Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 017-020
Date: Friday, December 24, 1971 at 3:45 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); White House operator; Colson, Charles W.; Nixon, Richard M. (President); White House operator; Colson, Charles W.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/017-020

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Hello.
[0:05] Mr. President, Mr. Cate had a luncheon engagement.
[0:19] Oh, yes.
[0:19] But he will get back to the President in an hour and I'll have word.
[0:21] Thank you.
[0:21] Be careful.
[0:21] Thank you.
[0:21] Okay.
[0:21] Hello.
[0:22] Well, you've taken the day off today, I hope.
[0:24] Well, I was in the morning, but I just got ready.
[0:25] Good, good, good.
[0:25] Well, I hope you get all your Christmas shopping and get a little relief from the
[0:29] pressures that see what is tomorrow Saturday this would be one weekend I think everybody should just sort of pat down and take it easy well I've given as you had suggested I've given most of my people a weekend off good give them a text of news play just every now and then yeah I was I didn't read it frankly I just looked at the headlines but from my own feeling is that
[0:58] it uh he probably got up and what i heard from those that saw television the sympathy reaction because he looks he looks so far tired and everything well his daughter-in-law came on cbs she said she was asked by the reporter what how was mrs author she said well she won't believe it
[1:24] She still can't believe it until her husband came home in her arms and he got it.
[1:45] She never appeared to her to say.
[1:46] And rather played it very safe.
[1:47] There's been a lot of people who felt they'd taken a bad conviction, a decent person here.
[1:49] Dr. Kennedy has been long expected.
[1:50] He played it very, very safe.
[1:50] All of his friends have played it very safe.
[1:51] The only negative is the New York Times editorial thoroughly predicted it.
[1:54] Oh, well, of course.
[2:12] We expect that post.
[2:13] It'll go away today and then whack it.
[2:13] It's been interesting today.
[2:14] I checked the wires and it was about 2.30 before I left.
[2:15] And there wasn't a single reaction or comment.
[2:16] I think we'll hear from our Democratic friends.
[2:17] Yeah.
[2:33] But also there's the matter of compassion, you know, pretty under these circumstances, a sick wife, all the rest of it.
[2:58] Yeah, that was good.
[2:59] He's a very clever fellow.
[3:08] It came off well.
[3:09] I'm relieved about it because I thought we would get a little more heat.
[3:11] Well, look, we're prepared for the heat.
[3:12] We've done it now, and that's it.
[3:12] Go right on.
[3:13] I figured it was worth it, but it's not.
[3:32] The health of the country.
[3:58] That's good.
[4:00] I thought Roger's thing came off well, too.
[4:13] The good Henry, of course, doesn't like it because he just can't see anything good in Roger, but that's just too bad.
[4:16] It's too bad.
[4:18] He's effective.
[4:19] He doesn't do it very often, but...
[4:20] But when he does, he handled it well.
[4:41] He handled the Vietnam questions particularly well.
[4:42] I thought he did a beautiful job.
[4:43] He did a beautiful job.
[4:43] He did, huh?
[4:43] And the Vietnam part's what led, didn't it?
[4:44] Yeah, that's what the papers led with, at least.
[4:45] Right.
[4:46] And he handled all of the questions.
[4:46] Right.
[4:46] And we've got to use those questions.
[4:47] Well, I just don't raise it with Henry at this point.
[5:02] You know, Henry's hung up because of his...
[5:03] I mean, there's people nitpicking India-Pakistan, but it's inevitable.
[5:04] India-Pakistan was a tough deal, and we came out as well as we could, and it's over with then.
[5:06] The people are not all...
[5:07] I mean, he's concerned about it, but the average person doesn't have the slightest idea that we should have done anything differently.
[5:10] No, Harris is putting some questions.
[5:11] I hope they don't blame us for those.
[5:38] Well, the sophisticates can't because they've all been pro-Indian.
[5:40] And we have not.
[5:58] We've been for both.
[5:58] Right.
[5:58] No, I think we came out of it a little too early.
[5:59] I think that any time you have that kind of a situation, you know, people don't like to go to war.
[6:01] That's right.
[6:02] So it doesn't help to handle climate change.
[6:02] That's right.
[6:03] But it's good to have it all before Christmas.
[6:04] Well, I don't think it really is going to reflect that much back on it.
[6:05] The announcement of the long-term situation,
[6:10] That's good.
[6:38] That's good.
[6:39] Mm-hmm.
[6:39] Mm-hmm.
[6:39] Right.
[7:07] Good.
[7:07] That's good.
[7:07] Sure.
[7:07] Well, he knows offhand to get out, though.
[7:08] Oh, sure.
[7:20] He couldn't close it.
[7:20] No, and I noticed that some of the... the only wire reaction that I did notice was the... the one at Woodcock, when I hit it with the... the serving against the jump that he released.
[7:24] He did?
[7:24] Yes.
[7:24] Well, that's good.
[7:24] So that's... that's the... the UAW person at Woodcock.
[7:29] That's right.
[7:51] All the deadly enemies of the Teamsters.
[7:54] Oh, not now, though.
[7:54] No, that's right.
[7:55] That's right there.
[7:55] They're in depth.
[7:56] I forgot it.
[7:56] Now it comes together.
[7:56] And the Detroit Tide, of course.
[7:58] It'll be interesting to see what Loeb does with it.
[8:19] Well, I'm just fascinated by that because the press has said that he no longer owes the Houston any money.
[8:21] Couldn't make any difference.
[8:21] That's good.
[8:22] I'm glad the press is saying that.
[8:22] It shows we didn't do anything for that purpose.
[8:23] And Loeb lives in constant fear that some of us will pull the rug out.
[8:25] Fitch has got a lot on the wall.
[8:25] Oh, we need to take care of that.
[8:26] Good.
[8:31] It will be interesting to see if I want to get the message
[11:05] The thing that has come through in the past six months, I'll quote him precisely, is that everybody has had a leader.
[11:22] And the president has fought.
[11:23] He's a leader.
[11:23] The last six months, the things he has done have convinced people of his courage.
[11:25] He's a leader.
[11:25] Much of that.
[11:26] And you don't run into the, and your tux falls around, at least I don't.
[11:53] I don't run back again.
[11:54] The effects, as I was trying to tell him,
[11:55] I don't hear any people yelling around about it.
[12:21] They don't raise it.
[12:22] I take the Pentagon Papers.
[12:22] People did raise that because it was a very hot issue.
[12:23] But this one is a...
[12:24] Well, anyway, the main thing, it's over.
[12:53] Well, anyway, we'll wish you a Merry Christmas.
[13:02] Thank you.