Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 038-131
Date: Friday, April 20, 1973 at 12:04 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Brennan, Peter J.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/038-131

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.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. Pat Buchanan?
[0:02] Yeah.
[0:02] President.
[0:03] Hello?
[0:04] Yes, sir.
[0:04] I had two weeks down there in the Florida sun, sir.
[0:16] Yeah, well, I saw Shelly briefly yesterday, and she said you had a good time.
[0:19] How was the weather?
[0:20] Pretty good?
[0:21] The weather was outstanding.
[0:22] We had ourselves a lunch down there with Rebozo also.
[0:25] Good.
[0:25] Come back to California.
[0:26] Good.
[0:26] Well, we've had a fairly rough time since you...
[0:29] I guess we call last week hell week, huh?
[0:32] Yes, sir.
[0:33] Yeah.
[0:33] And I...
[0:35] But what we've got to do is just survive the damn thing, and I think we will.
[0:41] Okay.
[0:42] Yeah, I had some thoughts on that, which I've given to Ron Ziegler.
[0:45] Oh, you did?
[0:46] Fine.
[0:46] Sir, I've got it written up.
[0:47] He can give it to you on the cover or something.
[0:49] He'll be on the plane.
[0:50] Fine.
[0:50] You've got your recommendations in then?
[0:52] Yes, sir.
[0:52] Oh, good.
[0:53] I just wanted to see then if you'd pass them on to him.
[0:55] Okay, sir.
[0:56] Fine.
[0:56] You approved of my statement on Tuesday, I assume.
[0:59] I did indeed.
[1:00] I did indeed.
[1:01] I think that got you out of front where we've got to be on this now.
[1:04] Right.
[1:04] But how to stay there is the problem, isn't it, with the leaks and everything coming out?
[1:09] You really need a PR program, don't we?
[1:11] Well, yes, sir.
[1:13] Well, what I meant is, when I say PR, not for the purpose of telling things as they are, but for the purpose of having a line, you know, so that every time somebody
[1:23] pops off of some damn charge or this or that, that you don't get innocent people hurt, and yet you get the guilty brought to justice, which is what we're trying to do.
[1:30] Right, sir.
[1:32] Yeah, it's too bad to have John Mitchell on this, isn't it?
[1:35] It is indeed.
[1:35] You're a son of a bitch.
[1:36] Yeah.
[1:37] Too bad, too bad.
[1:39] He's up there today, I think, the grand jury.
[1:40] I think he's right.
[1:40] He's talking to the grand jury today.
[1:42] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[1:44] But if you've given your thoughts there, I'll get him to Ziegler on the way, okay?
[1:47] Okay, fine, sir.
[1:48] Bye-bye.
[1:48] Bye-bye.
[1:55] Thank you.