Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 004-050
Date: Monday, June 7, 1971 at 10:24 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Fitzsimmons, Frank E.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/004-050

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] He said the bigger build-up occurred.
[0:04] Yes, sir?
[0:05] Did you call?
[0:06] Yeah, I had Mr. Fitzsimmons here in Washington.
[0:08] Yeah.
[0:11] Hello?
[0:12] Hello.
[0:12] Mr. President, I wanted to congratulate you.
[0:15] Well, thank you, Mr. President.
[0:17] I followed it in the papers, and apparently everything went very well.
[0:20] I kind of feel I had a prelude because it seemed to me you thought you were going to win when you ruined my office here.
[0:25] Yes, I had the same feeling, and I'm sure that you have right now.
[0:29] How do the people, how do the members feel generally?
[0:33] Are they in pretty good spirits?
[0:34] Great.
[0:35] Good, good.
[0:35] Had all, I would say, at least 300 wires.
[0:40] Wonderful, wonderful.
[0:42] Of congratulations and whatnot.
[0:44] Good, good, good.
[0:45] Well, Mr. President, it's a great honor to be called.
[0:47] Well, you're now a member of an exclusive club.
[0:52] A few of us have got to form a union.
[0:53] What do you think, huh?
[0:54] I'm ready.
[0:55] All right.
[0:56] This is a union where there are no dues.
[0:58] That's right.
[0:59] But a lot of obligations.
[1:02] That's one of the unfortunate situations about this.
[1:04] Well, congratulations.
[1:06] And to all the other members of your board, I congratulate them.
[1:09] Thank you, Mr. President.
[1:11] Mr. President, I talked to...
[1:13] Bill Usry and as well as George.
[1:16] Good, good.
[1:17] I hope and pray that you can give us a few moments at the convention.
[1:23] Where is that?
[1:23] We're holding it starting July the 5th.
[1:26] I'm in Florida and we're holding it for five days there.
[1:29] The 5th to the 10th?
[1:30] Yes.
[1:32] Let me tell you, there's a major problem then, which is in...
[1:39] I'd do it in a minute, except for the fact that I will be traveling at that point.
[1:45] I can't tell you where or anything, and you wouldn't want to know anyway.
[1:50] But if you were a week earlier or a week later, I could do it.
[1:57] But I know you can't change your convention.
[1:59] No, we can't.
[2:00] Let me ask you, of course, next year is the election year, and that wouldn't be good.
[2:05] But is there any other kind of a meeting?
[2:07] Would you be having a meeting of your executive board or anything that I could do?
[2:11] Yes, we will.
[2:12] Well, I'll tell you what I'll do.
[2:14] Because I know I can't do this.
[2:17] I got something I can't tell you about.
[2:21] You won't hear about it for two weeks, but then you'll know that you and I talked about it.
[2:25] And you'll see the reason that I couldn't do it.
[2:27] But let me say that I'd like to come to the next meeting of your...
[2:32] your executive board, wherever it's, you know, if it's convenient.
[2:36] How's that?
[2:37] Is that all right?
[2:37] That would be wonderful.
[2:39] And you can, and I will send a message to this if it would be worthwhile.
[2:44] I'd appreciate that.
[2:45] And is there anybody else that you would like to have from our side?
[2:54] Well, let me say this.
[2:58] Let me talk to one or two of our people, and then I'll get back with Mr. Bell.
[3:04] How about John Mitchell?
[3:06] He's a pretty good fellow.
[3:07] He, as far as he is concerned, he's...
[3:10] He's a pretty good man.
[3:11] Yes, he is.
[3:11] A strong man.
[3:12] Yes, he is.
[3:13] Yeah.
[3:13] You know my feelings for John.
[3:15] Yeah, yeah.
[3:17] Darn it, I just, you know, I just love to do this.
[3:20] It's the only time that the first, I tell you, from about the 4th of July until the 14th, I'm dead.
[3:27] And that's just one of those things.
[3:29] And things happen.
[3:30] Right.
[3:30] Right.
[3:31] Right.
[3:32] Well, we'll send a message in a second.
[3:34] I'll come to your next executive board meeting if it's a time when we can both work it out.
[3:38] Fair enough?
[3:40] Maybe I can get our schedule of it before we actually set it, and then maybe we can adjust our schedule to yours.
[3:47] Right.
[3:48] Right.
[3:48] Sure.
[3:49] If you could do that, that would be great.
[3:50] All right.
[3:51] See, my problem is that between the July, August, September, and so forth,
[3:55] is a difficult time for me, but if it fits in the right periods, I can do it.
[4:00] Like, I'm going to do the VFW convention in August, but I'm just flipping out there, and then I have to take another trip.
[4:08] Okay?
[4:08] Let's do it that way.
[4:09] Fine.
[4:10] Well, thanks.
[4:11] All right.
[4:11] Well, congratulations, and good luck.
[4:13] Thank you very much.
[4:14] Bye-bye.