Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 042-038
Date: Wednesday, April 14, 1971 at 4:33 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.; Nixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/042-038

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Hello.
[0:00] Mr. Ziegler, Mr. President.
[0:02] Yeah.
[0:03] Hello, Mr. President.
[0:04] Yeah, hi.
[0:05] Yes, I'm sitting here with Dick Moore and I'm getting ready to go out to brief.
[0:09] I'm going to get a question, Mr. President, on this muskie statement regarding FBI surveillance of last year's Earth Day.
[0:17] Earth Day?
[0:18] Earth Day.
[0:20] Earth Day.
[0:20] Earth Day, yeah.
[0:21] Earth Day, the event last year.
[0:23] Yeah, yeah.
[0:24] Both Dick and I feel that, although I don't get into this in any detail, I refer to the fact that political statements are being made and go back to the Boggs statement, which was what political and without substantiation, and then refer to the fact that the two areas of...
[0:45] electronic surveillance that are conducted by the FBI, or those dealing with criminal situations.
[0:52] And the second area relating to national security, which has been
[0:55] the case with every president and every attorney general since Franklin Roosevelt, and that this administration uses these powers at the president's specific instructions very judiciously and sparingly.
[1:09] And you could say further that this administration is using them less than they've been using in a previous administration.
[1:16] Using them less.
[1:17] than in previous administrations.
[1:18] That's right.
[1:18] And indicate that it's easy to grab a headline simply by saying that...
[1:22] Taking the charge.
[1:23] Taking the charge.
[1:24] And that suggests that he likes Bob's, that if he's got facts, he should present them.
[1:29] Right.
[1:29] And then, actually, he said that...
[1:31] I thought I'd make the other point.
[1:32] It is absurd to say that surveillance is being undertaken at a public event, particularly when an individual is making a public speech which is widely reported.
[1:43] That's right.
[1:43] You know.
[1:44] Well, he's just lashing out there.
[1:47] Well, I could let this... Dick and I were talking about letting this go with a no comment.
[1:51] I'm going to do that, but I'm not going to do it if I'm pressed into a situation that it looks like we're doing something and we don't want to talk about it.
[1:58] That's what I thought I'd use this line, but wanted to check with you.
[2:00] That's okay.
[2:01] And in regard, if they get into the activities of the Army, I'm going to say that as soon as the President found out about that, he directly ordered the curtailment of that activity that was authorized under previous administration, that the Army at this time has absolutely no intelligence role to investigate any type of activity regarding civil disturbance.
[2:21] Is that true?
[2:23] Yes, sir.
[2:23] Dick Moore has checked it.
[2:24] That is true.
[2:24] All right.
[2:25] Say it then.
[2:26] Okay.
[2:26] Okay, sir.
[2:27] These are matters that, but the main thing, there's less in this administration and on a very, and only where there's a clear, clear indication of national security.
[2:38] When it relates to national security, right.
[2:40] Well, just let them come on here and kill somebody.
[2:42] That will stir people.
[2:43] Right.
[2:44] Okay.
[2:45] Okay, sir.