Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 037-096
Date: Monday, March 12, 1973 at 2:38 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Ehrlichman, John D.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/037-096

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:02] How are you coming on the meeting for tomorrow, John?
[0:10] I think very well.
[0:11] We had a good session this morning, had everybody in, and they'll be prepared to tell you what they're going to do about the problem, establish goals and deadlines.
[0:23] And you've extended it far beyond food, I understand.
[0:26] Oh, yes.
[0:26] Which I want.
[0:27] All the way across the board.
[0:28] And I just don't want to hear what they can't do.
[0:30] No, no.
[0:31] They know that.
[0:32] They're going to come, and I told them to come prepared with realistic timetables and realistic goals.
[0:37] And you told them that I had already made the national security decision on the stockpiles.
[0:40] There's no confusion about that at all.
[0:43] I told them that there was unmitigated heat under this subject, that they should be prepared to make daily,
[0:51] or at least weekly accountings to you that it was going to be mainlined through the OMB directly to you.
[0:58] You'd be looking for reports every morning and so forth.
[1:01] Good, and we meet at 3 o'clock or something?
[1:03] Right, 3 o'clock.
[1:03] Good.
[1:04] What is the situation, incidentally, with regard to tomorrow's meeting?
[1:08] I'm going to talk later about it, but I understand Kleindich told me he couldn't come.
[1:12] He had to be in Florida.
[1:15] Huh, for a briefing?
[1:16] No, he's got a...
[1:18] Make a speech down.
[1:19] I see.
[1:19] Now that I didn't know.
[1:21] Well, let me regroup and find out about that.
[1:25] He said he could send one of his other people, you know.
[1:29] Peterson?
[1:32] I don't know.
[1:33] That's too bad.
[1:34] Let me get on top of that.
[1:38] I hadn't heard that.
[1:39] I had assumed that was all set.
[1:41] Why can't you?
[1:42] Maybe you could do it.
[1:44] Possibly I could.
[1:45] You could with the Justice Department backup.
[1:48] Yeah, get Peterson over to give me some backup.
[1:51] And Shepard from here.
[1:54] Yeah.
[1:57] Well, Kleindies really ought to...
[1:59] I hope he rides that horse when he goes down there.
[2:01] Well, he will, won't he?
[2:01] Because he must be totally aboard.
[2:04] Yeah, I talked to him Saturday about it.
[2:05] He's all aboard.
[2:06] There's no problem there.
[2:08] He was thinking of sending the Italian over.
[2:10] He said he's very good.
[2:12] To Santa Raleigh?
[2:13] Yeah.
[2:13] That isn't bad, too.
[2:14] That's a good idea.
[2:15] You damned impressive.
[2:16] That's a good idea.
[2:18] Why don't we do that?
[2:18] Let's put him up front.
[2:21] Fine.
[2:21] I think that'll work fine.
[2:23] I'll get something going there, and then I'll just write her down.
[2:25] Right, right, right.
[2:26] Good.
[2:26] Third thing, about the veteran speech, you've got somebody working on one for me.
[2:31] Yes, sir.
[2:32] You better have.
[2:32] Nice, positive veteran speech.
[2:35] I haven't seen anything on it yet.
[2:36] I've also had them working on a speculative idea.
[2:39] I've just gotten a draft and haven't read it.
[2:42] for a joint session of the Congress, State of the Union, wrap-up.
[2:47] And I'll talk to you about that some more.
[2:50] But I thought it was worth putting together to see if we could give this whole thing a proper perspective and make it appear that you had always intended to come up there and wrap up this series.
[3:04] Well, that's it.
[3:06] It's speculative.
[3:07] The problem is really whether the forum is...
[3:10] I understand.
[3:11] It's going to be good.
[3:12] We'll look at it.
[3:13] Okay.
[3:13] Fine.