Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 019-143
Date: Thursday, January 27, 1972 at 2:56 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Meany, George
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/019-143

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:01] All right, I have George Meany.
[0:07] There you are.
[0:08] Hi, Mr. President.
[0:09] I understand you're feeling a lot better.
[0:11] Yes, I feel quite well.
[0:12] I'm working part-time mostly.
[0:15] Oh, that's great.
[0:16] Doing very well, thank you.
[0:17] That's great.
[0:18] Let me tell you, if it doesn't put a burden on you, a couple of things that I think might be useful for your information.
[0:28] I'd be glad to have Henry drop over and give you a sort of behind-the-scenes analysis of those talks that he had with the North Vietnamese, if you'd like to have it.
[0:46] Now that's, as you well understand, all we have revealed are simply the offer and what they turned on this, but it's a very fascinating story.
[0:54] It is not altogether as hopeless as it appears, although we're going to take a very tough line because these people that say that we've got to go further, they just want to turn the damn country over to the communists.
[1:06] I think the vast majority of the people agree with what old John Stennis said.
[1:11] He said the person has done all that he can honorably do.
[1:14] Up to this point, and I think this is the whole story.
[1:17] We want to get the hell out.
[1:18] I know you want to get out.
[1:19] We've got to get out honorably.
[1:21] We can't get out the other way.
[1:22] Well, if we don't get out honorably here, we can't fight honorably.
[1:24] But, you know, a lot of these folks, George, that are all concerned about the Mideast, I hit them right in the nose.
[1:30] I says, look here.
[1:31] I said, if the United States puts its tail between its legs here, just forget the Mideast.
[1:37] They aren't going to go there.
[1:38] And also, that tells the Russians something, too.
[1:41] I told that to some of my Jewish friends, you know.
[1:43] Oh, yes.
[1:44] Well, I had one fellow say to me, oh, a year or so ago, for God's sake, let's get the hell out of Vietnam so we can help Israel.
[1:51] Oh, boy.
[1:51] Yeah, that'll be the day.
[1:54] The other one, which is directly related to it and will not take a great deal of time,
[1:58] I know that you're interested in the defense budget and things, but George Shultz would be glad to come over and give you a rundown on that.
[2:07] We have a very strong posture on defense, particularly looking to the future, like shipbuilding and things like that, where the Soviet Navy is concerned.
[2:17] So he'd be glad to come over.
[2:19] So I don't want to burden you with stuff, but I think these two things you ought to know about.
[2:23] Well, I'd be glad to talk to Henry and George, too.
[2:25] I expect to be over there for this meeting.
[2:28] productivity meeting, I think it's... Oh, fine.
[2:31] I think that's on the second.
[2:33] That's what I see.
[2:33] I expect to be able to do that.
[2:35] Right.
[2:35] Well, fine.
[2:36] But I'm...
[2:37] Right, fine.
[2:37] Well, I've got several meetings in the next couple of days, but I could find time to talk to George.
[2:42] Well, I'll tell you what I'll do.
[2:44] I'll have their office then get in touch with your secretary and set it up.
[2:47] And I just think it would be good to keep posted on it, okay?
[2:51] Thank you.
[2:51] Thank you.
[2:52] All right.
[2:52] Thank you.
[2:53] Hello.
[2:55] Yeah.
[2:55] One thing I thought it'd be interesting to know, you know, I know that you, some of your friends probably took you to task for standing up against some of those amendments down there, you know, the so-called deadline amendments.
[3:08] But you now see why we had to fight them.
[3:10] We hadn't fought them.
[3:11] We were conducting these negotiations all the time.
[3:14] So that looks so bad now.
[3:16] of course as far as the the negotiations i hear some people grumbling all right your friend mccluskey said this uh the president tried to conceal i said look this is this is absolutely ridiculous because i say that many a time we get the collective bargaining situation and we're dead locked all around a bargaining table and you decide to take one of the leaders and ask them to breakfast the next morning that's right and maybe that's where you're settling that's right
[3:40] Oh, sure.
[3:42] Well, I don't think anyone's really called.
[3:44] The only one I heard complaining about that was McCluskey, and he's way off pace.
[3:49] Okay, many again.
[3:50] Keep well.
[3:52] Bye.