Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 482-011
Date: Monday, April 19, 1971 at 1:30 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/482-011

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] I didn't know he was coming back.
[0:04] That's fine.
[0:05] What was that?
[0:07] One, four, two.
[0:09] The thing to do is to go forward.
[0:17] I got two of them.
[0:18] That's a very good idea.
[0:19] We have a bomb drawer.
[0:21] Whoever is the head of the bomb drawer crowd, if they make it with
[1:05] First of all, no excuse has to come.
[1:20] No, again, there's so many, I mean, obviously, I'm afraid to take these.
[1:26] I think there's one.
[1:26] Okay, that's what I thought.
[1:27] He should come.
[1:27] He should come.
[1:27] Again, very short.
[1:30] There's not going to be any comments from the senators.
[1:32] The others are, I mean, our assistant, he's an assistant, he's an assistant, he's an assistant, he's an assistant.
[1:35] I'd like to do them all, but I just know that we're, I just know that we have a problem.
[1:49] Now that we, by not having a price, you don't have to have a sack of iron.
[1:56] Right.
[1:56] Right.
[1:57] And we're not ready.
[1:57] We still have weekend.
[1:58] I don't think we are.
[1:58] It wouldn't matter if they let my children not do it.
[2:01] It wouldn't have.
[2:03] Well, I'm not sure it would have.
[2:05] It doesn't share a price.
[2:06] No.
[2:08] She was here long before Price.
[2:10] Well, Buchanan was here, actually, with Shelley.
[2:14] She goes way back, and as much as he knows the kids were... You see, Hughes goes back, too, by the time they were born.
[2:22] And Davies goes back that long, you see, John Davies.
[2:26] And the family's friends, right?
[2:29] Right?
[2:29] No problem.
[2:30] I think you've got a Peter Peterson in there.
[2:36] I will understand.
[2:38] I just never thought I'd have any Congressmen or Senators.
[2:45] So, that's it.
[2:46] Garmin's got to understand we're not having any Departments.
[2:49] Right?
[2:54] Yep.
[2:54] Bill Cannon's got to understand we're not having any Departments.
[2:56] Great.
[2:56] And, uh, Kennedy.
[2:56] Well, at least he's active.
[2:57] I've got them to stay in their position.
[3:03] This man fights me.
[3:11] All of us, he's fine.
[3:18] I'm not mad at him.
[3:22] I didn't hit him.
[3:22] I'm not supposed to hit him.
[3:24] Three weeks ago, he's retired.
[3:26] He didn't go to A1.
[3:26] And he gets to be out of his ass.
[3:28] Out of that office.
[3:30] I mean out.
[3:33] He didn't follow up.
[3:34] He's probably a Democrat.
[3:39] See, George actually wouldn't be dead.
[3:40] I don't care who the hell it is.
[3:41] He screwed it up.
[3:43] He screwed it up.
[3:43] He's to be fired.
[3:45] We followed up.
[3:47] I just asked him about these things and nothing ever happens.
[3:50] That son of a bitch is to be fired.
[3:53] You remember you just asked me about this.
[3:55] You said that it wasn't quite true, but now...
[4:02] This guy is to go.
[4:52] Now then, I must check the pool, Doctor.
[5:10] I'm not being unreasonable on that.
[5:13] Isn't that what he has to do?
[5:17] No.
[5:17] Well, you're just a liar to some of them.
[5:19] Yes, sir.
[5:19] He did not follow the guidelines.
[5:23] He did not do what we said.
[5:24] He should be out on his ass.
[5:26] I mean, he can't listen to me.
[5:26] And that word should get her out today.
[5:28] That's right.
[5:29] That's what I know.
[5:31] I don't know the president, by the way.
[5:32] You know what I mean?
[5:32] I don't know the son of a whore of those.
[5:34] I don't know.
[5:34] He got out because of his failure in that.
[5:35] And I don't know the story of it.
[5:37] I don't want to run by it.
[5:37] Yeah.
[5:37] That is the reason I don't know the story.
[5:39] I wanted to get her out to the bureaucracy.
[5:44] We've got some Republican Congressmen that's stuck in the pit.
[5:53] The name is, is it a familiar name?
[6:16] They do that in the morning and I'll bet you they don't have anything stuck in it.
[6:34] They probably won't boot them.
[6:40] Business does the same thing.
[6:43] The American Association of Advertising Agencies, I used to go there three times a year.
[6:56] It was the same damn thing.
[6:56] We'd go to Pebble Beach or some place like that.
[6:58] We were supposed to wrap people up.
[6:59] We were together.
[7:00] Not only did you get a little cross, you learn about a man.
[7:03] That's one thing.
[7:05] They talk to each other.
[7:05] Also, you say, here's a good man.
[7:07] You pick it up.
[7:08] You support him.
[7:14] I want him to work it out, but you've got to have a marketer.
[7:18] He's not so conscientious that he feels on press briefings that they will be noticed if he ever drops one.
[7:26] He must never worry about that.
[7:28] I think he's got to establish a pattern where he never steps on our stories.
[7:32] Now, he's very good at that when my schedule is concerned.
[7:36] He says, you've got something to do with it.
[7:41] before a press briefing, will they have everybody stuck on a story?
[7:46] They'll ask him about McGarrett or some other guy.
[7:48] That will do this.
[7:49] Now, let this be the story for me.
[7:51] Ron just said he can't.
[7:52] He has to read.
[7:53] He might point out, not all day.
[7:56] Don't read all day.
[7:59] Sorry, I almost said the story.
[8:00] He said that.
[8:01] What he does is, I mean, I don't want him to walk out there and say word one.
[8:05] What he does is, he does that.
[8:13] I don't know.
[8:17] I have a few of them whenever we have an event.
[8:35] I get them all over me.
[8:40] in order to choose from.
[8:42] They'll choose the caviar, leave sardines for us.
[8:47] True.
[8:48] I know these people.
[8:50] Ron knows it.
[8:51] But he knows, too, that the press, they love to have something to choose from.
[8:57] They don't want to write a welfare story.
[9:00] They want to write something about their time.
[9:03] They'll never write a welfare story.
[9:07] Exactly.
[9:07] Great job.
[9:10] I just want you to tell them I'm here.
[9:13] Work it out as far as you can.
[9:14] Don't stop on our stories.
[9:16] Don't give them a choice.
[9:20] Just going down the skin of Ben, all the insolvent people, you know, if you see the word 1510, don't mess up.
[9:28] Don't be that huge bastard all the way across the window.
[9:33] Of course, you can change it.
[9:35] But that's the law of networks here and there.
[9:38] I'll show you the law and the advantage.
[9:42] The president starts to say that you can get a hell of a lot of people, at least a few people, period.
[9:49] But even on the other side, you say you get one network, you should probably get all three.
[9:58] That's how you might end up, right?
[9:59] I mean, it's kind of the same situation.
[10:08] And the officer said, it doesn't look like it's going to be your week, does it?
[10:13] He said, what do you mean?
[10:16] Look out here, it is only Monday morning.
[10:20] You've already blown two big stories.
[10:23] He said, well, the president isn't going to release you in college months today.
[10:26] He says, I haven't had another spat.
[10:29] And I certainly thought you were.
[10:30] He said, well, you should ask somebody.
[10:34] But I definitely wasn't.
[10:34] I thought, well, what do you mean?
[10:35] He said, well, the police just put out the crowd.
[10:37] I said, what?
[10:43] I think it was bigger than that.
[10:48] That's what he said.
[10:50] A lot closer to 5,000 than 25,000.
[11:06] He said, well, I was just quoting, I just said the estimates range from 10 to 25.
[11:11] And I said, yeah, about 50 and 25.
[11:13] And I said, yeah, but nobody does it in less than 25 figures.
[11:18] And I said, I was looking at the picture of it this morning.
[11:20] You know, you put the grid on it.
[11:21] It looks to me like about 5,000 or 5,500.
[11:24] Yeah, it's not.
[11:25] I mean, I haven't seen the picture.
[11:27] I'm just lying.
[11:28] But he, that's all right.
[11:33] He had a little idea.
[11:40] And we have to go on, I think.
[11:44] I mean, I just thought of it, but we never really had a choice.
[11:48] That's why, I don't know.
[11:52] I think we were right the other side.
[11:53] The other person didn't even realize what the other person said.
[11:57] I got concerned he didn't do any harm enough to do it.
[11:59] All it did was hate.
[12:01] It was an honor.
[12:02] That's the worst you can say about it, isn't it?
[12:04] It's an honor.
[12:05] And I applaud the other person.
[12:09] But you get plenty of applause on other times.
[12:15] It was impressive going in there to Williamsburg today.
[12:18] Because that's a tourist film all over.
[12:23] It's all the same.
[12:25] It's just completely in front of the reception, but all the way along there.
[12:29] Because they're out of class.
[12:31] A couple of days in William and Mary with the Eastside, but even they weren't great.
[12:37] Yeah, I don't know if you could ask me.
[12:38] Can you?
[12:39] How does it feel to be a worker at home?
[12:41] Really?
[12:42] I just smile at anyone around us, and they all just ignore it.
[12:46] That shows it's an investment.
[12:48] They just hate not to be paying attention to them.
[12:51] That's my theory.
[12:52] My theory is don't pay attention to them.
[12:56] That's why I disagree with our convention.
[12:57] I'm sorry.
[12:58] Christ, man.
[12:59] Rack with them.
[13:01] What do you mean, rack with a fellow like that?
[13:03] What the Christ are they talking about?
[13:05] I'll rattle the kitchen wheel, Brian.
[13:09] I wish I'd heard you, rather.
[13:16] I wish I'd heard you, rather.
[13:21] I wish I'd heard you, rather.
[13:28] I wish I'd heard you, rather.
[13:33] I wish I'd heard you, rather.
[14:44] and not to be at the public trough.
[14:46] That's my view.
[14:47] I can talk you up.
[14:48] I said, and he'll do all he can.
[14:50] He can get out of it.
[14:52] And I agree.
[14:53] I will, I mean, call it heartless to the relevant humans.
[14:57] I thought I am heartless.
[14:59] Not to the kids.
[15:00] But I thought to a man who won't be off his goddamn ass for a quarter of a woman.
[15:06] Man who'd rather sit on her ass and draw welfare than to work at the school, than to work, do any kind of work, anything at all.
[15:22] 30% of the people in the country will agree exactly what they're doing.
[15:29] At least.
[15:32] At least.
[15:32] Don't do this to them.
[15:33] 80%.
[15:33] If you do that, why don't you do it for the reason?
[15:36] Everybody's always done welfare.
[15:38] And a lot of people who are in welfare do it.
[15:42] Some of them, not a hell of a lot, because they've been thrown in the spirit of there's a hell of a lot.
[15:47] But the new-goods, left-wing bastards, you don't want to just give to these things.
[15:53] You've got to hold that zipper.
[15:55] You've got to hold this picture.
[15:57] I'm telling you, by all these people, of the two, that age two children, they dress them up and they're dressed in Christian Jewelry when they're in their lockers.
[16:08] Thank you.
[16:09] There's some classic pictures.
[16:21] Whether they talk about the recent press that's out in March.
[16:31] They call me as their caller.
[16:37] I don't know whether it's press or whether it's a hell of a magazine thing.
[16:43] Maybe it's the ladies.
[16:44] Maybe there's a...
[16:45] I'm not 17.
[16:45] Maybe it was Luke.
[16:46] It is an absolute piece of fantastic fiction.
[16:49] The story of two little girls in a white hospital.
[16:53] Yeah.
[16:58] Who doesn't know?
[17:15] What are
[17:25] I had that as a tell-all story to someone.
[17:28] Maybe family circles.
[17:30] That's what I was just saying.
[17:31] One of the mass magazines, mass circulation magazines.
[17:37] And, you know, it's British.
[17:38] I just sent a color.
[17:40] It would be a great thing to have.
[17:42] And it was a pretty small, big picture, you know, family circle.
[17:44] Some mass, what it really means is some mass thing that creates this craving.
[17:51] It's a good job.
[17:53] It's a good job.
[17:54] Angry, pushing hard on him, but I don't know what's wrong with him.
[18:03] I've heard of him so much.
[18:07] He's a pretty hard line.
[18:10] By God, we need some hard line on there.
[18:12] Father, I'm sorry.
[18:14] I don't know what to do.
[18:15] I know it's been a decade.
[18:15] I know I've had the worst day of my life.
[18:16] It's been a week, two.
[18:19] You know, it's kind of just a little bit of the same.
[18:26] He cut it off by that picture in the archive, just like I was.
[18:30] Now I thought, it's a birthday.
[18:32] I started living in a cottage in my school.
[18:36] One of the beaches didn't have beer cans.
[18:38] So I started living.
[18:40] I'm a horrible bastard.
[18:45] Well, I kind of swear to God, there was a very
[19:09] Chaos!
[19:57] They say hairstyles and so forth and so on.
[20:01] All of a sudden, it changes.
[20:04] It's changing.
[20:05] I hear you, sir.
[20:08] Yep.
[20:09] Now, these are all the times.
[20:12] The younger kids are catching up with them.
[20:15] They get a slap.
[20:16] The older kids are kind of giving up.
[20:32] I'm just going to sit around and tell me how to go around the country.
[20:37] I mean, why, bitch?
[20:39] I'm just going down.
[20:41] Use it.
[20:41] That was before.
[20:42] Men just be shithands with a man.
[20:44] Get the hell out.
[20:45] I'm sure you're pretty sure.
[20:46] You know what I mean?
[20:49] Ben, Tom Evans, all those guys move around in the...
[21:14] You have a lot of events.
[21:16] But I'm not going to play it in the evening and play some stuff in the night.
[21:20] I'm going to read it and get out of there.
[21:22] Not that we need it.
[21:45] Good response.
[22:01] I guess that's all I have to work for.
[22:13] Just like the channel.
[22:23] It was at 800 words in 2000.
[22:27] With a little make because it's easier for me.
[22:29] So you'll understand personally because I know it for the press.
[22:40] Actually, the press wants a copy.
[22:55] Yeah, but he hasn't answered back in a very good way.
[23:08] Um, he's not at all okay.
[23:09] He's not okay.
[23:11] I can tell you that.
[23:12] So, because it is easier, you don't lose anything.
[23:15] I'll put it that way.
[23:15] And, sure, what do you mean otherwise?
[23:20] That's a major moment, but I think he's got as much of you as I do.
[23:24] And you made the point, Joe, that you wanted to make.
[23:29] Last night, what you said is going to make no difference.
[23:33] I hope you're going to use that story of the little lady in the mid-flight.
[23:38] I need her to use it.
[23:54] Was it applied or was it that Steele?
[23:59] Steele.
[23:59] I know the text said applied.
[24:00] So Steele was thinking the opposite.
[24:03] Yeah.
[24:05] I think so, yeah.
[24:08] We have it right.
[24:10] So all these changes were done.
[24:17] Yeah.
[24:17] Yeah.
[24:18] If that's the one, maybe it was, did someone give you applied also?
[24:21] I don't remember.
[24:26] Direction.
[25:12] Well now, do you have anybody in mind?
[25:30] He's strongly...
[25:42] I told him that.
[25:44] I told him that he's the best man in the job.
[25:51] But it's nice to know where she got it.
[25:56] Capable, most young man, very personal.
[26:00] One thing about Paige is she's good.
[26:02] She's smart.
[26:03] She makes pretty girls to show people around.
[26:06] I mean, pretty girls.
[26:07] She's not unattractive.
[26:09] Yeah, I mean, she's good.
[26:15] I got an idea that it would be a nice touch right now.
[26:31] You know, we are not in this meeting.
[26:44] It's midway.
[26:45] Why can't we go on?
[26:53] I don't know why.
[26:59] I don't know why.
[27:04] I don't know why.
[27:12] I don't know why.
[27:13] I don't know why.
[27:20] They're going to grow white flowers in the garden on purpose.
[27:29] They're all up here.
[27:31] It will be the next thing we're talking about.
[27:39] Oh, it's ideal for covers to be in the roof.
[27:50] There's another character on your way.
[27:57] That means you have to do stuff to complete the conference as fast as you can.
[28:25] There's no way you can do it, except to do it by certain rules.
[28:51] Oh, there's no way.
[28:53] There's no way.
[29:02] where each individual talks to people like Munch and others who would normally be invited to say that libraries can't have apartments if you know what I mean.
[29:31] He's got another one that he's set.