Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 320 › Conversation 320-019

Nixon & Scott on Senate leadership and Vietnam War

Tuesday, February 8, 1972 · 2:49 PM–2:51 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 2 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Scott, HughConversation320-019 on Tape 320 (tape position 00:42:12–00:43:56)StartTuesday, February 8, 1972 at 2:49 PMEndTuesday, February 8, 1972 at 2:51 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 320-019 ↗

AI Summary

Senate Minority Leader Hugh Scott met with President Nixon to relay positive public feedback regarding the President's recent statement following a leadership meeting. The discussion focused on political strategy, specifically characterizing those advocating for alternative peace terms as undermining the administration's chances for a diplomatic settlement before the upcoming election. Nixon reaffirmed the importance of maintaining a unified stance, acknowledging Scott's critical role in steering party support for his foreign policy initiatives.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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No!
Oh, I didn't have anything to bother you with, but I talked to Ziegler, and he said that the statement you made after the leadership has given a good play on the wire.
And I just, I thought you should know again, though, that I talk with a three-eyed person.
And, you know, you like to hear good things from that guy, but some of the fellows told me they had never heard anything better.
You really got wound up.
And I said, well, you know, I said, Scott Greer was a mean bastard.
I said, you just don't realize it.
Because I, you know, they forget you were a Russell Farley chairman, huh?
You remember?
Yeah.
But you're on the right side of it, buddy.
You're on the right side, and I don't know if you think so.
There's the, uh, yeah.
You're a member of that group, too?
those people that are offering the enemy better terms than the president has offered them are, in effect, torpedoing the chances to get a settlement before the election.
I think the idea that they're saying they, in effect, are destroying the chance to have peace before America.
Isn't that a good thing?
Well, good luck.
Bye.

NARA Description

On February 8, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Hugh Scott met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:49 pm to 2:51 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 320-019 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 320-19

Date: February 8, 1972
Time: 2:49 pm - 2:51 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Hugh Scott.

[See also Conversation No. 20-63]

Also recorded on February 8, 1972

  • 020-062 2:44 PM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 2:44 pm to 2:48 pm.
  • 020-063 2:49 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Hugh Scott talked on the telephone from 2:49 pm to 2:51 pm.
  • 020-064 2:51 PM · 11 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:51 pm and 2:54 pm.
  • 020-065 2:51 PM · 18 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:51 pm and 2:54 pm.
  • 320-020 2:51 PM · 12 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:51 pm and 2:54 pm.
  • 320-021 2:51 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:51 pm and 2:54 pm.
  • 320-022 2:51 PM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:51 pm and 2:54 pm.
  • 320-023 2:51 PM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:51 pm and 2:54 pm.

All 48 conversations from February 8, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 320-019, February 8, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/320-019 (accessed October 2, 2026).