Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 009-048
Date: Thursday, September 16, 1971 at 9:06 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Buchanan, Patrick J.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/009-048

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:01] Hello.
[2:04] You know, I thought, too, the Ed Brook thing was good.
[2:08] I hope Ed Brook reads that.
[2:10] Because that's quite honest, too.
[2:15] Brook would make it anyplace.
[2:16] He really would.
[2:17] He's the only one, if you can imagine, that I would even consider for the Supreme Court.
[2:21] Because he belongs in the Supreme Court, you know.
[2:28] Well, anyway, they were...
[2:30] What would they lead with?
[2:49] What kind of thing?
[2:49] Do you think some will use the muskie story, too?
[2:55] Oh, yeah, they'll use the muskie story.
[2:56] Take what that does.
[2:57] A lot of them pick it up as an item.
[2:57] It's not a dominant story.
[3:25] And I think your advice and the way to handle Attica was right.
[3:30] Did you notice that I just defended Rockefeller's terribly excruciating decision?
[3:34] And that's that.
[3:35] And I thought throwing in the Canadian Prime Minister was a good reminder to these bastards.
[3:47] Did you remember I called him when those two people were killed?
[3:48] I called him and I said, Mr. Prime Minister, of course he's no friend of mine.
[3:51] I said, I know it was tough and I just want you to know I admire you.
[3:55] How'd you like that?
[3:58] Right.
[4:02] 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.
[4:11] So if they stop aid to Greece or aid to Vietnam, so we've got to stop it to 60.
[4:17] It's only 30 of them are in Africa.
[4:20] How would you like to do that, huh?
[4:22] Yeah.
[4:23] Well, I thought I'd done enough for the afternoon.
[4:25] Okay, you did a great job on the stuff.
[4:28] That is the way to prepare it.
[4:30] 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.
[4:36] You notice, Pat, how every time they ask the questions you and Ron anticipate, don't they?
[4:41] Yeah.
[4:41] You guessed every one of them.
[4:47] Well, they're right on the mark.
[4:49] See, we announced it beforehand, though.
[4:49] Then it's broader because some people sit there and work on the women's liberation question.
[4:51] Yeah.
[4:52] 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.
[5:02] That's right.
[5:02] That's right.
[5:02] That's right.
[5:13] How many stories?
[5:14] This is a big news conference.
[5:14] We have to do the four leads, but it's only four.
[5:16] No more.
[5:16] We want ten.
[5:16] That's right.
[5:17] One thing, of course, we've got to do, Pat.
[5:18] We've got to.
[5:19] occurs to me, I think you ought to get a hold of some of your conservatives.
[5:24] 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.
[5:33] Those that voted against the draft would vote to sabotage, basically, our peace initiatives.
[5:38] Now, by God, let's put it to these people.
[5:40] And the conservatives ought to raise hell, you know.
[5:42] Hell, I'm the guy that's fighting national defense.
[5:44] I fought for ABM.
[5:45] I'm fighting for the draft.
[5:46] I'm fighting for more appropriations.
[5:48] The Senate is killing us.
[5:50] Will you get that across, Joe?
[5:52] Okay.