Nixon, Colson & Haldeman on Vietnam War and Blockade

2:20:51No!
2:22:05Where is it running?
2:22:28What?
2:22:28What does that mean to think?
2:22:29They're right on it.
2:22:29They just can't figure it out, you know.
2:22:30What we said there, and I talked Russian to the son of a bitch, you know.
2:22:31And they all said that we're out in the woods, and I'm calling myself an ocean rat, but I said, you know, your language is much easier.
2:22:58Well, it, you know, just, as I told you, try to get people to go down here.
2:23:02When he goes up and down, they cancel a summit.
2:23:05There could be a lot worse thing.
2:23:09It's common sense.
2:23:10A lot of people wouldn't like it if they canceled a summit at this time.
2:23:13That's right.
2:23:14That's true.
2:23:28They kicked a piece in the ass, not us.
2:23:30But we're still, we're on the right side of that.
2:23:33Well, after all your, uh, your, your things, your polls began to have any effect on the morale of those back here?
2:23:40Yes, sir.
2:23:40Darling, Wilbur Mills did have an interesting point.
2:23:42He said, uh, Rich, why don't you go?
2:23:43I know you're having a hard time with the, uh, this difficult time.
2:23:47You've got to run, you know.
2:23:49I'm tired of hearing from him.
2:24:07You see, that's why I wanted that poll to contribute to the Democrats and the Republicans.
2:24:10They all had a history of .
2:24:11They may not have been over it personally.
2:24:12Well, right.
2:24:12In his office, because they did it personally all the time.
2:24:14It was on TV last night.
2:24:14The ORC poll made one network.
2:24:39I certainly wrote what I had in the Times about the state of the country.
2:24:42It's important to tell about this, Mr. Editor.
2:24:56Bob said that Scott looked fine on set number three, right?
2:24:58I really think this time you ought to do what you should call both you and Bobby Griffin, because both of them, they really did spectacular jobs.
2:25:04Would you get me Senator Scott?
2:25:05He's done it.
2:25:06He outdid me.
2:25:06One of the questions, Senator, what you're really saying, Senator,
2:25:41So they gave up all the ammunition?
2:25:42The ammunition they need.
2:25:43But Scott, they hit Scott.
2:25:43Senator, weren't you upset that the President didn't notify the Congress first?
2:25:46Scott said this was the kind of a matter where if the President had notified the Congress first, they would have run right out and informed those peacemakers who would have been on the phone in ten minutes to not have been.
2:25:53A big call would have known about this long before the American people.
2:26:08Also, with the danger of the operation, they lost about 30 planes.
2:26:10Okay, but that's the solid line.
2:26:10He made the dirty line.
2:26:12Would you say how about that?
2:26:13Would you say we would have run out until the end?
2:26:14Would you put down, Bob, this line?
2:26:16I don't want the line to be used.
2:26:17Just put it plain out.
2:26:18Those who got us into the war are sabotaging the President's efforts to end the war.
2:26:21That's exactly what Scott said.
2:26:37So I said, this is our ward.
2:26:38This is John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson.
2:26:40These senators who got us in here are the ones who are standing in the way of sabotage.
2:26:44He didn't say sabotage.
2:26:44He used the word sabotage.
2:26:45Undercutting.
2:26:46Undercutting.
2:26:46The president's efforts to get us out.
2:26:48The interesting thing is for them, all three outlets picked up the scouting.
2:27:11And he used parts of Larry, too, Larry McDaniel.
2:27:12Now, I'm interested in what they took.
2:27:13They took that portion of the Larry press conference, and all two of these, and he gave, he almost was a five-point opening statement.
2:27:16This was the fifth one.
2:27:16So in their editing, they went right to this point, and ignored the earlier statement, which shows you my quite a lot of colorful lines, doesn't it, Chuck?
2:27:20Absolutely.
2:27:20That's just kind of, well, and some of these from Scott and his way of using it.
2:27:38where he was using words, and, you know, because he, he'd imagined correctly, naturally.
2:27:40Yeah.
2:27:40Totally.
2:27:40He said, he said, we're the apostles of the truth.
2:27:42Yeah.
2:27:42And everybody laughed in the press corps.
2:27:43He said, it's time for us to set this stuff straight.
2:27:44He said, we're the apostles of the truth.
2:27:45And everybody laughed, and he draws himself up, and he says, we are the apostles of the truth.
2:27:47And every now and then, we have to go out there on a television screen and just sort of wipe it.
2:28:04So the American people could see the truth.
2:28:06He just, I mean, he and the media could get right off the tube.
2:28:09Right around.
2:28:10And that kind of, the value of that is not only to the people, but...
2:28:46Could I ask you to do that almost really superb, superb thing?
2:28:53You know, there may be some times you've got some words that you don't want to use, you know, that are a little rougher.
2:28:59And could you, you know, the phrase may be, remember like you did with me on the plane in 1960?
2:29:02Would you mind beating the world to it?
2:29:04Because you see, we don't have, we have good riders on here today.
2:29:06They are not horrible riders.
2:29:07Dick Chalkoos, is that all right?
2:29:08And we'll protect you on it.
2:29:09But this is now a great, but if you've got a good one, you use it yourself.
2:29:11But give us your, wait a minute, the table, okay?
2:29:42Good.
2:29:42And, you know, you saw that OIRC pole, you know, that was, that's right on the nose, you know, we don't build poles that are totally accurate.
2:29:47Same thing here also, you know, came out the same thing.
2:29:49Right, right.
2:29:49Good.
2:29:49Well, keep, keep having them.
2:29:50Good luck.
2:29:50Fine, fine.
2:29:50I mean, it must be your kind of radio program.
2:30:08That's what we're working the campaign organization on now, is not only getting them out, but first of all, getting .
2:30:35Cider.
2:30:36He's having his impact.
2:30:37He said, Jerry, I just wanted to report to you, Jerry, a very interesting thing has happened.
2:30:40For the first time since the Vietnam War began, I'm getting a hell of a bunch of girls from all over America.
2:31:02And every previous instance .
2:31:03But he said, since I've been in the Senate, all I've been getting are calls from the goddamn local troops in Montgomery County calling me to look out in the west.
2:31:10And he said, now they're calling me from all over the state.
2:31:12And he said, got it.
2:31:12He said, I've been running a little heavy from trying to win.
2:31:15He said, something's happening.
2:31:16I said, you see, that doesn't affect them.
2:31:18And you're doing that.
2:31:35Yes, sir.
2:31:36I think some of the spontaneous stories you've asked, we can't, we aren't capable of generating as much.
2:31:40I think it's, I said, I think you're kicking the shit out of the network, too.
2:31:43Yes, sir.
2:31:44Of course, we couldn't, we couldn't do it.
2:31:45I think in this instance,
2:32:13Just in fairness, the network should not be out of step with the country.
2:32:16They've got to report.
2:32:18They've got to report the polls.
2:32:19They've got to report the public.
2:32:21Congratulate where they've gone wrong.
2:32:22Just say that your commentators are going to be out of step with the country.
2:32:26We don't want to pick the media at all.
2:32:28Let's put it this way.
2:32:29What do you think about that?
2:32:45I think a lot of people have mentioned that .
2:32:47That's what I mean, people .
2:33:12And the way they handle it, the way they do this is to call CBS and say, we really do appreciate it.
2:33:15Right.
2:33:15You're giving a lot of coverage for an hour exactly.
2:33:16Right.
2:33:16Right.
2:33:17Anybody that's got the right name.
2:33:18That's pretty good.
2:33:18He won't work.
2:33:18No, no.
2:33:18Maybe he made the wrong decision, but he's fine.
2:33:20Well, he thinks that he believes in a permanent .
2:33:42He says he prays it works, but he doesn't think it will.
2:33:46And he wishes the Congress would do it.
2:33:48Wishes it could be put in place.
2:33:52Well, he was there last night.
2:33:54But Howard Smith is going to see him this afternoon.
2:34:07Here at the upfield poll, the only time to grab a front page story that shows that 53% approved this policy from Vietnam as contrast to 41% 10 days ago.
2:34:2832% disapproved as contrast to 50% 10 days ago.
2:34:35Failed to such a point.
2:34:41As a conclusion to the story question, Nixon has virtually overnight re-won a large major confidence in his policy.
2:35:20It's going to work, huh?
2:35:21That's the main thing.
2:35:22All that matters is whether it's working and it's going to work.
2:35:25Right.
2:35:26Right.
2:35:26Well, I appreciate it.
2:35:27Keep 13 to the fire.
2:35:28I heard about that, right?
2:35:30Undercut.
2:35:31Well, undercut, see, so he wants to kill him to go on.
2:35:34That's it.
2:35:35Don't let him get over that.
2:35:51I've been in Texas for almost 30 years.
2:35:55I've hated your guts, and I got yours.
2:35:57If I may help, please follow along.
2:36:00I'm 54, and for the first time in my life, I would probably vote for a Republican president.
2:36:08Scott and Herman, those poems.
2:36:24Oh, you see, uh, repeat the whole thing over.
2:36:26He was very kind out about that, I think.
2:36:33You got a church you're gonna have to go to.
2:36:35That's nice.
2:36:36Yeah, the minister of the National City Christian Church in Thomas Circle, that big church in Thomas Circle.
2:36:44That's, uh, that's Johnson's church, is it?
2:36:47He's a Christian.
2:36:49You know, a Christian church.
2:36:50George Davis being an LLV minister.
2:36:53This is Father Lee Redwell in the area.
2:36:54Your secretary will discuss your reach.
2:36:56I want elements here.
2:36:57Hope your secretary will not take the time to respond.
2:37:00I considered your address last night to be the finest of your career, and I was even more proud to be an American as I heard you make the very rational, direct, strong, and inconsiderate presentation.
2:37:09I have believed from the beginning that we have not only the right, but the moral obligation to be in South East State, and as I have stated many times, our trade is both abroad and at home.
2:37:19Not only once out of Vietnam, but once out of the world.
2:37:21You may have taken some risk in the stand expressed in the address, but it seemed to me that such a risk did not seem to concern you politically, and that fact added
2:37:29As you know far better than I, there are no good choices left for us on the international scene, and so we have to select the best of bad choices.
2:37:38This is, of course, only one last opinion, but I truly believe history would justify what you have to say, and also would justify our position, or would that be a good way to see the important part of the secret protest we have tonight?
2:37:48I hear you in the thoughts and prayers of many people, but it will have an end to the church in the same day and month, and I hope you do the same.
2:37:56Christian church?
2:37:57No, no, no.
2:37:57You know what the Christian church is.
2:37:58I mean, you probably don't.
2:37:59We haven't put it here.
2:38:00It's a very, it isn't a very large denomination.
2:38:03Oh, no, no, no, no.
2:38:03They're not that far.
2:38:04They're more fundamental than, say, the Presbyterians.
2:38:06But they're somewhat liberal at times.
2:38:08But that's Johnson.
2:38:09Johnson was a member of the Christian church.
2:38:10This is a nice church.
2:38:12The old church is not a church.
2:38:55Oh, sure, absolutely.
2:38:55Let's see if that way they can justify their problems with this one, the risk to the whole East-West.
2:38:59You know, I said it best in Tennessee.
2:39:01He's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's,
2:39:23They never had it with the Soviets until they agreed to.
2:39:25A lot of these like to wear out on November 30th.
2:39:30Congratulations on your verbal decision to protect the integrity of the United States.
2:39:37Jay Howard and Shirley Evock, parents of a son who did not come home from a second tour in Vietnam.
2:39:47Our son is just enlisted in the Air Force.
2:39:49We're proud of him and that he has a commander in chief.
2:40:09Bakersfield City Council last night by 7 to nothing vote with one abstention on a motion by myself or a council voted as individuals to support direction of Vietnam.
2:40:19Could a key leader council in the city of Bakersfield?
2:40:23That's Democrat next time.
2:40:25Yeah, right.
2:40:26The ballot, a lot of this is Democrat.
2:40:28And if a lot of these people say I'm a Democrat, you know, are they quiet?
2:40:33Yeah.
2:40:33That person was a letter.
2:40:38I think we're going to get a lot of them here.
2:40:42Especially because we, and we've got a lot of college freshmen.
2:40:45Here's the president of Dakota State College in Madison, South Dakota.
2:40:47And he's going to voice my support of your policy on the roads and Middle East crisis, more especially the east of our country here in San Diego.
2:40:55More especially the Vietnam situation.
2:40:56Further, we should make you a Monday evening television presentation.
2:41:07National Isle Association.
2:41:08They are not an inconsequential group, but when they turned their whole machinery into stuff.
2:41:14They've got 25 people who are making corals.
2:41:15Cuban educators in exile.
2:41:16Roberto Espinoza, president of Miami, Florida.
2:41:31There's a doctor and his wife in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
2:41:34Our son reports to the United States Navy this Friday.
2:41:39We thank God that his commander is a man of such great courage and honor and integrity.
2:41:46Scottsdale College Republicans support your action.
2:41:51Totally agree with your great American standing against North Vietnam.
2:41:57Congratulations to lifelong Democrats and liberals.
2:42:05Democrats and liberals, that is a hell of a thing.
2:42:08Here's the president of Central Missouri State, Colin Warren.
2:42:11I would commend you on the courage to stand and be taken on a Vietnam crisis.
2:42:14I consider the policy we've drawn.
2:42:53I know why you're in Washington.
2:42:55He writes a letter to the Democrats who are disillusioned with the present leadership of the Democratic Party who have an arm-wrestling part of the most expensive national union in Vietnam.
2:43:03Well, Mr. Farage, I have quite the encouragement to turn that case back on on Christmas.
2:43:32I was a young girl.
2:43:34Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I, I picked the one less traveled by, and that has made all of it worse.
2:43:41And she said, as a young voter, I strongly support the very despotic statement that was last evening issued concerning how too few people take positive actions such as we all need to not serve being undressed.
2:43:55Your positive action, the road less traveled by, will make all of it worse.
2:44:23Oh, congratulations on your courage.
2:44:25It's like people stand up Vietnam.
2:44:57Kitty and I listened to your speech to the American people and to the world this evening.
2:45:19and enter an award.
2:45:20It takes courage to win an award.
2:45:21Thank you for your personal courage and the value you exhibit in causing freedom.
2:45:23Above all, thank you for your leadership.
2:45:25That's very important, Bradley.
2:45:25You know, it's sort of a time to wrap.
2:45:46He was on TV.
2:45:47What did he say?
2:45:48He said it was all right.
2:45:49Exactly what we're going to do is absolutely necessary.
2:45:54As a matter of fact, why are all the spools coming from the people in here?
2:46:00He took a good part in the race.
2:46:03Good part of why.
2:46:05The interesting thing about these telegrams is whether it's an equal number of interseed coming out of the deal.
2:46:15They're running the same percentage, 4-1.
2:46:21The Hill wants a 4-1 in favor of you.
2:46:26Now, those are getting through to the ship.
2:46:31That's better than number again.
2:46:42The hill stays solid because it's getting arched up.
2:46:45What I think is significant is with all these telegrams arriving and with the polls, at least reading this morning's news summary, the average, almost all of the comments, most of the comments have been from the polls.
2:47:08and strongly supported the Democrats.
2:47:10Yesterday, he went silent.
2:47:12The day before, yesterday, they felt silent.
2:47:13I didn't know what they were doing.
2:47:15Yeah.
2:47:15I don't understand it.
2:47:16I'm not feeling it.
2:47:16What about Hoover?
2:47:17Hoover was very defensive.
2:47:18He said, I had no intention of being silent.
2:47:19So I think it's very dangerous.
2:47:20Yeah, well, Huber said something to me.
2:47:47Very good.
2:47:47He said the Democrats are using the same scare tactics against you that they're using against Goldwater in 64.
2:47:53And in fact, that little girl picked a face and said, oh, he's fine.
2:47:57But that kind of terror tactic is just as repulsive now as it was eight years ago.
2:48:02It was slow progress.
2:48:03And he said it was all of his old friends, the former president, and maybe that's Kevin, are working very hard.
2:48:12And I think it's very clear.
2:48:18He sent you with us.
2:48:19Oh, he's having a rally.
2:48:19He's having a rally to support you.
2:48:20God bless the president.
2:48:21You know, he's been knocking the hell out of us.
2:48:22He wants you to come to a job.
2:48:23And he wants you to come and address the rally.
2:48:24And he said, our whole faith has been the steward.
2:48:25That's the birch.
2:48:26You know, he's to the right of the birch.
2:48:27But, well, he runs beyond the war rally.
2:48:28He's a leader.
2:49:17What happened to that prayer table this morning?
2:49:20They had a lot of other people to do it with.
2:49:23And they did, or they prayed in the hill, Capitol steps at 7 a.m. on the 9th when that happened.
2:49:47The purpose of the vigil was to pray for the poor, the needy, the needy, the needy, the needy, the needy, the needy, the needy, the needy, the needy, the needy, the needy, the needy, the needy,
2:50:29The only place yesterday that the peace groups made really much of a show was in Wisconsin.
2:50:33Terry, how long ago was that again?
2:50:34Madison.
2:50:34Yeah.
2:50:35Nobody got killed, though.
2:50:35No.
2:50:36Good job.
2:50:36What did they do?
2:50:36We got it at the Sturgeon's.
2:50:37I don't know if you can do that, and I think I'll throw out a ransom.
2:50:54They look so crappy.
2:50:55They had a lot of film demonstrated on the TV last night.
2:50:57They're such crappy looking people.
2:50:59It's the people you want that are in the street.
2:51:02It's not the good wholesome Americans.
2:51:03They look crappy and they were shouting 1, 2, 3, 4, we don't want your fucking lawyer.
2:51:19They're not getting the moderates to join them as they did before.
2:51:22Two or three marches before, they allowed middle-aged suburbanites to be kids.
2:51:25I don't think so.
2:51:26They have to deal with things as an emotional spark, and the emotional spark is on their side.
2:51:30And I'm not sure we're going to handle this in Kent State.
2:51:31Kent State is alive.
2:51:32You still get that thing.
2:52:34He feels that he, you know, I mean, he should be with me today.
2:52:36So I just hope that he's very concerned that I'm here to be so bad.
2:52:47And what kind of crisis is he in exactly?
2:53:06Well, he's going down to do the business council Saturday and then he's going to testify on Monday and Tuesday and he wants to have a press conference tomorrow.
2:53:34The purpose for the meeting would be to be on the Soviet response.
2:53:39Right.
2:53:48He feels that, well, that's what's got to be decided.
2:53:52He feels that his press conference, that he should make clear, first of all, that we're not doing this, we're not doing that.
2:53:58No, but what we're doing is in accordance with international law.
2:54:00We should answer the Soviet charge.
2:54:03They did a lot of false things about high seats.
2:54:06Then, and this is the worst one, he thinks that we should, that he should do the positive side.
2:54:11He said, no, Larry did a very good job on the tough side yesterday.
2:54:16And that he should now pitch the reasonable side.
2:54:23And then what he wants to do is hit the Congress on the basis that they're trying to enact legislation now that it's already taken care of by the president, and the county should be applauding the president, the president's work, and the legislature.
2:54:43He wants to be sure you fully understand your view.
2:54:45I have encountered the side of that that's pitching just how good the president is already.
2:54:50You see, our theory is,
2:54:59He wants to know what
2:55:25The other thing I really want to get
2:56:03If we want to go that way, we can get the Senate to move immediately in the House within a few days to approve, to give you the fund file, and there's no problem.
2:56:14To say none of these funds shall be used to finance any other action.
2:56:23And then they put in exactly the
2:56:35It's offensive military action.
2:56:37I don't think it bothers me.
2:57:06Yeah.
2:57:06Yeah.
2:57:06Yeah.
2:57:06Yeah.
2:57:39We can hold it over England, Mr. President.
2:57:43We're not too present.
2:57:44I think the Russians are fine with it.
2:57:48And the onslaught of our ability is...
2:58:11The beauty of the polls is they're gone.
2:58:49I used to be able to run out of steam, but I'm terrible at it now.
2:58:57I'm going to go with the flow.
2:58:59Johnson will be in with me.
2:59:37Well, all things in terms of, frankly, the main thing we've got to remember is we've got to win the war.
2:59:48And if anything, it doesn't mean we've got to fight.
2:59:52We've got to win the war.
3:00:23Mark, there's an influence.
3:00:25There's an influence.
3:00:30I want some more of this one.
3:00:38Is he better than me?
3:00:40Yeah.
3:00:55Why in the hell did I get fined?
3:00:56They, they struck me trying.
3:00:59I said, we don't, we don't, we don't, we don't, we don't want to put stuff on the fence.
3:01:06That lost somebody.
3:01:08What if somebody hit you in the neck?
3:01:10Are they hammering you?
3:01:11Let's get back to work.
3:01:14Probably.
3:01:14That's totally an argument.
3:01:17That makes, like, a lot of sense.
3:01:20Right now, that is, that's a great issue.
3:01:23That's a great issue for me.
3:01:38Of course, I had a bit of a busy week last week.
3:01:40I had a little more than 15 minutes left.
3:01:41The main thing is, she was just a little bit of an extended mother to me.
3:01:43She's got a subtle effect on people.
3:01:44She's not even close to making any sense of stuff.
3:01:46I had to finish a program down at the school page.
3:01:48I had to get to the school page, share it, and put it down there.
3:01:50And I was just a little bit, a little bit stupid.
3:02:11It's a very rough attack on the agency.
3:02:16I think they were crossing those, quote, network executives and editors who were running, you know, the amount of propaganda they were putting, putting propaganda on here.
3:02:28You know, they're insisting putting propaganda.
3:02:45It's not necessary.
3:03:27He's working on a special... ABC is heavy for an hour.
3:04:09Thank you.
3:04:38I think the big part of it was carrying on.
3:04:41Carrying on the entire Ziegler story, and not having a common story.
3:04:43Finally, I was paying attention to the response to this Ziegler's story yesterday.
3:04:47I don't know.
3:05:09Reinforcements.
3:06:02You're the president.
3:06:03What would you give up?
3:06:05Yeah.
3:06:06Yeah.
3:06:07Yeah.
3:06:08Yeah.
3:06:08Yeah.
3:06:44It's been going on for a long time.
3:10:22Last night, we were in the cold, so I got a video.
3:10:24Nail count.
3:10:25We're in the program count.
3:10:28Backwater figures.
3:10:29What was going on there?
3:10:56Thank you.
3:11:26I'm telling you, you have to hang around.

Nixon, Colson & Haldeman on Vietnam War and Blockade

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Also recorded on May 11, 1972

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