Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 044-129
Date: Tuesday, April 10, 1973 at 3:26 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Arends, Leslie C.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/044-129

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] You did even better than you'd said.
[0:03] That was a great job.
[0:05] Wasn't that terrific?
[0:06] How do the boys feel?
[0:08] Oh, they're just hilarious.
[0:10] I don't know whether you got the word.
[0:12] I tried to call Jerry also.
[0:14] He's gone, apparently.
[0:15] He's gone.
[0:16] He left.
[0:16] He had to go to Michigan.
[0:17] I thought it would be a nice thing, even though we had most of the same fellows down for the thing, Thursday afternoon about 5.30.
[0:25] How's that sound to you?
[0:26] Oh, that'd be great.
[0:27] I'm going to have the 36 senators, too.
[0:29] Yeah, sure.
[0:30] In other words, we'll call it the veto crowd.
[0:33] That's right, the veto crowd.
[0:34] These boys are high right now.
[0:35] They feel good?
[0:36] Oh, gosh, they really are.
[0:37] And we had five or six of them who waited until the very last, within the last minute, and they would have stayed with us if they have to.
[0:43] See, by getting 189, hell, but five or six more, you've darn near had as many as the other side.
[0:47] Yeah, we had 161 Republicans, and I had a figure we'd get 158, but we got a few more.
[0:54] And the Senate suddenly did better.
[0:56] They got 25.
[0:56] 24, and we picked up some in the Middle West, yeah.
[1:00] So we're very, very... What's the reason?
[1:02] Earlier, you know, you remember when you and...
[1:06] Remember, we all met with you and the rest.
[1:09] Well, you weren't there that day, but there they were about these vetoes.
[1:13] This was about two months ago.
[1:16] What's changed?
[1:17] Well, I tell you what, as I said on television a moment ago, I went on television, WGN in Chicago, and I said, well, this means that the boys are beginning to read their mail.
[1:27] People will not put up with any more taxes, and that's what they're going to get unless we save the money like the president wants.
[1:33] And this is a simple statement.
[1:35] You know, I, as you noticed, probably remember, but I hit it very hard in that television address I made on the Vietnam.
[1:42] It was direct.
[1:43] It was good.
[1:44] And it's starting to show up.
[1:46] Now they're trying to, my mail is, telegrams are piled deep here on my desk, and now I'm trying to kill this Patman bill, see?
[1:53] It's coming up the day after tomorrow.
[1:55] That's a bad, bad bill.
[1:58] Well, that's a bad bill.
[1:59] In fact, I'll have to veto the damn thing.
[2:01] Yeah, sure you'll have to veto it, and we could surely sustain it.
[2:03] Now they're going to have to get this message pretty soon and cut this out.
[2:08] Well, I'm very happy with that.
[2:09] It's shaking them up, huh?
[2:10] Oh, yeah.
[2:11] This did Joe.
[2:12] Chip O'Neill was sitting there like he lost his last friend.
[2:15] Well, the way it'll be, then, we'll invite the 189 less and the 36 senators and about 530, and I'll come in like I did before and speak about five minutes.
[2:25] Now, should I call one or two of you fellows to speak on this occasion?
[2:30] Maybe have Hugh say a word and Jerry say a word.
[2:33] That'd be all right, yeah.
[2:34] Maybe Hugh and Jerry, and then shouldn't I pick...
[2:37] Maybe a couple of Southerners.
[2:38] We'll get a couple of Southerners.
[2:39] Joe Wagner and one more.
[2:40] Wagner, and who would I get on the Democratic side?
[2:43] There are five Democrats on the Senate side.
[2:45] Let me go through the list, and I'll tell Bill Timmons.
[2:47] You give Bill a recommendation as to who it ought to be.
[2:50] I'll give him a recommendation, yeah.
[2:51] All right, Les.
[2:52] Fine.
[2:52] We'll see you.
[2:53] Let me, this morning on that meeting up there, I was terribly pleased at Wilbur's cooperative spirit.
[2:58] He was very good.
[2:59] Well, part of that is that, you know, we have really been working.
[3:02] I mean, I've talked to him in advance, and I've talked to Russell in advance, and George Schultz has, and that helped, didn't it?
[3:07] Oh, you betcha not.
[3:08] You could see he was open.
[3:10] And we get that bill through the House the way we want it.
[3:12] It would be hard for them over in the Senate not to do it.
[3:16] I was pleased when I left there, yeah.
[3:19] All right.
[3:19] Well, this right from now on, as you know, we're having mainly bipartisan things, but we're going to put plenty of wild cards in, so a lot of our Republicans are going to know all these meetings, too.
[3:30] The energy one, I think next Wednesday I may have it in the dining room and have maybe...
[3:36] 50, 60, because it's such a big group we ought to have.
[3:40] You know, that thing's tough.
[3:41] I mean, I had a fellow call yesterday.
[3:43] He said he had to close up 12 of his gasoline stations.
[3:47] Oh, boy.
[3:47] He said, I know these big boys have got gas, but we can't get it.
[3:51] I don't know whether they do or whether they don't, but, I mean, it's getting real tough on them, and the question is whether these farmers are going to have enough to go in the field and work.
[3:58] That's what we're going after.
[3:59] Yeah, that's what we have to go after, yeah.
[4:00] All right.
[4:01] All right.
[4:01] Thanks, Mr. President.
[4:02] Bye.
[4:02] You see you.