Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 024-054
Date: Tuesday, May 9, 1972 at 12:09 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Rockefeller, Nelson A.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/024-054

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:03] Hello.
[0:07] I just wanted to make a little apology to you.
[0:10] You know, when I talked to you Sunday,
[0:12] I didn't know about that goddamn letter, and I have raised hell around here as Ehrlichman.
[0:17] Well, you see, what happened is that we had a form, and that apparently the letter, you know, on this sort of thing that we resent, but not certainly with the purpose of publication and this and that.
[0:28] And, God, I just raised hell, and Ehrlichman probably may have told you.
[0:33] It'll never happen again.
[0:34] I'm just sorry that it embarrassed you.
[0:36] Well, it didn't embarrass me.
[0:38] Frankly, maybe it'll help you in the vote, but...
[0:40] But as you know, I didn't want to be in a position of being against you or something.
[0:46] It just burned my ass, believe me.
[0:48] You're nice to say, and I just felt frankly that, from your point of view, that I wasn't sure it was the best strategy for New York State.
[0:56] Oh, no, no, no.
[0:56] I understood that.
[0:57] No, no.
[0:58] Well...
[0:59] that was all i just wanted to mention it sure because i didn't like to talk to you and not tell you what's going on sure sure well it was just one of those things i was writing my speech at that time and i just didn't have any idea the thing was had gone out well let me just tell you that i thought you were fabulous last night well i'll tell you you've been a brick to support us on this and we've done the right thing
[1:18] Oh, did you put a statement out?
[1:19] I put a statement out last night immediately after.
[1:21] Oh, good.
[1:22] I'm going to get them at noon, so I'll be reading them all.
[1:25] I just said that you deserve the support of the American people.
[1:30] Some of our Democratic friends are dragging their feet.
[1:32] You know, it's interesting to me.
[1:35] I remember at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis that
[1:38] I was in California at the time running for governor, and I immediately went on statewide television and supported it all the way.
[1:44] You supported it from New York.
[1:46] And these bastards, isn't it something the way they act?
[1:49] I think playing partisan politics in a situation like this isn't going to help them no, Nelson.
[1:54] Listen, I think this is the decision, and I think that...
[1:59] it's it's fantastic and as long as the russians accept it i don't know what they will but uh i think we can make a choice we can uh what if they cancel the summit we're going to say well sure you handle that previously don't you think we just say well because i think you would agree i couldn't possibly go to moscow with russian tanks rumbling around through the streets of ua no nor could you do it after dunkirk vietnam
[2:24] That's right.
[2:25] But I thought you looked wonderfully.
[2:27] I thought you were calm and forceful and that the statement was excellent.
[2:33] It was clear and concise.
[2:35] It couldn't have been better.
[2:37] Well, I hope you don't take too much heat from what they call the limousine liberals up there.
[2:43] I've got no problem in my state.
[2:45] You know, they shoot at me, but that's all right.
[2:48] Right, well, I appreciate your, but I must say, I was so embarrassed when I came in.
[2:54] You see, I didn't know, as a matter of fact, I got in the next morning and I picked up, I hadn't seen the paper.
[3:03] I picked up the paper and I thought, what in the name of God is this?
[3:06] I'm not supposed to be...
[3:07] But I didn't really know.
[3:08] You see, when you talked to me, we were talking about two different things.
[3:10] I didn't know what it was about.
[3:11] Well, I see.
[3:13] Unbelievable.
[3:14] But it's been on the front page of the papers.
[3:16] You see, but I, over the weekend, of course, I was... You had other things.
[3:21] I was in, you know, writing these speeches.
[3:23] I did it myself.
[3:24] It takes so much energy.
[3:26] It was magnificent.
[3:27] Well, anyway, you can be sure, if you'll just be sure that all of our, yours and my friends know that
[3:33] This was just a damn goof, huh?
[3:35] Well, I understand.
[3:38] I understand.
[3:39] It's the kind of thing that maybe if somebody got fired, they wouldn't do it again.
[3:43] Let me tell you, we're looking.
[3:45] We're looking around.
[3:46] I'm trying to find the culprit.
[3:48] Okay.
[3:48] Okay.
[3:49] Thank you.