Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 045-191
Date: Thursday, May 10, 1973 at 3:02 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Rogers, William P.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/045-191

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Hello.
[0:02] Hello.
[0:03] Hi, Mr. President.
[0:03] Hi, Bill.
[0:05] Try that way out thing on Warren?
[0:07] Well, I can't get him on the phone.
[0:08] I'm trying to reach him.
[0:09] The White House operator's trying to get him.
[0:11] It is rather way out, but you know, we know his attitude, but the point is that for a last hurrah, it'd be a great thing for him and a great thing for the country.
[0:19] Yeah, I think so, too.
[0:21] And he'll have a complete free hand, you know, the whole business, you know, and
[0:26] If he doesn't do it, I'm going to appoint the commission anyway.
[0:28] I'm going to move on to make a speech Sunday night.
[0:31] Good, good.
[0:32] And for Monday morning.
[0:33] I thought that was a good meeting this morning.
[0:34] I was very—I thought it was— Well, I contributed a lot to it, too.
[0:38] I think they finally got the spirit that we're trying to get across now and change them a bit.
[0:42] Don't you think so?
[0:43] I think so.
[0:44] I think so.
[0:44] I think it pepped everyone up.
[0:46] They needed to get off—you know, they don't want to be looking down on the ground all the time.
[0:50] What the hell?
[0:50] This thing is tough, but it'll pass.
[0:53] It's not going to pass soon, but it'll pass.
[0:55] And I think that the things we talked about this morning are all most desirable.
[1:01] But I also think that the way we can overcome it is to just have a damn successful government.
[1:07] That's run the country well.
[1:09] Run the country well.
[1:09] That's one of the reasons, you know, I gave a lot of thought, believe me, to your trip.
[1:13] And I thought if we'd have canceled, it would have been a mistake.
[1:16] Yeah, I think so, too.
[1:18] You know, it looked like the whole government had come to a standstill.
[1:20] Exactly.
[1:21] And I said, all right, help you go.
[1:24] Incidentally, you'll be gone how long?
[1:26] About two weeks.
[1:27] Oh, that's not bad.
[1:28] No, it isn't bad.
[1:29] We'll visit eight countries, and I think the timing is pretty good, too.
[1:34] We'll meet tomorrow at 11 for symbolic purposes.
[1:38] Well, I'll just get in, and I don't have to take any time.
[1:40] I don't give a damn about the time.
[1:43] Whatever time you need, but my point is that we'll do it.
[1:46] Now, Kissinger gets back from Russia at 9 o'clock tonight, and so I think when
[1:52] What I want to do is that you, we should meet long enough for you to have a goddamn good rundown from him, too, because we're, as I told Hager, there's not going to be any more of this crap, you know.
[2:01] You're not being filled in.
[2:02] Well, that's fine.
[2:03] It would be very helpful to me.
[2:04] Well, it is.
[2:05] I just keep a confidence.
[2:07] I know that.
[2:07] But the point is that I want you to know, Bill, that this crap is going to stop.
[2:12] I had a long talk with him.
[2:13] Hague is a superb fellow.
[2:15] He's marvelous.
[2:16] I don't know.
[2:17] One of your problems is going to be how to let him go.
[2:19] I don't know.
[2:20] He's just so good that I can't think of anybody better.
[2:22] We're not going to let him.
[2:23] Between you and me, he's going to do it permanently.
[2:24] But I didn't want to announce it because I didn't want the harmony to get stirred up.
[2:28] That's right.
[2:28] He's the best man for the job.
[2:29] He's willing to do it.
[2:30] He's willing to give up his whole career to do this, which shows what a hell of a patriot he is.
[2:34] But that's just between you and me.
[2:35] Right.
[2:35] He's one that we all have confidence in.
[2:38] We've all dealt with him before.
[2:39] And we know I never had a bit of trouble with him.
[2:42] Well, he does what is right.
[2:44] He always told you the truth.
[2:45] He never lies.
[2:46] He's not flappable.
[2:48] That's right.
[2:48] Well, I think that's a great move, and I think Jim Schlesinger's good, too.
[2:53] And Colby's good.
[2:54] Isn't that right?
[2:54] Colby's damn good.
[2:55] Colby is good.
[2:57] The little note that I got while we were sitting there, I told Hank over at the crisis, did he know anything about this goddamn Ellsberg thing?
[3:05] And he was not in it at all.
[3:08] He was out in, I think, Vietnam then, I hope.
[3:12] Anyway, Colby's son, you know, was one of the grooms at Trisha's wedding.
[3:17] Oh, is that right?
[3:18] I didn't know that.
[3:19] Well, he's a high-class fellow, and I think putting a career guy in, Bill, helps a lot, too.
[3:24] I know it.
[3:25] I know it.
[3:27] It's fine, and I'll let you know just as soon as I hear it.
[3:30] If he says no, we'll go forward without it.
[3:32] Right.
[3:32] Okay.
[3:32] I'll keep trying.
[3:33] Thank you, Mr. President.