Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 005-089
Date: Tuesday, June 15, 1971 at 6:44 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Rogers, William P.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/005-089

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Yeah.
[0:01] Secretary Rogers, sir.
[0:03] Yeah, hello, Mr. President.
[0:04] You had a long day.
[0:06] I started at 8 o'clock with the congressman and I've been going like a chicken with my head cut off.
[0:12] But I wanted to tell you I just got a chance to go over the press thing.
[0:17] I just think you couldn't have done it better.
[0:19] And I think what was particularly effective was what you said about the fact that some foreign...
[0:25] governments have raised questions about the security of their own cables and that sort of thing.
[0:30] Because, goddammit, it's true.
[0:32] How can they wonder if we just allow a wholesale publication of declassification, I should say.
[0:41] Did you know that the documents with regard to Pearl Harbor have not been declassified yet?
[0:47] Mm-hmm.
[0:47] Hell no.
[0:48] Isn't that something?
[0:49] I know.
[0:49] And this thing is...
[0:51] uh we can talk about somebody placing themselves above the law and all that but on this uh statement thing they my feeling is that first i cannot say anything i feel because it's in the courts i think you can solely from as a you know sure a foreign can you don't you think so sure i'll be glad to say anything would be helpful well that's right tonight could i ask one thing uh i don't know how they got the seating arrangement but uh
[1:20] I really want to talk myself out with Brandt, I think, and maybe I think I'll try to, when we talk, we'll engage the three of us.
[1:27] We'll just sit and, you know, talk around.
[1:30] I don't know whether you're on his right or left or however.
[1:32] Okay, I'll try to do the talking.
[1:35] I may have other stuff to talk to him about, too, you know.
[1:37] You know, I know, it's just the only subject left is Vietnam, and I want to talk about that tonight, so we'll talk a little about Vietnam.
[1:47] You know, I was just listening to television.
[1:49] The picture came over pretty good in television.
[1:52] Oh, did it?
[1:53] But, damn it, they never carry the good things.
[1:57] I said, when they talked about this, McNamara Papers, I said that I was not going to get involved in passing judgment on it.
[2:04] I said, we've got other things to do.
[2:05] We're trying to get this nation out of war.
[2:07] I said, I would hope that when President Nixon leaves office, we can have a study made of how we got the United States out of Vietnam.
[2:15] And also, as I say, basically, this is a family coral leaf.
[2:21] That's right.
[2:22] And I think the papers could well be called the Kennedy-Johnson papers is what they are, you know.
[2:26] That's right.
[2:26] Not the McNamara, basically.
[2:28] It's McNamara and Clifford.
[2:30] Yeah, that's right.
[2:31] And I've told the boys here, just call them Kennedy-Johnson, you know.
[2:35] That's good.
[2:36] It's really a shameful, shameful problem.
[2:40] I just can't really see how the Times could do it.
[2:43] Incidentally, George Hearst told Bob Finch, you know, they are the Times...
[2:48] syndicate in California and he made the decision there not to print it because he considered it not in the national interest.
[2:56] I thought it would be interesting.
[2:57] I told Boyce to check around the other Times clients to see how many of them might have done the same thing.
[3:04] That's very damn good of old George not to do that.
[3:10] I hope this judge we got in New York is all right.
[3:13] He granted a temporary injunction.
[3:15] You know who it is?
[3:16] Yeah, his name is Murray Gerfein.
[3:18] I know him well.
[3:18] Dewey's man, yeah.
[3:20] Used to be in the office with me.
[3:21] We just appointed him.
[3:22] I know, but he's also pretty... Liberal?
[3:25] A little liberal, and he's...
[3:27] I'm sure would like to cultivate the time, so he'll have... Well, he also may be thinking of going up, too.
[3:34] Yes.
[3:34] And he damn well better act well.
[3:37] Okay.
[3:37] All right, see you later, Mr. Bennett.
[3:39] Thank you.