Conversation 432-026

TapeTape 432StartWednesday, May 9, 1973 at 11:31 AMEndWednesday, May 9, 1973 at 12:03 PMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Bush, George H. W.;  Wilson, David K. ("Pat");  Brock, William;  Michel, Robert H.;  Timmons, William E.;  [Unknown person(s)]Recording deviceOld Executive Office Building

On May 9, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, George H. W. Bush, David K. ("Pat") Wilson, William Brock, Robert H. Michel, William E. Timmons, and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 11:31 am to 12:03 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 432-026 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 432-26

Date: May 9, 1973
Time: 11:31 am - 12:03 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with George H. W. Bush, David K. (“Pat”) Wilson, William E. Brock, III,
Robert H. Michel, and William E. Timmons.

       Greetings

       Photograph

       Florida
                                           -23-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                   (rev. September-2011)

                                                            Conversation No. 432-26 (cont’d)

      Wilson’s new role as Republican National Committee [RNC] Finance Committee
      chairman
             -Difficulty
                     -Fundraising

An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 11:31 am.

      Refreshment

The unknown man left at an unknown time before 12:05 pm.

      Wilson
               -Bush’s support
                      -Compared to Brock, Michel

      Effect of Watergate
              -Involvement of Republican Party
                      -Finance officials
              -Individuals responsible
                      -Motive

*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

      Fundraising
             -Meeting in Buffalo, Niagara Falls
                    -Richard B. Ogilvie
                    -William Miller
             -Erie County
             -Problems
                    -Concentration in Washington, DC
                           -Big donors
                           -Fundraising dinner
                           -Lobbyists
                                             -24-

                  NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                    (rev. September-2011)

                                                                Conversation No. 432-26 (cont’d)

                    -Solicitations
                            -Timing
                            -Dinners
             -Dinners
                    -Planning
                    -Timing
                            -Election
                            -Watergate as an issue
                                    -Need to deflect interest

      Republican Party
            -Membership rolls [?]
            -Candidate in North Dakota
                    -George S. McGovern
                             -Opinion poll
            -Prisoners of war [POWs] as candidates
                    -President’s telephone conversation with Bush
                    -[First name unknown] Collins
                             -South Carolina
                             -Harry S. Dent’s support
            -Dent
                    -Support for RNC
                    -Watergate
                    -Intelligence
            -President’s role in helping candidates in 1974
                    -US-Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR] summit

[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************

      Watergate
            -Public perception
                   -L[ouis] Patrick Gray, III’s actions
            -Violence in 1968 and 1972 campaigns
            -Focus of issue
                   -June 1973 U.S.-U.S.S.R. Summit
                                      -25-

           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                            (rev. September-2011)

                                                     Conversation No. 432-26 (cont’d)

                      -Leonid I. Brezhnev
       -Media coverage
       -Senate hearings
       -Grand jury
       -Senate hearings
               -Possible effects
                      -John N. Mitchell, Jeb Stuart Magruder, H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman,
                       John D. Ehrlichman
                      -John W. Dean, III’s appearance
                      -Effect on future trials
               -Dean’s possible testimony
                      -Immunity
                      -Effect
       -Elliot L. Richardson
               -Special prosecutor
                      -Selection
                              -Michael J. (“Mike”) Mansfield
       -Benefit to Democratic Party
       -John B. Connally
       -Ervin Committee
               -Minority counsel

Republican Party fundraising dinner
      -Press coverage
      -Speakers
      -Supporters

Congressional relations
      -Critical vote
              -Transfer of authority
              -Undecided votes
              -Discussion at fundraising dinner
              -Cambodia
                      -Funds for US operations
                             -Compared to Gulf of Tonkin resolution
                             -Opposition
                                     -Democrats
                                     -26-

           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                             (rev. September-2011)

                                                      Conversation No. 432-26 (cont’d)

       -Funding of US operations in Cambodia
              -Purpose
              -House of Representatives
                     -Conference
                     -Joe D. Waggoner, Jr.
                     -Policy Committee
                     -Gerald R. Ford, Leslie Arends
                     -Defense Department [?]
                     -Conservative support
              -Supplemental appropriations
                     -Length
                     -Limit
              -War powers bill
                     -Foreign Affairs Committee
                     -Ford
                     -Alphonzo Bell
                     -John M. Ashbrook
                     -Constitutional question
                             -“Right-wing”
              -Supplemental appropriations
              -Continuity of US military operations
              -Republican Congress

Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
      -Role in White House
             -Ehrlichman and Haldeman
      -Possible role with Congress
      -Strengths
      -Appearance before Congressional conference
             -Timmons
             -Ford, Arends
             -Compared with William P. Rogers, Richardson
      -Experience in Vietnam
      -Managerial style [?]
             -Staff

Transfer of funds from the Committee to Re-elect the President [CRP] to the Republican
                                             -27-

                  NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                   (rev. September-2011)

                                                           Conversation No. 432-26 (cont’d)

      National Committee [RNC]
             -Legal problems
             -Size of fund
             -Losses
             -Maurice H. Stans
                     -Transfers from RNC to CRP
                             -Returns
             -Size of fund
                     -Losses
                     -Legal expenses
                             -Stans
             -Wilson’s role
                     -Outstanding expenses
             -Use of funds
                     -RNC dinner
             -Immediate transfer
                     -CRP lawsuit
                             -Robert Strauss
                             -Impact on RNC
                     -Stans
             -Impact on donors
                     -“Striped suits”

*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

      Transfer of funds from CRP to RNC
             -Use of funds
                     -Selective candidates

      Candidates
            -Press coverage
            -Bertie [?] Graham
            -Profile
            -Louise Hutchinson
                    -Chicago Tribune
                                             -28-

                  NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                    (rev. September-2011)

                                                            Conversation No. 432-26 (cont’d)

                            -RNC event
             -Selection
                     -House of Representatives
             -Henry L. Bellmon
                     -Conversation with Shirley Bellmon
                     -John B. Connally
                            -Switch of party affiliation

     RNC
             -Fundraising dinner
                    -Connally’s attendance
                    -President’s attendance
             -Computerized system of supporters
                    -J. William (“Bill”) Marriot, Jr. [?]
                            -White House support
                                    -Haig
                            -Lists
                                    -Release

[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************

      Congressional relations
            -Vote on funding US operatives in Southeast Asia
                    -Henry A. Kissinger
                            -Support
                    -William J. (“Jack”) Edwards
                            -Grudging support
                    -Trent Lott
                    -Complaints
                            -Escalation
                            -POWs
                            -Constitutional issues
                    -Senate’s role
                            -Supplemental appropriations bill
                    -Loss of funding
                                              -29-

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                     (rev. September-2011)

                                                              Conversation No. 432-26 (cont’d)

                              -Resubmission of bill
                              -Defense Department
                       -John L. McClellan, John C. Stennis
                              -Support
                       -Senate compared with House of Representatives
                       -House of Representatives
                              -Vote count
                                     -Gerald R. Ford’s estimate
                              -Democratic support
                                     -Joe D. Wagonner, Jr.’s leadership
                                     -Robert L. F. Sikes, George H. Majon, Samuel S. Stratton
                                     -Caucus
                                             -Quorum
                                             -Carl T. Albert
                                             -Wagonner [?]

       Watergate
             -Public perception
             -Resignations of Ehrlichman and Haldeman

Bush et al. left at 12:03 pm.

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.

We need to do a pose on you for one quick promotional picture with this chairman.
All right.
All right.
All right.
All right.
All right.
Well, you look like you've got a little son in Florida.
Well, you've taken over at a time when it's very tough to raise it.
And I know it, and I appreciate it.
But if you just go to the bottom of the market and buy it.
And I just want you to know that we thank you all the way and wish you well.
And we've got every confidence in our friend George who's sort of a political, you know, a political major go-on on this place.
I mean, if you don't pay attention, Brock, Michael, the charges, the charges, the top dollars, you can't.
but you'll come back
What's that?
That's right, that's right.
the most successful fundraising bill miller
Oh, Bill, yeah.
Successful fundraising, man.
Successful, and here he has, you know, the concentration of Washington has evacuated.
It's effective.
It's affected the dinner, and particularly the effect of lock-in.
Yes, the lock-in is basically your winter players.
And that's all right next year.
Another thing you have to remember, too, is that it's rather hard in Washington.
We've got a year after the presidential because, you know, they've brought them all heavy into the presidential.
And that's very tough.
Now, next year, you know, next year, they'll see the lights, you know, what the hell they're going to face in Congress.
You've got a really heavy banner.
I don't know.
We haven't decided on the spring line.
Eventually, when things are still thinking about fall low, we're thinking about this, and we just don't get a perfect time on that.
The party, most of the party people want to see a ball dinner.
I don't know, Pat, if you've got a view on that now.
But it's, when you feel ready to discuss that in depth.
Oh, well, no, I think that you've got to make a determination, okay?
A determination.
Well, we can't wait, Mr. President.
We've waited a week long.
But you can't set the standards up.
Oh, of course, of course.
That's what we've got to do to fight other mammals.
Thank you.
Do you remember you met a lot of gentlemen once today on the phone with our president.
I think this was like an opportunity.
There's a couple of good ones.
There's one named Edgar.
I know your husband's in North Carolina.
He lives in South Carolina.
You know, the race is serious.
You have to get all around this fellow college.
And Harry did very good.
And Harry was very close.
And he had a lot of support.
And he was that part.
And he was both involved in what he did.
All right.
But if you could go out and get your candidates, and I said I'll help you all I possibly can, but during the election year, and, uh, but there's, there's, uh, 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, 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, I don't know, I don't know,
You see, you've got to remember that they like to do what they're going to have to do.
The main thing is, out of the country, the folks are still pretty solid.
That's fair.
They're not about to do anything.
Thank you.
They're worried.
First, they think it's wrong.
Second, they think it's stupid.
Right?
It's all people.
The FBI directed a stupid contact.
They get rid of it.
It's unbelievable.
Unbelievable.
You know what I mean?
So by the end of it, he throws it away.
facing an adjusted comedy of tragedy there.
But you both, you both just put the name out on your song.
You've got to talk about a comedy.
I understand that, but you know the party's name can't be the same.
And also, we've got to remember, too, that we have been up and down, you know, against violent, vicious opposition.
We've got a level of violence in this city.
70, and 68 against me.
68 and 76 against me.
Very, very high.
Thousands of dollars spent in our prevention.
But, be that as it may, sure, the main thing is over a period of time, you're against people.
The media will start playing the big events on Friday night.
The Senate will wear out after a while until you help people.
The spectators, see the real action now is the grand jury.
That's where it ought to be.
You've got to ask for somebody's guilty or something.
You ought to have a right to be driving the ride out.
Have a grand jury and a trial.
That's the action of those hearings.
That's
We should go forward on anything, except Watergate, but it should go forward on Watergate now because they've been prejudiced.
They've been prejudiced.
Any time.
If you allow, say, a line B, you can put him on.
No, he can't get a fair trial right now.
No way.
That's the problem at the moment.
They haven't yet made a ruling on it, I think, in the courthouse.
I mean, I don't know whether they...
Senator... Well, it's a candid situation.
The senator, the senator, has apparently offered to be... not be a lawyer, technically, but they want to be shut.
They apparently did not have a gun.
I don't know what it is.
I...
I don't know.
They offered him energy.
Only for what he makes sense of that testimony.
That's right.
We should as well.
And if I didn't get that, I would have been under testimony.
And he is true.
So therefore, I need to dance.
If I were his lawyer, I was going to blow up.
You know what I mean?
But that would be heavy on that team of men.
They just don't have the strength to work for the court.
And that's true.
It's true.
Because the court may be here, but we're going to do the right thing.
We're going to do the right thing.
Elliot is going to have an inspection for us very soon.
I know what I'm going to need to send.
Well, Elliot's announced that he's going to have one.
And that takes the heat off, too?
Mine's not going to take the heat off.
I was there yesterday.
There's been no information.
So what do you think I should do?
What is the situation?
Do you know?
I don't know.
Earlier that parent was checking around.
I think he doesn't want to talk to the boy now.
I told him not to.
I told him not to.
I mean, I want him to be totally independent, just so that he can do it like a little way.
Well, that's all right.
There's nothing man-filled there that he can do, but I'll give it to him, man.
Man-filled ain't a concern.
There must be a lot of stuff here out there.
Yeah.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
Well, they've got a few little, I mean, we have, you know, I think we have, I think, you know, one, two, three, four.
.
.
.
.
Well, sure.
Wishing well.
But I'm sure that's going to go on again, George, and that's the way it always does.
If you want to remember that, at least in the past, everybody had to stand in certain positions.
Well, I think that I hear it's a value argument.
Well, I think that the type of press and the partners and all the attitudes and all the people on the stage, I suggest they really be spoken over and enthusiastic.
Well, they will be.
I think you need to do the people, because the people that are there are the things that you need to do.
You're sure.
All the people that are there, the guys that are there saying they're never going to be with you when it's time.
Right.
And by God, they'll be loyal.
Well, I think that's fine.
We'll give them a little shot.
Thank you.
.
.
.
and, uh, that's been subject for a conference this morning, you know, uh, a lot of connection on that, you know, and, uh, you still have some undecided people having that, you know, and, um, that's great, you know, that's great, and I hate to think about that kind of headline, but there's the, uh, of course, I'm not going to be writing it out, but, you know, it's pretty good.
Cambodia transfer authority to spend more money on Cambodia operations.
It's a tough one, you know, the problem is
Well, don't give up on it too quick, though.
I'm going to be working on it, yes sir, for a while.
At a conference on it, the southern Joe Wegener and his boys are working hard, and the policy committee took a position on it.
Jerry and Les are doing good checks, working in our shop, and the fence is working on it.
But we're kind of like conservatives.
They're not going to go with us.
Well, I think the problem is if they just give the assurance after this 60 days, our best argument would be, well, it's just another 60 days for the supplemental.
But beyond that, you have some people today raising questions.
How many times are you coming back to the well?
You have really no assurance.
And this war power bill is pending.
We have a little more interference than you see.
We have no indication by these demonstrations that they're going to give anything but a gutting operation to that Lord Connors Dale.
Now, that's the case, and these guys right away can make an announcement.
Yeah.
That's up again.
Now, Jerry is a darn good guy.
He's out, out, out.
He's normally out.
We'll see.
Just wait on there real good, by the way, this is for the President, you know, on our first page around the country.
It's a mixed bag, we've got so little trunk and wheel.
Doesn't that make us look the right way?
Wait for the constitutional question.
What is that?
That's for the Constitutional Congress.
What is the, uh, how would you believe it was, uh, pulled through this bill?
Uh, they can continue the operation, Mr. President.
They can continue the operation for the fiscal year.
Yeah.
And that's what this is supplemented.
Uh, but that's the problem, too.
If you lose the boat on the floor and you go ahead and continue the operation, there's a big problem.
They have to build it out of some places.
That's right.
They have to stand down in a fleet of places and transfer gas and oil and stuff.
So it presents some problems, but they can continue.
Mr. President, well, we've had this before, and we've had this running all the time.
You know, this year, if it had been, uh, if it had been a conference of the world, I remember it was over the opposition to the Congress.
The other people said it was a deal.
Well, that's why you need a Republican Congress, huh?
Well, it's another dead-gun reason why you've got to have a Republican Congress, uh, next year to get over this crime.
My last point was kind of here.
Bill, I was interested on Al Hague.
He came out this morning at SOSC and I told him, I don't know how it is, but it's not worth it.
It's not worth it.
His role on, I don't know, Bill, but he is, when I asked about what Al is doing and what his role is, I was mainly thinking that
Very good at that.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
You don't want to go out and get to like SOS and CNN for that kind of stuff.
Too early, all right?
Too early, mainly because he's got some bandwidth to charge.
You know what I mean?
Here, he's stepping in here to put it all together.
And so that's taking a little time.
But within maybe two or three weeks, I would say, Bill can check it out.
I don't want Al.
They wanted him at the conference this morning, you know, and I talked to Jerry about it, and he said he just had another thing, and he couldn't go.
Too bad.
Too bad.
Too bad.
No, Rich has been the best one, actually, because it's still his bill, really, and he's free time.
But Jerry said, you know, they had him before, and so did he.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
Everybody's working overtime.
First reaction.
uh, disciplinarian, and I recognize you've got to have him.
You know what I mean?
Yeah.
Yeah, so we've got to be completely, uh, cemented again from a political output that can... What did I say?
You know what I mean?
You've got to have him.
You've got to have him.
You've got to have him.
Well, we've got a recommendation, but I'm trying to do a little bit of a legal thing.
I'm trying to meet her and transferring stuff.
Well, we haven't got a...
Transferring from the committee who elected it to Republicans.
Well, they're not the...
They're whatever you want to do.
Well, what we're dealing on is getting a legal opinion from an independent legal source, because I was first advised that a lot of these lawsuits, and apparently there cannot be CRT, would follow into the National Committee.
I don't know.
I definitely didn't want to get a vote.
I don't want to get any money out of the lawsuits for that.
So that's what we're going to do.
Or that you're going to get $150,000, Mr. President, but I'm asking you that there's a case, and Maury, I'm talking to him about it, that that money, which went from the National Committee to CRP, $650,000, the National Committee funds could indeed be returned.
That would be illegal action.
Well, but I'm not prepared to make a recommendation.
Well, let me see your reviewer first.
There's going to be pretty awesome.
So, yeah, I'm going to call you in on that.
We've got that.
How much, how much are you looking at there?
Well, the total that we've got there is $4.7 million, plus there's an ongoing legal expense.
There's more economy than that.
Of course, there are similar wages, but it was made past last year because
One, they say, here's all that money, and it's all free to me, and they give us a picture, and we all are like, we're ahead.
That's true.
Yeah.
You understand, this is because we're lucky.
I know.
I'm all for it.
So, it's up to you, George.
Just say, we've got it, we've got it, we've got a way with it, we've got a way to help the legal side.
People have asked me.
First, I have a little something to count on by the fall.
I think you're getting it.
You're making it.
And that will, that will be a great, great help.
And I think we can't come up with anything else.
I don't know.
But don't you think they'll have a 650, 80% meeting?
Well, we're going to have a meeting on that right away.
Yes, I think we can.
But the thing I don't want to do is have, for political reasons, is to have Strauss then jump up and name the National Committee and all he wants to do is just resist.
It's just a PR thing.
I mean, due to the fact that you will have some people.
I think we're going to get an opinion that says...
that because it's not a substantial amount of the total stuff, and because we didn't advance or give, it's a little technical question as to whether we advanced it or whether we gave it, that we can make an excellent case.
I'd say you're right.
I'd say you're right.
I'd say you're right.
I'd say you're right.
Well, I'll talk to Stanley.
But if we can get clear on moving on that, I'd like to...
There's no problem.
Well, I think there's no problem at all.
I mean, I've got to...
I mean, whether you want to have a lawsuit or whatever.
I'll let it take me just a few more days, and then I'll be ready to move on.
But, you know, reassure all your givers on that.
You're going to get that.
You know, there's a lot of people.
Basically stretches down there.
You've got to take care of those birds.
And I told you I was all along for it.
I'm trying to write this up.
Don't lose the bird.
I'm overhead.
I want you to let me make this a bird.
If I were you, I would just use the bird selected.
Candidate.
I like to candidate.
Hey, I'm a bird.
and we're still targeting it on the program on this season.
Our cooperative factory is working great, and we're going to move forward on it.
And we're not having trouble with it.
I had three last week.
You know, on the next side of the Amazon, he's got 30 grand committed to cold turkey, and he's got four miles of books on it.
I know it's hard
I got 25, there are 25 council members that would read and then to, you know, read all the operations on the candidate selection.
I'll open it and then we can fix it still.
One little thing, we have four times, because we don't want to read all the candidate selections.
That would be something that we would have to do.
But then we have, we may call some around and they have some.
If you're going to St. Tim, you'll see them.
They come very good.
The rest, they have to catch them.
Great, great, great.
But, you know, incidentally, it's Bellarmine.
I don't know if it's Bellarmine or not.
It's much closer, not a memorandum, but, you know, nobody's supposed to know about it, so.
I'm not even, all right, I'll talk to his wife, at least she'll know, she's the open source, she'll give me an update, and I'd like to have her go over to the channel.
I mean, this president, he's definitely been around, and if he's ever in a mess, he's been around.
You know, I want him to wait on me.
He's, you know, very good about it.
You know, it's funny, but, you know, the positive thing is kind of, you know,
But I can't do that right now.
And it's strange with Henry's addiction.
I've got to tell him what I'm saying.
But he told him, he said, I got you a mail grant that you need.
Oh, yeah.
He said, well, I'm going to send you $2,000.
I don't know what you're trying to do.
I don't know what you need.
And I said, you know, this is important.
I don't know how to do it.
You know, it's kind of sublime for me.
Every friend I've had has taught me that you have to walk through a situation that makes you feel that way.
I'm just learning.
You know, it's a time for the church to come in.
And that's the kind of attitude that's good.
It's good.
You have to do it.
You have to do it.
You have to do it.
You have to do it.
You have to do it.
You have to do it.
don't worry about
The very fact that this was a columnist, columnist, I'm not even sure if it was a five-year issue.
He went in there because he knew the business was not needed.
Nobody complained that he was just dealing with third opportunities.
Well, I'm going to be at all the back doors of this party, too.
He could have chosen both times for us, or...
It's very much appreciated.
I'll pay him.
That's right, that's right.
I wish he could be here tonight, though.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
The other way to talk on that committee is these data lists.
Who should I talk to?
The mechanics of that here.
Well, these computer lists that are available and can be helpful.
And I've talked with Merrick and some of these people that run it.
But who would you like to hear from?
I don't have the details, but what we need is to have those lists.
were released.
There's no dispute on it that I know of.
And what we need is to have the lease, the list released because they get out of date.
There's 11 states that are covered by these computerized data.
But if I want to bore you with the details later, why don't you just come to Allison.
And remember, there's no need.
There's no urgency.
Give you a couple of weeks to get out of the shop.
But Alice is stroking for work.
And don't worry about those.
All right.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Bill, now do what you can to win that vote.
And we're actually present.
Uh, if they have any alterations, we'll be back tomorrow.
Vote tomorrow.
Yes, sir.
Vote tomorrow.
Uh, we're calling them all.
Okay.
Doesn't look very good.
Uh, I'm sorry to share that with you guys.
Jack Edwards, uh, is with us, but he's on a new ground.
And, of course, he told me a lot about a good guy.
Uh, we had to do a lot of work.
I'm trying a lot to go over that guy.
I said maybe you should go up and tell him about it.
They're upset because of what?
They're thinking we're getting into another war.
...appropriation, but it's a tough one now.
Appropriation?
You know, only one part of it.
It's bigger.
So, uh, if you lose tomorrow, though, we can still keep running on.
Right on.
We'll, uh, we'll let it happen.
But that's what we have to, we have to get out of the way and try to get the subject up again.
Not next year, but next fiscal year.
Yeah.
We have to put it in the way and try it again.
Yeah.
Take a lot of money, pay a lot of approval, and place on it.
But that wouldn't make a lot of sense.
This operation is a lot of other stuff.
We're not going to do it.
Yeah.
I guess you've got to sit with the company and get it to try.
But Terry failed to get 170 reports.
I don't know if that's going to check or if that's going to check.
We're kind of running out of time.
We're going to do more over in the morning.
We're going to try to get to 40 Democrats.
And we talked to both sides, the different sides, and they had the same strategy.
The Democrats tried to have a caucus this morning, and they decided to give them a floor.
So we got all our guys to stay away.
Most of them didn't have a floor.
Albert, particularly, on the matter now, and he doesn't get to do that for a floor.
And they called it, I don't know, an eight o'clock Democratic caucus.
We talked to Joe and Sam, all of them, and they said, stay away.
They don't have a floor.
Well, I'd like to know.
And if we lose it, this is the end of the world.
We lost it before.
Yeah.
I don't know.
Yeah, we won an awful lot this year.
Right now, it's...
It's too bad that it's hard there, down there in Congress.
I guess, you know, the congressional guys are more obsessed with the Watergate thing than the folks are.
That's right.
You know, you go down and around the country, and at least all the first you see, you know, when the fellas get out in the country, you can get back to where they're getting, they don't run into it as much.
What do you think, Bill?
No, I, I sure don't.
I've talked to people in Baltimore about Watergate, but, you know, they say, what's this Watergate stuff?
You know, it just gets different.
Yeah, we're, you know, mostly over here.
Well, it's because of the recessive selection.
But in the past, for sure, you know, it was very difficult, you know, to have to let all of them, or let all of them, because it's the right thing to do.
I suppose I don't know about that person.
I don't know.
Okay, well, thank you.