Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 252-007
Date: Wednesday, April 21, 1971 at 2:54 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Scali, John A.
Recording device: Old Executive Office Building
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/252-007

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[14:39] I just talked to Henry a minute, and he will be in touch with you.
[14:45] Let me just do a nutshell.
[14:48] Oh, excuse me, how did I call you?
[14:50] Nice man.
[14:51] Oh.
[14:54] I really fell in love when the man came in and talked about how proud he was to work for 43 years to design a good, whatever it is, cost accountant.
[15:01] I know something about Weldy.
[15:03] I thought, my God, what a man.
[15:06] Almost anybody else I know would have taken the 50 bucks, too.
[15:11] He's got better education than most colleges do.
[15:14] Here's his thing.
[15:16] It's all a dream.
[15:16] I was, of course, excited while we were there.
[15:21] You're going to handle this, but it's going to be required to bring someone.
[15:25] First of all, let's check with Henry to see where I'm going.
[15:33] I'm going to let you see an athletic team.
[15:35] It's not handled by anybody.
[15:37] It's just an athletic team.
[15:38] In this case, you cannot allow this athletic team to come in here.
[15:43] The state would normally not receive the American Act or anything like that, unless, like, except when I saw, for example, the Remain in Davis Park, you might receive that because it's just for real.
[15:55] And we cannot allow these people to come over here and have the presence of the government and make a shambles on the land.
[16:05] So what we're really talking about here is the setup and procedure of it.
[16:09] And we're very close to everything that we need.
[16:12] Or it may be that we've got to find somebody who can.
[16:29] But the whole point is that we're not the other way around.
[16:35] The gossip, Bill Gossett,
[16:42] He's a very able man.
[16:49] He's married to the daughter of Chief Justice Hume.
[16:52] The former president, he is a very, you know, world-famous soldier.
[16:59] And so I suggested to him that you ought to get him down.
[17:06] The main point being is that we've got, I think the fact that this guy's talking to Gossett, and Gossett can be cold, and Gossett can sort of be, sort of,
[17:20] So this is the way we want to handle it.
[17:22] So you talk to the way it should be in terms of receiving in the event, in the event they want it.
[17:29] And it should be that way naturally.
[17:32] I will see them.
[17:34] And I am the only one that should see them because you shouldn't run them around to all other departments to see my money.
[17:42] And I can do it basically on a strict basis.
[17:45] We've got to be very careful we don't overdo it.
[17:48] They're very sensitive on this.
[17:50] We do what they do.
[17:53] This is exactly the same thing.
[17:55] So those are the things you've got to work with.
[17:57] So you sit down and make all your suggestions and so forth.
[18:02] You'll be in charge of having in mind what the law is making the state happy.
[18:06] We want to keep them happy.
[18:07] We're not trying to make anybody mad.
[18:11] Cool.
[18:12] Thank you.
[18:13] I haven't thought about it.
[18:14] I have a suggestion with you.
[18:17] Yeah, maybe in other words, that is a question I have.
[18:22] I don't know that we have, perhaps, I don't know that we have a name.
[18:27] The only thing I would say is that even if I happen to be at the wedding, I don't know, it's not a bad deal, too.
[18:35] It's an artist, in fact, from the West, from a foreign country, of course.
[18:42] I don't know, the real question is, I don't know, I think there has to be, I don't know how to really handle it.
[19:01] And because this is a special kind of visit, we want to be handled well.
[19:05] We might find, for example, somebody that's very
[19:08] very close to me, it may be we want you to, it may be you're too busy.
[19:16] I mean, what I mean is you're too, let me put it this way, it may be that you are too, how do we say, too high level.
[19:25] I'm not sure, but as far as I'm concerned, I'm willing, I feel that I'm willing to do anything that seems to be the right thing without going overboard and yet doing
[19:39] We're doing everything we possibly can, because after all, this is our nation, and now we're going to get a little credit for it.
[19:48] Of course, the interest in this thing, when they come, is one of the targets.
[19:54] My view is this.
[19:54] I'd have it pretty soon.
[19:57] I'd never bother still thinking about it.
[19:59] See what I mean?
[20:01] Do you agree?
[20:01] Because, no.
[20:02] Well, also, if you delay it, you may not have it.
[20:05] Yeah.
[20:06] Yeah, I think the thing to do is that I would kick it off fairly soon, as soon as they can conveniently do it.
[20:14] We'll arrange, of course, for somebody to create the money that they need.
[20:19] All right, these fellows are called to the meeting.
[20:22] I don't agree with the statement we're doing already.
[20:25] So we'll do the same to them, although we don't do it for another agency.
[20:29] See, this is, see, what we've got to remember is that this is not like an exchange, isn't it?
[20:34] See, exchanges, we pay, you see.
[20:36] like an exchange, an opera ballad, USIA, or whatever it is.
[20:39] Now, this is not an exchange, of course.
[20:43] This is a different, mere drill.
[20:45] So that's why you've got to come in and see what the technical side of it is.
[20:51] And then, of course, as I said, keep your lines in the space.
[20:59] Fair enough.
[21:01] All right.
[21:01] Bye.