Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 017-160
Date: Sunday, January 2, 1972 at 11:30 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Rogers, William P.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/017-160
National Archives Catalog: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/417192079 (NAID 417192079)

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Well, hi, Mr. President.
[0:09] Bill, how are you?
[0:12] Fine, thank you.
[0:15] I thought you were great.
[0:17] He was a little rough.
[0:19] Oh, he's a nasty guy.
[0:20] But I thought you handled him well.
[0:22] It didn't look completely composed and relaxed.
[0:24] I thought that was a great asset.
[0:25] Even the nastiest question, you didn't rise to the bait at all.
[0:27] So it came over very well.
[0:29] And I was just talking to Bob Holliman about it.
[0:40] He said he'd ask me to call.
[0:45] Oh, yes, yes.
[0:46] I would think that on an overall basis, it was a flood.
[0:49] Must have been a little obsessive.
[0:52] Oh, well.
[0:52] Dirty day, of course.
[0:53] I expect it to be dirty, but he really had it on the page.
[0:55] He had little cards in his pocket he kept getting out.
[0:57] Yeah, yeah.
[0:58] No, I thought your answers were fine, and I would think that it was also tough to judge, you know, when you're supposed to be a designer, but I would think that the average person would have thought you did a good job.
[1:22] Adele and I both, you know, got through it all.
[1:23] Yeah.
[1:23] Yeah.
[1:24] Well, I thought certainly on the foreign affairs thing, it was fine.
[1:25] On the domestic thing, she didn't really ask any intelligent questions.
[1:27] or he didn't do anything, he really didn't get the heart of the problem.
[1:41] You know that thing about, are Negro different from whites?
[1:43] For Christ's sake, of course they're different.
[1:44] Isn't that silly?
[1:44] I thought you handled that very well.
[1:48] Because that's the kind of question we can't possibly anticipate.
[2:05] I can't imagine anybody's going to ask what's the difference between a white man and a black man.
[2:09] But they aren't different.
[2:10] Well, of course, and I thought the way you explained it is exactly right.
[2:12] The whole upbringing is different, and naturally he feels differently about it.
[2:14] The reason he feels differently about it is because society has felt different about him over the years.
[2:16] And naturally he has all these problems that he's got.
[2:18] society is treated for.
[2:28] And that's exactly what you had in mind, and that's the answer you gave.
[2:34] Well, I thought it was fine.
[2:34] I thought, as I say, I don't know how you could have done any better.
[2:37] I'm not sure that any president of the United States should ever have to go on to that kind of son of a bitch.
[2:40] How can you choose?
[2:41] Well, we've done it now.
[2:41] I know.
[2:42] And, of course, that's a good answer with the press.
[2:44] We've taken the guy that was most antagonistic.
[2:45] Yeah.
[2:45] And let him answer it.
[2:47] better ask anything he wanted.
[2:59] We just took him along.
[3:00] Well, he wouldn't go out to those courses that are tough courses.
[3:05] Oh, no, no.
[3:05] He'd be constrained by those things.
[3:06] But it was good that we let him do it, yeah.
[3:08] How was he afterwards?
[3:09] Oh, I think he was a little nonplussed.
[3:11] Yeah.
[3:28] He didn't really make any points at all.
[3:29] I mean, you discussed him on the answers, and you gave very good key answers.
[3:31] So I don't think he made any points, but it's tough for the president to have to face with a question like that.
[3:33] It's good they've done it, though, then we don't have to do it again.
[3:34] That's right.
[3:35] That's right.
[3:35] Okay, well, see you tomorrow at 5.30.
[3:46] Oh, wait, well, you're coming to the... Yeah, I didn't want to go to the West Coast.
[3:53] I had to do this, so I thought I'd rather... You're coming to the...
[3:55] Tomorrow, I was going to do the thing with Smith.
[3:57] I think you ought to be there when we talk to, you know, Jerry Smith.
[3:59] Oh, good.
[3:59] Yeah, what time is that?
[4:00] Well, I don't know, but...
[4:01] I'll look it up.
[4:01] We'll check it up at the I.C.
[4:02] And then the...
[4:03] The other thing is that there's a meeting with Peterson regarding what the tactics should be, and I want you to be there for that.
[4:19] Are you going to be there, too?
[4:21] Well, I'll be there, and we'll probably sit in on the whole thing.
[4:24] The main thing on that bill is to be damn sure that we do not...
[4:26] Get out, you know, leading the charge for all this other thing.
[4:40] I mean, let's do it, but not to get caught in it.
[4:41] Oh, yeah, we can't do that.
[4:41] I agree completely.
[4:42] Bye, Mr. Edmund.
[4:42] Bye.
[4:42] Thank you very much.
[4:42] Bye.