Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 478 › Conversation 478-006
Nixon & Colson on Surveillance and Political strategy
Tuesday, April 13, 1971 · 11:14 AM–11:17 AM ET · Oval Office · 2 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Charles Colson briefly coordinated their schedules regarding upcoming meetings and discussed ongoing efforts to monitor an unnamed individual. The dialogue touches on strategic surveillance and public perception management, suggesting that their oversight tactics were successfully keeping the subject cautious. No formal policy decisions were made, as the conversation focused primarily on operational logistics and the status of their intelligence activities.
- Surveillance
- Political strategy
- Scheduling
- Intelligence gathering
- Public relations
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 29% 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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.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 April 13, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:14 am to 11:17 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 478-006 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 478-6 Date: April 13, 1971 Time: 11:14 am - 11:17 am Location: Oval Office The President talked with Charles W. Colson [See Conversation No. 1-78]
Also recorded on April 13, 1971
- 001-076 10:16 AM · 6 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Peter G. Peterson, and Henry A. Kissinger talked on the telephone from 10:16 am to 10:21 am.
- 001-077 11:13 AM · 3 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone from 11:13 am to 11:14 am.
- 478-003 11:13 AM · 36 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 11:13 am.
- 478-004 11:13 AM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at 11:13 am.
- 001-078 11:14 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 11:14 am to 11:17 am.
- 478-005 11:14 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at 11:14 am.
- 478-007 11:17 AM · 57 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, John A. Scali, White House photographer, Stephen B. Bull, unknown person(s), and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:17 am and 12:18 pm.
- 478-008 12:18 PM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Carl M. Yastrzemski, and Henry C. Cashen, II met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:18 pm to 12:33 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 478-006, April 13, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/478-006 (accessed October 12, 2026).