Nixon & Eisenhower on White House staff and Public relations

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All right, really good.

Okay, good.

Well, I want to say that we're working on the solarium.

Yeah.

Mr. Jones went up there and it's going to be really beautiful.

Mother's all working on it.

Well, she hasn't shown me yet.

She was going to take me up there and show me today and tonight.

And he's got all kinds of ideas to make it really comfortable for watching games and riding and sunning and cheering.

So I think it would be really good.

Don't you?

I'm sure you know what I do.

I want to put the movies up there.

I don't think it's wrong to do this.

Yeah, but let's do what I do.

Let's do it.

Except that the living room is a little bit bigger, isn't it?

The living room is a little bit bigger than the floor is.

Well, but, you know, we can check that out.

That's a very good point, that the living room downstairs is going down.

It's going down, that's true.

It's incredible.

That is an idea.

I'll mention that.

And then mommy's going to meet on the kitchen tomorrow.

It's tomorrow.

That's great.

So I think everything on that floor is moving on this.

How are they decorating?

Well, the press loves them.

They love them.

I like them, yeah.

I want you to see it.

They really are beautiful.

You'll see them at all the parties.

I've got to wait until I get past mine.

Sure, you're right.

Do you have any answers to answer that?

Oh, no problem.

Yeah.

Well, Gary, I wanted to talk to you about, you know, getting a job.

I really want to do something.

You've got to do something.

about not working and the job of a mother isn't going to work out because she doesn't really want to take it.

So there's no point in pressing it.

You know what I mean?

She's going to be difficult to work with, right?

She just doesn't think it will work.

You know, she says it's not right for me to handle the press and that kind of thing.

Well, still, the IRS is going to handle the press.

So what I wanted to ask you about is the National Center for Voluntary Action, the thing you set up four years ago.

Well, I went over and talked to Mrs. Walton today about it, and she's very involved in it.

And, you know, maybe I could get involved in that.

The Directorship was appointed by the President and both of them, not that Mrs. Romney could be called a flip, but maybe not, or something like that.

But Wilkinson was there, then he designed it, Henry Ford was there, then he designed it, and I don't know who else.

Yeah, right.

And it's really a great organization, but in any event,

I will work with Mrs. Romney and bring Mother into that organization, because Mrs. Romney and I agree that because Mother hasn't had one project, she hasn't gotten any credit, and she hasn't built up a record.

Do you see what I mean?

Right.

And if she were involved in that, in their program, like each year they choose, I mean, the center has certain projects, like last year it was Rubella, and vaccinated women against Rubella, and if Mother could, you know,

and go on TV to talk about it and all, and she'd be identified with the project and it was great.

I never did that.

But I have to find something for myself.

You don't think you can do something here on our side?

No, what can I do?

You know, how it is.

I really think that's actually her.

Why couldn't I take Steve Gold's job?

A lot of daughters have had to send their daughters to their fathers and, you know,

Then I helped him that way.

Kind of in the stage and the buffer and...

I couldn't think I could do steep roll even to the extent that when you go out on a trip, Steve tells you where to go and all that.

Tells you where to walk and this way and I don't know why, but it just kind of kept it in my mind.

Well, I don't want to succeed if it's not established.

Well, that makes sense.

No, no, no, no.

We're changing a lot over there.

That's a possibility.

I'm trying to think of a way, actually.

Your mother would like you to work over there, and I would do that.

I want to help her, though.

You could be a hell of a buffer.

Really.

The thing about it is you could be in the White House, in the West Bank, and then basically be the buffer between my schedule in the West Bank and the... Don't worry about it.

It's a tough job.

It's very, very tough, you know.

Yeah, but that was so long ago.

I can't drink anymore.

I don't want to get into a big job.

You know, where there are no projects.

Where people are dreaming things up that we need to do.

No, I'm not thinking of that.

I'm thinking you're doing something.

We can talk about it later if you have to go back.

No, we don't have to go back.

What about the Center for Voluntary Action?

Do you just think it would be criticized?

Oh, no.

I don't know if it would work over there.

I don't know.

What about getting into the area of the environment?

We should do so much more to apply this ability in that area.

Is there some way that I could think about those projects and travel more and do that?

She said she doesn't get coverage, but if others do, it would.

Maybe I could do it or something.

Was she over there with the star?

I went over to see her.

I had a friend with the star, and I saw her too.

Was she there too?

Yeah, they had a star with the star.

That's an apartment they do?

I want to .

But I'd like to help you.

I said, where are you?

Secretary, maybe I can join on time.

I wouldn't mind.

No, I don't mind.

It's not the use of your colleagues.

You see, actually, there are so many people .

We're actually putting the waiver changes into route now.

There it is.

From the ocean.

The point about it is that years ago, in fact,

I was out on the road with my mother-in-law, and she still does some of the old stuff.

The girls have a certain thing about everybody, you know, except yourself, you know.

There's an acronym, you know, she doesn't do it all, you know.

So she doesn't like Steve, and she doesn't like Jay, and she doesn't like, you know, other people, you know.

Anybody, anybody who doesn't like it, because she has an effect, she'll grow up, she'll get drunk, she'll run around.

But you see, she has developed her own, we can go back to her own, very different presence, likes and dislikes and likes.

She no longer really can do it.

There's a whole world.

But she's been dispensable for a long time.

And dispensable with them.

And that's exactly what she must continue to do.

You should not work under her.

No, I don't want to work under her.

Maybe I should.

That would be better.

What I'm trying to do is to think of, part of it all, there's a need here.

There's a very great need.

But I think a need would put you in charge of something.

I don't want to work under somebody who doesn't care.

I'm ready for you to be in charge of something.

I have a feeling that it would be more valuable to us than it would be there.

Let me ask you something.

Do you agree with me that mothers should identify themselves with one project?

Not to say why.

The only reason mothers are popular today is that she went to China and Russia.

Because she has done so much, but she hasn't stuck to one positive.

Right.

It never went off the rack.

But let me ask you, don't you think that then that I should encourage her to get involved in taking on that instead of involuntary action?

That I agree with.

I mean, you do.

But I think I approve of that.

If she will do it, that's a hell of a thing.

She's always knocking the people that are over there, but they have these colors and they're really good.

They're doing a lot of good things.

And I think she'll do it if I'm a presenter.

That's right.

And then she should go out, she should make the awards at the White House.

She should go out and open the centers.

Right.

She should go out.

I think she should have a project, though.

She should write centers.

She should be the head of it.

Absolutely.

And then she gets recognition.

I thought it was your recognition.

You've got to... You've got to build a record on something.

Right.

Now, in your case...

I love... She doesn't want to do it.

I tell you what, I really think it would be a moral value that probably means

What about taking these jobs?

And in that job, having it as a side project, talking to the various people, and trying to figure out how we do get better at that.

Like I told you about the environment, talking to Ronald Calvin, asking him what significant things you could do in that field.

In the environment, in other words.

Yeah.

What event was your time?

Yeah.

Looking for good events.

That's right.

They do a lot of that.

And they just look all the time for good events.

But it's looking for events.

It's studying them.

It's also deciding what the hell events to do around the White House when we don't.

It's too bad I can't take over another thing.

It's just such a wasted thing over here.

But you see, maybe she can do anything else in the world, but we don't want that to happen.

I'm afraid it.

What would happen to me in heaven?

It would cause tension.

And there are times when you get tension.

You know with mommy you can't cross her.

It's very hard to cross her.

But if you do, it's going to be harder.

I think it's better when you need to help her by working on the outside.

But I hate to see Connie angry.

I hate to see Connie in the manual.

It's a terrible mistake.

He's saying.

No, that's totally incorrect.

Check it out.

No, I checked it out and it wasn't going through anybody.

Not only did I get a bad rap, actually what happened is everybody on the staff was asking me whether we'd rather spend it working in a church than doing something else.

Farrell indicated we got to do something at a higher level.

That's what it was.

We couldn't get it going at a higher level.

They asked me to stay.

Nobody was trying to get him to leave.

That was all.

There was stuff that he wanted to take, and I had absolutely nothing to it.

Everybody he sees by far is superior to him.

Far superior, I think.

We all love John Hyde, everybody.

He's a smart friend.

Yeah.

Could my healthy legs, could I take these?

Like, who was going to take these legs?

When we get into that little office thing.

Or is that a way to do it?

Well, it's not even a way.

It's like Shelly sits out there in the front row with just her receptionist.

She's there when she's free.

She's not in the spot.

She's still working.

She's got that computer.

That's a way.

She's a talented girl.

I know, but it puts you on.

Does she really?

Shelly doesn't like to push you on.

Yeah.

She's good.

You know, she's like, you know, she grabs you and says,

But I think having you around me would be very good for me.

I understand that.

That's the only reason I would want to do that.

If I was willing to help you, because I need you around.

Give me a lift.

I will lift.

I'd love to help you down the hill if it's that way.

That'd be very satisfying.

You could do this.

Hold your mind up and don't talk anymore about it.

I've thought about it.

Let me look at it.

table of organization.

And I would like to get involved in the event one or two, but.

We can talk about all the other jobs.

Mommy's going to come up here.

Actually, she doesn't think we should.

This is Robin's place.

The other thing, of course, basically is the foundation.

I know, but what are you doing with that?

Where did you start?

I don't know.

What about documentaries?

You've got all these films.

How do we make them?

I don't know.

I don't know how to put them in there.

Well, could you ask the director to put their name on the memo for you?

And then maybe... No, the director is... No, no, no.

Is there a regulation for it?

No, no, no.

We have an event.

An event, see?

Yeah, some candlelight went in there or something.

It's all in there.

Oh, I got your schedule.

I know.

Oh, yeah.

It's funny that you saw the mayor clear today.

Yeah.

I wonder why.

I know.

It's 630.

Oh.

Candlelight.

Very good.

I think, uh...

But I have to...

I have to really get involved with this if I'm going to make anything.

That's going to kill her.

I hope so.

We haven't heard.

But I don't want you to do anything.

It doesn't work.

We have ways.

If he's attacked, then they suggest we switch to Washington and help you in time.

Maybe.

I mean, that would be bad.

That wouldn't be a bad recession.

But if they come up, oh, thank you.

Do you think he should, you want to know should he stay at a hotel or should he stay in the house?

So I ain't here.

Yeah.

I want you to stay.

I think you can let him.

He doesn't mind staying at a hotel.

He should stay at a hotel until she leaves.

Good.

That's what I thought too.

Yeah.

But I just want to stay at a hotel.

Just say it.

She'll be here.

She'll stay at a hotel.

He thought so too, but.

And then when she leaves, what's that to say about her?

There's a long shot.

All right.

Well, maybe, what they think of the house, maybe you can see that as a thing I can do.

Buy a house.

Get a house.

It's not that cool.

Daddy, you can't imagine my wife put one off in December.

She has to be able to go swimming next to it.

She's great.

That's what you can't do.

Well, we'll catch you over the next one.

Daddy, it's so good for you.

If we could get that pool here in Washington, you could come over every other night.

Oh, I would, right?

you would be great.

If you could do it every day, it would be the best physical thing you could do.

Well, I really ought to do something every day.

As a matter of fact, they put the whirlpool down there, and I said, it would be better to do it.

I think some physical movement every day is a good idea.

I haven't done it, but I'm going to start doing it.

You know, mommy has such a full schedule, you know.

She's done so goddamn many things.

She might say, you know,

Don't let God damn copy me.

Just get the whole list.

How many events she's done in four years?

She's done thousands of events.

She's taken so many thousands.

Very good idea.

You get my point?

I do, because she's not a baby.

Thanks a lot.

No.

Thank you.

Here it is.

That's a great idea.

But see, Dad, she's going to identify with one project.

I'm tired of it.

A four-year wrap-up.

Nixon & Eisenhower on White House staff and Public relations

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on December 11, 1972

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