Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 24 › Conversation 024-038

Nixon phone call with Rebozo on Vietnam War and Naval Blockade

Tuesday, May 9, 1972 · 11:07 AM–11:12 AM ET · White House Telephone · 5 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Rebozo, Charles G. ("Bebe")Conversation024-038 on Tape 24 (tape position 00:47:19–00:52:09)StartTuesday, May 9, 1972 at 11:07 AMEndTuesday, May 9, 1972 at 11:12 AMRecording deviceWhite House TelephoneSourceNixon Library record for 024-038 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Charles "Bebe" Rebozo discussed the overwhelmingly positive public reaction to Nixon's recent address announcing the mining of North Vietnamese harbors. Rebozo reported significant grassroots enthusiasm, prompting him to order thousands of "The issue is America" bumper stickers to capitalize on the momentum. Nixon expressed frustration with Democrats who criticized the blockade, framing their opposition as harmful partisan politics that failed to support the commander-in-chief during a national security crisis.

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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I thought I might come down this weekend, but how's the political weather?
I don't want to come there, but I don't want too many radicals.
I want to tell you it's never better.
I just sent you a telegram just now because I wanted to.
The reaction last night was so great.
I wanted to see what it was this morning.
And honest to God, it's just phenomenal.
It's just phenomenal.
it's just the people i gosh united in fact our friend hank meyer called me last night he had never called me right after one of these and he was so elated he he dreamed up a little little uh notion where he said the issue is america so i have ordered 5 000 bumper strippers this morning
with that on it to distribute around.
It just says America.
The issue is America.
Good.
Great.
And I think that the only issue is America is what I'm putting on.
The only issue is America.
And, uh,
And I believe that's true.
I believe that... Well, you know, the question is now whether it works.
It will work over a period of time.
Because I intend to squeeze these bastards if it takes a year.
Exactly.
Well, I guess they've got three days to bring everything they want in.
No, no, no, no.
Oh, hell no.
It's a one-way thing.
Oh, no.
Boy, if they start bringing it in.
Oh, good.
You see, then the ships are stuck.
So nobody's going to go in.
It's just obvious.
Twenty ships are lined up to get out right now.
They're clogged with channel.
There's no way they can get in.
Hell no.
And we're going to bomb the railroad yards tonight.
Beautiful.
Well, I tell you, they just didn't dream that you would do this in election year.
Yeah.
Well, it'll, of course, probably, as they've already said, most people think it'll sink the Russian summit, but I don't think so.
But if it does, what the hell?
I don't think it will.
I think they're going to want it all the more.
Well, I don't know.
You didn't say a thing about China.
I tell you, it was just a magnificent thing.
I've never had such a reaction on anything.
Never.
My phone was ringing off the hook, and people don't normally call.
They might express themselves later, but it was just a phenomenal thing, and the reaction is just...
The call's all mail.
I told Bob...
I know.
I told Bob Haldeman last night, one woman called, and I didn't know whether she was drunk or just emotional, crying.
And I don't know who she was.
I didn't want to ask her.
And how she got my whole number, I don't know.
Probably got it off of the wall of some toilet.
And she said that she had been trying to get a telegram sent up there that she thought you were so great.
And this is about...
you know, 10 minutes after the speech.
She was all excited and just, she said, I said, well, just call West Union.
She said, well, I can't.
I said, you keep calling them.
They got a lot of lines and there's just a lot of calls.
You keep calling.
But no, this is really, this tops them all.
There's no question.
No question.
How was the reaction, say, of the little people in your bank, the little secretaries and the rest?
Do they understand it?
I haven't had one.
Not one.
I can tell, you know.
Maybe they wouldn't say anything, but you can tell by their reaction.
But I was back at coffee break at 10 o'clock, and several of them volunteered right then.
You know, really, the people want a strong president.
this eastern press and these left-wingers they aren't making inroads you notice the humphrey and mcgovern jumped on it right away and and the democrats have refused to endorse it so i think that's playing very vicious partisan politics because i endorse that god damn kennedy's cuban thing well that's all right let him play partisan politics
But what they're doing is signaling Russia.
They ought to at least say, well, I don't necessarily endorse it, but it's done, and we've got to endorse our president.
They'd come out much better that way.
And this is where Johnson ought to say something, damn it.
He ought to say something.
Finally ought to get him to say something.
Well, we're going to work on that.
Well, okay, boy, I may come down around Thursday, but if I can get away.
Wonderful, I hope so.
Because I really, boy, as you know, I worked like hell this weekend.
This week?
I was working on the plane, so I did most of the writing of this speech myself.
Yeah.
Particularly the part on Russia, I did all that.
Well, it was perfect, and it was beautifully presented, and I'll tell you, people were very emotional about it.
That's great.
Good, good.
Well, keep the faith.
All right, sir.
Don't do anything I don't, except when I'm not looking.
Okay.
I'm not going to restrict myself that much.
Okay.
All right.
All right.

NARA Description

On May 9, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles G. ("Bebe") Rebozo talked on the telephone from 11:07 am to 11:12 am. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 024-038 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 24-38

Date: May 9, 1972
Time: 11:07 am - 11:12 am
Location: White House Telephone

The President talked with Charles G. (“Bebe”) Rebozo.

[See also Conversation No. 338-6]

     The President's trip to Florida

Vietnam
     -Blockade
          -The President's speech
               -Public response
                     -Support for the President
                     -Hank Meyer [sp?]
                           -Request for a call to Rebozo
                     -Bumper stickers
          -Impact of blockade
               -The President’s view
          -Shipments of arms
          -Bombing
          -Soviet Summit
               -Possible cancellation
          -Public reaction
               -Amount
               -Previous conversation with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman
                     -Robert H. Abplanalp
               -Call from unknown woman
                     -Support for the President
                     -Western Union
               -Rebozo's bank employees
          -Democrats
               -Position
               -Edmund S. Muskie, Hubert H. Humphrey and George
                S. McGovern
               -The President's support of John F. Kennedy during Cuban missile crisis
               -Opinions on the President's announcement
               -Lyndon B. Johnson
                     -John B. Connally's aid in getting statement

The President's trip to Florida

Vietnam
     -Blockade
          -The President's speech
               -Work
               -References to Soviet Union
               -Presentation

     Rebozo's report on public reaction

     Farewells

Also recorded on May 9, 1972

  • 024-037 10:58 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 10:58 am and 11:07 am.
  • 338-002 10:58 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:58 am and 11:07 am.
  • 338-003 10:58 AM · 45 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:58 am and 11:07 am.
  • 338-004 10:58 AM · 24 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:58 am and 11:07 am.
  • 338-006 11:07 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles G. ("Bebe") Rebozo met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 11:07 am and 11:12 am.
  • 024-039 11:12 AM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 11:12 am and 11:16 am.
  • 338-007 11:12 AM · 27 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 11:12 am and 11:16 am.
  • 338-008 11:12 AM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 11:12 am and 11:16 am.

All 96 conversations from May 9, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 024-038, May 9, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/024-038 (accessed October 9, 2026).