Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 031-128
Date: Wednesday, October 18, 1972 at 7:05 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Colson, Charles W.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/031-128

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Mr. Colson.
[0:03] I just got the call from Margaret and Mike.
[0:17] You know, the call he got from Meany was very significant.
[0:19] He sees the real issue.
[0:21] Schultz got it.
[0:21] Schultz got it, right?
[0:23] Where Meany said.
[0:25] It's an amnesty.
[0:26] That's right.
[0:27] The point is that these are the things that our White House staff doesn't understand.
[0:31] That's right.
[0:31] The gut issue, it's amnesty.
[0:33] It's abortion.
[0:35] It's percolate.
[0:38] It's get to these people.
[0:39] I mean, they aren't appealed to by revenue sharing.
[0:42] Everybody wants me to go make a big goddamn speech about revenue sharing.
[0:45] Nobody gives a goddamn.
[0:46] They really don't, Mr. President.
[0:47] You have to take issues that
[0:50] the person individually.
[0:51] First of all, the country's safe.
[0:54] That's the first thing people think of.
[0:55] The next thing, the job is safe and things are pretty good in the economy.
[1:01] Then they begin to get to the issues like, God damn, I don't want to be working hard paying all this money to have these welfare pumps.
[1:09] Another thing is that
[1:10] served, more than half a million of our kids served, and these bright intellectuals sent their kids off to Canada.
[1:16] To hell with them.
[1:17] That's right.
[1:18] Oh, I know.
[1:19] And then with some of the Catholic groups that we're winning, you get the proculate, you get the abortion.
[1:24] That's right.
[1:25] They're meaningful.
[1:27] Basically because, you know what it all gets down to?
[1:29] It gets down to character, a national character.
[1:32] McGovern is for softening the character, and I am for turning it up.
[1:35] And that's a big issue with this campaign.
[1:37] And that's why all of the analyses that are now being written—I don't know whether you saw the news summary today—Arnett— Oh, yes.
[1:44] He's a real left-winger.
[1:46] Oh, he said, I disagreed with what I did and hope it got made.
[1:49] But it was right.
[1:50] But it helped.
[1:51] But it was good politically, you said.
[1:53] Well, but he also made another point I thought that was very interesting.
[1:56] He said that McGovern is running against the tide that's moving in the country.
[2:01] And Arnett is basically a—
[2:04] That's right.
[2:07] He's been with us for years.
[2:08] He's the first guy in that left-wing group that has admitted that it's the issue.
[2:13] And that's just something else.
[2:15] Right.
[2:17] And that you had the guts to do what had to be done.
[2:20] Some of that will start coming out.
[2:22] Yeah, if it comes out from a guy like that, it's...
[2:26] But I wouldn't be too concerned.
[2:29] We've all got our...
[2:31] all stirred up about McGovern's Vietnam speech before, and we were going to, you know, on either side the rest.
[2:38] So he didn't lose.
[2:39] It was like a tax speech.
[2:42] I would be ready to hit him.
[2:43] I'd crack him all the rest.
[2:45] Speech is going to be a loser.
[2:48] Because he cannot make a tax speech because his spending is so big.
[2:52] That's exactly right.
[2:53] And I'd be ready for it, but I would get all disturbed about it.
[2:56] Oh, hell no.
[2:57] I'm not disturbed in the slightest.
[3:00] I look at it as an opportunity.
[3:01] That's right.
[3:03] It steps up, and we're able to club him from about six different sides.
[3:07] Club the hell out of him.
[3:19] Only two weeks left.
[3:20] That's right.
[3:21] That's right.
[3:22] This week is damn near done because basically we'll be in New York.
[3:25] I mean, in Philadelphia.
[3:26] Friday.
[3:27] It'll be a good story, even though we don't think it's important.
[3:30] It's good for the nation.
[3:31] It'll be good national television.
[3:32] They can't overlook the Independence Square and all that crap.
[3:36] No, that's where I would agree with Ehrlichman, that you dominate a piece of the networks, and that's important.
[3:40] That's right.
[3:41] And what I say doesn't matter.
[3:42] It's just the picture.
[3:45] We do that, and then all of a sudden after that,
[3:50] York on Monday.
[3:53] Boy, that'll be campaigning.
[3:55] And that's all right.
[3:56] One day if it's fine.
[3:58] Then we go to Kentucky at night when nobody's looking.
[4:02] And then Ohio on that beautiful area.
[4:05] At the end of the weekend, you've got good radio next weekend.
[4:07] Oh, we're loaded with it.
[4:09] And a couple of good news.
[4:12] I gave Bob some ideas.
[4:14] Yeah, we're going to do that.
[4:17] We're going to do it better.
[4:21] I'm not sure they'll use that.
[4:22] Did they use the Young Labor Group?
[4:24] No, it was marvelous footage.
[4:27] But if they'll use the Young Veterans, we'll do it.
[4:29] I'm sure we'll get them and we're going to do it.
[4:33] There's a shot at it.
[4:34] I mean, there's a good chance at it.
[4:35] You can't be assured of anything.
[4:37] The OWI, who knew what they would use.
[4:39] That's right.
[4:40] As a matter of fact.
[4:41] Now, the Young Labor Group, I remember that night, it was a Saturday, so we only got the two networks.
[4:47] Shut up.
[4:48] Jeez, it was marvelous footage because they showed the pictures of the people.
[4:51] See, that's what was... That's what I want.
[4:53] Young Italians, and they were working people, a few hardheads.
[5:00] So that almost tells as much about the campaign as anything.
[5:14] I've been bargaining and negotiating for more than 37 years for the Teamsters.
[5:17] Never did I negotiate away what is not necessary.
[5:20] That's what my government is doing with Vietnam.
[5:22] He's giving away to the communists.
[5:23] So we'll just keep kicking the hell out of them.
[5:28] We'll knock them into the dust.
[5:30] Okay.
[5:30] Yes, sir.
[5:31] Thank you.