On February 7, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 3:50 pm to 4:40 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 319-011 of the White House Tapes.
Transcript (AI-Generated)This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.
Well, I have to go see Long about this welfare business.
Dean of the Duke Law School brought this by.
Clears your souvenirs.
This is your procedures class.
All right, pull it.
All right.
She's been there last week.
She said she made a great hit.
Yeah.
All right, what class did all the guys drop off?
It wasn't a very big class to begin with.
50.
45, maybe.
Well, it's the dean.
His name's Snead.
He's a very classy Republican.
Well, I'm interested in him.
He's a fellow that the bond board recommended to the court.
Yeah.
Is that good?
Yeah.
Well, I talked to him about bussing and a lot of things, and he's very strong.
Keep it in mind.
Yeah.
He's, uh, old.
I would guess about, uh, 52, something like that.
His wife was with him, and she lives about that age.
What is his background?
Law school?
I'm not sure where he went to law school.
He's been teaching at Stanford for about eight or ten years.
I don't know where he was before that.
And that's how I got an introduction to him.
He was back there.
But he asked me to come in.
He is a relaxing guy, I think.
He's got a funny muscle spasm.
His head's tipped over to one side.
But very bright, very obviously quite conservative, good Republican.
It must be a bit of Republican politics in California.
I don't know how that happened.
But I don't know.
You know, you sort of wonder how that might have been.
So here's...
Heidi said, apparently you've been pretty busy in California State politics.
These are new old players.
Let's remember, you know, mine, you know, you never know, like a sister, you know.
Yeah, definitely.
Yeah, I know.
It's that kind of thing.
He says you're most welcome at the law school.
That's the only place that let me on.
I told him about my experience there.
Yeah, well, it was good.
I wanted to just take about 15 minutes to run through this blessing thing.
We had the lawyers in the business that can't do it for a day and a half.
and boiling that all down, it seems like there are several reasonably possible things that you can do.
And my preference is the first, and it is for you to support one of the existing proposals in principle, rather than to develop your own language and launch it
That's a hard question.
I'm inclined to think later rather than sooner.
We think there is a way for you to answer the questions.
You answer the questions by saying, and interestingly enough, Tom Steed is the one who suggested this.
He's the sponsor of the discharge petition.
He said there would be some resentment in the House if the president were to involve himself in the question of whether there should be a rule, whether the discharge petition should be signed and that kind of thing.
The discharge petition for country?
Yes.
And basically it's the Baker-Brock constitutional amendment.
But the president could notice the problem, could say that the court rulings are confusing
that they are the source of great controversy and concern for the American people, and that when you get into a situation like that, it is appropriate for the Congress to address the subject and to develop new law, which in this case might necessarily be a constitutional amendment.
it would be sufficient unto itself for you simply to notice the people's dilemma, so to speak, without taking a formal position in favor of the discharge petition or in favor of an amendment as such.
He said that Sellers' maneuver in the judiciary is to filibuster, and that Calmer is trying to get a majority in the Rules Committee to give this a ruling.
And that Democrats are one of them.
They're running away from it as fast as they can.
Steve is holding their feet to the fire.
He thinks it's good politics.
He says that there are no Democratic candidates, as far as he's concerned, except Jackson.
And obviously Jackson has no chance.
And so he says the Democrats don't deserve to elect a president this time.
And so there's a little trauma.
Yeah.
And he said, but those of us that aren't going to be around want to take a position on this issue.
And he said, more and more of my colleagues are beginning to get informed.
And they're adding names to the petition.
But he said, it would be misunderstood if the president urged anybody to sign the petition.
It would be misunderstood if he urged the House Rules Committee.
It would be misunderstood if he endorsed the Baker-Brock Amendment at this time.
Well, so much for that as a possibility, right?
Second possibility is for you to submit and advocate a new constitutional amendment of your own.
And we've got one, two, three, four, five, six different possibilities, any one of which would do the job.
They're all hard to explain.
They're all hard to defend because of the problem that is going to crop up regardless of what you do.
And that is that any of these, including Baker Drive,
invite the South to backslide and re-institute the dual school system.
Now, there's a way to cosmetically treat that by adding a clause that says, uh, nothing contained herein shall permit a school district to return to a de-journeyed dual school system.
Maybe that doesn't have any impact technically, but it would be good in politics.
And that leads to the next suggestion.
That is, before you leave for China, you call Baker and Brock and Lent and Steve down to the White House for a meeting.
And you ask them their opinion on this problem.
And they tell you about the amendment.
And then you say, well, I'm concerned about the South and backsliding, and I'd like to have you work with my Justice Department and the GW people to try and
guaranteed that we don't have any backsliding in the South.
The probability is that they would say, thank you, Mr. President, we'd be glad to work with you.
And that would hold the situation until you get back and probably for a good deal of time after that.
And then it might lead to Baker and Brock sponsoring an addition to their amendment, which would be theirs, that would simply say, nothing contained herein would permit backsliding in New Jersey.
If they did that, then you would be in a position at a later time, if you wished to espouse it, or you could take the position, well, I'm for the principle.
I saw this problem.
I made this suggestion.
They didn't seem fit to adopt it.
That troubles me some.
You have quite a lot of flexibility after that.
But you have shown interest.
You have brought the sponsors of this thing down.
You've discussed it with them.
And you sort of align yourself with them by the fact of the meeting without having to come out and take a position.
And that's a new result in itself.
Now, there are other ways to go.
Eliot thinks that a legislative approach is a good approach.
And he's given me a memo to you, and he's given me some language that would be possible, that in effect is a Baker-Brock approach.
except it's by legislation and it's directed to the courts.
It says the courts can't do this and can't do that by way of remedy.
And so that's a possibility, but our reaction, more than my reaction to Elliott's proposal is there are many things that's wrong with that as with doing a constitutional amendment.
And if you're gonna do the one, you might as well do the other and take the whole hawk and occupy the whole.
It would be like hunting for a sheep as a goat.
It has kind of an intriguing aspect, drop a bomb on the North, drop a cannon.
Why not?
His has kind of an intriguing angle to it, and that is it says that you may not bus a child farther than the interval of time.
That is, the interval of time may not be greater than the interval of time required for that child to walk to the nearest neighborhood school, which is kind of a cute thing.
So, there's that possibility.
Then finally, and there were some strong advocates for this position after we've been all over, examined every alternative and come back to it.
Oh, terrific.
We've got a good group.
This guy that's taking rent this place is a damn good man.
I got to know him, and he was aboard from the first night.
Elliot's guy was highly qualified.
He's a liberal.
a lawyer from Massachusetts, but once he got his marching orders, he was good and understood the problem.
And this was a damn good group, and I think that was very productive.
But anyway, at the end, we came back and said, well, why should we do anything?
And there is a very strong case to be made for simply restating your present position.
I'm against busing to achieve racial balance on four neighborhood schools, and to just keep pounding that and pounding that and pounding that and say nothing about the amendments.
until the Democratic convention.
And then once the Democratic candidate is chosen, take a reading on who it is and what his posture has been, and then make your election.
You're going up.
Well, now, that's the danger there is the Democratic candidate for that time.
He's fighting for himself.
Well, we don't think that's too likely.
If he does, then you attack him.
on the ground that he's going to permit the South off the hook.
See, he's got the same problem that we have with those of you right now.
Oh, there's lots of votes in the North with the liberals, with his constituency.
I assure us.
Well, that's right.
I mean, it's going to cost him.
It isn't going to get you anything.
Regardless, maybe, maybe.
Well, anyway.
But that's the long story.
You don't believe that the Democratic candidate in other regions
That's an option.
We don't think he does.
We don't think he will think he does.
What do you think, as a matter of fact, though, that there are a considerable number of columns and others now concluding that the Democratic candidates will all have to come out against Bush?
Well, all but McGovern.
All but McGovern, of course.
The House Ops got a cute little piece this morning about how McGovern almost lost his soul.
And
He came out against Buston.
And Mankiewicz and Joe Brown got to him and turned him around on the last night of his four years in the White House.
So he's not against Buston.
He's in favor of Buston.
But he almost was against him.
He was so impressed with the arguments of Stuart Alsop and a couple other people that he said to Stuart Alsop, well,
I can see that the next time I'm asked, I'm going to have to say that I'm against Muskie.
I think he's pretty well hooked where he is.
I think Muskie and Humphrey have both come across.
I think given the Florida situation, it will have to support the amount of men busing.
Yeah.
Well, it leads you right where you are.
You're against busing.
Now, I think you can get a good deal of visibility.
That would allow them, John, basically to become viable candidates in the South.
The South is very important to us.
Yeah, here's what George Wallace is doing, and I don't know if this is really getting the kind of play in the South that it should.
He rolls up a sheet of paper and a round.
He says, I have here the voting records of all the Democratic senators who were running for president.
And he says, this record shows that every one of them has voted for busing.
Every one of them has voted against neighborhood schools.
Every one of them has voted for the consolidation of your school districts with other school districts.
Well, he doesn't say that.
Does he?
Oh, I didn't know that.
Well, anyway, he's pounding them all over the head.
Jackson thought enough of that yesterday that on Meet the Press, he answered and said, that's not true.
He said, I am the only one who has my child in public school with blacks.
And then he went on to expand on the harm to children and so on and so forth.
So he made a flat denial.
I'm not sure that Muskie or either one could be a credible candidate on this issue with Nassau because of their record.
They've developed strong evidence in their record with children around them.
Muskie's got a straddle on him right now when he's answering questions.
There's only one really who's on equipment at the moment.
I think they're both going to have to get on equipment if they're going to make any sort of dent.
I am drawn to the idea of your meeting with Baker Croft.
as a symbol.
And then, out of that meeting, on your return from China, a follow-up meeting with Elliot, the Attorney General.
And then, by then, we'll know what's happened to the discharge petition and the rule and so on.
And you have written over the necessity of
What would I do with Baker and Brock?
How would that come out?
What would they go out and say?
They'd go out and say, we're greatly encouraged in the President's interest in the idea of a constitutional amendment.
He didn't commit himself to support it.
He told us of some problems that he has with the
the specific language of our amendment, and he's tendered us to...
He agrees with the goal, but he believes that the language is very important, and he's asked us to consider this.
He's given us the experts in the executive branch...
I haven't come out.
I think I've got the positive that the President supports our goal, but a constitutional amendment, he believes, has got very, very promising traction, and he's asked us to work with him.
Is that what you mean?
Yes.
That commits you to either join them or break with them at some time in the future.
You could even take a break of balance, you see, in the future.
We have been able to work out an agreed upon language between the administration and the senators, but on balance, because of the principle that's involved, I will support their amendment.
That keeps you to some reservations.
When is the first court decision going to come down?
Is that sort of going to fall?
I don't know.
The Richmond thing, of course, is working its way through the courts.
John Mitchell's taken a position on that publicly, which is against it.
He said he doesn't know whether it's appropriate for the federal government to get in on that case.
You'll surely get a question on that at the press conference if you admit only to domestic questions.
And the answer that we propose for you is that you don't know technically whether it's appropriate for the federal government to be involved, but you view with considerable alarm any breakdown of local units of government in a situation like this.
Just a general sort of statement of principle.
I couldn't think of any graceful way for you to say you didn't appoint that judge.
The court is the court.
But as far as court cases, there are going to be several consolidation cases decided in the Midwest in the next four or five months.
I think one good thing that's going to come out of this campaign is a lot more faithful adherence to your policy by
A.G.W.
and justice.
This whole exercise is going to work better.
I don't need a decision from you now at all.
I want you to just feel for the rain also because time flies.
That's it.
If you get a little time on the airplanes over Florida over the weekend or coming back to focus on this, I'll try and have
I've been praying for you in such a shape that you've been decided.
Where do you plan to go?
Well, all right.
I'll be there.
Rather than to come.
I plan to go down.
All right.
I'm going to take Colin down.
That's right.
Well, I can use the rest.
That'd be great, right?
You just go down.
If you spend the time right there, it'd be just wonderful.
I'd be the one to come.
All right.
Yes, sir.
Well, it's a terrible decision to make.
The thing that concerns me, and I know the politics is to be against it.
I know also that the standpoint of the country is wrong, that to divide this country black and white and the president is against black people is bad.
I don't like to have the professional blacks, a few of which would be bitter at the moment, all going out and saying Christ Almighty, the president's against us.
Steve claims, and I just had lunch with him, so I'm a little fresh on this.
Steve claims that 90% of the blacks in his district are opposed to busing.
Now, that's Oklahoma.
There are no professional blacks.
I didn't rank quite Oklahoma.
You know, perhaps there's a bigger national group.
Roy Ennis is against busing.
Well, of course, he would, you know.
Vernon Jordan, I've talked to.
He's for it.
but he's for it because it's a civil.
It's a civil rights.
He says he'd fight you.
He wouldn't have any choice.
He hasn't established his leadership role yet.
He really wouldn't have any choice.
But he thinks I have no choice.
That's right.
He knows.
I haven't asked anybody else.
I can have Bob Brown do some sounding if you want.
Your first option is the best one.
I agree that the legislative option is right or nice and so forth.
all the trouble that the Constitutional one does.
And it's also put us in a position that somebody else has to do, and we have to have to do.
I would rather be in a position of supporting, if somewhat even reluctantly, the Constitutional amendment, with the added praise that the dual school system... Well, keep a... Well, I wouldn't speak to the dual school system argument, because...
I didn't try not to.
I didn't try it on him.
I had to be a little careful about tipping my hand.
Baker and Brock, I think, would be four minutes.
I think so, too.
And Lent is a freshman congressman in Long Island, in the Des Moines State School District, who is the sponsor of the Baker-Brock Amendment in my house.
So it's got to be known as the Lent Amendment.
And probably it would be a bad idea to have him there.
But why the hell is he...
He's a young, bright, conservative Republican, and I think Baker and Brock just picked him out and decided that he has no scars on him, and he's the one to have them.
In the Senate, you've got Bobby Griffin.
Yes.
No, he's got a different one.
He's got one of his own.
He's got them, man.
He's got one.
His isn't quite as good, so he's been the problem.
Oh, yeah.
He's the problem.
Yeah.
Well, I don't know, man.
But I mentioned Griffin because he's deliberately decided it's a matter of high politics that he's going to take on the Negro establishment in Jersey and go for the whites and the other Negroes.
Right, absolutely.
Jerry Ford has signed with his term position.
All the way from H.R.
Groves to Bobby Griffin.
Well, I think your strategy is good.
I think if you were to prepare for me, John, or Thursty, it may just be limited to one.
But if any domestic things come up, this one probably is the most likely.
Well, Pat's been working on this.
We may get one.
We may get one.
We have that in budget.
I don't worry about the budget.
We've got...
I think a pretty full range of domestic answers.
Well, he's cutting them down.
I'm talking to him.
That's right.
So if you would prefer the answer in terms of why don't we say I'm going to meet with Senator Rafe and Senator Dock and Congressmen and discuss the situation.
I think that's a good thing.
Have the meeting on Monday.
I hope we may not discuss it then.
There's some problems on the language.
I'm in favor of the goal that a constitutional amendment is something that must not be lightly or must not be carelessly or incorrectly drawn.
It must live with the ages.
It must not be a temporary problem.
It must not be retrogressive.
partners with me and ended the Jewish school system.
I think some of them would object to frankly not turning their back on the Jewish movement.
Now you can talk in terms of keeping faith with the South.
Well, the South has moved in this area and I'm sure they will not be able to do it again.
In other words, you're not now going to oppose something that will treat the North with greater preference than we have.
is that we demand it with a sign.
We keep in faith with a sign.
By being even-handed, it must be even-handed in its application.
That's why we cannot have a situation which allows the, which in any way counts as de jure segregation.
Or a sign.
So, I think certain things are going to be with them.
And after the meeting, they go out and say to the president, I'm going to ask you to do further with the staff.
And we continue the meeting.
And when we come back, about March or April, we, let's see what we're buying.
About March or April, we're still not going to be moving at all.
Well, we may be.
We may be at that point.
In other words, the seller starts his hearings the first of March.
Until he gets through, we can say.
At that time, you may find must be.
Have you moved against or for the amendment?
Yeah, but you see, you've already highballed off your press conference and your meeting with Baker and Brock.
The president considers constitutional amendment.
It's right up there.
He's going to force that.
Yeah.
And you're in ahead.
It'd be pretty hard for them to ever get that away from you at that point.
Do you think so?
I think so.
It was very useful.
Very useful.
It's dang good all the way around.
I get cheek and jowl with these guys for a while.
I'm just talking to them.
I'm talking to them.
I had a promo with Bill Clausen's son.
He's working with Morgan.
It's good news.
I said things quickly.
One, I saw Bill Marion a while ago.
And he has talked to Jack Anderson and found out exactly what he has in him.
And he had sent a reporter out to the coast, and Don had talked to the reporter.
Anderson had a gift of a ship, and Don didn't know he was a reporter.
He met him in Calhoun Holmes' office and gave him a big sales pitch, and went out and had lunch with him, along with his John Myers and his organization.
He was a gunman and a crook, yeah.
And the whole thing was just all out there.
He's got 10 people seeing his face and stuff.
So Marriott softened it quite a lot.
Marriott's estimate now is that it's been Marriott softened for, well, I'll tell you, two of the three aspects.
Anderson buys the proposition that you have admonished Don not to have anything to do with any piece of business that involves the government.
He's been very strong on that.
Well, Merritt thinks he will.
He also will absolve Merritt on specific deals that he had tips on, on airlines.
Merritt said he gave him all the dates and all the facts, and they were all done before Don.
Except for the Anastas deal.
Anderson, all the dates of negotiations and so forth to show that Don
had not been the efficient cause of Americans shifting its business and so on.
But there's no question about Don going to Athens and getting the Amasis deal, and that'll hang out there.
And that's the only one that merits going to the Amasis.
Those deals don't worry you too much, you know.
If you think of, you know, an operating airline deal, it will come down pretty hard on Don.
And it would come down pretty hard on his son.
Because he told this guy all about his son being in with Mesquil and how I had objected to his having anything to do with the deal and had talked to him like a Dutch uncle, but that he'd gone and done it anyway.
Yeah.
And John Deholtis didn't know he was a reporter, but who the hell did he think he was?
I have any idea.
Any idea.
So it'll come down pretty hard on that count down there.
And Bill says he just doesn't see how he can hold Anderson off of that.
So that'll start to run Friday, and it'll run Friday, Monday, Tuesday.
I've got to go ahead and get Don back here tomorrow night and set this meeting up for one scene.
Doesn't this make it imperative that I not see him or that you agree?
Strap his hand all the way around.
I think you've got to tell Mitchell.
Yeah.
So are you sure that Marion didn't send this guy out to get Don to see him or something?
Well, I just wonder how Don couldn't be that dumb.
Well, and you know he was a reporter.
This guy knew John Myers, this reporter.
And he said to Myers, I'd like to meet Don next year.
And Myers fixed it up.
It was a good thing.
Don was proud of Myers.
This is Don over at Myers' and Moe from the Goddamn Hughes.
Yeah.
Well, this wasn't just last week.
This has been several months ago.
This was probably before the Hughes deal broke.
Don had this meeting.
Yeah.
But they've been sitting on this, you see.
The story about the Democrats having commitments to Anderson is a lot of foodie.
Anderson generated this himself.
And he talked about the service contacts, the armed services contacts with Alomar.
And he talked about his stock deal with Alomar.
And he talked about his binders fee on the Air West deal.
And he didn't agree.
No, he didn't.
He said he should have.
But the film's made all the money on it.
I mean, it's just all hanging out there.
Well, does Don, did he or did he not, I'm glad you pointed out that you tried to keep Don in the film.
Yeah.
But the other point is that Don, if he's cut across, did he or did he not make it clear that...
that I tried to keep the son of a bitch out of all kinds of places.
No, he did what Merriam did.
Merriam said he made that point very strongly with Anderson, and Anderson fought for it.
Merriam made what?
That you had instructed the Merriams that under no circumstances was Don to ever compromise the administration by any of his activities.
Which is true.
Yeah, that's right.
That's right.
I pitched him on it.
That only covers Merriam's people.
Yeah, I'm covering how long it does.
Well, I think that what he was working toward was getting Anderson to write that anything Don did that was improper was on his own.
Because Murray, he sold Anderson.
That's what he said.
I hope he's right.
I mean, who knows?
Who knows?
Maybe the Mormonism runs that deep.
But, you know, it's a little bit, you know, to be fair, John, I mean, I understand, but that's a legitimate story.
Goddamn, John is dumb.
He's dumb enough to talk to somebody.
He's as guilty as him.
Yeah.
No, I mean, not dumb enough to talk to somebody.
Goddamn.
You're guilty of something.
Hang on.
Yeah.
Yeah.
One benefit of this, which of course is undoubtedly fair to you, is its timing.
Yes, sir.
You know, they'd all try to throw this crap in the last day of the night camp, especially the election.
And the fact that Don has been farting around for so many years, well, it might cause him to turn his sails a little bit for the rest of the time, too.
That's what occurred.
It went down in November.
Now, the other thing is that I tried to get married to hire Don Junior.
He wouldn't have struck out.
He said he didn't have a hotel far enough away.
Don't you really have to date Don Junior just to find some cash?
Maybe.
When did you know him?
It occurs to me that... Well... Where he belongs.
I really don't know what the hell to do with him.
I really don't.
Is Don asking for a job for you?
No.
But he doesn't know he's fired yet.
That's it.
Yeah, I've got to call him and get him in here and tell him to quit.
I think the way I'll do this is through John Mitchell to Senator Sears in New Jersey, and the best way is later.
Just have Vesco can him and send him home.
Have Vesco can him right away.
Would you do that?
Yeah, I guess they were sorry.
You know what you do now.
Mitchell's over across the street, and I'd better catch him and get this started up.
I would say that I'd do it right away and get him the hell out of a can.
Yeah.
I'm getting a little bit of transportation.
I'm getting out of there.
But if your plan, if your information is that he did misdemean, well, that's Donald's story.
That's his story.
No, I don't have any evidence.
CIA reports are all made.
Well, well, well.
After all, that isn't a hurt.
Screwing around is a hurt.
He's strange.
He's got a funny...
He's got a strange look on his eye.
Yeah, and I'm kind of a...
I've known one other guy like him in my life.
Very erratic, unpredictable sort of murder.
What do you mean?
He's got a... Yeah, I mean, he's just liable to do anything.
I was going to go.
We just have to think that he came by the action.
Maybe.
Maybe.
He was done.
or were you in that room?
I did.
Why did you?
Oh, John, you're... And you checked on Johnny Meyer and Don Swarbrine.
What'd you tell him?
I read the reports.
And convinced him.
Terrible guys wouldn't have anything more to do with it.
Johnny Meyer came in with a guy.
Took this guy to Calmar Homes, introduced him.
Don was there.
And Don went out to dinner with us.
And Don went to lunch.
And the lunch is, he said, well, I've already had lunch, but I'll go with you.
And then he ordered a hamburger, a chocolate milkshake, and fried potatoes, and ate them.
It was very good stuff.
This guy makes quite a point of that in the story.
I mean, the reporter, you know, he said, well, that's not so important.
Well, I think, John, that just so that we're sure, because I don't want to be caught with this thing this week.
Are you going to have Eddie come too?
Yeah, I think I've got him.
And you're going to have the, I'd bring your meeting to the different parts.
I wouldn't have Rose sitting on all this gory detail.
But I'd have, I must say,
Well, it depends.
I'd like her to sit in on the part where they explain their plan.
Well, that, by all means.
That and all the rest, but I've got to say... And on the part where we tell them how things are going to be from here on, I think she should be in for the credibility she lends to it.
Right.
Now, I think you take...
He said he was stone silent.
Really?
So I expect he will not want to see you in certain circumstances.
He said he was stone silent?
Yeah.
He's got a few.
We really do.
We're so dumb he doesn't know what I'm getting caught up in.
He's got a feeling I've heard walls on him.
Yeah, because Marriott read this a couple of times.
Yeah.
And that Anderson has it all.
Yeah.
Anderson's confusing.
His one reaction was he says, I'll sue him.
And Marriott said, well, he said you have been aroused to sue him.
It's all true, isn't it?
well then let me come again now let's not leave the option open well let's consider it closed and then if there's any problem arising from the meeting of any sort
We'll let you know.
But if you don't hear from us, you can assume that we haven't.
Yes, we don't have any problem.
But I think we should just say that, Don, it's not your interest.
It would be better for you not to talk here with your brother.
You're not good because of the light of this.
You're involved.
This is the last I propose to say to you about that subject.
I wouldn't get disability.
It occurs to me that we've got to sort of compartmentalize our words.
He has to handle it, and he has to block it.
That's something that should come up.
He's going to have to do it in China.
I don't think that's the problem.
if he wants to be.
Now, he's indicated that he'd like to find something up in the Northwest.
And I can get him something up there.
Let me tell you that if we need, you know, if you need, not to doubt, not to, we'll just, I want to marry him before he keeps me down.
He says he will.
He will?
I wonder with regard to Eddie,
I wonder if you can find me something like this.
Oh, I'm just buying a job.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
What do you mean?
Oh, Donnie.
Oh, he's alive.
Oh, hell, I don't know what.
I don't know.
I don't know.
Maybe Mitchell's got some friends in New York.
There he goes out.
He's over here somewhere.
Oh, shit.
Get him.
Get him the hell out of the country somewhere.
Yeah, but the trouble is, what other country?
Let me tell you, as you know, there's always some cash around left from the other campaign.
I don't know what it is.
We probably spent about three times, but I guess not.
But, you know, Bob has some.
I think your boss has got some.
And use it if you need.
I mean, I wouldn't be a guy to have a lot, but what would you do?
Suppose you wanted to just cash in on it.
What the hell would you do with it?
Well, I know a guy that's got
international business.
If we could give a guy somewhere, find a way to give a guy $500,000, that's what it would be.
But this did not enter into possession at all.
So we had to do that.
Well, I'm waiting for suggestions.
You have to do a jump.
No, but it's not unusual.
It's like a fully gone scenario.
Yeah.
And that wasn't bad.
Well, in a way, it was worse.
I'd rather look and see.
Yeah.
But that was embarrassing.
It wasn't, I guess, honestly, it wasn't really that bad.
All right, with that, there's the other possibility.
The other thing is that, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote.
Oh, you know, that's a lie.
That guy, he's written you a hell of a letter.
Have you heard about that?
He says that the fact that the White House is down on him has destroyed his credibility in the Washington community and went to pleading letters to reinstate him to good standing.
Yeah, well, David says that.
That's what he's talking about.
Yeah, I thought.
Oh, I would, but they never touched him.
but this is a little bit, that was me, you know, gone.
Well, I go to ask you to put it out of your mind, but to the extent that you can, why not just release it now and let us take it out?
Well, in a sense, John, it's just as well to let us get the whole goddamn thing out.
Get it out now, put it behind us, I guess.
Also, this would be said, I'm not sure that...
You may want to have some sympathy from the press on this one, and also on other candidates.
They all got people in the middle of the band, and they're just terrible in the black world.
I mean, Bobby Kennedy's son, you know, is one of those muskies.
Bosky's father is a drunk, and all of that's on him.
Poor Bosky's got one kidney.
I don't have long hair.
This is the long hair.
You're right.
You should be a lonely orphan.
We can't control it.
But we made a mistake and just didn't do anything about it.
I, you know, everybody's broken their pick, and the reason they have is that they haven't been easy.
You know, everybody's worn down in a long time or another, and finally worn out their welcome.
All right.
Well, we put the auto guys on.
Yep.
He hates it when he doesn't.
He goes, how the hell would I know?
I have never been...
He'd be scared to death when John the Miner's down, because he knows Dan.
Dan had gave him the chapter book.
He says, stay away from John the Miner.
He says, no good.
And you told him all the time.
And he still goes back to him.
Of course, you want to remember they come back to him, too.
Well, that's true.
They said about the whole thing, he said, just run along the hill.
Well, that's true.
Well, I have a D. I'd say, now, this is all out under these certain intentions.
We must not do it.
We must not break over.
This is an enormously important problem that's coming up.
Fair enough.
All right.
When you get over there, I've got a couple of things to go over.
Bob has had a real good excuse to get an announcement.
He doesn't make it.
Fair enough.
Yes, sir.
Thank you.