Nixon, Haldeman & Butterfield on Economic Policy and Speechwriting

3:26:52I have the partnership.
3:26:52Yeah, you try.
3:27:453-99-19.
3:28:14It's about $10.90.
3:28:14I mean, about 26, I think it was 26 million shares, 27 million shares.
3:28:16Another damn near record there.
3:28:43It's just, you know, we need to supply 10 cents under 900.
3:28:45That certainly has to be the, basically, the confidence vote that's all restored because the number of shares is what's involved here.
3:28:4713% of the diagrams went up steadily during the day.
3:28:48It was only up a dollar at the opening.
3:28:49It worked its way up and did the same thing yesterday.
3:29:16The more I think about it, the more I think it speaks for the goddamn birds, you know?
3:29:18And I think you agree, don't you?
3:29:19In most cases, yeah.
3:29:19I'll be the guy.
3:29:19I'll do the repeating.
3:29:20You know what I mean?
3:29:59What does that mean?
3:30:00Oh, it means something to the people that are there, but not for the amount of work that you put into them.
3:30:02And one like this is going to get minimal public attention and get into a big thing with the Knights of Columbus.
3:30:05It's a hard thing for me, though.
3:30:05It's a hard work.
3:30:30This isn't good enough.
3:30:31Oh.
3:30:31Oh.
3:30:31No, I'll do it.
3:30:32It's got to be true.
3:30:32I'm meeting in Rosemont.
3:30:33Well, I didn't do it.
3:30:33That's all I can say.
3:30:34It's such a temptation for people to say, well, they made a speech.
3:30:36God damn it, the president should not make a speech on what she did.
3:31:00What's the end?
3:31:46In our heart, that's going to be a big thing, that you know how many people are going to be there for you, because you've got to listen to Thrasher's time.
3:31:49What's that mean?
3:31:49You know, that's kind of an unusual way to give a speech to them.
3:31:51You don't get that kind of an audience very often.
3:31:52Yeah.
3:32:35Three speeches.
3:32:35We don't have the people to do all of it.
3:32:36We've got plenty of people in our town.
3:33:06Well, I had to give something.
3:33:06If you go out, you've got to give the goddamn press something.
3:33:08Not really.
3:33:08But, you know, we put out the statement to give the press, and then...
3:33:09I do get up to say the same things pretty much.
3:33:10So what's the difference?
3:33:30Maybe people will finally begin to print some of that.
3:33:31If I begin to print some of that, and it's really the basic thing you want to say, it's better to say to those people than coming up with something new to say it's not as important as the basic thing.
3:33:35And it's real.
3:33:35There's more to be from the Knights of Columbus as far as the people that are there and the people they talk to and their influence to say to do your basic message than to give some...
3:34:06He follows the theory of giving the same speech.
3:34:07He reads the speech and uses the same one, the same text, and goes, he gave it in New York, then went down and gave it in Dallas at that time.
3:34:09He reads the same one?
3:34:10Yeah.
3:34:10Oh, man.
3:34:10It's identical.
3:34:10He doesn't change it at all.
3:34:11How do you know?
3:34:11It's recorded.
3:34:128%.
3:34:12Reading the identical speech that he wrote, read last night or gave last night in New York.
3:34:14Wow.
3:34:14I suppose he figures, you know, when he happens to be on the MSR Center,
3:34:44You can't use it on television.
3:35:13It doesn't hurt if they do remember it.
3:35:14It doesn't hurt to play it back.
3:35:14If it's good, say it again.
3:35:15Then it becomes one of your favorite quotes, and that's not bad either.
3:35:17Yeah.
3:35:17You know, I really think we were.
3:35:59Well, it was so massive that if it were a normal little thing, it would have been lost.
3:36:00But even if people were out at the beach on a week's vacation, they'd still read the paper.
3:36:02And they'd watch the TV.
3:36:03Yeah.
3:36:28I'm curious.
3:36:28You were right to take how close someone was ejected.
3:36:29Idiot.
3:36:29Balance, you have to reach that clock.
3:37:00Well, the more you respect them, the harder you try.
3:37:25I wouldn't be in doubt very often that he gets kind of, you know, he gets kind of hooked up with the optimism.
3:37:28And I just can't afford, it's great fun to sell after, but you can't afford to be deluded by the cause.
3:37:30Because we, we can't afford to make the mistake we made after some of our previous things.
3:37:32Sorry, we did.
3:37:32We probably were trying to go too much.
3:38:07Plus, China is a, you know, it's there any time.
3:38:08It's not something that goes away until after the trip.
3:38:09And even then, it doesn't.
3:38:09They sure do.
3:38:10Remember the hunger conference?
3:38:10Remember food stamps?
3:38:11Youth conference?
3:38:11Remember the youth thing?
3:38:12You've never heard of a chief this horrible?
3:38:43Sure.
3:38:43I think also we've got to begin knocking down the message, which is that we've come to the thought that by definition we can't believe it, that by definition we can't believe it.
3:39:21The key is just not to rely on the bench at any point.
3:39:22It's to use it as much as we can.
3:39:23Just be nice to it.
3:39:23Unfortunately, you can't rely on stuff.
3:39:24Both of them.
3:39:24Just got to use them.
3:39:56Maybe that's what we need to do.
3:39:56Maybe it's the same as what happened to the other people.
3:39:57It's a shame to waste that post up.
3:39:58God, I was just thinking, you know, you talk to a big copper and you look at it.
3:40:00And the guy that's the head of the thing goes out and says, well, look, it's totally impossible in that respect.
3:40:02And you say, that is a great moral leader.
3:40:03Yeah.
3:40:03That's what you need.
3:40:03I'm going to run you over.
3:40:27Well, that's just part of that.
3:40:28It's also with Peterson.
3:40:50Well, it's the signal that you've got in the international economic policy, which is enormously important.
3:40:53How did it all of a sudden pull out of that and get it in the account?
3:40:54Also running the weight and price control.
3:40:55Amazing.
3:41:37And he worked, he's, you know, he was a good accomplishment of it.
3:41:38He learned his assignments and become an expert and play his games.
3:41:39I don't have him as an expert, but he wants to make it permanent.
3:41:41That's the problem.
3:41:41No, I don't think he'd do that.
3:41:42He might be reluctant to preside over another dying horse.
3:41:43He's going to have to regard it as an OEO and an OEP.
3:41:44Okay.
3:42:45Hello?
3:42:45No, hello.
3:42:45It's not a speech.
3:42:46Isn't it?
3:42:46It's not a speech, not a statement.
3:42:46Well, I asked him to say a word, and then I met him.
3:42:48I'm sorry.
3:42:48I don't want to.
3:42:48I don't want you to have to watch the background.
3:42:49I don't want to.
3:42:50I don't want to hear that.
3:42:50You got anything wrong with Aaron?
3:42:51No.
3:43:12I just probably not what you mean.
3:43:57Well, sometimes he can have one of the future jobs for veterans.
3:43:58We can watch him, and that's a nice requirement.
3:43:59He knows you from now on.
3:43:59Or in advance.
3:44:00No, he's got his part.
3:44:00I shouldn't get into that.
3:44:01I don't want to get into that, sir.
3:44:01Johnny, you're correct.
3:44:02He's going to stay at the top of that job.
3:44:20I don't believe in that.
3:45:11All right, you see, most of that, I don't want to keep those down, but that's about now.
3:45:13I'm afraid to try to live with it.
3:45:13Sometimes I'm a lot concerned about it.
3:45:14I can't do that.
3:45:14That's why I don't want to do that.

Nixon, Haldeman & Butterfield on Economic Policy and Speechwriting

AI Summary

Audio

Transcript (AI-generated)

NARA Description

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on August 17, 1971

Cite this conversation