Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 282-030
Date: Wednesday, October 20, 1971 at 5:33 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Mitchell, John N.
Recording device: Old Executive Office Building
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/282-030

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Yeah.
[0:00] All right.
[0:01] Hello.
[0:03] Yeah.
[0:03] Not for that.
[0:08] I'm just great.
[0:09] But he's a hell of a scholar.
[0:25] Hard to go to law school.
[0:26] Not that the father seems ridiculous.
[0:31] Anyway, it's so outstanding.
[0:33] Just give me a damn strong statement in regard to how superb and qualified he is.
[0:41] I've been prepared for this.
[0:42] I'm going to do this.
[0:55] I'm going to do it.
[0:57] I'm going to do it.
[0:58] I've heard from him.
[1:08] I, uh, you know, I still think the record was sent to the man with the possibility, you know, to get the job done.
[1:13] I just, I know it doesn't do much for everybody.
[1:17] You know, you're going to get an answer.
[1:20] The guy's record is just a hell of a record.
[1:25] And, uh, you've got to say to his law firm, Bob Jackson, he's going to qualify.
[1:28] Yeah, I would say he's going to qualify.
[1:39] Turn down Friday?
[1:41] Oh, I'll be there.
[1:45] Oh, and how about Lily wasn't there?
[1:49] I wasn't interested, not qualified.
[1:51] Great, great, great.
[1:53] Yeah.
[2:00] Well, are they gonna put that out?
[2:04] Well, we'll put it out.
[2:06] Get that out.
[2:08] Well, we've got to do it, I think, before we make the damn count.
[2:15] All right, good.
[2:18] But they said that she was as good as any one of them.
[2:20] That's nice.
[2:20] Well, then the stat curating thing is going to hurt her even more.
[2:31] Okay.
[2:36] All right.
[2:37] All right.
[2:39] Yeah, that's right.
[2:41] That's right.
[2:42] That's right.
[2:47] It's not the fact that you cannot have the President's choices, the sole service government also, and good men tolerating this and that.
[2:55] That's what's happening.
[2:57] And it's not going to happen again.
[3:05] I want you to prepare one.
[3:07] You prepared it.
[3:07] You put it out for the rest of the day.
[3:12] Now you have to wait for the following day.
[3:13] Yeah.
[3:14] Yeah.
[3:16] Yeah.
[3:16] Yeah.
[3:20] So, yeah.
[3:30] Hello, tomorrow night, John.
[3:35] Baker doesn't say no, say yes, but I do.
[3:36] I really lean very strongly to Reckless.
[3:38] Somewhere or other, I think it's such a surprise that they don't have the problem that's law on their clients and all that kind of sort of stuff.
[3:50] If you feel comfortable with it, all right.
[3:56] That's the way I do it.
[3:59] Either Baker or Reckless.
[4:01] All right with you.
[4:04] So prepare something.
[4:07] God damn it, Baker should diddle us along like this.
[4:10] Yeah.
[4:12] All right.
[4:17] When does he get back?
[4:25] You've got to call in to him, have you?
[4:26] Well, I want him laid right on the line.
[4:29] We're not going to wait.
[4:31] I want to go up.
[4:32] You see, with this far out, you realize if that'll cause it'll leak.
[4:35] I'm just not going to be peeking over the head of it all weekend.
[4:38] I'm going to make the announcement tomorrow night at 730.
[4:41] Okay.
[4:41] I'm going to make the decision to go at 730.
[4:49] I'll know all the requirements in time.
[4:57] Fair enough.
[4:58] And it'll either be on the year one rank list
[5:00] I just think Rehnquist is made to order.
[5:09] Rehnquist is done in that category.
[5:11] Okay, that's what it is.
[5:14] It's either Powell, Baker, or Powell, Rehnquist.
[5:16] Fair enough.
[5:17] And I may, we'll get out now, but I'll make you know tomorrow night.
[5:23] Fair enough.
[5:24] Does that bother you?
[5:32] I'm just trying to keep that, uh, man, you see what I mean?
[5:35] They'll think we're gonna go against the law, or they can convert our way to the morning.
[5:38] I just want another name, understand?
[5:43] Just you and I know the names.
[5:44] Don't worry, I haven't briefed this man about it.
[5:46] I mean, how old they've been, you know.
[5:49] Just, just do it, I don't know.
[5:52] See, what I meant is that I think we ought to tell the victors, and I will make, you know, a separate timeline.
[6:04] No one else tonight.
[6:06] Yeah, build it up.
[6:09] Well, it'll knock the hell out of me.
[6:15] They'll think it's the road next to the bar.
[6:16] I really think we ought to build it up right away.
[6:21] That's right.
[6:22] Is that all right with you now?
[6:24] All right.
[6:26] Yeah.
[6:27] Okay.
[6:28] Yeah.
[6:28] All right.
[6:29] That's what I'm going to say.
[6:31] Come on.
[6:34] Thank you.