Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 189-012
Date: Wednesday, May 17, 1972 at 10:33 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Dent, Harry S.
Recording device: Camp David Hard Wire
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/189-012

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:01] Yeah.
[0:03] Well, I, uh, did you have a good time up in Connecticut?
[0:05] Uh, that's the stuff, yeah.
[0:16] Yeah, they support, support what we did in Vietnam a little bit, yeah.
[0:31] What's the price of matter at this time?
[0:32] He is out of his mind.
[0:36] They should.
[0:37] They should.
[0:38] Just before the president goes to Moscow, for any Republican, they could have gone fishing, but they should vote against him.
[0:46] Well, anyway, I tried to call you last night only to get the results from ahead now.
[0:53] But that Wallace thing was unbelievable, particularly in Michigan.
[0:58] Now that just shows you Michigan can be won.
[1:01] I mean, if we play it right, that shit's, that shit's right and I never cut it down.
[1:05] Yeah.
[1:19] Because of the sympathy and everything.
[1:29] Yeah.
[1:38] On the other hand, I would think, Harry, that he's going to have to make an awful tough decision with regard to...
[1:47] He's missed quite a few states, hasn't he, in terms of, I don't know, I don't suppose many southern states, but it's awful hard for us, I understand, for him to get into Texas, for example.
[1:56] It's pretty hard for him to get on the ballot for Michigan, I think.
[2:32] Well, we can't tell about what's going to happen in this case.
[2:34] The poor devil has got a deal signed for him.
[2:45] Incidentally, the doctor tells me that he did not take a telephone call.
[2:50] I called his wife.
[2:58] Well, I think the call is better.
[2:59] I mean, if I go by, I mean, I thought Humphrey was way out of line to go rushing out to the hospital.
[3:04] That's what he said about it.
[3:07] Well, if I do that, you may go over.
[3:20] Go over to Friday.
[3:20] Yeah.
[3:25] Yeah.
[3:29] That would probably be better than calling on the phone.
[3:32] And I won't call it.
[3:34] Yeah.
[3:34] Yeah, talk to Holland about it later.
[3:36] See if he's worried something on Friday.
[3:39] Without telling a soul, I just go out there and I wouldn't tell the press or anything else.
[3:45] And then it'll get out.
[3:47] It's getting out, not publicizing it.
[3:49] That's the way I want to do it.
[4:14] Not helping Ashbrook much these days, is it?
[4:17] Yeah.
[4:17] Oh, John.
[4:17] Too bad they didn't get the hell out.
[4:24] He ought to.
[4:25] I mean, he ought to unite, but he didn't look to.
[4:28] He's getting his ride.
[4:34] Sort of a pathetic character.
[4:35] Yeah.
[4:38] But looking at the Democratic side, who's going to get nominated here?
[4:40] Teddy.
[4:42] Connelly still thinks it's going to be Teddy.
[4:53] Well, what surprised me is that he beat Humphrey, Michigan.
[4:58] Good God.
[5:04] Where?
[5:06] Really?
[5:22] yeah yeah just like we did in 68 yeah well i think the real test is california if he could if he could win that damn thing i don't it might be impossible to stop me what do you think
[6:05] Harry, how could Hubert make a deal with Wallace after what he said about him?
[6:11] What do you think?
[6:34] The McGovern people may want to stick with McGovern.
[6:38] They really feel that way, don't they?
[7:02] On Wallace's.
[7:04] I mean, you think it worries him.
[7:06] You think it worries him.
[7:19] I imagine what the other reasons are.
[7:24] Well, anyway, it's not Bell, is it?
[7:25] Well, I'll tell you the best decision, I'll just tell an old Kissinger.
[7:29] I said, you know,
[7:30] It was the toughest decision any president's made since World War II.
[7:34] But it's certainly, in my opinion, the best one I've made was that Vietnam.
[7:39] However it comes out, it's the right thing to do.
[7:42] And you know, we had no, as I'm sure you know, except for just among us, except for Meg Connolly, we had no strong support.
[7:55] But I would say the others all have gone around beautifully.
[7:57] Larry Rogers has done great since we've done it.
[7:59] But you know what I mean?
[8:01] But we had to do it.
[8:03] And I mean, some people say, well, will it work?
[8:06] And the point is, I'm damn sure nothing else would have worked.
[8:11] And we've now got these people where it's changed the morale of the South Vietnamese.
[8:15] It's helped the morale of our own forces out there.
[8:18] And I think it's helped the morale of all the people of this country.
[8:21] What do you think?
[8:44] I heard that one.
[8:48] Good, good, good, good.
[8:50] All right.
[8:54] Yeah.
[8:55] Well, one thing.
[8:56] Well, there's still going to be some battles won and lost in Vietnam.
[9:01] I don't think it's going to make that much difference now because they know that we've thrown down the gauntlet.
[9:07] These bastards are either going to play or that's it.
[9:11] We'll try.
[9:13] We'll try.
[9:14] We'll try.
[9:14] OK, Eric.
[9:15] Bye.