Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 10 › Conversation 010-065

Nixon phone call with Goldwater on Supreme Court appointments and Conservatism

Wednesday, October 6, 1971 · 8:25 AM–8:27 AM ET · White House Telephone · 3 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); White House operator; Goldwater, Barry M.Conversation010-065 on Tape 10 (tape position 02:19:01–02:21:53)StartWednesday, October 6, 1971 at 8:25 AMEndWednesday, October 6, 1971 at 8:27 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 010-065 ↗

AI Summary

Senator Barry Goldwater called President Nixon to express support for the President’s recent political rhetoric, specifically targeting Senator Edward Kennedy’s comments on Communism. The two discussed the potential 1972 presidential ambitions of Hubert Humphrey and the political damage done to Kennedy. Nixon also affirmed his commitment to appointing two conservative justices to the Supreme Court, highlighting William Rehnquist as a potential candidate despite potential pushback from the American Bar Association.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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· Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).
Yeah.
Mr. President, it is Senator Goldwater you wanted.
Yeah.
I have him, sir.
Hello.
Hello.
Mary.
Yes.
I just wanted to tell you I've just been very grateful for the way you've been knocking them around lately.
I wrote back and up I went over to do a finance thing for John Rollins to the for the National Committee in Delaware yesterday and wrote back with Bob Dole and he said you guys are on an airplane at three o'clock in the morning the night before.
That's right.
But it's really been great and I uh
I think the way you nailed old Teddy on that crawling statement was good.
And you notice Hubert followed your line.
You see that?
Yes, I saw that.
Why do you think he did that?
I think Hubert's running.
You think he wants to get in on the game, huh?
I think so.
I don't think he can stay away from it.
If I were a Democrat, it would be my choice.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, he's the most decent man.
And not only that, he's been there before.
That's right, that's right.
But Teddy went beyond the pale on that one.
I think that can really hurt him.
I use it in all my speeches.
How do people react when you use it?
Well, they certainly recognize it.
Do you want a president who would crawl before a communist?
Yeah.
Right, right, good.
Well, we're going to keep at it.
Yeah.
Incidentally, I want you to know on the judge thing, I can assure you they are, if I have to...
fight it for the balance of this term, we're going to have two conservative judges.
You understand?
Well, I know that's what you want.
You know, there's a young fellow in the Justice Department.
He's only 41 or two years old.
Oh, God, his name slips me.
He comes from Arizona and Flying Deeds knows him well.
He's probably the greatest
authority on the Constitution in the country today.
Injustice.
Bill Rentschler.
Oh, I know Rentschler well.
He's an excellent man.
And the papers he's done on the Constitution are suited by every expert I know to be the greatest thing.
The great difficulty is that the damn bar would have a tough time because of the lack of
you know, but boy, he's a right age and everything.
I've never been one who felt that judicial experience was necessary.
Doesn't mean a damn thing.
Look at Brennan.
That's right.
That's right.
Well, I know you're going to do the right thing.
I wouldn't let these bastards worry you.
They're not worrying me a bit.
Not one bit.
I was sorry to give up on Poff, but Poff felt he couldn't put his family through it.
Well, I guess so.
And I said, uh,
next to Whitaker the other night in Kansas City.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
He's all back of you.
Yeah.
He said you'll be very patient and pick out a fine jurist.
We will, but he's going to be conservative.
He has to be.
Okay.
Fine, Mr. President.
Thank you.
Give my love to Pat.

NARA Description

On October 6, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Barry M. Goldwater talked on the telephone from 8:25 am to 8:27 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 010-065 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 10-65

Date: October 6, 1971
Time: 8:25 am - 8:27 am
Location: White House Telephone

The White House operator talked with the President.

[See Conversation No. 283-13]

     Call from Barry M. Goldwater

The President talked with Goldwater between 8:25 am and 8:27 am.

[See Conversation No. 283-13]

     President's schedule
          -John W. Rollins
          -Robert J. Dole

     Goldwater's speech
         -Edward M. Kennedy
               -Hubert H. Humphrey

     Supreme Court appointments
          -Conservatives
          -Phil Rensler [William H. Rehnquist]
                -Richard G. Kleindienst
          -American Bar Association [ABA]
          -William J. Brennan
          -Richard H. Poff

     Goldwater's schedule
         -John C. Whitaker
         -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon

Also recorded on October 6, 1971

  • 010-064 8:21 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Gerald R. Ford talked on the telephone at 8:21 am.
  • 283-011 8:22 AM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 8:22 am.
  • 283-012 8:22 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Gerald R. Ford met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:22 am to 8:24 am.
  • 283-013 8:25 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Barry M. Goldwater met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:25 am to 8:27 am.
  • 010-066 8:27 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:27 am and 8:28 am.
  • 283-014 8:27 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at 8:27 am.
  • 010-067 8:28 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and David N. Henderson talked on the telephone from 8:28 am to 8:32 am.
  • 283-015 8:28 AM · 32 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, David N. Henderson, White House operator, and Hugh Scott met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 8:28 am to 9:05 am.

All 110 conversations from October 6, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 010-065, October 6, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/010-065 (accessed October 8, 2026).