On January 23, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, Henry A. Kissinger, Manolo Sanchez, White House operator, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 6:22 pm and 7:23 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 407-018 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding AidConversation No. 407-18
Date: January 23, 1973
Time: Between 6:22 pm and 7:23 pm
Location: Executive Office Building
The President met with Charles W. Colson.
Vietnam settlement
-Campaign against the President's opponents
-Colson's office's role
-Barry M. Goldwater's role
-Political left
-Response
-White House response
-Raymond K. Price, Jr.’s comment
-Washington Post editorial
-Effect of bombing and mining
-Effect on country, Congress, youth
-Divisiveness
-Goldwater's role
-Tenuousness
-Cease-fire violations
-Press coverage
-Phnom Penh
-The President's statements
-1972 election
-Colson's plan
-Congressional relations
-Labor leaders
-George Meany
-Frank E. Fitzsimmons
-Statement
-Ronald L. Ziegler
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Conversation No. 407-18 (cont’d)
-Apology from President's critics
-Delay in peace process by critics
-Spiro T. Agnew
-Haldeman
-Public opinion
-The President's critics
-Bombing
-Cambodia
-Laos
-November 3, 1969 speech
-Demonstrations
-May 8, 1972 decision
-World War II
-Peter J. Brennan
-Congress
-Possible statement
-Effect on news reporting
-William P. Rogers
-Congress
-Briefings
-Congressional leaders
-Press
-The President's speech
-Briefings
-Kissinger
-Press relations
-New York Times, Time
-The President's talk with Ziegler on White House staff contacts
Colson's lawsuit against Time
-Colson's lawyer's meeting with Time
-Retraction
-Purpose of Time story
-Malice
-Subsciptions
-Sensational stories
-Saturday Evening Post, Look, Life examples
-Story on Marlon Brando
-Patrick J. Buchanan
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Conversation No. 407-18 (cont’d)
Supreme Court decision on abortion
-Roe v. Wade
-Two dissenting justices
-Effects
-Conservatives
-State laws
-Teenage girls
-3-month rule
-Interracial cases
-Rape cases
-Effects
-Social consequences
-Permissiveness
-Family
-Two dissenting justices
-William H. Rehnquist, Lewis F. Powell
-Rehnquist, Byron R. (“Whizzer”) White
-Writing of decisions
Henry A. Kissinger entered at 6:35 pm.
Vietnam settlement
-Congratulations
-Croix de Guerre
-The President's opponents
-Colson's plan
Colson left at 6:36 pm.
Vietnam settlement
-The President's forthcoming speech
-Revisions
-Wording
-Advance distribution
-Price's and President's work
-President's opponents
-Revisions
-Vietnamese translation
-Text copy
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Conversation No. 407-18 (cont’d)
The President talked with the White House operator at an unknown time between 6:36 pm and
6:38 pm.
[Conversation No. 407-18A]
[See Conversation No. 36-88]
[End of telephone conversation.]
Vietnam settlement
-The President’s and Kissinger’s predictions
-Nguyen Van Thieu
The President talked with Ziegler between 6:38 pm and 6:40 pm
[Conversation No. 407-18B]
[See Conversation No. 36-89
[End of telephone conversation]
Vietnam settlement
-White House public relations [PR] effort [?]
-Price,
-Alexander M. Haig’s trip
-The President's speech
-Location
-Bella Abzug, George S. McGovern
-Ziegler
-H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
-Spiro T. Agnew
-Haig
-Cease-fire [?]
-William P. Rogers
-The President’s speech [?]
-Wording [?]
-Paragraphs
-Agnew
Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 6:40 pm.
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Conversation No. 407-18 (cont’d)
Refreshment order
Sanchez left at an unknown time before 7:23 pm.
Vietnam settlement
-Saigon [?]
-Rogers
-Thieu [?]
-Meeting with Haig [?]
-Bombing
-Future of South Vietnam
-Government [?]
-Sacrifices [?]
-The President's schedule
-Congressional leaders meeting
-Camp David [?]
-Congress [?]
-South Vietnamese
-Thieu
-North Vietnam
-Bombing
-Cambodia
-Soviet Union, People’s Republic of China [PRC]
-North Vietnam
-Cease-fire
-Laos
-South Vietnam
-Rogers [?]
Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 6:40 pm.
PRC
Kissinger and Sanchez left at 7:23 pm.
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(rev. Apr.-09)This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.