Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 016-124
Date: Sunday, December 19, 1971 at 7:44 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Graham, William F. ("Billy"); Nixon, Richard M. (President); Graham, William F. ("Billy")
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/016-124

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Hello.
[0:00] Hello.
[0:01] Hello, Mr. President.
[0:04] Are you all set for your trip to Africa?
[0:08] Yes, sir, and thank you for making this possible.
[0:10] You'll be here, will you?
[0:11] Yes, sir, I'll come up there.
[0:14] Yeah, I'll be here.
[0:14] I'm coming up.
[0:15] I'll be finished with my meeting with Heath, and I'll come back to... No, no, no, no, no.
[0:22] I'll be finished with my meeting with Brandt.
[0:23] That's right.
[0:25] And I forget which week I'm in.
[0:27] You're doing so much nowadays.
[0:29] I don't know how to grow.
[0:30] But I think it's going to be a great trip, Billy.
[0:33] Well, thank you for making it possible.
[0:35] It'll be a great trip.
[0:36] And, you know, it's the first time that a First Lady has ever been used in an official capacity like this, actually, as a representative.
[0:44] So you and Sheila, you'll do a great job, I'm sure.
[0:55] We'll have a wonderful time.
[0:56] And I hope that you and Pat and Julie and Patricia and all have a marvelous Christmas.
[0:58] I'm sure we will.
[0:58] Today... We're moving and taking the country and the world.
[0:59] Yeah.
[1:00] Well, you know, our friend John Connolly did a fantastic job in getting that monetary agreement, you know, that was reached yesterday.
[1:07] It wouldn't have been done without him.
[1:09] Of course, we paved the way by doing Pompidou before, by getting him, then we got the others in line, so it's all done now.
[1:20] Well, if you can do something just as spectacular for the farmers, I think you'll have the whole thing wrapped up.
[1:23] Right.
[1:27] One thing we're trying to do there, and what John is working on, on the trade thing, is to get some trade with Europe, get some citrus and grain, a few things, into Europe and Japan.
[1:38] But we'll see.
[1:41] They're real tough in these negotiations, but John is really a great negotiator.
[1:46] Well, I'm glad that he's with you.
[3:18] Well, that helps.
[3:21] We've got a lot of problems, but we're working on them.
[3:26] You may have some problems, but I'll tell you the Democrats have got more problems.
[3:29] We are accidentally going to have to probably read about it tomorrow, the next day, probably the next day.
[3:39] The North Vietnamese have shot down two or three planes of ours, and so we're going to go in and take out a couple of places up there, you know,
[3:48] We can't allow them to get away with this as we're withdrawing, you see.
[4:11] So we're just going to hit them for a couple of days.
[4:18] Naturally.
[5:36] Well, we just hope that things move along and the world doesn't explode.
[5:52] It really is.
[5:53] Only, as I say, only the businessmen understand it, perhaps, and some of them don't.
[5:59] But the point is that it's a new, it's a realignment which gives America a better
[6:04] trading position it means more jobs for our people because it makes american products more competitive in the world they are i don't listen to them
[7:49] How do you think the appeal referred to it in his sermon about the young people, the Jesus Movement, how do you think it's coming?
[8:11] Well, I think that the real Jesus Movement is gaining momentum.
[8:12] The people that some of these networks play up, the Jesus Freaks and so forth, I think that...
[8:14] They're aberration.
[8:15] That's right.
[8:15] They're getting a little too far out.
[8:16] But about 80% of the movement is really moving.
[8:17] That's great.
[8:17] And we're going to have 100,000 of them down in Dallas in June for 10 days.
[8:31] And it's just tremendous.
[8:32] And I think it's going to have a great impact on the country.
[8:39] And of course, the interesting thing to me is, the thrilling thing is happening under your administration.
[8:42] You know, when Eisenhower was in, we had multiple religious revivals.
[8:44] Yes, we did.
[8:44] And now under your administration, we have probably one of the great religious revivals of American history.
[8:46] You really think that?
[8:52] I really do, and I think historians, religious historians, are going to point that out.
[8:57] Well, Peale was obviously impressed by it.
[8:59] You know, he referred to the fact that this was going on across the country.
[9:02] There were some sort of far-out things, but generally it's a very solid thing.
[9:28] And this, of course, is quite large as a result of you.
[9:37] No, no, no.
[9:41] There are many of your friends who are supporting me.
[9:49] Well, we help, but you're doing it.
[9:50] And a lot of these big, next-gen millionaires and all this have been giving to other things.
[9:51] They're beginning to give to us.
[9:52] That's great.
[9:52] And so I'm really encouraged.
[9:53] Good.
[9:53] And I think you have every reason to do it.
[10:00] Yeah.
[10:02] Which was necessary, of course.
[10:03] Right.
[10:04] Necessary for all this.
[10:16] I just think you're in God's place.
[10:19] And I believe Christian people everywhere are praying for you.
[10:24] I've never heard so much prayer.
[10:24] And they're thanking God for you.
[10:25] Well, it helps a lot.
[10:26] And of course, you're coming to Charlotte.
[10:26] And I've got a message for you in my bed.
[10:27] You'll never know what that means to us.
[10:28] You get my very best for Christmas.
[10:30] Father, Dr. Bell, Mother, and all the rest.
[10:35] All right, sir.
[10:36] Have a wonderful time.