Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 023-068
Date: Tuesday, April 25, 1972 at 1:59 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); MacGregor, Clark
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/023-068

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.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] I am Mr. McGregor, sir.
[0:05] Hello.
[0:06] Hello.
[0:06] Clark?
[0:07] Yes, Mr. President.
[0:08] I'm sorry I didn't, sitting here with Chuck Colson, I couldn't inform you, all of you, including him, about what was going on, but I'm sure you realize that this is a hell of a, as what Ziegler says, is a
[0:25] as a wallbanger.
[0:27] I guessed as much, Mr. President.
[0:29] I just had a chance to visit with Henry Kissinger.
[0:30] In fact, I was in his office about 20 minutes ago when he talked with you briefly on the phone, indicated he'd see you at 3 o'clock.
[0:36] And although Henry didn't give me too many additional details, I gather that there's already movement from Moscow towards Hanoi, which I'll keep my mouth shut about.
[0:44] But I can tell you, Mr. President, that there's... We've got him confused, haven't we?
[0:48] Yes, and there's a confusion in the enemies and in the ranks of your friends...
[0:52] They're looking forward very much to talking with Henry at 530, and I think they have an expectation that... Oh, no.
[0:58] All we're going to tell them is we're going to continue to bomb North Vietnam.
[1:01] They'll be pleased to know that.
[1:02] Will that satisfy them?
[1:03] It sure will.
[1:04] Oh, well, we're going to... As a matter of fact, I ordered a couple of B-52 attacks on a major installation in North Vietnam five minutes ago.
[1:13] Does that please you?
[1:14] It sure does, Mr. President.
[1:15] All right.
[1:17] I think you're...
[1:19] I think this is just right from what I know of it, and I think that you're going to get a favorable response here.
[1:23] Incidentally, the reaction to the Vice President's speech, indicating that, naming them by name, that they had nothing to say when the North Vietnamese... Well, how'd that go?
[1:32] That went well.
[1:34] Good.
[1:34] It went well.
[1:35] I got some reports from Minnesota from political types there, and last night they've just picked a chairman for your re-election committee who's a darn good one, a fellow named John Moody, a lawyer in Minneapolis.
[1:46] All right, good.
[1:47] And the reaction was good.
[1:50] The reaction was very good.
[1:51] In fact, people said to me, the vice president, saying what needs to be said about this.
[1:55] Well, they hear me tomorrow night.
[1:58] I'm going on tomorrow night, and I'll lay it into the bastards.
[2:01] That's great.
[2:01] We're going to do well on client dates tomorrow.
[2:03] Mac Mathias is on his way back from London, and I talked to him.
[2:06] Tomorrow?
[2:07] Oh, is the client date?
[2:08] I thought it was Thursday.
[2:09] Committee...
[2:10] Jim Eastland's coming back from Memphis tonight, and he wants to have a committee meeting tomorrow morning, and that's all right with us.
[2:15] We've got our six Republicans on hand tomorrow morning.
[2:18] Good.
[2:18] The wording of the Byrd motion was not later than Thursday.
[2:21] Nothing to say they couldn't act tomorrow.
[2:23] Oh, good.
[2:24] If they could act tomorrow, that would be good.
[2:25] That would be good.
[2:26] We think they will.
[2:27] Fine.
[2:27] Now, don't you let your dovish friends get you out of the line, okay?
[2:32] No chance, Mr. President.
[2:33] Colson's been bugging me about this.
[2:35] He says McGregor's a softliner.
[2:38] Okay.
[2:38] Okay.
[2:39] All right.
[2:40] Good luck.
[2:41] Thanks, President.
[2:42] Bye.