Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 9 › Conversation 009-048

Nixon phone call with Buchanan on Press relations and Attica prison riots

Thursday, September 16, 1971 · 9:06 PM–9:12 PM ET · White House Telephone · 6 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Buchanan, Patrick J.Conversation009-048 on Tape 9 (tape position 01:34:27–01:40:23)StartThursday, September 16, 1971 at 9:06 PMEndThursday, September 16, 1971 at 9:12 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 009-048 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Patrick Buchanan discuss media strategy for an upcoming press conference, specifically focusing on handling questions regarding Edmund Muskie, the Attica prison riots, and foreign aid statistics. The President expresses his support for Nelson Rockefeller's management of the Attica crisis and notes his consideration of Senator Edward Brooke for a Supreme Court appointment. Additionally, Nixon instructs Buchanan to mobilize conservative allies to pressure the Senate regarding the draft and national defense appropriations, framing opposition to these measures as a vote against American security.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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Hello.

You know, I thought, too, the Ed Brook thing was good.

I hope Ed Brook reads that.

Because that's quite honest, too.

Brook would make it anyplace.

He really would.

He's the only one, if you can imagine, that I would even consider for the Supreme Court.

Because he belongs in the Supreme Court, you know.

Well, anyway, they were...

What would they lead with?

What kind of thing?

Do you think some will use the muskie story, too?

Oh, yeah, they'll use the muskie story.

Take what that does.

A lot of them pick it up as an item.

It's not a dominant story.

And I think your advice and the way to handle Attica was right.

Did you notice that I just defended Rockefeller's terribly excruciating decision?

And that's that.

And I thought throwing in the Canadian Prime Minister was a good reminder to these bastards.

Did you remember I called him when those two people were killed?

I called him and I said, Mr. Prime Minister, of course he's no friend of mine.

I said, I know it was tough and I just want you to know I admire you.

How'd you like that?

Right.

Well, that's true, you know, that you know that 59 of the 91 countries we give aid to do not have a head of government who was elected by a Democratic election.

So if they stop aid to Greece or aid to Vietnam, so we've got to stop it to 60.

It's only 30 of them are in Africa.

How would you like to do that, huh?

Yeah.

Well, I thought I'd done enough for the afternoon.

Okay, you did a great job on the stuff.

That is the way to prepare it.

The more I think of it, zeroing in on the Big Ten questions, and they're just giving me enough on the others that might come up.

You notice, Pat, how every time they ask the questions you and Ron anticipate, don't they?

Yeah.

You guessed every one of them.

Well, they're right on the mark.

See, we announced it beforehand, though.

Then it's broader because some people sit there and work on the women's liberation question.

Yeah.

But even then, even when you announced beforehand, I still think preparing it for the ten big ones, and then on those silly questions, I'll just sort of finesse it.

That's right.

How many stories?

This is a big news conference.

We have to do the four leads, but it's only four.

No more.

We want ten.

That's right.

One thing, of course, we've got to do, Pat.

We've got to.

occurs to me, I think you ought to get a hold of some of your conservatives.

The most important question I asked was with regard to entry, with regard to the draft, where I said the draft, those that voted against the draft would vote for America to be number two.

Those that voted against the draft would vote to sabotage, basically, our peace initiatives.

Now, by God, let's put it to these people.

And the conservatives ought to raise hell, you know.

Hell, I'm the guy that's fighting national defense.

I fought for ABM.

I'm fighting for the draft.

I'm fighting for more appropriations.

The Senate is killing us.

Will you get that across, Joe?

Okay.

NARA Description

On September 16, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Patrick J. Buchanan talked on the telephone from 9:06 pm to 9:12 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 009-048 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 9-48

Date: September 16, 1971
Time: 9:06 pm - 9:12 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Patrick J. Buchanan.

*****************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 01/03/2018.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[009-048-w001]
[Duration: 2m 2s]

       Governors’ Conference
            -Edmund S. Muskie’s speech

                  -The President’s talk with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
                        -James B. Reston’s article
                               -Henry A. Kissinger
                  -Patrick J. Buchanan’s talk with William L. Safire
                  -The President’s opinion
                        -Prejudices
                  -George W. Romney
                  -Black response
                        -Jesse L. Jackson
                        -John Conyers, Jr.
                        -Shirley Chisholm
                  -White racist response
                        -Patrick J. Buchanan’s opinion

*****************************************************************

     Governors’ Conference
         -Edmund S. Muskie’s speech
               -White racist response
                    -Edward W. Brooke
                          -Supreme Court

     Press reports
           -People's Republic of China [PRC]
           -Nguyen Van Thieu
           -Wage and price controls
           -Edmund S. Muskie

*****************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 01/03/2018.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[009-048-w002]
[Duration: 27s]

     Edmund S. Muskie story
         -Campaign coverage
         -Attica Prison Riots
               -Robert F. (“Bobby”) Kennedy

               -Response

*****************************************************************

    Edmund S. Muskie story
        -Attica prison riots
              -Nelson A. Rockefeller
              -Pierre Trudeau
                    -Unknown Canadian incident
                          -President’s call

    Foreign affairs
         -Statistics
               -Foreign leaders
                     -Democratic elections
                          -Foreign aid legislation
                                -Greece
                                -Vietnam
                                -Africa

    Press conferences
          -Buchanan's work
               -"Big ten" questions
                    -Buchanan and Ronald L. Ziegler
                    -Conservatives
                          -Draft
                                -Vote
                          -The President
                                -National defense
                                -Antiballistic missile [ABM]
                          -Senate

Also recorded on September 17, 1971

009-047 9:03 PM · 21 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:03 pm.
009-049 9:12 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:12 pm.
009-050 9:13 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at 9:13 pm.
009-051 9:13 PM · 7 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:13 pm and 9:17 pm.
009-052 9:17 PM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. talked on the telephone from 9:17 pm to 9:19 pm.
278-039 9:17 PM · 50 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:17 pm to 9:20 pm.
009-053 9:19 PM · 9 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 9:19 pm and 9:22 pm.
009-054 9:22 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Maj. Maj. George K. Robinson talked on the telephone from 9:22 pm to 9:23 pm.

All 48 conversations from September 17, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 009-048, September 17, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/009-048 (accessed October 9, 2026).