Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 033-060
Date: Wednesday, November 8, 1972 at 1:16 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); White House operator; Kissinger, Henry A.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/033-060
National Archives Catalog: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/417194339 (NAID 417194339)

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:01] Mr. President, Dr. Kissinger, and also Senator Humphrey, he is speaking, and it'll be a few moments where we can get him.
[0:10] We have Dr. Kissinger.
[0:12] Dr. Kissinger, go ahead, please.
[0:14] Hello, Mr. President.
[0:15] Well, Henry, how are you?
[0:16] I just wanted to extend my really warmest congratulations.
[0:20] Well, this is... We all knew it was going to happen, and...
[0:25] We got our 60%.
[0:30] Well, we didn't.
[0:32] One couldn't really be sure until one had seen it.
[0:35] Every state except Massachusetts and maybe Minnesota, although I think we get that, too.
[0:40] It's an extraordinary tribute.
[0:42] You know, this fellow to the last was a prick.
[0:45] Did you see his concession statement?
[0:47] Oh.
[0:48] He was very gracious in the beginning.
[0:50] And then he went right back to saying that... And Ray Price just sent me in a wire saying that I look forward to working with you and your supporters for peace in the years ahead.
[1:01] And I just said, hell no, I'm not going to send him that sort of a wire.
[1:04] Don't you agree?
[1:05] Absolutely.
[1:06] And I just argued with Bobby about it, but I said, Ray just doesn't have the right sense of this sort of thing.
[1:12] No, he was ungenerous, he was petulant, unworthy.
[1:17] Right.
[1:18] You probably know I responded in a very decent way to him.
[1:23] I thought he was as far as I could go, but I'm not going to say much time.
[1:29] Anyway, it was a good day.
[1:30] We had a terrible time in the damn Senate.
[1:32] We're going to end up with probably 44, but it's worth a damn anyway.
[1:37] It was because we lost some people.
[1:40] We lost Margaret Smith, but she's 74 years old.
[1:43] We lost Jack Miller because he's a jackass.
[1:45] That's right.
[1:46] And we lost Caleb Boggs because he's too old.
[1:48] He's 68.
[1:49] Yeah.
[1:51] There's your problem.
[1:52] With those three, we would have come much closer.
[1:55] Yeah.
[1:55] Well, it's all right.
[1:56] It's all right.
[1:56] But at any rate, it's a tremendous personal triumph as the president.
[2:00] You know something?
[2:01] It's hard for even all these left-wing columnists can do now is to piss on the
[2:06] not wanting the Senate in the House and building a party, but they couldn't care less about that.
[2:11] The main thing is they know that we came up to bat against their candidate and beat the hell out of them.
[2:18] And came up against their issue and turned it into an accident.
[2:22] That's right.
[2:22] Don't you think so?
[2:23] Don't you feel that?
[2:24] You made Vietnam your issue.
[2:27] Thank God it doesn't.
[2:28] The philosophy of weakness, the whole approach.
[2:32] Year after year, the media were harassing you.
[2:36] all the intellectuals were against you, and you've come out and have the greatest victory, I'm sure, in terms of margin, that anyone has had.
[2:45] It's a tremendous triumph.
[2:48] Well, anyway, Henry, have a good night's sleep.
[2:51] My good wishes.
[2:53] See you tomorrow.