Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 023-006
Date: Monday, April 17, 1972 at 2:36 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/023-006

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:02] I thought one thing would you might have Buchanan or somebody that maybe is the best one to
[0:13] go through the Rogers testimony and pick out the good lines.
[0:17] I was just talking to Rogers about that.
[0:21] That's exactly what I want to do.
[0:24] He made a lot of good points there, Tommy, and if you could, and then get it distributed quickly.
[0:31] I don't mean like three days, but this afternoon.
[0:34] Could they do that?
[0:35] I think so, yeah.
[0:36] But Buchanan could get on it and get it done by tonight, certainly, couldn't he?
[0:39] The question is how quickly we can get the testimony.
[0:41] As soon as we get it, we can get it done.
[0:43] Buchanan can do it damn fast.
[0:45] By the New York Times, probably, or some others.
[0:47] We'll get it.
[0:48] Okay, fine.
[0:49] And I made exactly that point to Bill because I said he had covered all the points that you had raised that we were after and that gave us a base for our other speakers now to follow up.
[1:02] To all the members of the cabinet and from me, the president, and Secretary Rogers for the position of the administration, I thought you should like to have it for your guidance on the highlights of his testimony.
[1:17] Okay.
[1:18] Yep.
[1:19] Good.
[1:19] How did he feel?
[1:20] Good.
[1:21] He was very pleased.
[1:22] He thought he had done very well.
[1:24] Well, he's done very well.
[1:25] There's no question about that.
[1:25] But I just hope he realizes he stuck his neck out then.
[1:29] But he'll get a hell of a play tonight, in my opinion.
[1:31] Well, he thought he had done damn well.
[1:32] He was feeling good about it.
[1:34] He said, I covered every one of the points the president went over with me that he wanted covered.
[1:39] And he recited several of his, what he felt were his major victories and all, you know.
[1:45] Right, right.
[1:47] Apparently he got mad at Fulbright at the beginning.
[1:50] Good.
[1:51] He said that kind of got it off to a good start.
[1:53] Fulbright wouldn't let him read his statement, which is what he'd been called up to testify on in the legislation.
[2:01] And Fulbright wouldn't let him read it.
[2:02] And Fulbright said, you can read it at the end of the questioning.
[2:04] And Rogers said, I don't want to read it at the end.
[2:06] I'll just leave it and you can put it in the record.
[2:08] Good.
[2:10] Then Fulbright made a long speech, read a statement.
[2:13] asking five questions, and when he finally finished it, Roger says, all right, Senator, I'll take your questions one at a time.
[2:20] Repeat the first one, please.
[2:22] All right.
[2:23] Made him give him his questions one at a time, you know.
[2:27] Good.
[2:28] He obviously feels very good.
[2:30] Well, you see, when he's cornered, he fights.
[2:33] Yeah.
[2:34] Yeah.
[2:35] Good.
[2:36] The one thing he, the only weak sign he said in talking with him about it was, uh, uh,
[2:41] He said he was awful glad that they were too dumb to zero in on the Soviet ship question with him because that would have been tough to answer.
[2:47] That's right.
[2:48] And he said that none of them were smart enough to cover that.
[2:51] So our answer on that is just that we've responded through official channels.
[2:56] Yeah.
[3:01] And they'll go beyond that.
[3:02] Good.
[3:04] Well, Laird's going to go on tomorrow, so we'll follow right up with another line of
[3:11] which is all right, too.
[3:13] Keep our side out there a little while.
[3:15] That's right.
[3:18] They're democratic friends.
[3:19] They can wheel and whine around all they want.
[3:24] Bill had the feeling, and from what I saw, I would say the same thing, that they were very much on the defensive and didn't really quite know how to take the thing on.
[3:33] Yeah, right.
[3:35] I am here in the EOB.
[3:36] I finished with Henry, and...
[3:39] We're on just now.
[3:41] As soon as there's any development on the other thing, I'm ready to go into it.
[3:44] As I set aside this stuff, I'm going to see Laird at 5 o'clock here.
[3:48] But except for that, I can do anything we want.
[3:52] Very good.
[3:52] And we'll have at it.
[3:54] I would think you would hear from McGregor within another... Should hear any...
[3:59] Right.
[3:59] As soon as you hear, let me know.
[4:00] Right.