Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 279-029
Date: Wednesday, September 22, 1971 at 5:17 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Shultz, George P.
Recording device: Old Executive Office Building
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/279-029

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:01] Hello.
[0:02] Hi, George.
[0:04] Well, what do you want me to say on the economy from the optimistic standpoint tomorrow night?
[0:07] In any particular...
[0:08] I don't want you to hit the Q&A thing, but of course, we'll probably get a lot of great numbers on this.
[0:14] In particular, if we already put a puppy on the hills.
[0:31] How do you feel?
[0:37] Particularly, you're quite aware of the lack of confidence in the leader class.
[0:52] The call has got the businessmen.
[1:03] I, for example, I think we see, we hear a lot of that.
[1:04] Of course, you're saying something like, suddenly you're showing too much of something on the lot, but you don't tell us a whole lot, do you?
[1:23] I'm curious.
[1:28] But we...
[1:32] I feel that.
[1:34] But that's what Conway, of course, says to me.
[1:36] He runs into it.
[1:36] Some of the congressmen and senators report back when they come back.
[1:41] They're really curious about the whole thing.
[1:45] It's a hard one to figure out.
[1:47] I don't know how much it weighs.
[1:55] It's down.
[1:59] It's still going.
[2:03] I feel that.
[2:28] Yeah, this figure, this month, I currently didn't have it.
[2:38] They sure have gone up.
[2:50] Well, what I mean is they deserve it.
[3:02] Yeah, that'd be easy.
[3:36] All the time.
[3:42] All right.
[3:43] Yeah.
[3:54] I get it, of course.
[3:55] Sure, hang on.
[3:59] I'll get it.
[3:59] And, yeah.
[4:02] You get that by the face.
[4:10] I don't want too long a statement.
[4:14] I'd rather just say that Congress is going to cover it next week, myself.
[4:16] And whatever I should say should be very general.
[4:19] Very general.
[4:21] Because, you know, we have too many people muddying the water.
[4:24] Here's to that.
[4:25] I'll be conciliatory, but I'll say that the Secretary's going to address those issues next week, if he's willing.
[4:32] If he's willing to allow that to be said.
[4:42] But also, as I understand it, Henry said that you're going to be here tomorrow at 9.
[4:50] But after you meet, you give me a paragraph that I can throw in, throw out when I get the question.
[4:56] So I can be just a little conciliatory, but I don't want to be very sensitive to it all.
[5:06] It's very, very...
[5:08] I was thinking this starting September 30th.
[5:36] Next week, there's no reason to try that because everybody's going to be tied up with those damn bankers.
[5:43] There's no IMF.
[5:44] But by the time they leave town, then I probably can go on this.
[5:46] Do I stay the week?
[5:50] No, we don't.
[6:00] Go out there.
[6:05] It's still not lost half part, is that correct?
[6:06] Should be.
[6:06] All right.
[6:13] Because it's not ruined because it's being resurrected.
[6:17] All right.
[6:20] Just do it.
[6:24] Do it.
[6:24] That's much better than when you do it.
[6:32] Or a cigarette.
[6:36] It's much better than having it over there in that shot.
[6:41] On this, uh, on this incident that we faced, too, uh, you see, I, I'm going to talk about it any time, but I, the way I look, I see it.
[6:49] You see, I'll be in Detroit tomorrow, and then I'll be in Alaska, and then Montana, and then Oregon in the morning, and then the weekend.
[6:58] When I get back, you know, I'll be, you know, I'll be flying all day Monday.
[7:00] So then on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,
[7:04] So it seems to me that if everybody can be ready by the 30th, I told Colin that weekend, I told him that we'd like to open the weekend.
[7:19] So that's pretty good, that's pretty good planning.
[7:32] I know you're on the ground.
[7:37] Great, great, great.
[7:41] Oh, sure, on the way back?
[7:42] Oh, yeah.
[7:43] Well, it doesn't matter.
[7:45] In fact, if you like, if you like, you can bring that.
[7:50] You can come along with people who could like you.
[7:54] It's fine doing it.
[7:56] Bring him, too.
[7:56] Bring him.
[7:56] It'd be a nice trip for him.
[7:58] It'll be empty if you'd like to come.
[8:00] And then he can come, and then you and I can talk on the way back, and I can give you the life that I have.
[8:11] Fair enough?
[8:11] I know, I know, but let's skip it.
[8:13] Let's...
[8:14] Well, I need to get a feeling about what maybe the options are because, you know, we'll have to sell our gear on it.
[8:19] And I know, I know the problems.
[8:20] You know, that's fine.
[8:22] That's fine.
[8:24] We'll have a very long flight coming back.
[8:26] Six, seven hours.
[8:27] We have a chance to talk.
[8:29] So it'll be good.
[8:34] If you would, and I'll see you if you want to make a sign, we can do it.
[8:41] Good.
[8:41] Good.