Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 494-008
Date: Saturday, May 8, 1971 at 1:55 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/494-008

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[3:02:36] What's that?
[3:02:37] Nobody.
[3:03:19] to include a number four, which would have answered my, uh, error.
[3:03:30] That was true.
[3:03:32] To, uh, error just about right.
[3:03:38] And it's, uh,
[3:03:44] In other words, get the same question on with regard to the president that we have with regard to the police forces.
[3:03:59] Paragraph.
[3:03:59] I want to reiterate my questions to you this morning.
[3:04:09] Search for a way, and not just through, and not just through background receipt, or identification with the, that is, the identification of our end, our end, against, uh, disrupting demonstrators.
[3:04:48] through statements by Mitchell, Agnew, and congressmen, as well as congressmen and senators.
[3:04:59] Two, we have tended to be pristine, hard, so close to the question of press corps.
[3:05:09] We tend to get the worst of both worlds.
[3:05:12] Ten statements which take the
[3:05:17] Those who support the demonstrators do not come on strong enough to attack our own forces.
[3:05:28] It's one of those issues where people see it pretty much in black and white terms.
[3:05:37] Good guy, bad guy issues.
[3:05:40] Particularly TV.
[3:05:44] of support for, as they are quite aware, the worst position we could be in.
[3:05:49] From here, for context, this is a problem we have on a number of issues.
[3:05:59] It knows very well my standard, but they realize that my position may be unpopular on the
[3:06:14] The story is in a way that might appear to be strong one way or another.
[3:06:23] What it really gets down to is the craving of people for strong leadership in places like this.
[3:06:34] I think it has.
[3:06:37] And some months ago, much of which he has retained up until this time, that he appeared firm and outspoken and agreed with all of his positions.
[3:06:51] I tend to pick them off.
[3:06:54] And this is when I get to hit the head on the press conference, which cannot be more than once a month.
[3:07:02] I can correct this on a well-informed issue.
[3:07:05] It was interesting to note that the press, uh, played it up the first time I made the point at Williamsburg, thinking it would probably hurt us, but then realizing that it was having the opposite effect, totally ignored the point when I repeated it again in the Chamber of Commerce, once in the medium of whatever possible.
[3:07:33] that he will not take a strong position one way or another.
[3:07:43] He's dodging the public, et cetera.
[3:07:45] This is not true, but they also know.
[3:07:50] That's why it hurts.
[3:08:05] I want you to have a closer look on this paper in Scali.
[3:08:16] Use your judgment as to the extent you want to discuss this matter with Scali.
[3:08:21] If you have a need to close off on the press, close parentheses the problem.
[3:08:36] is that we have not really recognized, underline word, recognized the problem.
[3:08:44] So, let's begin here and see what we can do to strong and true oppression of our own leadership and purpose on the sea.
[3:09:01] To add to that,
[3:09:04] The problem in general is related to other issues.
[3:09:06] We've been clear and decisive, very decisive in this conversation about the possible and in these discussions that we'll be clever people in the press who may be our opponents necessarily, and that we're not, to fight us straight out
[3:09:36] They will discuss it in such a way, an image of indecisiveness and weak leadership.