Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 742 › Conversation 742-011
Nixon, Lodge & Colson on Vatican and Diplomatic appointments
Monday, June 26, 1972 · 11:07 AM–11:30 AM ET · Oval Office
AI Summary
President Nixon met with Henry Cabot Lodge, Charles Colson, and Henry Kissinger to review recent presidential press coverage, including his return from the Soviet Union and comparisons between George McGovern and Dwight Eisenhower. The discussion focused heavily on Lodge’s diplomatic experiences and personal relationship with the Vatican, particularly concerning the influence and support of American Cardinals. Furthermore, the group evaluated potential future diplomatic appointments for the Lodge family and discussed various strategic administrative staffing assignments.
- Vatican
- Diplomatic appointments
- Foreign policy
- Catholic Church
- Presidential press coverage
- Staffing
Audio
Easy Nixon does not have audio for this conversation yet: the Nixon Library lists it as “being processed”, and the National Archives Catalog has not put it online. It will be added once it is released. See the Nixon Library record ↗.
NARA Description
On June 26, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Henry Cabot Lodge, Charles W. Colson, and Henry A. Kissinger met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:07 am to 11:30 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 742-011 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 742-11
Date: June 26, 1972
Time: 11:07 am -11:30 am
Location: Oval Office
The President met with Henry Cabot Lodge and Charles W. Colson.
The President’s schedule
-Henry A. Kissinger
-Press photograph
The President's statement on return from trip to the Soviet Union
-Lodge’s view
-US News and World Report article
Henry A. Kissinger entered at an unknown time after 11:07 am.
Washington Post article comparing George S. McGovern's national
security policy with Dwight D. Eisenhower's
-The President’s view
Photograph opportunity
Vatican
-Lodge’s previous visit
-Frank Stevenson from the State Department
-Giovanni Battista Motini [Pope Paul VI]
-Feelings toward the President
-Lodge’s assessment
-American bishops
-Structure of Lodge's office
-Archbishop Spinnelli (?)
-Foreign service officer's role in Pope's attitude toward Joseph Cardinal
Mindszenty
-US embassy in Rome
-Lodge's schedule
-Kissinger’s view
-Oral Roberts
-Vietnam
-Prisoners of war [POWs]
-Staffing
-Lodge's title
-Bryce N. HarlowShow the rest of the log (60 more lines)
-Pope's brother
-Visitors to Vatican
-Terrance Cardinal Cooke
-John Cardinal Krol
-Support for the President
-Timothy Cardinal Manning
-James F.A. Cardinal McIntyre
-John Cardinal Cody
-Cardinal in St. Louis
-Cardinal in Detroit
-White House efforts
-Cardinals
-Cardinal Cooke
-Lodge's visit
-Cardinal Manning
-Colson’s role
-Lodge's visits
-Aid to education bill
*****************************************************************
BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
[Personal returnable]
[Duration: 2m 27s ]
END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 2
*****************************************************************
Lodge's official roles
-Diplomatic appointments
-Lodge's family
-Paris
-Diplomatic assignments
-Spain
-George Lodge's family
-Lodge
-Possible appointees
-Robert C. Hill
-Horatio Rivero
-John D. Lodge
-Political future
-Argentina
-John Lodge
-Gen. Francisco Franco
-Lopez Bravo
-Current Vice President of Spain
-Linguistic ability
-Lodge
-Germany
-State Department
-Relationship with Pope
-Maltese ambassador
Lodge's family
Washington Post article
-Colson
Lodge, et al., left at 11:31 am.Transcript (AI-generated)
No transcript is available because Easy Nixon does not have the audio yet.
Also recorded on June 26, 1972
- 742-009 10:45 AM — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:45 am and 10:59 am.
- 742-010 10:59 AM — President Richard M. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:59 am to 11:06 am.
- 026-005 11:00 AM · 26 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:00 am and 11:45 am.
- 026-006 11:00 AM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:00 am and 11:45 am.
- 026-007 11:00 AM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:00 am and 11:45 am.
- 742-012 11:31 AM — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at 11:31 am.
- 742-013 11:31 AM — President Richard M. Nixon, Peter M. Flanigan, Stephen B. Bull, White House operator, Henry A. Kissinger, George P. Shultz, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:31 am to 12:08 pm.
- 026-008 11:45 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and George P. Shultz talked on the telephone from 11:45 am to 11:47 am.
Related conversations
- Nixon phone call with Krol on Poland and Edward Gierek June 6, 1972 · 17 min
- Nixon phone call with Kissinger on Strategic Arms Limitation Talks October 14, 1971 · 9 min
- Nixon phone call with Kendall on Diplomatic Appointments and Argentina December 24, 1971 · 7 min
- Nixon phone call with Kissinger on ITT case and Middle East policy March 27, 1972 · 13 min
- Nixon, Rogers & Haig on Pentagon Papers and Vietnam War policy June 14, 1971 · 42 min
- Nixon, Rogers & Kissinger on Foreign Policy and SALT I June 14, 1972
Cite this conversation
Conversation 742-011, June 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/742-011 (accessed November 14, 2026).