Nixon phone call with Agnew on 1972 Presidential Campaign and George McGovern

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Hello?

The Vice President.

You are?

Hello?

Mr. President, how are you?

I understood you took a day off.

When was that?

About three weeks ago.

No, I took a couple days off.

No, no, no.

In between.

No, but I know you were here.

I...

I'm glad.

I hope it didn't put you out too much to have to be there for revenue sharing, but I thought it was very important in view of the role that you'd play that you'd be there, and that'll be really a hell of a ceremony, you know?

Yeah, I appreciate being invited.

As a matter of fact, I had some things in, a couple things in Chicago.

I know that.

I switched them around.

Could you do that?

We're in good shape.

As long as I can get in for that big huge rally that evening, that successful event.

Well, we'll finish.

You see, we'll do that in the morning, and then you can whip off in your plane and get to Chicago very easily.

With the time break, too, you've got to, I mean, you... Yeah, there's an hour.

An hour, you save the time, that's right, that's right, and we'll finish.

As a matter of fact...

I have an idea.

Are you going to have it in the same room?

Well, we were going to try to do that.

We're going to have the reception and the pictures in that room, but the room only seats 200 or stands 200.

So what we're going to do is to have it, and the weather forecast is good, right outside the building in front of the Liberty Bell.

So everybody will see that makes really better television in a sense.

And then we'll have the talking there and the signing.

And then we'll walk into the room and receive everybody there, you know, who've come by.

And they'll have a picture taken in the room.

And that picture, of course, will go back and be circulated with the mayors and the governors and all the rest of us.

That's very good.

So I think it'll be well.

And the – but I think generally speaking that –

We just ought to proceed on our own course and not let these people, I mean, they're going to get dirtier and dirtier as they go on.

The only thing I think we have to do is to say, all right, we're not going to talk about this.

We're going to talk about the issues, which we've been doing, you know.

I particularly think it's important to keep the foreign policy issue, foreign policy and defense up front and center.

I know you have.

And I wouldn't be concerned about the fact that that's...

But the electron, he's raised it now.

He's raised it.

And, boy, I think we just want to keep hammering on it.

Yeah, but what other issues, though, do you find are the ones people are interested in?

Well, of course, it varies in different places.

Well, the economy, of course.

Right.

And I get a good – we have a good reception on that.

Right.

But the principal issues are the question of not just Vietnam, but general foreign policy.

Right, right.

And, of course, the defense issue.

They are what captures all the crowds.

Sure.

On the domestic issues, we mentioned the revenue sharing.

I don't think they really understand that.

All you do there, you just want to prove you're for progress there.

But I think on the domestic things, the only cutting issue, it depends on the cutting issues, I think welfare is a very fine issue in the sense that basically they're against it.

Yeah, and the busing issue, of course, comes up.

You've got to be careful how you handle it.

I use the domestic issues more as when somebody opens that up to me, then I can move right in with the record on minorities and the record on the environment and things like that that they can't refute.

But in terms of the welfare issue, I think rather than talking so much about ours,

But the main thing there is to say that he just, he has three plans, all of which would get millions to millions to taxes and millions to the welfare rolls, and we're against them all.

That's a separate issue with, uh, he's been using the McGovern credibility issue, uh, very effectively, and, uh, and his contradictions of his own.

You don't bother with Shriver, do you?

No, I don't bet you him at all.

He's a total jackass.

Except, uh, every now and then in advance, a little bit of humor about, we both come from Maryland, of course, uh,

He comes from, he's a great one for espousing the causes of the poor.

And I'd say, I remember Sergeant Shriver told me he had eight hungry, his father had eight hungry mouths to feed.

He and his mother and six polo ponies.

That's right.

It really brings him down.

He's treated very lovingly.

That's great.

Particularly you get down to a place like New Iberia, Louisiana.

They really love that.

Yeah.

But we've been getting good responses.

Oh, I know you have.

The reports have been excellent.

Incidentally— I think what you got in Atlanta was just overwhelming.

That was a— It was tremendous.

It was fantastic, you said.

It was so great.

I went over and did the P.O.W.

wives, and they were great.

I talked to Bob.

I told him I'd be glad to go.

Well, I should have done it.

That's why I should do it.

Well, this gave me a chance to crack McGovern on amnesty again.

I never miss an opportunity.

Incidentally, on the Al Smith dinner, would you extend to the Cardinal my very best wishes?

Yes, sir.

And you can also tell him—I think he's already been told this privately—that I have asked you to tell him personally that the president has already put down in his book, if he survives the election, that he will come next year.

in a non-election year that the president wants to come to the dinner.

Right, I certainly will.

And you're telling that you've been authorized to make that commitment personally to him.

I just say that to him in person.

One other thing on that that I, if you can work it into your schedule, that I think they may have talked to you about.

I've done the dinner several times, and it means an awful lot to the cardinal

if you can come and shake hands with his VIPs.

The reason is that's purely a fundraiser.

It's more than half Jewish, you know.

And it's funny, but they all contribute the money.

And the other, usually, people arrive, which I think if you can shake hands.

It's the only one thing, generally speaking, I never believe in going to that, but it's one where

where you will meet the most important, frankly, people that we have.

And this audience will be yours before you go all the way.

And I would play it very, very non-political, except I think you can talk something about Pizarro to talk about, in positive terms, about...

national defense and that sort of thing.

I've got a very good, I think, positive speech that finishes on...

On a very high note, the middle part of it, I think, is particularly devastating.

You have to have it right in front of me.

Let me just read you this one.

Sure.

New power.

Now, power, obviously, as it's drawbacks, the struggle for power often leads to practices that are at odds with the concept of brotherhood that we're honoring tonight.

Particularly in an election year, we're likely to hear very serious charges made against powerful political figures.

Just the other day, I read such charges about a figure well known to you all,

I read that he was an agent in politics and public life of those in big business who sought favors and privileges, that he was a willing tool of the money gang and a conniving politician.

It was further alleged that this political figure was a brazen performer in politics, and that hypocrites, humbugs, liars, and press agents made this man.

I should perhaps pause here and say that while I read these charges only the other day, they weren't made this year.

They were made 36 years ago against the man we honor tonight, Al Smith.

Great.

And then it goes on to say it's comfort to know that Al Smith not only survived such charges, but remains today a symbol of honesty and excellence in American politics.

Great.

The man who made the charges was named Henry Klein.

Nobody remembers Henry Klein today, but everyone remembers Al Smith, and there's a lesson there for all of us.

That's just right.

Turns it right around on us.

Then it finishes on a very high note.

The purpose of the dinner and so on.

Great, great.

Well, they'll love you.

Okay.

Well, good luck and see you Friday.

All right.

Bye.

Nixon phone call with Agnew on 1972 Presidential Campaign and George McGovern

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on October 16, 1972

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