Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 023-019
Date: Tuesday, April 18, 1972 at 11:55 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Cox, Tricia Nixon
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/023-019
National Archives Catalog: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/417193323 (NAID 417193323)

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.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] Hello.
[0:02] Daddy, it's me.
[0:04] Hi.
[0:04] Hi.
[0:04] How did it go last night?
[0:05] Oh, did you hear?
[0:07] Well, Bill Rogers told me he saw you there.
[0:08] He said there were a few demonstrators around, but he said it went all right.
[0:11] How did you feel?
[0:13] Oh, he thought it went all right.
[0:14] That's interesting.
[0:15] Yeah.
[0:15] Well, yeah, he called this morning.
[0:18] There were quite a few demonstrators because it was held at the University.
[0:20] Well, they were demonstrating on all sides.
[0:23] That's right.
[0:24] The Nationalist Chinese were out, and then they were shouting down with Mayo, and then the other people were shouting, you know, Ho Chi Minh.
[0:32] Ho Chi Minh.
[0:32] But we were very loudly booed when we walked in.
[0:35] You were?
[0:35] Very loudly, yeah.
[0:36] You and who?
[0:38] You and Rogers?
[0:39] And Rogers, yeah.
[0:40] Do you think you should not have gone?
[0:43] It was a bad one to do.
[0:44] It was a good idea, but we shouldn't have gone to the University of Maryland for it.
[0:48] It was the motleyest crew you've ever seen.
[0:50] Well, that's my view about going to the universities.
[0:52] Well, I hope it didn't bother you too much, though.
[0:54] No, it didn't.
[0:54] It was just, I know, I was just embarrassed because the Chinese issued a complaint.
[1:00] Complaint about what?
[1:01] Oh, you know, that they were being rude to Chairman Mao.
[1:04] They were insulting Chairman Mao.
[1:05] There's nothing we could do.
[1:06] They blew the Chinese, too?
[1:09] No, they didn't blow the Chinese.
[1:11] No, they didn't.
[1:12] What they mean, did they announce you as secretary when you went in?
[1:18] Yeah, first they announced me, and then they raised loud boos.
[1:21] Oh, it was incredible.
[1:22] Of course, our people are very vociferous, so it just sounded much louder, and that's what, you know, was carried on the news.
[1:29] And then carried on the news.
[1:31] But anyway, yeah, and of course they didn't even say that later rocks would have been, you know, there was rocks.
[1:37] throwing by these people.
[1:39] Was there?
[1:40] Who did they throw at?
[1:42] The authorities.
[1:43] A number were arrested.
[1:45] And then they introduced Rogers.
[1:46] They booed him, too?
[1:47] Yeah, they booed him, too.
[1:49] And then they had chants.
[1:50] There was a chant about me.
[1:52] But they didn't really take on Rogers.
[1:55] That was good.
[1:55] Well, they wouldn't because he didn't do it.
[1:58] Yeah.
[1:58] Well, I was concerned about the thing myself.
[2:02] Yeah, well, see, you were so much smarter than he is.
[2:03] Because I'm always of the view that you don't go to university where they have a chance to.
[2:08] Well, I called today and said that never again, you know, that there were so many others.
[2:11] Well, our people were a little stupid.
[2:13] They were stupid.
[2:14] Who arranged this?
[2:14] Well, David Parker.
[2:16] But apparently Kissinger's people thought it was a good thing to do.
[2:19] Yeah.
[2:19] They were the ones who recommended it, and I think, I said, well, the idea was fine, but there were half a dozen other things that they did, like going to Williamsburg and all, that would have been better.
[2:28] if they wanted me to do something at all.
[2:30] How did you go?
[2:31] Have you done the Mike Douglas show yet?
[2:33] No, I'm going to do that, I think, in May.
[2:35] Oh, good.
[2:35] When I go to Philadelphia.
[2:36] I'm going to Philadelphia for a couple of things.
[2:38] When are you going to Philadelphia?
[2:39] Oh, you're going to do it?
[2:40] Fine.
[2:40] Yeah, I think it's about the middle of May.
[2:42] Well, don't let the booing bother you.
[2:43] The thing to do is that our... Daddy, these people are horrible.
[2:46] Our people are just too goddamn stupid to have any brains to even think of... You know, I thought of the University of Maryland thing.
[2:53] You know, the only thing is, I thought of it, but that was yesterday.
[2:56] I thought the University...
[2:57] I said, well, there were demonstrations there.
[3:00] It was a horrible hotbed.
[3:02] Radicalism.
[3:04] This university has always been that way.
[3:07] And I thought, well, maybe it's all right because students aren't radical anymore, but I don't know.
[3:13] Okay.
[3:13] Where are you going to be today?
[3:15] Here.
[3:16] Just here.
[3:17] You're going to meet the team, right?
[3:19] Yeah, I'm going to see right now.
[3:20] Right this minute.
[3:22] Yeah, what else did you want to tell me?
[3:24] Was there something else?
[3:25] No, they wanted me to take them on a tour, but I didn't, you know.
[3:29] Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm going to take them, and then you can take them on the tour.
[3:31] But what time do you see them?
[3:35] Well, I'm just walking out this minute, and I'll be rid of them in 10 minutes, 15 minutes, I hope.
[3:40] Oh, well, then I guess I'm not taking them on the tour because no one got back to me about it.
[3:44] Okay, good luck.
[3:45] Well, no, I think you are taking them on the tour, but I don't know.
[3:48] I don't know how they...
[3:50] We'll see.
[3:51] Just hang around.
[3:52] Yeah, okay.
[3:52] Yeah.
[3:54] Okay.