Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 757 › Conversation 757-023

Nixon & Colson on Watergate and Political Strategy

Monday, July 31, 1972 · 10:58 PM–11:11 PM ET · Oval Office · 13 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.Conversation757-023 on Tape 757StartMonday, July 31, 1972 at 10:58 PMEndMonday, July 31, 1972 at 11:11 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 757-023 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with special counsel Charles Colson to discuss sensitive political strategy and potential damage control efforts regarding the ongoing investigation into the Watergate break-in. The pair explored tactics to manage public perception and insulate the administration from fallout during the 1972 election cycle. Their discussion focused on assessing the vulnerabilities of the White House position and coordinating countermeasures to limit political damage.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

No transcript is available yet for this conversation. The recording may contain no audible speech, or it may not have been processed.

NARA Description

On July 31, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:58 pm to 11:11 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 757-023 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 757-23

Date: July 31, 1972
Time: 10:58 pm - 11:11 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President talked with Charles W. Colson.

[See Conversation No. 28-25; one item has been withdrawn]

Also recorded on August 1, 1972

  • 028-022 10:26 PM · 28 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Patrick J. Buchanan talked on the telephone from 10:26 pm to 10:31 pm.
  • 028-023 10:31 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:31 pm and 10:58 pm.
  • 028-024 10:31 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:31 pm and 10:58 pm.
  • 757-021 10:31 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:31 pm and 10:58 pm.
  • 757-022 10:31 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 10:31 pm and 10:58 pm.
  • 028-025 10:58 PM · 16 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 10:58 pm to 11:11 pm.
  • 757-024 11:11 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:11 pm and 11:18 pm.
  • 757-025 11:18 PM · 12 sec — United States Secret Service agents met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 11:18 pm and 11:59 pm.

All 73 conversations from August 1, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 757-023, August 1, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/757-023 (accessed October 1, 2026).