Nixon phone call with Rangel on Drug traffic and Opium poppy cultivation

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Yeah.

Yeah, Mr. President, Congressman Rangel returning your call.

Hello?

On the luncheon.

Hello?

Mr. President?

Yeah.

Just a second at a time.

Hello?

Congressman, how are you this morning?

Mr. President, I'm indeed honored by your call.

I wanted you to know, because I tried to call you right after I'd made the announcement, but we've got some good news for you.

You remember you mentioned the problem of using foreign policy to stop the poppy growing and so forth.

It's been exciting all night.

We just made the announcement.

The Turkish ambassador came over, and it was announced at 6 o'clock, and

but the Turkish government has now agreed, and they made the announcement in Turkey today, that all poppy growing, that's all poppy growing, will cease in June 72, in other words, within one year.

And this year, it will cease except in four provinces, and then by June of next year, all cultivation of the opium poppy will stop.

So we got at this one, at least.

And I've told, I think you can deserve a lot of credit for pushing on it.

We've been negotiating, but we know it's nice to get a little gig now and then.

Now, the other side of this, of course, is this.

I've raised this problem with some of our people that

Naturally, 60 to 80% presently of all heroin that comes to the United States has its derivation in opium poppies grown in Turkey.

Now that we stop it in Turkey, of course, if the demand continues at its present level, they'll start growing at someplace else.

You know what I mean?

You plug the leak one place.

uh that is why we're also working on the southeast asia part of it because there are parts down there that we can grow it but i can assure you that as far as the state department is concerned i have told them when i had that meeting of ambassadors that on a no-nonsense basis that in our relations with foreign countries we considered the drug traffic our public enemy number one and that we had to do everything that we could to negotiate with foreign governments

to, as in this case, to stop the source of supply.

With the French, where they manufactured, of course, we've got to do what we can there, too.

The Turkish thing is really the biggest break I think we've had in this in perhaps the last 10 years.

That's my guess.

Well, I'm on it, Mr. President.

you would call, and I just can't tell you how excited that all of us that come from communities that are severely struck appreciate this move on the part of our government.

The other thing, too, that I think is very important to note, as you know, we appointed Chaffee, and I've taken...

and this Jaffe works at the other end of the funnel in other words the rehabilitation the treatment and all that in other words you can't you can't do this as you know simply by stopping the source supply you've got to stop the demand so I hope that sometime when you and some of your fellows that

You know, people that are interested in this thing, you want to, when he gets here, calling down or come down and see him.

We've already started moving, Mr. President.

You have?

I've known Dr. Jeff.

Oh, you know him.

Oh, good.

Quite a guy.

Don't you think well of him?

I certainly do, and the Black Caucus are very anxious to sit with him, and he agreed to it.

Good.

As a matter of fact...

I told him about our conversation when I appointed him.

I said, now you get a hold of Congressman Rangel and tell him that we're working on this thing.

He's been extremely cooperative.

As a matter of fact, I may be going to Vietnam with him as he goes to see the process that affects our troops.

I can't tell you how proud we are that there's movement in this area.

I do hope that you have Mr. Kroger, someone from your office, from time to time check in on the type of support that the administration can get in areas like this because...

And in these tragic days, we can't afford the luxury of being Democrat and Republican.

Sure.

Well, I appreciate that.

Let me say, too, that on this one, the Turkish government deserves some credit.

This was hard for them.

You know, they've grown this stuff not for the purpose of opium before, but, you know, it's a crop.

They get apparently some kind of oil out of it, you know, that they use.

You know, they use it for just like you use olive oil or things of that sort.

And the farmers have grown it for centuries.

But the Turks don't use it themselves.

They are very, very small consumers, virtually nothing of heroin.

And so for the government to step in was really a tough one.

And, of course, we helped.

We paid them something.

But it's worth it.

Right.

Congratulations.

Well, we appreciate your help.

And whenever you want us, as I said, in the general field, give Kroger a call.

He's a very bright, strong young man.

He's been extremely well.

And on the other field, where Jaffe's concerned, he'll come down.

He's a real, as you know, articulate fellow.

Well, it's a two-way street.

And would you pass this on, too, to the other members of the caucus?

Because, you know, we can't, as you notice, in our response, we don't do all the things you want, but I just want you to know that we listen, and we help where we can.

Well, the only thing that bothers me, Mr. President, is that my grandfather's not allowed to lie.

so that he would know that I received a call from the president of the United States.

Well, as a matter of fact, I'm sorry, my grandfather isn't alive that he would think I'd be president.

He'd never dream it.

I think I know what you mean.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

I'm keeping an eye on it.

Nixon phone call with Rangel on Drug traffic and Opium poppy cultivation

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Also recorded on June 30, 1971

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