Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 458-008
Date: Thursday, February 25, 1971 at 4:34 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Chapin, Dwight L.
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/458-008

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Oh, thank you.
[0:15] Whoops, sorry.
[0:15] Is Mr. Rose here?
[0:15] Uh-huh.
[0:16] Yeah, he is, yes.
[0:21] I pushed you off the top.
[0:30] Oh, I'm sorry.
[0:31] I thought you had something on me.
[0:31] Well, I don't have anything.
[0:32] I don't want you to silence me, but maybe after Ambassador Kennedy leaves, I've got a couple of plans today.
[0:34] Oh, just go ahead now.
[0:35] I'll be right back.
[0:35] Oh, I see.
[0:43] Do you expect to participate the whole time, or would you?
[0:55] 3 o'clock, 3.20.
[1:02] That's it.
[1:05] We've got a scenario here, which I think...
[1:09] The only question I had, they've got all four of you sitting on the stage rather than in the front row.
[1:18] I didn't think you'd want to be sitting on the platform facing the audience for that period of time while John Quincy Adams and Mr. Andrew Oliver speak.
[1:27] The scenario is that 250 guests, you and Mrs. Nixon,
[1:31] Come in.
[1:50] Mr. Adams and Mr. Hallberg will be pre-positioning their chairs on the platform.
[1:53] And Mrs. Nixon.
[1:54] Quiet.
[1:54] This is the way to do it.
[1:54] So they know us, too.
[1:55] And I don't say anything.
[1:55] They expect me to shake hands with the guests.
[1:56] No, no.
[1:56] But you're the last of the remarks.
[1:57] Full press coverage.
[1:58] No handshake.
[1:58] Good.
[1:58] All right.
[1:58] No questions.
[1:59] The other quick one, I want to get a feel for how you envisage the plan for the astronaut dinner on March 1st.
[2:08] Do you want to treat it somewhat like the state dinner and meet up with your old room and the families, I mean, with the husbands and wives?
[2:15] Yes, thank you.
[2:19] I don't have a plan.
[2:33] I think we should have a situation where they sit with us.
[2:35] at the head table of the sentries.
[2:51] Okay.
[2:51] At the head table.
[2:51] And leave them there.
[2:52] So I can mention to you if you're going to meet the members of Congress there.
[2:55] Yes.
[2:56] They're late.
[2:56] Do you have any entertainment afterwards?
[2:57] No.
[2:57] No formal entertainment at the East Rumble.
[2:58] Yes, I do.
[2:58] A little heavy.
[2:58] A little heavy on the entertainment during dinner.
[2:59] Well, the presentation.
[3:00] The presentation is the speaker's service thing.
[3:01] Yes, sir.
[3:01] And I'm also going to ask you, did you get that situation in regard to pulling one close?
[3:03] Yes, sir.
[3:03] Sapphire, something, I don't know yet how that was done.
[3:04] Yeah, well, I want to be sure that I'm going to make it.
[3:22] See, I'll make a big one.
[3:22] So you'll know what to do.
[3:23] Very, very brief thing.
[3:32] or whatever it is.
[3:41] I don't know what the damn thing is.
[3:50] I haven't read the material.
[3:54] We might even find him in the Dells.
[3:56] Or another nice thing would be to invite maybe Arnold Palmer to come in for the dinner.
[3:58] That's a great idea.
[3:59] I've got to know to get something different.
[4:00] Arnold Palmer or Billy Cash, or one of our good supporters.
[4:01] That might be a good idea.
[4:01] That's not a good idea.
[4:03] so but yeah that's all we'll do and then everybody gas around afterwards you don't want to make a toast you just make remarks if you want to toast no we would just uh just make remarks so i think we ought to have each of them say they shouldn't respond let's see
[4:32] I'll tell you what I mean.
[4:41] How many flights in all would be represented?
[4:47] Why don't we have a minute from each one?
[4:51] A minute from the commander of each flight?
[4:52] Each Apollo?
[4:52] Or each that's represented generally?
[4:53] Go clear back.
[4:53] In other words, there may be ten, and that would be a very interesting program.
[4:55] Each one, yes, one minute.
[4:57] I'm not sure.
[4:57] How would they do?
[4:58] Astronauts, they'd grab a list, I think, here.
[4:59] Certainly not.
[5:00] Maybe that wouldn't be so good.
[5:00] Certainly not.
[5:02] I think it's better to just have the three of them speak.
[5:24] We'll want to be on hand for that presentation portion, even though it's in the same time.
[5:27] Just for the presentation of medals.
[5:28] Yes, presentation of medals with the lights and the presentation.
[5:29] Your remarks can go to the press.
[5:30] Thank you.
[5:31] In other words, all they do have is come in here and produce music.
[5:39] Well, the thinking was, and this happened in a military session, I noticed it, it was like a great reunion for all those guys.
[5:47] Yeah.
[5:47] They like to sort of get around and have a lot of dance music and so forth, and they like talking to each other rather than sitting around.
[5:51] It's great.
[5:54] Is it about Tom?
[5:57] Is he going to go up there and knock him?
[5:58] Yes, I've written you a note.
[6:00] He was delighted, really, by the extra call, and I reiterated your appreciation for the fact that he's been going full steam.
[6:08] You really were sincere about your wish that he... Are you going to helicopter him up?
[6:13] He's going to be helicoptered up on Friday.
[6:16] He was delighted.
[6:17] He's only going to his wife.
[6:18] They're not taking anyone.
[6:20] Yesterday was her birthday, and Saturday is his, and the Camp David staff knows that.
[6:26] Well, let's have others put it on, be sure.
[6:31] As I said, have you used the brand?
[6:34] The one that hasn't been used by anyone.
[6:38] That's right.
[6:38] That's Beach.
[6:38] He's got that.
[6:39] They're going to really lay off.
[6:42] Great.
[6:45] Rose just gave me this before I came in.
[6:48] There's a Dr. Iles of MIT.
[6:50] He's the young man who solved the lunar lander's computer problem on this Apollo 14 flight.
[6:55] But he's a long hair, and he wears the granite glasses.
[7:00] But he did, well, one of you might want him included in this dinner.
[7:04] He's not now, but he did figure.
[7:08] into the success of that apartment.
[7:30] Well, I don't care.
[7:30] I don't care about his hair being long.
[7:31] But I don't want to have him here.
[7:31] See what I mean?
[7:32] I agree, but he's a rascal.
[7:32] He don't care about the others.