Nixon phone call with Halpern on AFL-CIO and George Meany

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I have Congressman Halperin.

Yeah.

Okay, let me put him on.

Hello?

Well, Mr. President, I wasn't surprised.

I wanted you to know that when I got back from Miami, I found that you had a birthday yesterday, and I just wanted to wish you many happy returns on the birthday and many happy returns on election day.

As you often said, you know, you're our only guy up there in the city.

Right.

You know, speaking of, I'll give you something to give you a little humor out of this.

One of our great guys is Herb Stein.

I don't know whether you know him.

You know him in the Council of Economic Advisors.

I sure do, yeah.

Brilliant fella.

Anyway, Herb is, and this is not generally known, just had a very serious operation on his eye.

He lost the sight of his left eye.

Oh, for God's sake.

or 80% of it, I should say.

And so I called him a couple days ago and said, I was sorry and hope you'd be back.

And he sort of chuckled and he said, well, he said, I hope that the press isn't going to read into this any significance with regard to the fact it was my left eye.

They've always been saying that I'm looking at things too much out of my right eye anyway.

And then he went on to say, he says, I understand now I can only, he's going to cut down on my reading, but he says, I've got to say that about half of what I read isn't worth reading anyway.

That's funny and beautiful.

So you take care.

And they'll probably say now he's short-sighted.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, they'll go after it.

They'll find something.

Well, anyway.

President, I watched TV and I saw that treatment at Meany.

Oh, it didn't bother me.

Well, I know it didn't, but you came through it so gallantly.

Believe me, that smile.

I tell you, the reflection, though, with the American people, you come out so much ahead.

Well, you know, they were in bad form.

I mean, we all, because I was generous to them.

I've heard a lot of comments.

We had some visitors last night.

Did you?

Yes, and they were very, very rabid, or at least have been so-called liberal.

Sure.

They were embittered by it.

Absolutely.

Well, you know, actually, you know, as somebody has said, nobody came into office owing us to it.

George Meany and some of his friends.

But I have been very considerate.

I've had him in here more than Johnson had him in.

But nevertheless, the rank and file are what count it.

And also the rank and file want the cost of living held down.

And by God, we're going to do it.

That's right.

And you know, Mr. President, maybe time's largely due to the politics of New York and the thinking up here and so forth where maybe I don't go along.

I want you to know why you need.

No, no, no.

And I've told this to Jerry Ford repeatedly.

And you need to vote.

I need to vote.

I wait until between me and let me say this.

And if ever you need, I vote.

You have it.

And if I promise you, let me tell you, I know.

And I've told several other fellows.

You guys, first, you've got to get in.

And the second thing, though, we know that what will go in one place isn't going to go in another.

And I understand that totally.

But when there's a real tough one...

I did that in Lockheed, and I do it in other instances.

We are going to ask you to do it when it will hurt, okay?

Right, but I always tell Jerry, let's wait.

If you need it, you have it.

I don't repeat that to you.

mr you wouldn't represent your district unless you were taking a little different exactly okay well good luck now you're beautiful and give my best your wife she was pretty banged up in this thing too coming along beautifully you driving no i wasn't we were riding in a taxi cab oh god in spain you must have a hell of a lawsuit uh well i don't know how far how uh how it worked out well in the old days i could have said i know a good lawyer

that any adult good lawyer even mitchell can't do it okay good luck in spain and i must say our embassy people bob you know hill bob hill he's marvelous oh he put a nice white hands and he saw to it everything our interests were well protected he's a great guy i hope he wins up there

I do, too.

Well, Mr. President, this is the highlight of my career, and I want to tell you how much I appreciate it.

I'll never forget it.

Well, look, we're glad to have you, and we'll see you back on the floor one day.

Right.

I'll be back the week after next.

Right.

Thanks so much, sir.

Okay.

And thank you.

Nixon phone call with Halpern on AFL-CIO and George Meany

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on November 20, 1971

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