Conversation 012-085

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Are you there?

Yes.

Okay, now I'll bring the present to this phone.

All right.

Okay.

Oh, you're a doll.

You know...

You'll be here in about one minute.

Thank you.

How are you?

Governor, how are you?

Alex Butterfield.

Hey, Alex, how are you doing?

Pretty good, thanks.

Good.

Here's the present now.

Thank you.

Hello?

Hi, Mr. President.

Well, I just wanted to call you before your press conference to tell you that I think you're pretty fortunate and that we are too to have two Virginians.

I understand Rehnquist lives in Virginia, too.

Yeah, that makes three because the Chief Justice is out there.

Oh, yeah.

My Virginia Supreme Court now.

Well, it is.

And I will appreciate you, of course, being a lawyer and, of course, with the unfortunate situation in Poff, if you would make a very strong statement and if you would indicate to the press that I've called you

And I just signed the nominations this moment, as a matter of fact.

Well, that's just tremendous.

You really hit the ten strike.

This guy is... You feel pretty good, do you?

Oh, I feel outstanding, Mr. President.

You don't know... Do you know Rehnquist?

I do not know Rehnquist.

He's just, frankly, he'll probably turn out to be the best man in the court.

This may sound very...

But he is a real legal genius and a tough, strong mind and...

So we've got two finds.

And of course, Powell is one of the great gentlemen.

He was your supporter, too, wasn't he?

Well, he couldn't do that.

He supported you.

He supported Eisenhower.

But you didn't need it.

No, that's right.

You supported me.

That's right.

But he did not in any way do anything against me.

Well, he's a great fellow, and somebody asked me last night, well, how about his age?

I said, look, 10 years of Paul is worth 30 years of somebody else.

Well, that's right, Mr. President.

This fellow is a very fine, warm friend of mine.

He and his wife have played church with Dinks and me.

And I want you to know what he told me when I talked to him this morning, and that was,

He says, well, you tell the president when you talk to him that he's a damn fine lawyer because...

I was determined in my conversations with Mitchell that it's not appropriate.

The president talked me into doing it.

I really worked on it.

He didn't want it.

You and I had talked about it.

I know, I know, I know.

This is as clear a case of an office seeking out a man as I've ever seen.

You can point out, incidentally, that in our conversation that I recall the fact that you had first mentioned his name to me and that I...

and that also get in the fact of the bipartisan thing, that he's a Democrat, that this shows the president was seeking the best man regardless of party.

Would you do that?

I will do all of that.

Great.

And let me tell you that I had a very interesting telephone call this morning.

The president of the state NAACP called me to congratulate me for getting Lewis Powell on that court.

I didn't have a damn thing to do with it, but it does indicate the breadth of the support that this would get, I believe.

He's just taught.

Well, good.

I congratulate you.

I had to laugh when I saw the press speculating that you would go to mediocrity.

I knew that that would happen.

We had to get them out.

We had to get them off on their blind trail so we'd get in the men we want.

You've done a great job.

The whole thing, the economic program and everything you've been doing, I'm so thrilled with it.

You may remember I told you in Williamsburg, I felt we were on the

the eminence of some very, very fine successes, and I think you're doing a terrific job.

Well, I appreciate it very much.

I'm just meeting now with Kishi, the former prime minister of Japan.

We're trying to get that back on the track, but it's coming along.

Remember, we had to pay a price to get the textual agreement.

That's a tough...

That helps in your state, too, doesn't it, the textile agreement?

We have a couple of textiles that are in problem.

You've also got your Pakistan thing.

Well, that's terrible.

I just had a long meeting with Friedlinghausen this morning, but there's nothing we can do there.

They just hate each other.

We're doing the best we can.

The Middle East is shaping up, though, isn't it?

Fairly well, yeah.

Well, it's on ice, let's put it that way.

But the fact that the Soviet and us are getting together, that keeps it on ice for a few more months.

The way you've got Peking and Moscow balanced off is terrific.

And you see the Soviet and us getting together also restrains the Indians against the Paks.

and the Chinese was restraining the ya-ya.

So it's all a balancing act.

We just hope it doesn't come down.

Right.

Listen, one thing, I had lined up with Dwight and John and Bob Holliman at one time a little...

the opportunity to come up and discuss some of the school situation with you.

I didn't want to push that while the Supreme Court was under consideration.

So I'd like to get that on the track.

I can be helpful to you.

Fine.

Why don't you give a call?

You work it out, and I'll be glad to see you anytime.

You're close, and you can work into the schedule.

Why don't you just talk to Ehrlichman or Haldeman, either one.

Okay.

Fine.

Many thanks.

Or Dwight.

Anyone.

No, Dwight's in China.

No, Dwight's gone now.

Ehrlichman or Haldeman, either one.

They can make the schedules.

I'll do it.

And again, just the finest kind of congratulations on that outstanding pair of points.

Well, he's a great Virginian.

Okay.

Virginian, and keep on.

Make that Supreme Court a Virginia Supreme Court.

That'll help you.

I've been saying that all the time.

All right.

Okay.

Bye.