Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 019-114
Date: Wednesday, January 26, 1972 at 4:01 PM
Participants: Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Carruthers, William H.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/019-114

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Hello.
[0:01] I have Mr. Kurevich.
[0:02] Thank you.
[0:04] Bill, Bob Haldeman.
[0:05] Hi, Bob.
[0:05] How are you?
[0:06] Fine.
[0:06] I wanted to get your view on how you thought the thing looked last night and what you thought of the president's delivery and all.
[0:13] Oh, he was excellent.
[0:14] Rarely seen him better than he was last night.
[0:17] Why?
[0:17] Because we were curious.
[0:18] A lot of people said that, and we were curious as to what was different that made it better.
[0:22] Well, my feeling was this, that his delivery was very, very comfortable.
[0:26] And he did not rush himself.
[0:29] You know, I think I've said on several memos to you in the past that I felt he was trying to jam too much language into too short a time.
[0:36] Yeah.
[0:36] It did not appear that way.
[0:37] He seemed to have total confidence in what he was doing.
[0:41] And I think it was just the overall pacing.
[0:44] I see.
[0:45] His own pacing.
[0:47] The speed he was actually delivering the material at.
[0:52] Mm-hmm.
[0:52] Sometimes he gets on and he seems to want to rush, and it makes you feel like he wants to get it over with.
[0:58] And he makes mistakes, you know, jamming too many words into a short period of time.
[1:03] But that was so relaxed and so comfortable and yet totally confident.
[1:08] And he looked good.
[1:09] I mean, he really looked good.
[1:10] He looked like he'd had some rest.
[1:12] You mean look good physically?
[1:14] Yeah, physically.
[1:15] Not the picture or anything?
[1:17] You mean just the president looked good?
[1:18] The president looked good.
[1:19] Well, that's probably, you know, a weekend in Florida helps there, too.
[1:23] Boy, I'll say.
[1:24] I'll say.
[1:26] I really think if there is any one comment that I could make that really made it work for him was the pacing at which he delivered the material.
[1:36] I see.
[1:37] Okay.
[1:37] You know, we're always working against the clock, Bob, in this business.
[1:42] He's the one guy who doesn't have to.
[1:43] Doesn't have to.
[1:44] That's right.
[1:45] You know, it's his time, and he can take his own damn sweet time with how much time he wants to deliver the material.
[1:50] Right.
[1:52] So that would be your evaluation of why there's been this reaction that this was...
[1:59] you know, better delivery than some of the others.
[2:01] Yeah, and I also think it was a brilliantly constructed speech.
[2:04] I don't know whether he wrote it or he had assistants writing it or what happened.
[2:07] Yeah, well, I think you're right.
[2:08] The construction of the material was excellent.
[2:11] It was so clear and so concise and step-by-step he laid it out.
[2:16] And he appeared to have a great deal of confidence in the material.
[2:19] Yeah.
[2:20] Yeah.
[2:21] Okay.
[2:22] Very good.
[2:23] Well, that's basically what we're trying to figure out.
[2:26] Okay.
[2:27] Get a...
[2:28] An expert opinion.
[2:29] Wish it could be like that all the time.
[2:31] Yeah.
[2:32] Really.
[2:33] You know, that and the first economic message are the two best performances he's delivered since I have been involved with him.
[2:41] And it's totally him.
[2:42] There's nothing we do to make him work that way.
[2:45] Right.
[2:46] So you don't feel there were any technical differences that had any effect at all?
[2:50] Not essentially, no.
[2:51] I think the camera angle was a little high last night.
[2:54] Yeah.
[2:55] Uh, he's now beginning to get a little jowly.
[2:59] And, uh, the camera level seemed just a hair above eye level, about where we would normally put it.
[3:04] But I think we ought to start considering dropping it down a little bit.
[3:08] Oh, I agree.
[3:08] That'd show a little bit more neck and a little less jowl.