Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 001-016
Date: Wednesday, April 7, 1971 at 10:00 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Rogers, William P.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/001-016
National Archives Catalog: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/408403731 (NAID 408403731)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] yeah secretary yeah there you are hello bill i understand you're having gay evening at the luxembourg young foreign minister is a hell of a nice fellow and he's here in this country say i just thought that was tremendous that's gotta be it's gotta have a great influence i probably won't bill you know you you know don't don't get your hopes up because you know
[0:24] When I saw Mel, you know, sitting there and whining.
[0:28] I couldn't care less about it.
[0:30] That had to be a speech with tremendous impact.
[0:34] Well, you know, I put a lot of effort and, frankly, as you know, a lot of emotion into it because I felt it very deeply.
[0:42] And that damn kid, Kevin, you know, really, I've only told you,
[0:47] When he saluted me, I mean, I couldn't make the next presentation.
[0:52] You know, a little kid, four years old, saluting.
[0:55] Well, I tell you, it was, I don't know how you could have done it any better.
[1:01] I thought the substance was great, and I thought your delivery was absolute perfection.
[1:04] I don't know how the hell you could have done it better.
[1:07] We watched it.
[1:08] We had the whole crowd.
[1:10] At the Luxembourg Embassy?
[1:11] Are you still there?
[1:12] Yeah.
[1:14] I made this date a long time.
[1:15] I wouldn't have done it, but I asked him.
[1:16] I know.
[1:17] I know.
[1:17] But the whole thing was, you know, everybody in the room was touched, including the people from Luxembourg, the foreigners.
[1:25] Were they touched by it?
[1:26] Yeah, very much so.
[1:28] It was interesting that afterwards, everybody...
[1:32] Well, you know, let me say this.
[1:33] If it doesn't work, what the hell?
[1:34] If the American people don't want it...
[2:03] Let me say, if they don't, Bill, look, I'm prepared.
[2:07] Nobody knows.
[2:08] We'll turn it right awful fast and forget it all.
[2:11] Yeah, but you can't do that.
[2:13] This was just great.
[2:15] I had 450 top business leaders over the Department of Data.
[2:18] I spoke to them from 530 to 640.
[2:22] You had the copy of that, did you?
[2:24] Good.
[2:24] Well, I didn't.
[2:26] I didn't tell them.
[2:26] But you knew it was.
[2:29] Actually, it was a pretty well-written copy.
[2:30] It took me two weeks to write that damn thing.
[2:33] Good was good.
[2:34] It was tight.
[2:36] And the delivery was excellent.
[2:38] In the last part, you know...
[2:39] But it was your suggestion.
[2:41] I told Bob Alden, I'll tell you that you suggested, and then...
[2:44] But then I had to find out something to say that was different, and that's where the little thing about Kevin came in.
[2:48] I remember that little boy.
[2:49] Good.
[2:50] He really shook me.
[2:51] He really shook me, that kid did.
[2:53] Yeah, I'm sure that some of these sophisticates will say it was corny.
[2:56] Oh, bullshit.
[2:57] Just like they said that the fun speech was a bull.
[3:00] That speech, Mr. Fretton, has got to have a hell of an impact.
[3:04] And as far as I'm concerned...
[3:06] I couldn't care less about Congress, what the goddamn resolutions are.
[3:09] Screw them.
[3:11] No, I'm serious.
[3:12] I don't agree with Mel.
[3:13] I don't think it's going to be that kind of a problem.
[3:16] Mel is so... Of course, he's been taking a hell of a beating, Bill.
[3:20] He's down there all the time.
[3:22] But if he's right, let's fold our tents and go creeping away and sneaking away like a bunch of goddamn cowards.
[3:31] But I'm not ready to do it.
[3:32] Well, you can't do that.
[3:33] I'll tell you, I'll bet you that that...
[3:36] Speech will just turn the tables.
[3:38] I have no...
[3:39] Speech?
[3:40] You really think so?
[3:41] Absolutely.
[3:41] I really have no doubt about it.
[3:43] In my opinion...
[3:45] We will not have any serious problem now.
[3:47] We'll have demonstrations and we'll have speeches.
[3:50] But I'll be perfectly happy to...
[3:52] But the main thing, Bill, is the prisoner thing.
[3:54] They say prisoners versus withdrawal.
[3:56] That's going to be the next big issue.
[3:58] So we've got to find a good angle on that.
[4:00] I just want to say... What I said about Kevin, I mean, his father, good God, he would never trade, you know, prisoners versus withdrawal because what the hell?
[4:09] What does that do?
[4:10] That gives victory for the communists.
[4:12] I don't know how you could have said it better.
[4:14] The whole thing was, the delivery was perfect.
[4:18] I've never seen you deliver one better.
[4:19] It wasn't, you know, I spent an hour with those goddamn leaders, you know.
[4:24] They're nice, but, because Boggs wasn't there.
[4:28] But nevertheless, we had Albert and Scott and all the rest.
[4:34] Right.
[4:35] And I spent an hour with him.
[4:36] And, you know, I met with him, Bill, from 7 to 8 o'clock.
[4:38] And I had to rush over, take a shower, get ready, go over and go on.
[4:42] I don't know how the hell I did it.
[4:44] Well, you can go to sleep, have a few drinks, go to sleep knowing it.
[4:48] It was a tremendous, tremendous beach.
[4:51] How did Adele think?
[4:52] Is she there?
[4:53] She felt the same way.
[4:54] As I say, everybody in the room, Dave Abshard and his wife.
[4:58] How did he feel?
[4:59] The same way he felt.
[5:00] It was tremendous.
[5:01] Good.
[5:02] Well, that's good.
[5:03] I'm not saying that, you know.
[5:04] I know that.
[5:05] You wouldn't bullshit me.
[5:06] I know that.
[5:06] I understand, Bill.
[5:10] If it isn't, Christ, if this doesn't make it, to hell with it.
[5:12] That's right.
[5:13] Then we'll do something else.
[5:14] If this doesn't make it, the country doesn't deserve you.
[5:16] That's right.
[5:17] Well, it isn't.
[5:18] Not me, but they don't deserve what they've got for themselves.
[5:21] That's right.
[5:21] Okay, get back and enjoy the caviar.
[5:24] Okay, thank you.
[5:25] Do my best for the ambassador.
[5:26] I sure will.
[5:27] Thank you.
[5:27] Bye.