Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 225-028
Date: Thursday, November 16, 1972 at 8:51 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Magner, John G.
Recording device: Camp David Hard Wire
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/225-028

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] This is a modification of the form that is being sent to the foreign heads of state and foreign leaders who sent us wires after the election.
[0:12] The first sentence of our modification, which will basically be the of the new form, will be the same as the second one.
[0:25] The foreign heads of state and foreign leaders who sent us wires after the
[0:36] or letters of congratulations after the election.
[0:42] The first sentence of this form, the new form, will be the same as the one that I wrote out by hand, correcting the old form.
[0:52] The second and third sentences should be somewhat along these lines.
[0:55] I'm not rigid on this, and it can be slightly varied if the people in such a new time think so, but I want it to be in this tone.
[1:11] We have the best.
[1:28] It was my third.
[1:42] I've had the best opportunity since the end of World War II to project, to build a lasting peace in the world.
[2:04] I work with you and other world leaders.
[2:13] to go to people who were not in this campaign, but who had been in previous campaigns, or if they were in this campaign, they were in only tangentially.
[2:35] And Al Cole, Cliff Folger, who made contributions, but who was not a resource group.
[2:41] or if they were in all of them
[3:12] the general forum, as I would do, they look back on the election, November 7th, and realize that a landslide of such massive proportions could not possibly have been built in one campaign.
[3:44] have helped me along the way and have stood by me in defeat as well as in victory.
[3:56] And my wires and letters are pouring in from all over the United States and all over the world.
[4:06] And they're calling me on our great victory.
[4:11] If you're a bit of gratitude.
[4:13] We did it in 19...
[4:14] and here it is in 1968, the case of something.
[4:24] We'll be here about 20 minutes early.
[4:28] Would you like me to take you to Laurel?
[4:29] Yes, of course.
[4:32] We'll take you there, and I'll let you know.
[4:33] I'm finished.
[4:35] Thanks, sir.
[4:36] Why don't we meet here?
[4:36] We'll be here about 20 minutes until 10.
[4:40] You can help.
[4:40] You can, uh, uh, take him to Laurel, and I'll, uh, and Rick and, uh,
[4:43] I'll give you a ring over there as soon as I'm done, because I've done a bunch of things here before.
[4:50] Okay, I'll hand it to the board also, sir.
[4:51] Yeah, yeah, you can come over, yeah.
[4:53] At quarter to, quarter to, you just, you come over at quarter to.
[4:57] All right, sir.
[4:58] You can just say that, that I'll take you to Laurel and get him a cup of coffee and then bring him over to quarter to.
[5:06] Yes, sir.
[5:06] Ah, listen.
[5:06] Sir.
[5:07] Oh, no, no, that's all right, that's fine, thank you.
[5:14] The campaign has succeeded.
[5:23] We're ready to build it for the victories which came in 1968 and 19.
[5:37] Now we can go to a fellow like McClellan, who was our chairman in California in 1962.
[5:40] Some of those 1952 people.
[5:44] People should receive the fees and adjust the forms accordingly so that they can be personalized.
[6:09] As far as stands, they're hard.
[6:10] We must go to thousands of contributors and workers and get something to campaign.
[6:15] uh during this uh great battle
[6:45] Viciously liable to the press.
[6:55] Good.
[6:55] But of which you had no knowledge.
[7:03] I've been almost unbearable.
[7:06] I shall...
[7:17] That takes you to, as I once, I recently told Pat Brown, if I was governor, I would never have been president.
[7:36] So consequently, that may have been a blessing in disguise.
[7:42] In 1968, you took up the work again.
[7:44] And when the old Republican financial establishment set it in hand,
[7:47] because of their support of Rockefeller or Romney at all, he built an entirely new establishment.
[8:01] He started our cause then, and continued to support it through 1970 and 1972.
[8:09] Watergate was forgotten.
[8:11] Maury Stanton will be remembered as probably the best finance chairman that either party has had in the nation's history.
[8:17] That's my evaluation.
[8:24] And if I ever get around to writing a book about elections, our very best wishes to Kathleen and to you.
[8:37] That's all.
[8:38] The last 30 days I've been trying to work out, I've been trying to develop some form letters to be sent to the thousands of volunteers
[8:46] financial contributors, campaign workers, et cetera, across the country who helped to victory last November 7th possible.
[9:01] I used to say I could find no foreign letter which would adequately cover your contribution period.
[9:16] for such a landslide victory.
[9:21] The media would say that it was typical bold of Nixon to say that without any one person, we would not have won.
[9:44] It is understatement when I say that without John Mitchell running our campaign in 68, serving as attorney general in the first three years of the administration, and then as campaign chairman and advisor in 1972, landslide in American political history.
[10:15] made over the next four years.
[10:24] In some way, justifies their sacrifices to God.