Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 040-024
Date: Tuesday, June 12, 1973 at 9:19 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Harlow, Bryce N.; Haig, Alexander M., Jr.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/040-024

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.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] Well, good morning.
[0:02] How are you, Bryce?
[0:03] I'm fine, sir.
[0:03] I'm very flattered you called me.
[0:06] Now, that's why you're the old smoothie.
[0:09] No, I mean...
[0:09] I talked to Al yesterday, and I want to say two things.
[0:14] One, that I'm just delighted that you're willing to do this.
[0:18] And second, that I will call Howard... What's his name last name?
[0:22] His name is Morgans.
[0:24] Howard Morgans, yeah.
[0:25] I know, and I've met him before.
[0:26] He's sort of the round-faced fellow.
[0:29] That's right.
[0:29] Right, and about six foot tall.
[0:32] Oh, about five, ten.
[0:34] Well, he looks six foot to me.
[0:35] I've shrunk.
[0:37] Oh, no, you haven't.
[0:37] No, I mean in my old age.
[0:39] I know.
[0:40] But in any event, what should I say to him?
[0:42] I'm going to call him today in about an hour.
[0:45] Well, I would say to him that you and I have talked.
[0:48] Right.
[0:49] And that you are very grateful to him.
[0:51] Right.
[0:52] Very grateful that he is.
[0:53] and been willing to have anything available for your administration.
[1:01] That's right.
[1:02] And you wouldn't ask it except that I'm needed at this time.
[1:05] That's right.
[1:06] And that you think that I discussed that with him, you understand that.
[1:08] Right.
[1:09] You understand that you're sorry that it's necessary, but it is.
[1:13] It's in the interest of the country.
[1:14] And you just wanted to express your appreciation to him directly and personally.
[1:19] Good.
[1:19] Now, I don't know what Alan told you.
[1:21] I wanted to have a chat with you.
[1:22] Yeah, you told me, but I don't want to talk about that because I went over the whole thing.
[1:28] Bryce, I've got a plate for you that you're going to love.
[1:31] I mean, that we need, you know what I mean?
[1:32] The idea that Al told me that you thought that because of Mel that the situation had changed.
[1:37] As a matter of fact, it hasn't changed at all.
[1:39] Because I have in mind, for Mel...
[1:42] the domestic stuff and so forth.
[1:44] I don't have in mind for you just being a congressional errand boy.
[1:48] I want you to be the political man in this place.
[1:51] You know what I mean?
[1:52] The political man and then also the advisor on substance.
[1:56] You know, on the basis of you and Mel and Al and I sort of sit down and hack these things around.
[2:03] And that is what we need.
[2:05] We just need your wisdom.
[2:06] And not to pull your leg, you pull mine.
[2:08] I'll pull yours a little.
[2:11] You see what I mean?
[2:11] Well, I just didn't want to come in there unless you really personally thought it was imperative.
[2:17] No, it is imperative.
[2:18] And then you see, you would, frankly, you'd be the man to talk to Bush.
[2:24] You'd be the man to talk to Agnew.
[2:26] And there would be some others that I might want you to do, like maybe Rocky Rake and so forth.
[2:33] There are just so many plays that shouldn't be made, certainly by Al, and probably not by Mel, due to the fact that, you know, do you know the reasons?
[2:43] Oh, yes.
[2:43] I mean, it has to be somebody that is known to be very, very close to me on a very personal basis.
[2:49] Well, Mr. President, if you feel like you really genuinely need me, you have me.
[2:54] You know that.
[2:54] Great.
[2:55] Now, as a matter of fact, I'd like to have it announced Saturday, if that's all right with you.
[2:59] Well, yes, that's all right.
[3:01] And I told Al that I planned to leave this week to get a break.
[3:04] Good.
[3:05] And I'd be coming in, I guess, on Monday, the 2nd of July.
[3:08] Good.
[3:09] Well, when you come in, good.
[3:11] That's great.
[3:12] That's great.
[3:13] And just right, because we will have finished the brush nut business by that time.
[3:19] It's by Scoop Jackson's suggestion we postpone it.
[3:22] Boy, these guys are getting pretty partisan, aren't they?
[3:25] Good gosh.
[3:25] Yes, and they'll get more so.
[3:29] It's their business.
[3:32] Well, we're going to beat them, though.
[3:33] What a pity we didn't control the Congress.
[3:36] I know, I know, I know.
[3:38] It's amazing that we've had to do it for two times.
[3:41] But as you were saying the other night, and I know when things were a little lower than they were today, you know, you've got to be like steel or whatever.
[3:48] What was your term?
[3:50] Yeah.
[3:56] No.
[3:57] Listen, boy, you ought to hear what I go through at night.
[4:01] Well, I guess no president has been through anything like this, though, have they?
[4:06] On a sustained basis.
[4:08] No, not on a sustained basis.
[4:09] Because they've never had the media, you know.
[4:10] They haven't had this amount of media.
[4:12] But I'm not complaining.
[4:13] I'm not complaining.
[4:21] understanding, from personal experience, as to why all this crap goes on.
[4:25] I suppose.
[4:25] And to give it perspective.
[4:27] Yeah.
[4:28] And you just grin at it and say, well, all right, if the table's reversed, I'll be doing the same goddamn thing to you guys.
[4:34] Yeah.
[4:35] And, of course, we're going to do this.
[4:38] I would, I would, but I didn't do it.
[4:40] When I look back at what I did in the Hiss case and the 5% case, I was on the fringes of that one.
[4:46] Heck, I was a panty waste.
[4:49] Oh, I know.
[4:50] Well... Good heavens, I didn't come up for the impeachment of Truman.
[4:54] And I recollect, I argued with you at the time, remember, we, in the 68th campaign, so carefully eschewed foreign policy and...
[5:01] So nice to lend it.
[5:03] I know.
[5:03] And then he unloaded that damn bum and hauled on you.
[5:06] I know.
[5:07] Do you remember when we talked in the front of the plane about that Bryce?
[5:10] Oh, do I?
[5:11] Come in.
[5:11] Come in, Al.
[5:12] I'm just talking to Bryce.
[5:14] And we saw him deliberately try to screw you.
[5:18] Apparently, we made the sale to Bryce, Al.
[5:20] He says you made it, though.
[5:21] But I'm taking the credit, just so I call him a softie.
[5:23] That's right.
[5:24] If you hadn't talked to me, I wouldn't have come.
[5:27] I mean it.
[5:28] Well, anyway, anyway, this is it.
[5:30] But don't expect to be on board until the second, if that's all right.
[5:33] Is that all right, Al?
[5:35] Take your vacation.
[5:36] You get it.
[5:37] But when we... Incidentally, one thing I want you to know that we're going to work out, we're going to plan.
[5:42] I told Al that when I go to Key Biscayne or Camp David, you and Mel and Al and I will all go together.
[5:48] In other words, I may not see you, but that's the way you can get a little time off.
[5:51] You know?
[5:52] That's fine.
[5:53] Fine.
[5:53] You've got to have a little...
[5:55] I don't need whatever you're telling me to do.
[5:56] You've got to have the little goodies out of this thing, Al.
[5:59] I mean... Well... All right.
[6:02] The goodies will be given you.
[6:03] Right.
[6:03] All right.
[6:05] God bless you, and thank you.
[6:07] Thank you.