Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 031-075
Date: Monday, October 16, 1972 at 5:04 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Hearst, William R.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/031-075

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.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] Mr. William Randolph, Hersh Jr., sir.
[0:03] Oh, yeah.
[0:04] On the line.
[0:04] Hello?
[0:05] Hello!
[0:06] Bill, with three weeks to go on that campaign, I just wanted to tell you that one of the reassuring things about my time in this House and also in this campaign has been the support of your papers.
[0:17] And, boy, particularly on that foreign policy and stuff, you've just been great, and I thank you very much.
[0:23] Well, that's a very simple statement, but a very, very warm one, and I appreciate it very much.
[0:30] Well, I like those lean editorials.
[0:33] I'll tell you something.
[0:35] I was down last week to Linda
[0:39] Baines, Johnson.
[0:40] At the ranch?
[0:41] At the ranch.
[0:42] Oh, yeah, right.
[0:43] And between me and I couldn't put it in the paper, and I did not.
[0:46] Of course.
[0:47] I just ran into him while I was walking around the field.
[0:49] But we lunched with him and spent most of the day.
[0:52] And he said something that I just told Dick Berlin.
[0:55] He was on the phone when you came on.
[0:57] Oh, yeah.
[0:57] He said to me that I wrote
[1:00] from the viewpoint of sympathy with the job and the man who was the President of the United States.
[1:07] He said, very few columnists did that.
[1:09] They did a lot of things.
[1:10] That's true.
[1:10] That's true.
[1:11] And I think it was because of my own father's death.
[1:15] Not that the whole mantle was on my shoulders alone, but enough of it was to equate me with the powers of responsibility.
[1:22] And who knows, the President of the United States did more than anybody could
[1:25] Well, you've also, Bill, always put yourself, as you say, in the position also in these great international things, which really is what matters.
[1:34] Speaking incidentally of Johnson, I thought you managed to know, Friday, John Connolly's on TV at 7.30.
[1:42] I have seen the advance on it.
[1:44] It is the best political telecast I have ever seen.
[1:47] It's all on foreign policy, and I would urge you to tune in.
[1:50] 7.30 Friday, John Connolly.
[1:53] Oh, I will.
[1:54] And, you know, it's a Democrats for Nixon deal, and it's terrific.
[1:58] Oh, I will.
[1:58] It sounds like a Hearst editorial.
[2:01] Another thing, he is very much of a supporter of yours, Johnson is.
[2:07] I, well... And he knows, I said to him... Well, he sympathizes with the problem.
[2:12] No, I said... And he can't stand the other fellow.
[2:14] I know, I...
[2:14] You've got to get the last wish, Carl.
[2:17] It has to do with that ranch, and you'll see some things that'll make you smile.
[2:21] Good, good.
[2:22] I'll dig it out.
[2:22] Tell me something, man, and if you had to do that decision of yours over again, knowing what you know now, would you have stopped the bombing?
[2:30] Yeah.
[2:31] Right.
[2:34] Yeah.
[2:36] Yeah.
[2:49] the President Nixon, but Dick Nixon is doing the right thing now.
[2:54] Yeah, yeah.
[2:55] So that means that he would do, were he in your job, he would be bombing again as well.
[3:00] Yeah, we are, and in the end, it'll do the right thing.
[3:03] It'll do it.
[3:04] This thing would have been over if it hadn't been for Fulbright's and McGovern's and others like that.
[3:10] Right.
[3:11] Heck, how...
[3:12] They got a big hunk of America on their side.
[3:14] Well, when you stop to think, too, put yourself in the position of the other side.
[3:18] Heck, if you read what these clowns are saying, what would you do?
[3:21] Sit it out, huh?
[3:22] That's what I mean.
[3:22] Right.
[3:23] They have lengthened the war.
[3:24] Right.
[3:25] In the name of peace.
[3:27] Right.
[3:27] It's a...
[3:28] Right.
[3:28] Well...
[3:29] We're going to get, one day it's going to be over, and we'll look back, I hope, with some degree.
[3:34] I just spoke to the POWR today, and boy, they are the most wonderful people.
[3:37] Those people, they're, you know, they're the ones that ought to be saying bug out, but they don't.
[3:42] They don't say that.
[3:43] Listen here, we'll get a hold of some of those.
[3:46] What the hell are those snails?
[3:48] Those big snails.
[3:48] Oh, God, no.
[3:50] I remember how I smelled after that.
[3:52] Right.
[3:53] Thank you for calling.
[3:54] Give my best to Bootsy.
[3:56] And to Nick Berlin, too.
[3:57] I'll tell him.
[3:59] Bye-bye.