Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 152-007
Date: Monday, October 30, 1972 at 10:44 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")
Recording device: Camp David Study Table
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/152-007
National Archives Catalog: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/417175591 (NAID 417175591)

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:01] I talked to Henry and he said they expected they were supposed to get a message around two or three o'clock.
[0:15] But he said that Ehrlichman was overreacting to what he said.
[0:21] That's what I thought.
[0:22] He said he had laid out three options or three policies.
[0:24] He always does.
[0:25] He says that the third one is one, he says they might agree to talk.
[0:29] Two, they might agree.
[0:30] might say that they would talk later and I would postpone or something.
[0:39] Or a third that they might say, no, we're not going to talk at all and blow up the thing.
[0:44] He said, however, he had pointed out that the third was in his opinion not a very likely thing, but that we ought to, of course, have possible contingencies in the event that it moved in that direction.
[0:57] Yeah.
[0:57] But I said, well, I suppose it does.
[1:00] He said, you're not going to throw up your hands and say all is well and be so.
[1:04] On the contrary, he said, we just simply say we're taking the offensive and say that we're not going to make a bad agreement.
[1:11] We've agreed on the general principles and we're going to make the right kind of agreement and that's the only thing.
[1:17] This is simply a delay and we will continue
[1:21] So it's just one of those cases.
[1:23] It seems generally speaking when the domestic things get like Watergate and the rest, they make Henry—he overreacts when something foreign policy happens.
[1:38] John overreacts.
[1:39] It's inevitable.
[1:40] Well, I thought that's what it was because Chuck didn't have that— Roger should not go out today, obviously, until after we hear this.
[1:48] We've got to see what this message is.
[1:50] So I told Henry that.
[1:52] He'd already talked to Rogers, so that's it.
[1:55] He should not go out.
[1:56] He can't go out until we get the message, of course, because we don't want to get out on a limb until we see what the hell the message is, because Rogers would be out there with everything hanging out.
[2:06] They might just chop it off.
[2:08] On the other hand, Henry has prepared something for Agnew to say to take on McGovern, which he can do.
[2:14] Agnew can do.
[2:15] We don't want Rogers getting out and speculating about what
[2:19] what their answer's going to be, because we don't know what it's going to be.
[2:22] But we will know at two o'clock.
[2:23] But I've already covered that.
[2:24] You don't need to do anything about it.
[2:25] I want to cover it with Chuck, though, because Henry was supposed to call.
[2:29] Henry had already talked to Rogers and said he would call Colson as soon as I hung up.
[2:34] So you can tell him, too, but just be sure he understands.
[2:37] As far as Rogers is concerned, we've got to wait until we get the message around three o'clock.
[2:44] As far as Agnew is concerned, he can blast the hell out of McGovern.
[2:47] because he's out anyway and should.
[2:49] He can blast him immediately but without speculating at all.
[2:53] He can just go out and say this is really an unconscionable thing that he has done.
[2:57] So we want to have Agnew hit hard as hell today at McGovern that he would leave his poor people defenseless and so forth and so on.
[3:05] But Rogers should be held until after we get the message so we know what the hell he's going to be shooting at.
[3:10] Okay.
[3:11] And actually then we'll see what else is the following day.
[3:13] Okay.
[3:14] You can see the logic of this.
[3:16] Sure.
[3:16] Yep.
[3:17] See, for our Rogers.
[3:18] Their argument before our Rogers going was to preempt whatever North Vietnam did.
[3:23] Too late.
[3:23] It makes a lot more sense not to.
[3:25] We've already gotten a message from them saying that a message is going to be delivered.
[3:29] Right.
[3:30] Well, preempt it.
[3:32] We will have said something before.
[3:33] To have been on the record, but to lay the groundwork for charging, if it does blow, charging McGovern with the blow.
[3:41] I think it's too cute.
[3:42] I think so, too.
[3:42] Too cute.
[3:43] There isn't enough time.
[3:44] Well, plus we're going to know in a few hours anyway.
[3:47] We're going to know in three hours, the situation is.
[3:51] So we can charge him anyway.
[3:53] Charge him anyway.
[3:54] He's obviously held it up.
[3:59] But we may not want to.
[4:00] Even regardless of what they do, Bob, we don't want to be in a position of getting jittery and jumping up and down and hysterical and emotional and all that crap.
[4:10] Because the point is, as far as the people are concerned,
[4:14] Let them feel things are going along pretty well and this is just the, you know, the birth pangs of an agreement.
[4:20] That's the way to handle it.
[4:21] Handle it with a little bit of poise.
[4:26] That's what we need here.
[4:27] That's what everybody's got to do is have a little poise.
[4:30] Not to, you know, yak, yak, yak.
[4:32] Tell Chuck, I mean, to crack him on the other things.
[4:35] Okay.
[4:36] There are a lot of other things to hit on, aren't there?
[4:38] Yes, sir.
[4:39] You know.
[4:39] Sure are.
[4:40] Bang the shit on him.
[4:41] Plenty of things.
[4:43] Okay.
[4:43] Right.