Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 010-004
Date: Friday, September 24, 1971 at 1:52 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/010-004

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:02] Hello.
[0:04] Yes, sir, Mr. President.
[0:05] Now, I think your fellow Shore may have stuck his neck out a little too far.
[0:09] He sure did.
[0:11] I read the full article.
[0:12] I haven't got a transcript of his speech, but I've already been in touch with Stanton.
[0:17] Stanton's still there?
[0:18] Yep, he's still there.
[0:19] Well, he's still running the show for the next year.
[0:22] Oh, operating capacity.
[0:24] It is good.
[0:27] This is really something.
[0:28] He's really out of touch.
[0:31] He had the right one here.
[0:38] Well, I think if I do this right, I can get him yanked out of here.
[0:43] I've been looking for the opportunity to be open, and he's given it to me.
[0:48] And I'm just going to call a chip with Stanton and say, by God, this fellow should not be reporting, certainly from the White House, who feels that it's not a good part.
[0:59] Oh, and I raised that with him.
[1:01] All right.
[1:40] Right.
[1:40] I think we can recommend it.
[1:42] Well, you hit the ball over the fence again on this nice little question.
[1:48] Well, the questions were very felt.
[2:02] I had to drag in the answers.
[2:03] I don't know.
[2:04] I could tell that.
[2:04] I could tell that.
[2:05] The questions are very muddy.
[2:05] They're out there in the country, and they just aren't that defined.
[2:08] Well, it's just like a press conference.
[2:19] When you get the sharp, tough, hostile press, it's much easier for you to really turn on.
[2:25] Right.
[2:25] Then when you've got to kind of pull the stuff out.
[2:26] But it went very well, and I've had three or four calls this morning, volunteers, like Hope Lewis called.
[2:31] He listened to it and just thought she was superb.
[2:35] And you were in total command, which I think one of the networks made that point.
[2:37] But it was very good, very firm.
[2:38] Well, we got an issue for all of the profits.
[2:58] We were trying to extend the three, and it was going to be done.
[3:00] We went back to the interest rates.
[3:00] We noticed I left a little hooker in there.
[3:01] I thought, well, we have to look at the interest rates.
[3:02] We want to be able to throw up that cost of hooker.
[3:04] And also, what I figured was the profits going to quit the market.
[3:05] I started up this morning, and so that gave it a very healthy kick.
[3:06] Did it go up a little?
[3:07] Oh, it was up about four points when I checked it.
[3:13] reassurance on it.
[3:35] It'll come back.
[3:35] There's a little wait and see going on.
[3:36] And also I made my prediction.
[3:36] I think that was an excellent thing.
[3:37] You put that very well.
[3:38] I had dinner with Howard Smith last night.
[3:38] I try to see him every few months because he's
[3:42] And he, in a room which was mixed as a Democratic Party, both Republican and Democrat, he very loudly announced to me across the dinner table, he said, well, your man is certainly in good shape.
[4:02] And he said, in fact, I don't see how any Democrat can possibly touch him.
[4:04] He really preempted the field.
[4:04] He's got it with the economics.
[4:05] He's got it with the pharmacology.
[4:07] He was very up on it.
[4:24] Well, next week, not next week, the week after, he was in Vietnam.
[4:30] That's the one area they can't touch anymore.
[4:31] They can squeal about Vietnam.
[4:31] But did you notice there wasn't one question in Vietnam?
[4:33] I was waiting for China to touch Vietnam.
[4:35] China was
[4:37] That's right.
[4:56] And you won't get them.
[4:57] The government got a little play because of this sensationalism of the riot being created.
[4:58] But we have, as far as the demonstrators are concerned, 5,000 or 2,000.
[5:00] But they didn't have to.
[5:00] No.
[5:00] Howard made that point last night.
[5:01] He said the issue is absolutely gone.
[5:02] It's totally gone.
[5:02] As far as the negatives are concerned, over the course of the next few years, it's turned into a very spook.
[5:05] very strong.
[5:09] But he thinks it's gone as a negative?
[5:17] Totally.
[5:18] What about the Q election?
[5:23] No, we talked about that.
[5:24] He said it's just that he had his son with him who fought for the amendment.
[5:26] Oh, I know.
[5:27] It was badly moved.
[5:27] Yeah, a great young fellow at the dinner of the key to an influence.
[5:30] Oh, yes, I understand.
[5:30] And he's depressed over it.
[5:31] He said, I wish people would be more interested.
[5:32] He said, it's just terrible.
[5:32] He said, you can't get people who are decrying in their isolation.
[5:34] But his point was that
[5:35] But no matter what... Howard knows, Smith knows that I'm fighting in the legislation every week.
[5:57] He sure does.
[5:57] And he would.
[5:57] He's applauded the toughened line in terms of the policies in the world.
[5:59] But he was, no, he was making the point that there's no way people will give a goddamn who's running Vietnam.
[6:01] They don't care about anything except that we're out there.
[6:02] If they think we're out there and the war is over, there's no way you can, that issue can get rid of them.
[6:06] Well, that's one they can't use, but we've got to hammer it down.
[6:28] Right.
[6:28] The CPI didn't play too bad.
[6:28] No, I think it played all right.
[6:30] It did very well.
[6:31] It was buried yesterday, I thought.
[6:41] Yeah, yeah.
[6:42] I was a little taken aback with that damn story.
[6:43] I didn't think so.
[6:43] It's so bad.
[6:43] There's only nobody asking about that last night.
[6:45] I was loaded for that.
[6:47] Well, I was certain you'd get it, but it just shows.
[6:49] It really didn't.
[6:53] Oh, that's right.
[7:17] They are.
[7:18] Did you see the, uh, did anybody send in to you the Wall Street Journal article yesterday on your time?
[7:33] No, I didn't.
[7:33] The most superb article that, uh, I'm taking care of for hailing it all over the goddamn country.
[7:38] It, it is really the most bullish piece I've seen yet.
[7:40] Send it, uh...
[7:41] I'll, I'll send it in to you.
[7:41] Yeah, yeah.
[7:41] Send it, uh, send it a little over to me, yeah.
[7:51] I'll tell you, that's tough.
[8:05] We're going to appoint two conservatives.
[8:13] I'm sure of it.
[8:14] That's going to do more for us with the conservatives.
[8:15] You think so?
[8:15] Oh, yeah.
[8:15] They'll like possible.
[8:16] Yep.
[8:16] They'll love it.
[8:16] They'll love it.
[8:16] Especially if we get just enough opposition from each other.
[8:18] We will.
[8:18] It is.
[8:18] And then the other one will be conservative, too.
[8:19] I can show you.
[8:19] I just wrote it out today.
[8:20] No, listen.
[8:20] No, no.
[8:21] Well, I think not.
[8:27] I'd go Jewish if I had a conservative.
[8:31] If I had Henry Kissinger as a judge, I'd put him on.
[8:37] I don't have him.
[8:38] Any statistic that would have heard that answer from the judge would appreciate it, I'm sure.
[8:49] Well, number one, every lawyer would, like I came to admire Frank Berger.
[8:51] And Brandeis.
[8:51] All of us.
[8:51] You did that beautifully.
[8:52] And remembering, too, that Frank Berger had never served an employer and never practiced law except for two years.
[9:00] Brandeis never served an employer.
[9:02] He was just a great lawyer.
[9:04] So what the hell?
[9:05] That gave us room to appoint a law professor
[9:07] A lawyer, or as I said, a member of the Senate Judiciary.
[9:28] Sure, sure.
[9:28] No, that was beautiful.
[9:31] Or Marker Mitchell.
[9:31] That's been a good response.
[9:32] Well, that's it.
[9:32] Really, that brings the conservatives back.
[9:33] You know, the thing that they will look at that as the big issue, because that's shaping policy.
[9:35] Why don't you do this?
[9:35] Tell them.
[9:36] Great tug-of-war with the White House staff.
[9:51] It would not be a good idea.
[9:52] Not the White House staff.
[9:52] Some members of the Senate are urging it.
[9:55] Because there are two vacancies, one liberal, one conservative.
[9:57] That's right.
[9:57] He's being urged to split it.
[9:58] And we want some drum fire from the White House.
[9:59] Okay.
[9:59] That'll be excellent.
[10:00] I'll do it.
[10:00] Fine.
[10:00] Thank you, sir.