Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 243-003
Date: Friday, February 23, 1973 at 7:15 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Wallace, George C.
Recording device: Camp David Hard Wire
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/243-003

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Hello?
[0:03] Hello?
[0:05] Governor, I wanted you to express my, the appreciation of the nation and my best wishes to those that you're having tonight for your dinner.
[0:17] And would you also say that without their courage and the courage of their wives and their mothers and the rest, we couldn't have done this.
[0:27] And also I must say with regard, without
[0:30] You and others in this country, despite all the criticism we had, stood by us to get peace and honor.
[0:43] We're just bringing them back, but it's bringing them back with our heads high rather than just getting them back for the sake of getting them back, you know.
[0:50] And that's what they were saying, weren't they?
[0:56] The two that I'm...
[0:57] Just speaking to the nation, I've got 250 congressmen, Democrats, Republicans, supporters, and all this.
[1:04] I said, they made us all proud of being Americans.
[1:09] They've inspired the country, and we really are most grateful to them.
[1:17] Let them know how we feel about that, what they've done.
[1:25] Say that we're just as proud of their wives as we are of them.
[1:28] You see, the point is that the women, they could have, you know, and a few did, but most of them stood firm and said, look, we want peace and honor.
[1:41] We don't want our husbands to come back with their heads low.
[1:45] We want them to come back with their heads high.
[1:51] Right.
[1:52] Yeah.
[1:53] That's what we see with the governor's name.
[1:58] We expect you and Mrs. Wallace, and let me say that I'm calling to say a few words as the head of the Southern Governors.
[2:06] And we're just looking forward to it.
[2:08] We're going to have a good program that night.
[2:11] It will be, you know, typical of what many of us should hear.
[2:16] We're going to have the Army Chorus and Stout-Hearted Men.
[2:21] Does that sound all right to you?
[2:23] Aye, Governor.
[2:23] Aye, Governor.
[2:27] Yeah, I heard about it, but I heard you came out well, and I really pray it for you, and I hope everything goes okay.
[2:33] Thank you very much.
[2:38] Give our best to Mrs. Wallace and all the POWs and their wives.
[2:43] Okay, goodbye.