Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 011-143
Date: Tuesday, October 19, 1971 at 5:38 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Mitchell, John N.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/011-143

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Yeah.
[0:01] The Attorney General, sir.
[0:02] Hello.
[0:03] Yes, Mr. President.
[0:04] I still haven't heard from Powell.
[0:05] I've left the call in just a few minutes ago.
[0:08] I wonder if he's in transit.
[0:10] Well, he's been in transit for quite a while.
[0:13] I haven't heard back from Howard Baker about either, although he said he'd call me before 5.
[0:18] I guess he's searching a soul.
[0:20] Sure.
[0:22] Another thought's occurred to me, Mr. President.
[0:25] If we get Baker and Powell doesn't,
[0:30] pan out.
[0:31] We might consider this Bill Rehnquist over here that everybody's so high on.
[0:39] Well, what are his, let me ask you about his, what are his qualifications?
[0:43] Well, first of all, he's an assistant attorney general.
[0:46] Yeah, I've been in charge of the Office of Legal Counsel.
[0:48] In fact, Walsh has stated on a number of occasions, why in the hell don't you
[0:53] put up somebody like Rehnquist.
[0:57] So I think that would clear.
[0:59] He, as I say, is an arch conservative, a great student.
[1:03] Oh, I understand that.
[1:04] And a pretty tough guy.
[1:05] How about the qualification thing?
[1:07] That's the thing.
[1:08] I would be inclined to believe that there would be no difficulty with it.
[1:12] How long has he practiced law?
[1:14] Oh, Bill's been practicing, I guess, at least 15.
[1:17] Where is he from?
[1:18] He's from Arizona.
[1:19] Of course, he might be tapped with the Kleindienst Goldwater business, but he's pretty eminent.
[1:26] Did he go to law school there?
[1:27] I think he went to law school over in Stanford with Ehrlichman, if I'm not mistaken.
[1:34] I just thought I had everybody so high on his ability and talent.
[1:41] He's a hell of an able guy.
[1:43] What's his age?
[1:45] Oh, Bill must be in his late 40s, early 50s.
[1:49] I think he's younger than that.
[1:51] I think.
[1:52] Pardon?
[1:53] How long do you practice law then?
[1:55] He must have... Must be 15, 18 years at least.
[1:59] Then he came to the government with us?
[2:01] Yes.
[2:02] And then he's practiced longer than that because he wouldn't be that old.
[2:06] Mm-hmm.
[2:06] Say 24 plus... 14 is only 34, 38, and he's 40 years old.
[2:13] He may be only 40.
[2:16] He's past that.
[2:17] Mm-hmm.
[2:18] I gather he's been practicing longer and really had a lawyer's practice, you know, handling their appeals and advising them.
[2:26] Has he done appeal work?
[2:27] Oh, yes.
[2:29] Sure, he's done quite a bit of appellate work in all of the courts.
[2:37] He's been great before our congressional committees.
[2:43] Just a question of whether or not he'd fall under the category of distinction or not.
[2:55] Yeah.
[2:55] Well, I suppose in a sense, if you went for him, you might just as well go for Smith, you know, in a sense.
[3:05] Quite possibly.
[3:07] They both have sort of the same... Smith also is distinct.
[3:10] I mean, he's probably a bigger name.
[3:13] This could very well be a bigger name from the national... Not in my view.
[3:18] I mean, he's just...
[3:19] I don't...
[3:20] I'm not certain that it would necessarily be so with the bar.
[3:23] I think it would.
[3:25] They're so damn conscious of the... Is it a big firm or is it a big city and all that jazz, you know?
[3:32] Well, it certainly would... That's right.
[3:34] For what political benefits you get out of it, it certainly would be a bigger political plus.
[3:39] What about the other... Of course, I still think we ought to...
[3:43] All around are Irishmen, too.
[3:47] Every play we make to those Catholics is good.
[3:50] I quite agree.
[3:52] I haven't heard back from Moore and Ehrlichman, but I'm sure I will before I go on.
[3:57] Good, good.
[3:58] Well, keep me posted if you've got any.
[4:01] Howard Damwell ought to do this now.
[4:03] He just got to do it.
[4:04] Tell him we won't take no for an answer.
[4:06] All right, I'll put it that way, too.
[4:08] Are you going to be available this evening?
[4:09] Sure, sure, sure.
[4:29] Okay.
[4:30] We can put a little more of it together.
[4:31] All right.