On April 28, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman talked on the telephone from 9:20 pm to 9:30 pm. The White House Telephone taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 042-073 of the White House Tapes.
Transcript (AI-Generated)This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.
Mr. Haldeman, Mr. Preston.
Bob.
Yes, sir.
Are you concerned about the...
I couldn't tell when I talked to you earlier...
about the use of the podium tomorrow?
No.
Do you think it's going to be noticed a lot?
Is it going to be a big deal?
No.
No, it won't be a big deal at all.
It'll be noticed.
Oh, of course it will.
I'm not at all concerned about it.
I think it's a good idea, and I think we ought to try it.
I just wanted to...
I think we need some kind of a line because they're going to say, why did you do it?
Instead of just saying, I don't know, we ought to... No, I just said that no, that we used it at the editors and the...
A number of people there thought it was a better way to present the president than with a naked mic.
We're changing the East Room setup for this one.
The TV guys had worked it over to get it set up better for television, and we're changing that tomorrow night, too.
So it'll be just part of the...
that changes there'll be some other differences i think you're going to come in from the side instead of coming down the center aisle which is makes a much better picture when you come in the room it's very bad the way you enter now i see and so they had worked out something to make that work out better fine and uh so i no i i'm not at all concerned about it i think fine well let's do it let's uh could i try it i think it's a good thing that'll uh be something to lean on and
and you know so forth and one thing I wonder about is this I wonder if we ought to put the podium and the not to have a platform and put it down at ground level but here's the reason if I when I have to look down at the the reporters it's fine for them but it isn't as good for the television picture in other words as when I look at them at eye level
Okay.
You see what I'm getting at?
Yep.
That I'm inclined to think that the more I can have my, so I don't have to lift my head to look at the camera or anything.
You see what I mean?
I like to look at the press.
Right.
We can talk to him on that.
Yeah, I think that's probably a good idea.
And just put the thing right down on the ground level.
And this would be a good time, as long as we're changing the other thing, we can change that too.
They've made some changes to try and
get it set up better yeah be better for the television audience to have it done this way okay and that's right now tomorrow as I said I want to try it just uh I just I don't want any people bothering me before and everything I just want to I'll just walk in and and do it and I don't have to be nobody has to tell me that I walk in a certain way I know where I'm going to walk right I mean just just tell me where I walk and I'll walk in yeah and uh
And I won't bother with the makeup thing because I'm sure it'll look fine.
You don't see any problem with that, do you?
I mean, it hasn't been that bad.
Well, it can't be any serious problem because you've done it a number of times without it.
Let's try it and see if they really think it does make a difference.
If it makes a hell of a difference, I will put it the other way.
It isn't going to make that much difference in any event.
That's right.
It won't.
We can let her go.
Right.
I was wondering, I see Ehrlichman's out of town, and I asked you, what's Ford got into him to get at his coordinating committee thing?
Do you know about that?
Was that raised with you?
No.
Oh, well, he's talked about having a, setting up the Republican coordinating committee again.
Oh, yeah, I saw that.
Well, it's an awful idea.
I mean, we can't, I mean, I have enough meetings now, you know, without
getting a bunch of those damn people in and having to hassle around with them all day long, you know, or something like that.
Well, it certainly was the thought that they'd meet with you.
Huh?
What?
It would be ridiculous to have them meet with you.
Well, that's what they'd want.
That's what they always have.
They used to, you know what I mean, when they, a coordinating committee is very, it's a good thing out of us.
I don't like to knock Ford, that's the only problem, and I just hope he hasn't put it forth in a way that I have to
Let me see where it stands.
Well, you don't need to see.
I'll just finesse it.
I'll just finesse it.
I'll just say, well, I think that we of course like to find the best possible ways to consult with the Congress, with governors and other leaders and so forth.
But then we've got to get forward off of the kick so that we just don't have it.
You know what I mean?
It's a question of
because we have to make the policy at the White House we can't have it made by a damn we can't have a damn coordinating committee coming up with a bunch of cockeyed ideas right and at least that's the view that I have I noticed in Ziegler's notes here a note with regard to Hughes indicating a necessity to reassure the POWs and I said I would of course I will but if you you will you have Haig
tomorrow get a hold of Hughes and he and they talk about this thing and see whether Higg and you know meet with him I think he's better than Kissinger to meet with him actually I talked to actually both Al and Henry today and to you and oh you did I think maybe that is a good idea yeah Higg is very thoughtful and kind and everything and he can just call him and say now look you've been a lot of things have been held up but we're coming to the end of the road here now and uh
And now is the time when our bargaining is going to be very hard on this issue.
I mean, we're going to bargain hard for them.
Yeah.
And we've got something to hold out because the only way they're going to get us out is to give us the POWs.
And we have never been in that position before, see?
Yeah.
But we mustn't.
I don't know.
I...
I don't feel comfortable by the way we have this.
I think Don is fine for holding our hands, but he doesn't know enough about the policy, you know, to, I mean, he just sort of, you can't just, Al does, Henry knows a lot about it, but he just assumes that everybody's going to be a hero and they ain't going to be.
Isn't that the problem?
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I think Al is excellent.
We're a ways away from a problem.
It's just a matter of staying.
Yeah.
I think we should anticipate it.
Al should get him in after this and say, now, look,
made all these offers and they're going to make some more and so forth and so on so so much for that and we shall see nothing new on the demonstrating front tonight is there yes everything went according to plan no they they arrested that bunch and that's uh
That's the principle.
They hauled 200 of them in today.
Well, did that leave many left?
They don't have many in town, do they?
Oh, yeah, it still leaves quite a bunch.
Rainwater cut loose today.
Anybody paying attention to it?
Yeah, it moved on the wire.
I don't know what more I haven't had to... You mean about the networks not covering it?
Yeah.
He said he had requested, you know,
equal time coverage for a VFW encampment of Vietnam veterans on the Mall.
And he said the coverage of the protesting veterans had been complete overkill.
He told the networks that his veterans would establish a campsite, march to Arlington Cemetery, this time with the flag flying right side up, and lobby in Congress for increased benefits for veterans, just as the protesters did.
He talked personally to the president of CBS, and he said he couldn't guarantee 30 seconds of coverage, much less the amount given to protesting veterans.
Well, he should have had the amount they gave him.
Well, anyway, that would have been good.
Well, anyway.
But he may have, and what he put out, this is just the wire thing carried.
That's all right.
Made the point of the number of veterans he has and that sort of thing.
So he's laid the groundwork on that.
Teague is going ahead with his hearing.
What's he going to have a hearing about?
He's going to get a group of the good veterans in representing the...
Coalition of Vietnam Veterans for a Lasting Peace.
Well, there is such a thing.
Well, they're forming one, which will be the Vietnam segments of each of the Legion and VFW and Catholic and Jewish and DAV and so on.
And so Teague's going to set up a hearing with television to hear their side of the story.
Yeah, that's fine.
Good.
Good.
Okay.