Nixon phone call with Graham on Watergate and Public Relations

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Hello.

Reverend Billy Graham.

Hello.

Hello, Mr. President.

Well, I finally caught up with you.

Oh, bless your heart.

How are you?

I'm just fine.

But I guess it was about Sunday I called you, and you were on your... That's right.

And then you were on your way, they said, to... Pittsburgh.

No, no, you were on your way from Montreat to Charlotte.

And then after that, you got to Charlotte, and I called you, you're on your way to Pittsburgh.

I called you, and the next time you were on your way from...

to Charlotte again.

So I said, all right, I'll just try it today.

That's right.

Well, how are you feeling?

Well, listen, you get my two cables on your press coverage?

Well, by golly, I was surprised that the press here didn't even see through.

You know, they don't usually...

give the coverage they should, but those huge crowds and everything, that was a great, great success, wasn't it?

Well, it was a very interesting thing because Mr. Wes Gallagher, who's executive editor of the AP, he tore into his people for not playing it up more because he said, we consider this the number one story out of South Africa in the last 10 years.

Did he tell you that?

No, he told George Cornell, who's religious editor of the AP.

I see.

And they're now trying to recap the thing, and they've got an article in a lot of papers today telling a very wonderful story about it and the after effects.

Well, Billy, that's great.

That's great.

We're on our way to Korea, and they're planning on a half million a night and a million on the closing service.

I can't believe they could have a half million.

Just think of that.

Yeah, yeah.

I remember, yeah, when I was there, 53, and I've been there in 67 again.

I really just wanted to reassure you of my support and prayers and love and backing and just tell you if there's anything that I can ever do, I want you to consider me a member of your team.

Well, I appreciate it.

Things are going all right.

sort of nibbling away at this thing and that thing.

But, you know, you always got to keep your perspective.

And when you see that these wonderful POWs and what they say, they make a stump speech for us every time they go out, don't they?

Sure do.

Isn't that something?

And Ruth, you know, she said when some of these articles come out, she said, well, I trust President Nixon, and I know that what he's doing is right.

And that's the way we both feel.

Well, I appreciate it very much.

And we don't know everything, but we know you.

Right.

That's enough for us.

Right.

And that's what I intend to say publicly.

Well, I appreciate it.

We will continue to hammer away.

We've got to expect, Billy, you know, you have to expect the opposition to sort of pick away because, you know, after beating them so badly in November, they've just got to recover.

And so that's all right.

We've got some peace in Vietnam, and we're moving along with some other things, and that's what history's going to remember us for.

Absolutely.

Thank you.

And I know dear old Sam Irwin.

He's been a neighbor of mine all his life.

And, of course, this is his grave moment of glory.

Sure.

Well, we'll let him have it.

He'll dig away and he'll make a lot of headlines and he'll irritate a lot.

But those things also pass.

The main thing about those, of course, as you know, when campaign people, I can assure you nobody in the White House is in, but campaign people, they sometimes do silly things.

By the way, did you get the message that I sent to you about Marvin Watson?

Marvin, in my judgment, is another John Connolly intellectually.

Yes, oh, I know that.

I have a high regard for him.

And he called me on the phone to tell me that he would be ready to join your team in any way, shape, or form you want him if you ever needed him.

And he is Mr.

Integrity himself.

He doesn't smoke or test or anything else.

Mm-hmm.

and I think his total motivation was that he could be of help to you.

Right, right.

And he was thinking, I think, in terms of the post office.

Right, right, right.

Well, I got that.

I got that.

Let me tell you that we'd love to use him.

I mean, have him something, and they're checking it out.

I like the man.

I thought he was one of the best of the Johnson General.

Remember the sermon?

When he got through with all of them.

Yes, he did make the best talk of all.

He's a patriot, isn't he?

Right.

Tell me this, Billy, is he a lawyer or do you know?

Uh-huh.

He has no ambitions except to serve this country.

He's on my board of directors, the reason I come in contact with him quite often.

I feel he's going to spend the weekend with us here.

He's executive vice president of Occidental Oil now.

Yes, I know.

Works for Arm & Hammer.

Has a gorgeous home out right on the city of Salisbury.

But he said he would...

When did he tell you this?

About a month ago, wasn't it?

Just before I went to South Africa.

He called me on the phone, and he said I just am burdened about the country, and he said...

that you just tell the president if you have an opportunity.

I will be happy to serve on his team and be one of his.

Great.

Incidentally, we're having Dr. Hill Sunday, you know.

Oh, this coming Sunday?

Yep.

Oh, I'm delighted.

And we just hope he doesn't try to make a civil rights call.

I'm going to call him and be sure that he does.

The point is, he should talk naturally about equal rights and that sort of thing, but nobody could ever use that forum for the purpose of propaganda, you know.

I will...

He and I are very good friends, as you know, and I hold straight to him.

Tell him that we've got... Tell him we've got... No, no, we've got very...

It'll be a very distinguished group, a lot of congressmen and others there, and everybody will be watching him.

I'm going to tell him just to stick to the Bible.

Yes, sir.

Okay.

I'll call him.

Well, it's good to talk to you, and I appreciate your help and your support, and Ben Ruth's, too.

Maybe hers a little more, you know.

Well, Dr. Bell, you know, is moderator of the Presbyterian Church, and he's really back of you, too.

Isn't he great, though?

He's a great fellow, great guy.

Thank you, sir.

He's really marvelous.

I know he was a

terribly concerned about the bombing, you remember, last December.

Oh, he got over that.

Well, you know, the POWs finally, they said, you know, that's what got them out.

Exactly.

And, you know, it was hard for me, I can tell you, but I knew we had to do it.

And poor old Jane Fonda doesn't have, she can't get a hearing now too much.

Or Ramsey Clark either.

No.

Well, Billy, good to talk to you.

Thank you, sir.

And we did try to reach you, though.

I just wanted you to know.

They had a message everywhere.

The White House operator would call, and then I'd be at a dinner or something.

But anyway, we'll be seeing you.

Tom Dewey told me that he never calls the president, and I got to thinking about that.

I never called you, but sometimes I just want to tell you I'm with you.

I appreciate it enormously.

Believe me.

You need to call now.

Usually people call me and ask me for something.

Okay.

Well, thank you, sir.

Bye.

Nixon phone call with Graham on Watergate and Public Relations

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on April 11, 1973

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