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Conversation: 379-010

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Start Date: 1-Nov-1972 9:26 AM

End Date: 1-Nov-1972 9:59 AM

Participants:

Nixon, Richard M. (President)Brennan, Peter J.

Recording Device: Old Executive Office Building

379-010.mp3

NARA Description:

On November 1, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Peter J. Brennan met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:26 am to 9:59 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 379-010 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid:

Conversation No. 379-10

Date: November 1, 1972
Time: 9:26 am - 9:59 am
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Patrick J. Buchanan.

       1972 election campaign
            -Time remaining until election
            -Opposition’s actions
                   -Exploitation
                         -The President's conversation with Charles W. Colson
                         -Demonstrators in Boston
                         -1960 election
                                -Reason for defeat
                                      -Texas Congressman Bruce R. Alger
                   -Participants
                         -Number
                         -Use of obscenities
                         -Boston Globe coverage
                         -Handling
                   -The President's forthcoming trip to Rhode Island
                         -Brown University
                   -Busing issue
                         -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
                         -Democrats
                         -Louise Day Hicks
                   -Possible telephone calls
                   -Tricia Nixon Cox
                         -Wisconsin
            -Julia Nixon Eisenhower
                   -Possible telephone calls
                         -Demands of McGovern
                                -Insults to Mrs. Nixon
                                -Use of obscenities against Tricia Nixon Cox and Julie Nixon
                                  Eisenhower
                                -5-

      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                        Tape Subject Log
                         (rev. Mar.-08)

                                               Conversation No. 379-10 (cont’d)

                  -Responsibility
                  -Condemnation
                  -Violence
                        -San Francisco, Phoenix, Republican National Convention
                        -McGovern's response
     -Double standard
            -Ronald L. Ziegler
            -Repudiation
     -The President’s trip to Liberty Island, New York, September 26, 1972
     -The President’s appearance at Westchester-Nassau rally, October 23, 1972
     -Organization
     -Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
     -First Family
     -The President’s campaign
            -Compared to McGovern’s
     -Press relations
            -Double standard
            -Lack of questioning of conduct
            -Free speech issue
                  -Violence, use of obscenities
     -Repudiation
            -Demands of McGovern
                  -Wires
                  -McGovern campaign
                        -Tone
     -Possible statement from administration
            -Ziegler
            -John B. Connally
     -Media coverage
            -Boston newspapers
            -Effect on McGovern
                  -Democrats
            -Demonstrators
            -McGovern supporters
                  -Physical appearance and behavior
            -Democratic National Convention
-Smears against the President
     -R. Sargent Shriver
     -The President’s previous campaigns
            -Focus on record
                                           -6-

               NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                   Tape Subject Log
                                    (rev. Mar.-08)

                                                           Conversation No. 379-10 (cont’d)

                            -Helen Gahagan Douglas
               -Agnew statements
                     -1968
                            -“Fat Jap” comment, “Polack “remark, “Soft on communism”
                             charge
                                  -Apologies
                            -Compared with Shriver
               -McGovern
               -Press relations
                     -Double standard
                            -Demonstrators
                            -Editorials
                            -Mary McGrory
                            -Response
                                  -Editors
                                  -White House
                                  -Op-ed article
                                  -Unknown publisher [Post-Review?]
                                  -The President
                                        -Compared to Abraham Lincoln
                                  -Agnew


*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

               -Counter attack
                    -Nicholos P. Thimmesch
                    -Public statement, mailing
                    -Honest spokesman
                    -Kevin P. Phillips
                    -[Unintelligible name]
                    -Jeffrey Hart
                    -Barry M. Goldwater
                           -1964 election
                    -McGovern’s troubles
                           -Establishment press hypocrisy
                                 -Blaming McGovern
                                 -Public repudiation of their ideas
                                 -Withdrawal from Vietnam
                                             -7-

                  NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. Mar.-08)

                                                         Conversation No. 379-10 (cont’d)

                                   -New lifestyles
                                   -Marijuana
                                   -Permissiveness
                                   -Welfare
                                   -Busing
                                   -Public repudiation

[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************


                             -New York Times
                             -Washington Post
                             -Times
                             -Newsweek
                             -Networks

      Press relations
            -1970 campaign
                   -Press assessments
                   -Problems
                         -Television
                   -Successes despite obstacles
                         -Recession
                         -Minority party
                   -Rewriting history
            -The President's plans
                   -Suppression
                   -Denial of access
                         -New York Times
                         -Washington Post
                         -Time
                         -Newsweek
                         -Networks
                               -Self -defense
                   -Access for friends
                         -Garnett D. (“Jack”) Horner
                               -Intelligence
                               -Washington Star
                         -Jerry Greene
                                               -8-

                  NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. Mar.-08)

                                                         Conversation No. 379-10 (cont’d)

                             -New York
                       -Chicago Tribun
                       -Los Angeles Times
                  -“Georgetown set”

      1972 campaign
           -Polls
                  -1964 election
                       -Goldwater
                       -Gallup and Harris


*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

                         -Outcome
                                -Percentages
            -State issues
                  -Massachusetts
                  -Michigan
                  -Wisconsin
                  -Massachusetts
                  -New York
                         -Polls
                  -Number of votes

      Press relations
            -Left-wing opinion makers
                   -Liberal establishment
                   -Support for McGovern
                   -The President’s counterattacks
                   -Fear of the President
                         -Reasons
                                -Repudiation of ideas

      1972 campaign
           -McGovern
                -Washington Post
                -Canada
                     -Elections
                                 -9-

      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                         Tape Subject Log
                          (rev. Mar.-08)

                                                 Conversation No. 379-10 (cont’d)

           -Conservative Party
           -James B. (“Scotty”) Reston
                -Left
                -Pierre E. Trudeau
                -Willy Brandt
           -Trudeau
                -Polls
-Press
      -Regrettable statements
            -Vietnam
            -Charles W. Colson
            -Willard Edwards
            -Clark R. Mollenhoff
      -Cultivation of the President’s supporters
      -McGovern’s troubles
            -Blaming McGovern
            -Repudiation of the press’ views
            -Blaming Thomas F. Eagleton
            -Management, style versus views
      -Liberal attacks
            -Reasons
                   -Repudiation of views
                         -Vietnam withdrawal
                         -Busing
                         -Marijuana
                         -Permissiveness
                         -Welfare
      -Networks
            -Attacks on administration
                   -Columbia Broadcasting system [CBS]
                   -Impact on polls
      -Voter turnout
            -Analogy with football game
                   -Atlanta Falcons versus San Francisco Forty-Niners
                   -Empty bleachers
            -Campaign excitement
                   -McGovern
                   -1964 election
                   -1968 election
                   -Goldwater, Lyndon B. Johnson
                                            -10-

                 NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                    Tape Subject Log
                                     (rev. Mar.-08)

                                                            Conversation No. 379-10 (cont’d)

                             -The President, Hubert H. Humphrey
           -McGovern
                -“Wave of the future”
                      -Constituency
                            -Youths, Blacks
                      -Democratic Party
                -Liberal movement
                      -Decline
                            -1968 election
                                  -George C. Wallace
           -Busing
                -New York
                      -Canarsie
                      -Ethnics
                      -Blacks
                -The President’s position

[End of segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************


      Amnesty
          -The President's policies
               -Rationale
               -Forgiveness
                     -Analogy to prison sentence
          -McGovern

      Vietnam War
           -Settlement agreement
                  -Likelihood
                  -Ziegler's statement, October 31, 1972
                        -Tone
                  -Effect on right
                  -McGovern
                  -Diversion of attention
                  -1972 election
           -The President’s forthcoming radio and television speech, “Look to the Future”
                  -1972 election
                  -Imposition of Communist government on South Vietnam
                                            -11-

                  NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                      (rev. Mar.-08)

                                                              Conversation No. 379-10 (cont’d)

                 -1968 settlement
                       -Collapse
                 -Tone
           -Likelihood
           -1972 election
                 -Concessions to North Vietnamese
                       -US public opinion


*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

      1972 campaign
           -Theodore H. (“Teddy) White
                 -Possible conversation with Buchanan
                 -Conversation with the President
                 -Watergate
                       -John D. Ehrlichman
           -Press Statements
                 -Buchanan’s role
                 -Eastern establishment
                       -Decline
                              -Lack of morality and honesty
                       -Double standard
                              -Attack on McGovern
                       -Repudiation of views
                       -Agnew
                       -Role of government
                 -Timing
                       -Busing issue
                       -Left issue
           -Busing issue
                 -Agnew
                 -Attacks on McGovern
           -Demonstrators
                 -Demands on McGovern
                       -Apology

[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************
                                               -12-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. Mar.-08)

                                                         Conversation No. 379-10 (cont’d)



Buchanan left at 9:59 am.