Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 656 › Conversation 656-007
Nixon, Colson & Haldeman on Vietnam Peace Proposal and Media Relations
Wednesday, January 26, 1972 · 7:52 AM–8:03 AM ET · Oval Office · 5 min
AI Summary
President Nixon met with Charles Colson and H.R. Haldeman to discuss the unfavorable media coverage regarding his recent Vietnam peace proposal. Nixon expressed frustration with the press, specifically criticizing newspapers like the New York Times and Washington Post for their negative framing and lack of objective reporting. The President directed his staff to proactively challenge these narratives by mobilizing friendly journalists and political allies to attack the media's divisive tone and emphasize positive public support for the administration's policy.
- Vietnam Peace Proposal
- Media Relations
- Press Criticism
- Public Relations
- Administration Strategy
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
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 Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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Hello.
Hi, Rose.
Yeah, how are you?
Fine.
How'd the party go last night?
They...
They got good.
That's good.
Well, I thought that would give them a different subject.
They didn't have to pitch so much.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Good.
What is the...
I was wondering... Tonight, are you free to come over?
I thought the school was out of town.
I'm trying to tell you that I assume you're working with me.
It's very important to re-equip the troops hard on the reaction stuff because it's predictable.
I don't believe it.
I haven't seen it.
I'm hoping the Times, the Times says reaction is next.
It's a quiet story.
It says no converts were made.
If you read the stories, aren't you mad?
The headlines are wrong.
On the other hand, Chuck, we can't sit back and think that that doesn't affect people.
They've done it deliberately.
And I think you ought to get the line off his ass and get him to raise it.
I can say, Bob, I like one of those leaders' meetings.
I want you to get Chuck all the bomb jurors.
You can't emphasize too strongly how the thing I said to both of you last night, individually, that you can't just assume you're going to get this reaction story across.
Because you struck a raw narrative.
You know what I mean?
But as I pointed out this morning, we'd like to sort of cross over
Well, there were.
There was John Cameron Cooper.
I mean, when I say conquerors, I meant to think of the college.
That's true.
My point is, I think we have to really get in line with people like that.
They ought to be really great to help on this sort of thing.
And that they should tell the truth.
Or do you have any comment?
Or do you see the necessity for this?
Or do you agree with me?
My point is, in certain armies, are we doing things?
That's the point that I would make.
At the outset, it's pushing the positive side, which is obviously what you want to do.
Then you watch what kind of bounce you get.
Most of what we've gotten has been about what we want.
Some of it has been what you'd expect.
I mean, the San Duran opiate types are going to squeal, and you're never going to get enough water for testing that.
I mean, someone else has got to take them on.
And now what we need, which is what you were talking about last night, that we've got to get
The attacker touches on our side to attack the people who get the points on the other side.
In other words, to attack the divisiveness, to make the point that the president called for going together on this so that we could get something done.
They have attacker divisiveness, but also polishers.
You've got to be really, you can't get away with this kind of crap, you know what I mean?
It's like, it's like the November 3rd thing in a very different way, but I mean, where you've got some public opinion rolling for you, not other things, Bob.
You've got to generate it, you know what I mean?
You know, I assume that you're generating stuff.
Yes, sir.
We are.
You're, you know, and then put it out, so to say, whatever it is, it's got something to put out.
Yeah, we can hold back, sir.
last night with the story of this malady and just running down the list with an enormous reaction and so forth from across the country.
Do you understand what I mean?
Sure.
Don't just... You've almost got a spoon full of cigarette or anything like this, so he's got...
NARA Description
On January 26, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, Rose Mary Woods, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 7:52 am to 8:03 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 656-007 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 656-7
Date: January 26, 1972
Time: 7:52 am - 8:03 am
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Charles W. Colson.
[The President talked with Rose Mary Woods between 7:52 am and 7:53 am.]
[Conversation No. 656-7A]
[See Conversation No. 19-91]
**********************************************************************
[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 11/30/2017.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[656-007-w001]
[Duration: 22s]
Rose Mary Woods’s schedule
-Julie Nixon Eisenhower
**********************************************************************
[End of telephone conversation]
Newspaper stories concerning reaction to the President’s Vietnam peace proposal speech,
January 25, 1972
-News summary
-Washington Post
-New York Times
-Washington Post
-Richard (“Dick”) Lyons
-Accuracy
-Effect
-Administration reaction
-Herbert G. Klein
H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman entered at 7:57 am.
-The President’s schedule
-Forthcoming congressional leaders meeting
-Talks with Haldeman and Colson, January 25, 1972
-Administration’s handling
-Truth
-Lyons
-John Sherman Cooper
-Michael J. Mansfield
-Edmund S. Muskie
-Philip A. Hart [?]
-F. Bradford Morse
-Administration handling
-Klein
-Need to challenge stories
-Positive information
-Nature of stories
-Tone
-Sander Vanocur
-Administration handling
-Friendly journalists
-Need to attack
-Publishers
-Compared to the President’s November 3, 1969 speech
-Public perception
-Polls
-Press releases
-Ronald L. Ziegler
Recording was cut off at an unknown time before 8:03 am.Also recorded on January 26, 1972
- 019-090 7:47 AM · 10 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 7:47 am and 7:52 am.
- 088-002 7:47 AM · 1 hr 58 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, and Republican Congressional leaders, including Hugh Scott, Robert P. Griffin, Norris Cotton, Gordon L. Allott, Peter H. Dominick, Barry M. Goldwater, Gerald R. Ford, Leslie C. Arends, John B. Anderson, Samuel L. Devine, Richard H. Poff, Barber B. Conable, Jr., H. Allen Smith, Robert C. ("Bob") Wilson, John W. Byrnes, Frank T. Bow, Robert J. Dole, George P. Shultz, Caspar W. ("Cap") Weinberger, Herbert Stein, John D. Ehrlichman, Clark MacGregor, William E. Timmons, Richard K. Cook, Thomas C. Korologos, Harry S. Dent, Ronald L. Ziegler, Bryce N. Harlow, Noel C. Koch, William L. Gifford, Henry A. Kissinger, and William P. Rogers, met in the Cabinet Room of the White House at an unknown time between 7:47 am and 10:02 am.
- 656-002 7:47 AM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:47 am and 7:52 am.
- 656-003 7:47 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:47 am and 7:52 am.
- 656-004 7:47 AM · 25 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:47 am and 7:52 am.
- 656-005 7:47 AM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Rose Mary Woods met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:47 am and 7:52 am.
- 656-006 7:47 AM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 7:47 am and 7:52 am.
- 019-091 7:52 AM · 45 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods talked on the telephone from 7:52 am to 7:53 am.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 656-007, January 26, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/656-007 (accessed October 6, 2026).