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Conversation 006-023

TapeTape 6StartTuesday, June 29, 1971 at 2:28 PMEndTuesday, June 29, 1971 at 2:32 PMTape start time00:19:58Tape end time00:24:05ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Colson, Charles W.;  Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")Recording deviceWhite House Telephone
AudioNARA Description

On June 29, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, Charles W. Colson, and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 2:28 pm to 2:32 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 006-023 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 6-23

Date: June 29, 1971
Time: 2:28 pm - 2:32 pm

Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Charles W. Colson; H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman can be heard in the
background.

[See Conversation No. 261-26]

     Mailing of favorable newspaper articles
          -Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield resolution
          -Richard Wilson's column June 28, New York Times
          -Pentagon Papers/New York Times case
          -President's conversation with Haldeman, John N. Mitchell
          -Cabinet meeting
          -Necessity for prosecution of Daniel Ellsberg
          -Ellsberg
                -Communist support
                -Jay Lovestone
          -Lovestone’s intelligence network
          -House of Representatives vote June 28 on administration's Southeast Asia policy
                -Common Cause
                -Conference committee
                      -Clark MacGregor
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

Hello?
Mr. President, I have Mr. Coulson for you.
Yeah.
There you are.
Hello?
Yes, sir, Mr. President.
Anything new on your front today?
Well, I don't think beyond what I reported to you last night.
We've been starting some mailing operations that I mentioned to you of some very good articles that have been generated to get those circulated widely.
Wilson gave us a marvelous piece last night on the Mansfield resolution, which we're in the process of mailing around, pointing out that anyone who voted for it would have on their hands the responsibility for the possible failure of what negotiation has left.
just a splendid piece that we're going to distribute very widely.
And we've been getting some good stuff in on the New York Times case that we're putting together.
You think there is some coming in now?
I'm beginning to see more of it and encouraged by it, yes, sir.
I told Holloman today, and I also told the cabinet, and I told...
Mitchell that we're gonna fight all out in this thing.
Well, Bob gave me a report on the cabinet meeting and I was elated on two points, one the Ellsberg point and the other the laying down the law to these guys, which I feel right now is the most important thing we can do to get... Well, the point is that the Ellsberg case, however it comes out, is going to get all through this government among the intellectual types and the people that have no loyalties, the idea that
They will be the ones that will determine what's good for this country.
God damn it, they weren't elected.
They're not going to determine it that way.
Well, on the other side of that problem, Mr. President, is that if you allow something like that to go unpunished, then you just encourage an unending flow of it.
On the other hand, if you nail it hard, it helps to keep people in line and discourage others.
That to me is...
I consider this whole problem of making a martyr and all that sort of thing, and I just don't agree with it.
You're not hearing too much of that on that side, are you, or how much are you?
Well, you'll hear some from the left.
And the argument is, well, he's made a hero of himself, and the harder we hit him, the more we build him up.
But the way I size the fellow up, building him up doesn't help the other side, because he's not in the...
Because he's a natural enemy.
He's not an appealing personality.
He's a damn good guy to be against.
We've had all sorts of reports, as you know, of his tie-in with other people.
I think an awful lot of this will fall out.
Jay Lovestone called me today to say that we haven't even scratched the surface.
He said this fellow's really tied in with some bad actors.
Of course, you get him tied in with some...
or communist groups, that would be good.
Well, Jay thinks he is, but of course that's... That's my guess, that he's in with some subversives, you know.
You know, Jay Lovestone has an interesting intelligence network, as you know.
Sure.
And he says this document has been delivered to some very curious places by Ellsberg and his cohorts.
And Jay has never been wrong on this stuff.
Right.
He tends to...
be very hardline, he still, his intelligence is good.
His advice was, when you start digging, you're going to uncover a wealth of material that will be helpful to us.
Yeah.
Okay.
Well, that was a damn good vote in the House yesterday.
It sure was.
That was encouraging when you think of the pressure of Common Cause and everybody else.
Well, and the timing of these documents, Mr. President.
The combination of circumstances and the fact that
a lot of people argued it didn't mean a damn thing which made it would have made it easy for people to jump ship honestly i think it was a very healthy sign and what the uh what clark says they have coming out of conference it doesn't look very bad right if they succeed oh yeah well we i expect something to come out of conference they gotta have some concession okay fine it's good thank you mr president yes sir
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