Nixon phone call with Colson on ITT scandal and Senate confirmation hearings

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Hello.

Yes, sir, Mr. President.

Yeah, what is the late report?

I have to leave to talk to Hague for a while now.

We pulled all the stall routines we had and ran out of gas at about quarter of five.

So now they've got Gleason on.

They've got Gleason on.

And actually what happened, we were being very successful stalling, and Bayh went out to the cameras and said,

why are the Republican members of the committee so fearful of having Leeson here?

Well, of course, that just forced Eastland's hand.

He was being cooperative up until that point.

Thus far, however, in the questioning, it's gone just fine.

They started in and asked him what he did in 1968.

Rusker objected, and Eastland ruled in favor of allowing the question to be answered.

He said he was an assistant to Maurice Stans, and then the next question from Kennedy was what...

What did you do for Stans?

And at that point, Eastland stepped in and ruled against Kennedy.

So it looks to me like Eastland will hold firm, and it also looks like Rusker is jumping right out of his chair to object every inch of the way.

They'll only have, we've had them call a couple of live quorums, which slow them down a little.

They'll only have, I mean, quorums on the floor to try to drag the senators after.

How long do they meet?

All evening?

No, Eastland usually breaks that off at about 6.

He has to go have his drinks.

He can't stay away from the Chavez Regal at 6.

So that if they...

But then they'll have him again in the morning, I presume.

I don't think so.

Well, they may.

I shouldn't say that.

They...

We did arrange one thing earlier, which was that they would lock Flanagan in for mourning.

We did that because we wanted to get Brock off Gleason.

And Gleason's lawyer told the committee that Gleason would not be in town tomorrow, period.

So I think if we can get...

If Eastland holds firm and they don't really start probing the political financing questions, then they'll turn loose of them quickly.

I wish to Christ they could get at Kennedy, though.

I mean, that's another bitch asking such questions.

Jesus Christ.

There is a man totally without... That's right.

scruples.

He's got smart little kikes working for him.

That's just what he is.

And they've been all day talking about, they couldn't wait until they got their hands on Gleason.

So they've been pumping him up, there's no doubt.

there's any question about that yeah well they'll get they may get some so gleason says he did he worked from where he stands but it's not another damn business what he did in that that uh that doesn't that is not relevant to the confirmation of clindy's no it isn't the only question that's the point how could it possibly be relevant well the only question they can get into is how much did i t t contribute and that's of course the one area where

you'd have a pretty good debate over germaneness.

So if we...

He's prepared to answer that, I suppose.

He has to say it, doesn't he?

Well, I think so, if his memory holds up.

That's another side of that question.

Well, they couldn't contribute as a corporation.

No.

He's got to make clear that.

I mean, or they violated the law.

Isn't that true?

if they had contributed as a corporation they did so he would say well they got individual contributions several people he's he's clear on that and just like just like they contributed to other campaigns too well i hope he's smart enough to heartkey huh i hope he's smart enough to do that he's not the trouble is he's not much if he if he if we get into any difficulty with his testimony we'll have to pick up the pieces with other people and i have talked to

Glenn Bell and a few others who will really step in and slug for us if they do this.

They'll just raise the whole specter of, I know what was given during the Democratic years by these fellows.

Why aren't we talking about the President's Club, the LBJ, the defense contractors?

The President's Club, defense contractors.

And I call on every member of the Senate to say how much.

That's where you can get in my point that I've been trying to get somebody to get, and nobody's got it.

That poor reporter doesn't know how to do it, apparently.

make every member of the Senate say, has he ever accepted any favors from IT&T?

Did he ever stay in a hotel?

Did he ever ride their aircraft?

Did he ever receive a contribution from any kind of people?

Must he, of course, receive one contribution of $1,000?

He admitted, didn't he?

Well, if he looks right, then... Yeah, that's right.

Well, there must be others.

Oh, sure.

So that's the thing to get into.

Now, if we're going to go into this, as a matter of fact, be sure to get the word right up there to Ruskin now that if Eastland rules that they can ask about this...

then it's important to find out whether, if he's going to go open it up as to who IT&T contributed to, then isn't it also relevant whether they contributed to members of the committee?

Any other senator.

That's right.

That's an area, Mr. President, I have a few inside bits of information from IT&T.

I have some idea of what they did in the Kennedy-Johnson years, and I

I haven't used it because we've been working sort of hand and glove with it.

But if it is, put it out.

But get it out tonight.

I assure you.

If it does, I'll call you about 7 o'clock or 7.30 about it, okay?

Yes, sir.

Fine.

As I get the latest report, okay?

Conley did a great job for us this afternoon.

Did he?

Oh.

He always does a great job.

Well, I haven't seen anything from it other than the wire story, but I got a report from one of the fellows there, and they said he was just so animated and just so funny.

so good and so hard-hitting, and he just, he tore into the press, and he, for tearing down our institutions, and he tore into the Democrats in the Senate.

On what?

On the war?

On the war.

Oh, good.

And he just really, and on the economy, I mean, he...

He was apparently in one of his best forms.

He really did a hell of a job.

Well, we've been keeping the offensive.

You know, I think it's this, I told Buchanan earlier, and I told him to, and I'll have to take a look as to whether we want to do it, but I thought those damned Ivy League university presidents, that's all they're trying to do rather than leading their students is follow them.

And I told, I said, this is a good time for Agnew to touch him up a little.

Well, we've got a good speech for Agnew that he's just sent me down a revised draft of that looks pretty good.

I think we should.

Well, you see, it'll make news.

The point is that he takes them on.

That's right.

He can make news.

He says, he'd like to see a university president once who, instead of condemning the United States, condemns our enemies.

Well, damn it, that just ought to be said by somebody.

Well, we're saying it over and over, and Connery said that today.

He said, I watched those hearings, and he said, I was amazed and appalled that...

in watching the hearings with two cabinet members up there before that committee, nobody said anything against North Vietnam.

All they did was talk about what we were doing.

So he was good, and Agnew can do that.

I talked to Ziegler earlier about our answering the Ivy League presence.

No, I agree.

He said no.

Yeah, I think it's... To not our level, but let Agnew hit them.

Yeah, we don't want to give kids any excuse.

No, that's right, but he can get them Friday.

Agnew can do it.

Okay.

Yes, sir.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Nixon phone call with Colson on ITT scandal and Senate confirmation hearings

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on April 19, 1972

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