Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 022-152
Date: Sunday, April 16, 1972 at 2:25 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/022-152

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:01] Yeah.
[0:02] Any progress report on that matter?
[0:05] They're going ahead and going to move Fannin on to... Are they in town or Fannin and Irvin in town?
[0:14] I don't know.
[0:14] I haven't heard back from John.
[0:18] But I've gone over the whole thing with him and then with Clark and he and Clark have gone over the specifics and then they're going to move Fannin.
[0:28] All right.
[0:30] Here I'll
[0:31] Well, they got it going.
[0:33] Yeah.
[0:34] Let me know when you get any... Are they going to give you a report or are you going to check or what?
[0:38] I'm going to check with them.
[0:39] Yeah.
[0:40] With John.
[0:41] With John to see whether it's gone.
[0:44] Now, there isn't any way that they feel they have to have this excuse, basically, for Clint East to get out of the thing, don't they?
[0:54] Yeah.
[0:56] I don't think he could do it anyway, just on the basis of Long and everybody else...
[1:00] coming out against him.
[1:02] Well, Mitchell, you see, thinks that he can, that this is a deal that may work.
[1:07] Yeah, that's what I'm concerned about.
[1:09] And, uh, that, well, except that then you end up with, uh, with, uh, a client needs conceivable, he thinks, with a client needs confirmation.
[1:19] Yeah.
[1:21] He also thinks that, that, uh, you don't necessarily turn off the hearings by the client needs withdrawal, which, uh, Oh, I see.
[1:28] is the other side of that coin.
[1:29] Now, Clark
[1:30] feels very strongly that you do.
[1:35] Well, in that case, though, in that case, it seems to me the Republicans walk out.
[1:41] That's right.
[1:42] If we can do it, which presumably we can.
[1:44] Good God, I wouldn't think any Republican would stay around after that.
[1:47] I mean, and just... Mathias would be the only question there.
[1:51] Mm-hmm.
[1:53] And I think if we make this move, that Mathias will go along with us.
[1:57] He's gone along pretty well up to now.
[2:00] Mm-hmm.
[2:02] But he wants Kleindies, too.
[2:03] I mean, he wants Flanagan.
[2:05] And he tried to work out a deal on Flanagan himself, but without any authority.
[2:14] Yeah.
[2:17] Well, in any event, let Mitchell try his best to get out.
[2:24] And frankly, if you
[2:26] Gleason comes on, so Gleason will come on.
[2:28] That's all there is to it.
[2:29] You've just got to take whatever heat you've got.
[2:32] There's only a small chance of Gleason going astray.
[2:34] The thing is, the Colson-McGregor argument is, if we're going to pull Kleindienst on Thursday anyway, why the hell not pull him on Tuesday in time to avoid the Gleason hearing?
[2:44] That's what I think.
[2:46] And avoid the chance, even though it's only a small chance, of Gleason going astray.
[2:51] Couldn't agree more.
[2:52] Couldn't agree more.
[2:54] Because I don't...
[2:55] Tell me, does McGregor think that Kleindies can be confirmed?
[2:59] Does he agree with Mitchell on that?
[3:03] Might be, maybe.
[3:04] Yeah, he does.
[3:05] Yeah, well, maybe.
[3:07] He does, but it's possible.
[3:09] Yeah, if the play works with Irvin, you mean.
[3:14] Yeah.
[3:14] Because then you've got the thing to the floor and nobody except the Kennedy-type bad guys going for the filibuster and not much stomach for a filibuster on it.
[3:25] Mm-hmm.
[3:26] You've sort of got the steam out of it.
[3:27] We've gone the last mile.
[3:29] We gave them the voted for, the two-week additional hearings and all that crap.
[3:33] And it's been really cranking along and on and on.
[3:37] That's right.
[3:38] I don't think it's, I may be wrong, but I don't think it has the tremendous public interest that they think it has.
[3:46] Mm-hmm.
[3:47] What do you think?
[3:49] I don't think it does.
[3:50] Maybe it's gained some as a result of the Flanagan trap.
[3:52] I don't know.
[3:54] Not so much.
[3:55] I don't think so.
[3:56] I don't think it's ad nauseum.
[3:57] You know, people do get tired of these damn things because they haven't—it's too goddamn confusing and they—you have tried to get out that point that I made that I mentioned—well, I guess I mentioned to Ehrlichman that they still—to name one person of this administration or did he find out what they're saying, but he had to be canned for stealing.
[4:20] He was going to move ahead on that.
[4:23] You've got to be sure of our facts.
[4:24] Yeah.
[4:25] Yeah.
[4:28] Well, okay.
[4:29] Okay.
[4:30] If you can get the... How do we find...
[4:32] If you can get our friend John to...
[4:38] But he knows the urgency to try to do it today, does he?
[4:42] Yep.
[4:42] Yeah, he was moving right off on it.
[4:44] Well, he'll do it.
[4:45] All right, thanks.
[4:46] And let me know when you have me here.
[4:47] Okay.