Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 001-120
Date: Friday, April 16, 1971 at 11:28 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); White House operator; Ziegler, Ronald L.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/001-120

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[4:00:15] Bye.
[4:00:17] Yeah?
[4:00:18] Mr. President, I have Mr. Ziegler, and he's still trying to find Mr. Klein for us.
[4:00:22] Oh.
[4:00:22] Ziegler, sir.
[4:00:23] Hi.
[4:00:23] Mr. President?
[4:00:25] Yes, sir.
[4:00:25] Hello.
[4:00:26] Ron?
[4:00:26] Yes, sir.
[4:00:28] The, uh...
[4:00:29] i'm in a phone booth here there's a reception taking place with the dance good good everyone everyone and i haven't even you know asked what did you think people were simply volunteering to me that they thought it was an excellent performance they liked it huh yes sir uh you know they didn't respond too enthusiastically but that's but but the room was not that kind of a room the thing of it is
[4:00:53] A couple of the, Bob White, for example, told me, who's a good friend, as you know.
[4:00:57] He's a good man, yes.
[4:00:59] He told me that the people he has talked to, and they talked to him straight, said that overall the attitude, it was a great performance.
[4:01:10] He said that a number of them said, you know, we didn't know whether we should have clapped or not because we're editors.
[4:01:16] Yeah, I know.
[4:01:17] They said that the wives were the ones who were clapping.
[4:01:22] And he said that many of them began, you know, to clap even though they didn't know whether they should or not at a press conference.
[4:01:28] The wives were clapping, yeah.
[4:01:31] But, for example, Cotter from the Syracuse paper.
[4:01:34] Syracuse, yeah, that's a good paper.
[4:01:37] He's a good man and thought it was great, white.
[4:01:40] Newbold Noyce said there's never been anything like it.
[4:01:44] Was he pleased?
[4:01:46] Absolutely.
[4:01:46] He's a nice guy.
[4:01:47] A couple of people have said it was a virtuoso performance.
[4:01:50] And everyone says that the questions were good and the president handled them beautifully.
[4:01:56] There were good questions.
[4:01:57] A lot of them... Tell, tell, I want you to go up to Otis Chandler and tell him he asked great questions.
[4:02:05] Will you do that?
[4:02:05] Yes, sir.
[4:02:06] But a lot of them are talking about the way you handled the Hoover thing.
[4:02:10] And there's overall...
[4:02:11] supportive the way you handled it.
[4:02:13] Yeah, but I said, well, after all, you can't put the old man out, you know, and you kick him in the ass.
[4:02:18] That's right.
[4:02:18] But a lot of them are talking about the figures you used.
[4:02:21] Mm-hmm.
[4:02:22] You know, the 300 and the 50 and the less than before and so forth.
[4:02:26] Yeah, and incidentally, they hope they all notice that that 61, 62, 63, when Bobby Kennedy was the Attorney General.
[4:02:33] They got that.
[4:02:34] They got that.
[4:02:35] Yeah.
[4:02:35] McKnight, the next president.
[4:02:39] Yeah.
[4:02:39] From Charlotte?
[4:02:40] Yes, yes.
[4:02:41] How is he?
[4:02:43] Excellent.
[4:02:44] Everyone who I've talked to, and I've talked to a great number here, even Art Buchwald thought it was great.
[4:02:50] What did Buckwall say?
[4:02:51] He thought it was great.
[4:02:52] He said, Buckwall said that, you know, it was a great performance.
[4:02:57] Why don't you get a hold of Bill Buckley and see what he thought?
[4:03:02] I'm looking for him.
[4:03:03] I don't see him here.
[4:03:05] Let me know if you find him and call me back, will you?
[4:03:07] Well, Herb's here, too.
[4:03:08] Would you like to talk to him?
[4:03:09] I want to talk to Herb, yeah.
[4:03:10] He's down there now.
[4:03:11] Have him call me back.
[4:03:13] But you get a hold of...
[4:03:18] Buckley, because I think it's interesting, because he's a hardliner, and see what Buckley thought, you know.
[4:03:22] Okay, I'll try and find him here.
[4:03:24] Fine, fine.
[4:03:25] If I don't, I'll talk to you later.
[4:03:30] Dr. Lukash, please.
[4:03:31] Yes, sir.