Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 045-215
Date: Thursday, May 10, 1973 at 6:10 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Timmons, William E.
Recording device: White House Telephone
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/045-215

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Hello, Mr. President.
[0:02] Hi, Bill.
[0:02] You're meeting there with Scott?
[0:03] Yes, I am.
[0:04] Jerry's still on the floor.
[0:06] We lost that first vote.
[0:08] What was the vote?
[0:09] It was 219 to 188 on striking transfer authority.
[0:16] We're trying to regroup and see how we can salvage pieces of it.
[0:21] And that's why Jerry's still on the floor and they're still in session at the House.
[0:24] And Hague and I are meeting with Senator Scott.
[0:28] So we didn't do as well on that vote as we had even expected, yeah.
[0:32] Jerry said that he had about eight or nine more in the well that would go with us if their votes made the difference, but they didn't.
[0:39] So he said that he didn't squeeze them.
[0:44] Well, the main thing is don't make a hell of a big thing out of it.
[0:46] Right.
[0:48] You know what I mean?
[0:49] Right.
[0:49] It's just for two months.
[0:51] It's a supplemental for the rest of this fiscal year, and it's just transfer authority.
[0:56] It's not new money.
[0:57] juggle the books over there a bit.
[1:00] So it's not really as bad as I'm afraid the press is going to make it appear.
[1:03] Well, the press will make it appear bad, but that's our fault because we let them do that.
[1:07] That's right.
[1:10] But what are they trying to do?
[1:12] Have another vote?
[1:13] Yes, they're trying to get back part of the transfer authority for things other than the Cambodian part.
[1:20] The transfer authority included lots of military installations, not just Cambodia.
[1:26] And they're going to try to cut back and get some of it back.
[1:31] And Sam Stratton has offered an amendment to help us on that.
[1:37] Get some of it back in what areas, you mean?
[1:39] Well, it's funds for other overseas operations of the Defense Department, other than Southeast Asia.
[1:47] because the Transfer Authority was really a bigger package than just Cambodia.
[1:52] It involved money for defense operations around the world.
[1:55] Well, I think the mistake here was our building that's up to such a big thing, don't you think?
[2:01] Well, it was.
[2:01] You know, it slipped up there in the supplemental.
[2:04] When I first found out about it, it was in the subcommittee of the appropriations, and defense asked for our help on it, and I said, my God, why join the issue at this time on that little bit of money?
[2:15] uh actually it's only 25 million dollars uh involved in in cambodia well the main thing is that you talk to al and for christ's sake get out some statements that this doesn't mean that our whole policy is finished out there right now at least the boys can do that bill can they yes sir they sure can okay talk to jerry before i leave the hill all right