President Richard M. Nixon wanted to face the weakest possible Democratic opponent in his reelection campaign. Before primary voting began, the Democratic front-runner was Sen. Edmund S. Muskie of Maine, a centrist Democrat who had been the vice presidential nominee in 1968. In this conversation, Nixon decided to meddle in the New Hampshire Democratic primary by secretly financing a write-in campaign for Sen. Edward M. “Teddy” Kennedy of Massachusetts. Kennedy was not a candidate for the presidency that year, but his popularity was sure to siphon votes from the real candidates. Letters from a dummy organization called “United Democrats for Kennedy” soon appeared in the mailboxes of New Hampshire Democrats, urging them to cast their votes for the non-candidate.

For more, see Michael Koncewicz, “Made by History: How Republican Dirty Tricks Paved the Way for Russian Meddling in 2016,” Washington Post, 9 March 2018.

Date: 1971-12-23
Time: 13:40-14:40
Participants: Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. "Chuck" Colson
Location: Executive Office Building
Tape: 310-017 A