Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 045-084
Date: Tuesday, May 1, 1973 at 1:18 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Arends, Leslie C.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/045-084

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:01] Hello.
[0:02] This is Naren.
[0:03] Hello, Mr. President.
[0:05] Oh, Les.
[0:05] Oh, hi.
[0:06] Good, good.
[0:06] Good to talk to you.
[0:07] I just wanted to tell you that keep the faith, old boy.
[0:11] Well, we're going to.
[0:12] Good, we're going to.
[0:12] You may not know this, but just a little while ago, Jerry and I talked, and I said, let's go down and see that man for five minutes and tell him that, boy, it's just like it always was, and that we're going to keep doing the thing.
[0:23] Well, we did the right thing.
[0:26] It was tough, you know.
[0:27] I mean, it's the hardest thing in the world, you know, like poor old, poor Eisenhower.
[0:33] You know, I had to fire at him, you know.
[0:35] Yeah.
[0:35] And Eisenhower, but I did it myself with these guys.
[0:40] And I said, look, you've got to go, boys.
[0:42] It had to be done less.
[0:43] No, of course it had to be done.
[0:45] You did the right thing.
[0:45] And let me tell you this, the reaction up here is good.
[0:48] What is the reaction?
[0:49] I don't know.
[0:49] It's good.
[0:49] I've been chasing around the floor and talking to these different guys, and they're glad you did it exactly the way you did it, Jeff.
[0:54] How about the speech?
[0:55] How about the speech?
[0:56] They liked it.
[0:57] And they did, really.
[0:59] Everybody feels better.
[1:00] Freddie Swing said a little while ago, boy, he said that was one for the books.
[1:03] That's a good one.
[1:04] He said the people are going to like that.
[1:06] And that's the way it is.
[1:07] All right.
[1:08] And I tell you, we want to encourage you.
[1:11] Get a few of the...
[1:12] you're the guys to say a few good things, I mean, without getting caught out of it, huh?
[1:17] That's right.
[1:17] We will.
[1:18] We will.
[1:18] Speak out, you know, get divine.
[1:20] All the hardliners say, God damn it, the president is a tank of lies.
[1:25] Your colleague, Percy, has come out for a special prosecutor and arrest.
[1:30] There's more.
[1:30] What a crazy son of a bitch.
[1:32] What the hell does he think Richardson is?
[1:34] That's what he is.
[1:35] That's what I'd like.
[1:36] Now, who's going to challenge Richardson?
[1:37] That's what I'd like.
[1:38] That's right.
[1:38] That's right.
[1:39] And I told Richardson he can point at the special prosecutor.
[1:41] What the Christ does it matter with Percy?
[1:43] Well, he's always been that way.
[1:45] He'll always be that way.
[1:46] He'll never change.
[1:47] He'll be no good.
[1:49] And that's just it.
[1:50] But I'd have somebody attack the son of a bitch.
[1:52] Well, I've got a couple of guys to do it.
[1:56] Okay, boy.
[1:57] But Mr. President, you just stay right with it.
[1:59] Don't you think for a minute they're going to leave the ship.
[2:02] That was a good meeting this morning, didn't you think?
[2:04] Well, I was a dandy, and I liked your forcefulness about it.
[2:06] And I loved the way you said that about Israel, because I'm about to cut them out.
[2:10] I'm going to put an amendment to cut them out.
[2:12] That's right.
[2:14] Cut the bastards out.
[2:15] Okay.
[2:15] That was a good meeting, and I think it was impressive to some of those guys.
[2:19] Sitting there, listening there, yeah.
[2:21] And I said to Bill Dickinson, I said, that's the other side of the coin, yeah?
[2:25] He said, some of the people ought to hear this.
[2:27] I said, that's right.
[2:28] That's right.
[2:29] Okay, boy.
[2:29] Thanks for your presence.