Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 715 › Conversation 715-003
Nixon, DeSimone & Colson on 1972 Election and Campaign Strategy
Wednesday, April 26, 1972 · 12:19 PM–12:27 PM ET · Oval Office · 8 min
AI Summary
President Nixon met with Assistant Secretary of Transportation Herbert F. DeSimone and special counsel Charles W. Colson to express appreciation for DeSimone's service and conduct a brief photograph session. The discussion shifted toward political strategy, specifically leveraging DeSimone’s background to court ethnic voters and mobilize support for the Republican Party. Nixon encouraged DeSimone to campaign in states like New Jersey and New York to help secure electoral success and broaden the party's appeal among traditionally Democratic-leaning demographics.
- Herbert F. DeSimone
- Charles W. Colson
- 1972 Election
- Campaign Strategy
- Ethnic Voters
- Republican Party
Audio
NARA Description
On April 26, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Herbert F. DeSimone, Charles W. Colson, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:19 pm to 12:27 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 715-003 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 715-003
Date: April 26, 1972
Time: 12:19 pm - 12:27 pm
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Herbert F. DeSimone and Charles W. Colson; the White House
photographer was present at the beginning of the meeting.
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[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 11/28/2017.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[715-003-w001]
[Duration: 10s]
Greetings and introductions
Herbert F. DeSimone’s forthcoming campaign for Governor of Rhode Island
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DeSimone's tenure as Assistant Secretary of Transportation
-Appreciation
[Photograph session]
-Seating
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[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 11/28/2017.
Segment cleared for release.]
[715-003-w002]
[Personal Returnable]
[Duration: 3m 49s]
Herbert F. DeSimone’s schedule
-Campaign for Governor
-Organization
-Frank Licht
-The President’s opinion
-Compared with Milton Shapp
1972 ElectionShow the rest of the log (77 more lines)
-Rhode Island
-Herbert F. DeSimone’s opponents in Governors’ race
-Philip W. Noel
-Claiborne Pell
-John H. Chafee
-Richard J. Israel
-Attorney General race
-Republican ticket
-Strength
-Defense issue
-John H. Chafee
-The President’s advice
-Herbert F. DeSimone
-Work with White House
-Emphasis
-Political office
-Italian background
-Frank L. Rizzo
-Support for the President
-Strengths
-Italian-Americans
-Vote
-Importance, intelligence
-Patriotism
-Place on political spectrum
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Presidential gifts
-Cuff links
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[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 11/28/2017.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[715-003-w003]
[Duration: 3m 22s]
1972 Election
-Rhode Island primary
-Edmund S. Muskie’s anticipated win
-George S. McGovern
-George C. Wallace
-Results
-Hubert H. Humphrey
-Delegates
-Massachusetts
-Democratic delegation
-John K. Galbraith
-Democrats Regulists
-Irish Catholics
-Defeat
-Support for Edmund S. Muskie
-John K. Galbraith
-Ideology
-Democratic consensus
-Democratic Party
-Problems
-Defections
-Republican Party
-Paul N. McCloskey vote
-The President’s campaign
-Size of vote
-DeSimone’s campaign
-Chances
-Trips to New Jersey and New York
-Speeches to support the President
-Proximity
-The President’s visit to Philadelphia
-David Eisenhower’s graduation
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DeSimone and Colson left at 12:27 pm.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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Why don't you take one of us sitting down?
I thought he would.
He is unbelievable.
I don't know what he did.
I don't know what he did.
I don't know what he did.
So we have .
So we feel very, very good about things.
We also feel very good about .
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
a lot about that, that you've worked closely with all of our people, and that you had the, you know, to the extent that it will help our personal interests.
And I expect it to play out just the way you want, all the way, because I think it will be good for the party, not only for you to win, but Governor, I think it's good for you, because of your Italian background, your national, it's good for you to get on.
He's a hell of a guy.
Strong, vigorous, tough guy.
But we think nationally it's very important to go out there.
There isn't an integrity to go any more than they're saying.
But they are there.
They are there.
And they basically are patriotic.
They're warm-hearted.
They're intelligent.
And they just shouldn't be on a left-wing side.
Well, he's third, but he was supposed to head of the government unless Captain Wallace has lost.
Yeah, he says he's turned the car.
I don't know what happened to the delegates.
He's not lost the delegates as well.
He's got 30 of them.
He's got, I think, 27 of them left.
He's got the paragraph to the best that he's
So I would take it to the likes of the author who would make it hard for our credit friends to develop consensus.
I don't know.
He's a hard guy.
He's an ideologue.
But we'll be going there.
There are other guys that were pulled into the regular trading machine.
I talked to two presidents this morning.
They said they're getting ready to quit the Democratic Party.
I noticed that our people in the press are saying it's a rebuke for the president.
He's got 82% of the vote on Muskie.
Don't you?
He's got 13% as a protest.
I mean, I know what they have.
I'm sure.
But I would say this.
If you can work in some trips outside, or be sure you're going to win after you've won the election,
And I think you will be from everything out here.
And I don't follow most of them from out here, but you should be ahead.
But nevertheless, if you can, pop out and make some, make a few talks for us.
Particularly in New Jersey and in New York.
That should be the New Jersey New York.
That's very close to you.
You could just pop over and you could say that you're doing this to question the president.
But that will help hurt you here.
And win, that's all.
All the way.
Also recorded on April 26, 1972
- 715-001 11:41 AM · 20 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, Kim Yong-sik, Dong Jo Kim, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., White House photographer, unknown person(s), and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:41 am to 12:01 pm.
- 715-002 12:03 PM · 17 min — President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, unknown person(s), and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:03 pm to 12:19 pm.
- 715-004 12:28 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Alexander P. Butterfield, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:28 pm to 12:32 pm.
- 715-005 12:33 PM · 37 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, and Zosimo Monson met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:33 pm to 1:10 pm.
- 023-080 1:10 PM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 1:10 pm and 1:45 pm.
- 333-009 1:10 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:10 pm and 1:45 pm.
- 333-010 1:10 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Rose Mary Woods met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:10 pm and 1:45 pm.
- 333-011 1:10 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 1:10 pm and 1:45 pm.
Related conversations
- Nixon phone call with Colson on 1972 campaign and Polling data September 30, 1972 · 23 min
- Nixon phone call with Hirsch on 1972 election and South Dakota November 4, 1972 · 2 min
- Nixon phone call with Dole on 1972 Presidential Election and Kansas politics November 4, 1972 · 3 min
- Nixon & Buchanan on 1972 election and Media bias June 10, 1972 · 10 min
- Nixon, Colson & Holm on 1972 Presidential Election and Campaign Strategy November 2, 1972 · 22 min
- Nixon phone call with Rollins on Fund-raising and Republican Party November 15, 1971 · 4 min
Cite this conversation
Conversation 715-003, April 26, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives (NAID 417181339). Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/715-003 (accessed November 2, 2026).