staff role
-Ehrlichman, Haldeman, Clarke MaGregor, Colson
The President’s schedule
-Meeting with President of Israel [S. Zalman Shazar]
-Freshman Congressman reception
-Handshaking
-15-
NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Conversation No. 394-7 (cont’d)
-Camp David
Congressional relations
-Vietnam negotiations
-The President’s meeting with Haldeman and Henry A. Kissinger
-Treason charge
-Colson
-US bombing of North Vietnam
-Kissinger’s return to Paris
-The President’s bipartisan leadership meeting
-Instructions for Scali
-Transcript
-Ziegler’s press conference
-US bombing of North Vietnam
-White House
-Chronology
Press relations
-Scali
-Meeting with the President
-White House
-The President’s bipartisan leadership meeting
-The President’s remarks
Colson left at 1:02 pm.Also recorded on January 5, 1973
- 035-094 12:36 PM · 12 sec — the White House operator and President Richard M. Nixon talked on the telephone at 12:36 pm.
- 394-006 12:36 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 12:36 pm.
- 035-095 12:37 PM · 50 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone from 12:37 pm to 12:38 pm.
- 035-096 12:38 PM · 55 sec — Charles W. Colson, White House operator, President Richard M. Nixon, and William E. Timmons talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 12:38 pm and 1:02 pm.
- 394-008 1:04 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 1:04 pm to 1:08 pm.
- 394-009 1:08 PM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building on an unknown date, sometime between 1:08 pm on January 5, 1973 and 2:56 pm on January 8, 1973.
- 394-010 1:08 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building on an unknown date, sometime between 1:08 pm on January 5, 1973 and 2:56 pm on January 8, 1973.
- 394-011 1:08 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building on an unknown date, sometime between 1:08 pm on January 5, 1973 and 2:56 pm on January 8, 1973.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 394-007, 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/394-007 (accessed October 11, 2026).