Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 006-143
Date: Monday, July 5, 1971 at 7:21 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/006-143

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:04] Well, we didn't do too well on the networks.
[0:07] That's what Ron said.
[0:09] CBS was particularly bad.
[0:19] ABC had a little bit of a feel of it, and NBC was not bad either.
[0:20] But basically, now understand, the whole thing is a plus.
[0:24] Oh, yeah.
[0:24] But the point is, CBS really jobbed us, and they didn't get the feel of it.
[0:28] I think they're sort of being a sort of...
[0:34] Give Ron a little crap.
[0:36] Proceeds to butter up.
[0:38] Well, I don't know.
[0:39] It could be.
[0:41] And also, though, they apparently didn't give him time.
[0:47] Well, anyway, it's worth doing.
[0:48] Well, I'll tell you what I think we ought to do on this one.
[0:53] And maybe Charter or Herb ought to follow up on it rather than Ron.
[0:57] Oh, not Ron, no.
[1:08] to sit down, to go to the trouble, just once, sitting down and streaming the entire footage that they shot of that thing, their own guy shot.
[1:20] Just run the whole thing for them.
[1:22] And then immediately afterwards, look at what they put on the air.
[1:26] And ask yourself, was this really fair coverage?
[1:29] Now, I tell you the one to do it, not Herb, because poor Herb, he isn't got the strength.
[1:33] But have Colson do it.
[1:35] We've got it to him.
[1:37] So now look.
[1:38] We're not complaining about it.
[1:51] Except that we say, do you think it reflected what was there?
[1:56] Was it accurate?
[1:59] Were you told?
[2:05] at that whole event.
[2:06] They can't come off thinking they didn't do it right.
[2:12] Well, the footage is only 20 minutes, you know?
[2:15] Yeah.
[2:16] But they don't have too much to look at.
[2:17] That's right.
[2:17] Well, then be then.
[2:18] Let them see what it was.
[2:19] That's right.
[2:24] I don't want to see it.
[2:26] I don't want too many kneeling.
[2:27] Keep Herb out of it, because he doesn't know how to do it.
[2:31] I mean, he doesn't really get through Bob on these, I don't think, because he's too nice.
[2:35] This is one where we can make it just on the point that this isn't a hard news thing.
[2:39] It is a matter of interpretation.
[2:43] We don't have any complaints.
[2:44] We don't have any complaints.
[2:46] There's nothing inaccurate.
[2:48] Your coverage was good.
[2:49] That's right.
[2:50] But we just wonder.
[2:52] You look at it to see whether you really think that this reflected the feeling.
[2:57] But they were doing their best with it.
[2:59] They knew it was good.
[3:00] They were doing their best with it.
[3:03] Did you see any of them?
[3:05] No.
[3:05] But give that as a closing assignment.
[3:20] Let's see if we can follow up on each one.
[3:29] Well, can he get the tape himself?
[3:33] Maybe we tape it.
[3:35] Rather than what they did.
[3:38] You may have.
[3:38] All right, get to Nathan.
[3:39] Then let him go, and then let him sit with Taylor.
[3:42] But sir, for them to look at their own tape stuff.
[3:45] God damn it, they won't do it.
[3:48] Yeah, but okay, let him go into the tape, but ask him to do it with their film.
[3:51] He can have ours long too, but ask him to look at theirs.
[3:55] Because theirs will be the same as ours.
[3:58] Mm-hmm.
[3:58] They film this, they have the whole thing.
[4:00] Mm-hmm.
[4:08] Brown might ask their cameraman if they thought they did a fair job.
[4:15] He'd say, look, what do you think of the coverage, fellas?
[4:19] Honestly, when to do that?
[4:22] He's going to need a third point a little anyway.
[4:28] But the whole thing was basically exactly what I expected.
[4:32] What was what I say, what you said earlier, that this had been done by somebody that wanted to help it around five to eight minutes.
[4:39] Jesus Christ.
[4:40] There's nothing else in the news tonight.
[4:42] Nothing.
[4:43] Dull as hell.
[4:45] Dull as hell.
[4:46] Not a damn thing.
[4:48] And so, except negative stuff.
[4:50] Now, here's a chance to run something positive, upbeat, American, on the 4th of July.
[4:55] And they didn't do it.
[4:57] And they didn't do it deliberately.
[5:00] I think they goddamn well ought to be called on this.
[5:03] I'm sure of it.
[5:03] Because we don't have many clear ones like this, do we?