Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 039-004
Date: Thursday, May 24, 1973 at 1:36 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Scott, Hugh
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/039-004

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:01] Yes, Mr. President.
[0:03] I thought you should know that Ziegler and all of our fellows here thought you were never so brilliant as you were yesterday.
[0:10] And I am very grateful.
[0:11] And one fellow who's sort of a new guy, he says, I didn't know Scott this smart.
[0:16] I said, for Christ's sakes.
[0:17] I said, he's for Scott more than most of you guys ever learned.
[0:21] That was a brilliant job, and I'm most grateful.
[0:23] Well, thank you, sir.
[0:24] I'm on my way to Pittsburgh.
[0:25] Well, Foreign Affairs.
[0:28] Yes, sir.
[0:28] I'm well to pass, sir.
[0:29] All right.
[0:30] I think we've got a good position now to stick to.
[0:34] Don't you agree?
[0:35] Yes, sir.
[0:36] I think it is.
[0:37] I think the kind of issues that we have to deal with in Washington are not the same as out in the country.
[0:46] I'll know better when I get to Pittsburgh.
[0:48] But I do believe, sir, that holding the position and making the clear
[0:55] between national security.
[0:58] And I have said to some of these characters, what are you trying to do, shake the country?
[1:04] Yeah, let me say this.
[1:05] One thing you can say, that without secrecy, secret diplomacy, we wouldn't have had the China Initiative, we wouldn't have had the Soviet limitation, and the POWs would still be in Vietnam, North Vietnam.
[1:17] And therefore, it is a great, you ought to say this in Pittsburgh, that it's a
[1:25] really a great irony when they make national heroes out of those who steal secrets and publish them and condemn those who try to protect the national security so that we can conduct negotiations for peace.
[1:38] Yes, you're right.
[1:39] That's a good line.
[1:39] Yes, it is.
[1:40] I made the point yesterday that the committee, some of the members of the committee seem to be torn between a thief and a Harvard man, but they made the right choice.
[1:49] Okay, bye.
[1:50] Good luck.
[1:50] Thank you, sir.