Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 20 › Conversation 020-063

Nixon phone call with Scott on Vietnam War and 1972 Presidential Election

Tuesday, February 8, 1972 · 2:49 PM–2:51 PM ET · White House Telephone · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Scott, HughConversation020-063 on Tape 20 (tape position 02:09:28–02:11:25)StartTuesday, February 8, 1972 at 2:49 PMEndTuesday, February 8, 1972 at 2:51 PMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 020-063 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon calls Senate Minority Leader Hugh Scott to commend him on the positive press coverage received following a recent leadership conference statement. The two discuss political strategies for criticizing Democratic presidential candidates Edmund Muskie and George McGovern, characterizing their policy positions as impediments to peace negotiations in Vietnam. Nixon encourages Scott to emphasize that these Democrats are effectively sabotaging potential peace settlements ahead of the 1972 election.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

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Hello.

Yes, Mr. President.

Hugh Scott.

Oh, Hugh.

Yes.

I didn't have anything to bother you with, but just talking to Ziegler, and he said that the statement you made after the leadership is getting a good play on the wire.

Oh, good.

And I thought you should know again, though, that I talked to two or three afterwards, and

And, you know, you like to hear good things when they're good, but some of the fellows told me they had never heard you better.

Oh.

I mean, you really got wound up.

And I said, well, you know, I said, Scott really is a mean bastard.

I said, you just don't realize it.

You know, they forget you were once a party chairman, huh?

Remember?

Yes, sir.

It takes me a little while to wind up, you know.

But you're on the right side, let me tell you.

I'm uptight about it.

You're on the right side, and don't you think so?

Yes, sir.

I'm giving a story to the Los Angeles Times this afternoon, guarded, but generally they're pressing to say, why is Muskie the target?

And the answer is that the people who present certain positions...

uh as alternatives who foul up hanoi's negotiation make themselves the target it doesn't sure necessarily be the same one in a given week sure that's the trying to create an opinion that we're zeroing in on a single person no you're you're zeroing in on mcgovern too certainly that's what you say mcgovern muskie those people that are offering the enemy better terms

than the president has offered them are, in effect, torpedoing the chances to get a settlement before the election.

I think the idea that they, in effect, are destroying the chance to have peace before November, isn't that a good thing?

That is, and I'm using the phrase that they are fouling up the negotiation.

Right.

Well, good luck.

Thank you.

I appreciate it, sir, and I'll keep at it.

NARA Description

On February 8, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Hugh Scott talked on the telephone from 2:49 pm to 2:51 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 020-063 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 20-63

Date: February 8, 1972
Time: 2:49 pm - 2:51 pm
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Hugh Scott.

     Scott statement after leadership conference
           -Ronald L. Ziegler
           -Wire play
           -Enthusiasm of statement
           -Vietnam negotiations
                -Los Angeles Times coverage
                      -Attack on Edmund S. Muskie
                             -Reason
                -Attack on George S. McGovern
                -Proffer of peace terms
                      -Consequence
                             -Timing of possible settlement
                                  -1972 election

Also recorded on February 8, 1972

020-062 2:44 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 2:44 pm to 2:48 pm.
320-019 2:49 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Hugh Scott met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:49 pm to 2:51 pm.
020-064 2:51 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:51 pm and 2:54 pm.
020-065 2:51 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:51 pm and 2:54 pm.
320-020 2:51 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:51 pm and 2:54 pm.
320-021 2:51 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:51 pm and 2:54 pm.
320-022 2:51 PM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:51 pm and 2:54 pm.
320-023 2:51 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:51 pm and 2:54 pm.

All 48 conversations from February 8, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 020-063, February 8, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/020-063 (accessed October 2, 2026).