Nixon, Haldeman & Kissinger on Supersonic Transport and Railroad Strike

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You're our, uh, I don't think you're, you need to press for it today.

I don't know what you mean by that.

That's really, well, I don't have that small business to me.

That's such an asshole thing.

I mean, they've already had a luncheon for him and everything.

Let's just get him out of here.

There's nothing really to say.

I'd rather have him with me, but I like whether it's drugs and here's the president and so forth.

It doesn't follow that.

I think you might get a press photo.

I would love to shoot one better rather than this small one.

I mean, it's the small businessman of the year.

They're not going to use it.

They're not going to use it to present an award.

It's a picture of the small businessman of the year.

I'll just kick both of them and say, well, I'll issue them my names.

I mean, there's no way I'm going to say a copy.

That's why we brought it in front of him.

He's already received the award.

The company's given it to him.

He's probably had a story already.

And they saw me this morning.

I just do this quickly.

That's fine.

That's probably better, isn't it?

Yeah.

Well, the state legislature said it was.

The way it goes, it's a bigger deal bother than you might think.

This is like the awards and things of that service, small business and so forth.

But it doesn't really do quite much.

Save us some time.

Yeah, we get an ollie, but we can service the language, maybe get more or anything.

I think it's big.

I think we're overdoing it.

People don't want to go out

What I really was thinking was the business things, and for them alone, rather than to have the New York Times, Time Magazine, Newsweek, that's what it's done now.

Somebody set it up in a different way.

The way the cop, these are a special breed, Bob.

I've received this Booker Quill Award and all the rest, and I just wanted to treat them specially.

I had something unfortunate.

I don't want to do Newsweek, and I never want to do the New York Times.

So, uh, very, very fine.

That sounds fine.

It looks, uh, he wouldn't know.

He didn't know what I was going to do.

But, if I, I don't want to really, if I didn't, well, catch it now, but the same token.

Don't waste time.

He's working like hell.

He's got a whole lot of problems at the moment.

They've got to stand.

They've got to stand strong.

They've got to make that Peterson.

It's like the business council people.

Everybody says we overplayed that one.

We had too many people.

I just wouldn't give them that much.

I think Connolly is working with us on the bench.

I just came out of that.

Yeah, I thought we left it that just Pete was going to do it, and then Peterson, and then, uh, it's the old side of the team.

I know.

Well, Pete and George, Charles, Paul McCracken, Keith Peterson, Marty Sands, and Herb Kline, Charles McCracken and Peterson will be available for questions also.

It's overdone.

I'm going to talk.

I'm going to have, uh,

Who do you want at the meeting with you?

The other people?

Well, you don't want just you.

No, none of them should be with me.

No, not at all.

The baby's later.

What, now you beat?

No, you don't.

No, because basically it's not about international affairs at all.

I'll tell them about that.

I guess it's a... Yeah.

Mind set it up.

She should be there.

Okay?

Just leave it at that.

And let some of the others join.

Who's the host for the dinner?

Stan's.

I don't have the dinner even then.

But Stan's hosted with Peterson doing his thing.

That's what I really think it ought to be.

I wouldn't try to give him goddamn much.

But you do what you want, but...

Don't get to that.

If you could get to all of our people who have applied, everybody that briefed senators in Congress and the rest, I think we just overdo it.

They can only understand a couple of shots, even people in television.

By the time they get through, we've lost them.

This has got us completely off the track for a while.

You asked for the list of the 10 top business magazines, and I don't know how to take that to the world.

I don't know how to take that to the world.

I'll take it just so that I can have one bright person there with me.

Why don't you have Schultz there?

It just will build him up, too.

You know, he's been beating around a little.

Schultz and Klein, I mean, that's good, because Schultz's channels are all good.

Schultz is right.

I'll have Schultz there with me, and then I can throw questions to him on balance of payments.

He's good with me.

I trust him, and I think he's more effective.

Let's have Schultz and Klein do it at the same time.

But Connolly does not, because I don't care about the others.

I mean, if they want anything, they want it.

But I do not want Connolly there, unless they're these people separate me anyway.

Oh, Christ.

He's too big a deal.

Almost all of us have had a government speech.

Donald's got one speech.

You hear it too many times.

It could wear out, is my point.

Let him go and then keep it.

It's a client percentage.

I mean, you just can't put it out there at a bad time and time again.

They do that with me a lot.

I mean, I said, no, I'm not going to do that.

I have a reason for it.

They've heard my speech.

I have a little more pride in the summer.

I know this comment.

He's like the same pitch each time.

I mean, he's awfully good.

He's awfully good, but

But he's terrific on the Q&A, but don't throw a man in.

Overall, you can't be too damn big.

I'm a little scarcity guy.

Yeah.

Absolutely, sir.

Erleman feels that there are a couple of things he needs to see you on today.

He's ready.

He wants to.

He's going to SST.

I should look at it.

But we...

It is 3 o'clock meeting because of the, uh, Smith meeting.

So he's probably gonna catch me this morning.

Yo, you little creature.

Don't look at me like that.

Oh, hell yeah.

Yeah, I know you said you got me now.

What?

He's crazy.

He's not high enough.

Henry, I've got a, because of this railroad strike, I've got to cut my schedule down some.

This meant meeting, it doesn't need to be more than 15 or 20 minutes, does it?

Yeah, we have her.

Yeah, yeah.

All right, fine.

Okay, that's about 2 o'clock, you'll know.

Right.

Okay.

I do that too.

Fine.

Yeah.

Fine.

All right.

Fine.

I agree.

The 24-hour, well, I thought that was less than yesterday, you know, that we ought to put them on 24 hours.

Three.

Okay.

Two-thirds.

All right.

As well.

And if not, uh, if, uh, okay, fine.

Fine.

We all know.

If you mention that three-thirds, we're, uh,

But for sure, because, uh, the meeting isn't going to take any damn hour.

Okay?

Because he hasn't cleared up the ground until the airship.

We may have to put Spend off 24 hours.

That's what I'm saying, Mike.

We better get it cleared up.

Well, as soon as it gets to 9-11, there you go, sir.

Okay, this is going to do it.

Can you be ready to see the person above the 30?

I'll sign up for that.

And you have Vincent Rumpstall, who are now back in town and still holding on.

I'll be here to report to you there.

Be here to report until we get past this to bring it there.

Okay, and I will see them.

I'll tell you what to do at a given time.

Thank you.

here, but that's all right, too.

They've got to record.

But I just put it on Thursday.

Thursday afternoon, Thursday afternoon.

Don't accept your man to put that other thing over until Friday.

That isn't on me.

Still put it on Thursday.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

There isn't going to be anyone to put it over Friday any night.

There's no more preparation.

I've done all the work the other night.

Okay.

Thursday afternoon.

I want somebody to run it.

You've got to do that on the 28th.

27th is the Kennedy Center deal.

You've got Faisal on, right?

For meeting that morning.

And I think you just have to do that.

We tried to change that once before.

Didn't succeed.

And then there is just a courtesy call before he goes.

I think we've got to do it.

But Faisal's on the 28th.

Let me see if I can move him to the 27th.

I really think he's better.

It's a question.

We got into the problem of trying to move him.

And I don't think we did, but I think we were trying to move to the 26th at that point.

And he wasn't going to be here.

He was concerned about having just arrived or something.

Let me find out if it's just as easy.

If it is easy, I'd rather have it at the 27th.

But if it isn't...

You know, Dave's kind of in on that flying thing.

Yeah.

I was going to say, you've got a perfect excuse to tell me why I have to take a trip in general.

Because I'll tell him where.

But I have to take a trip.

I'll be having to take a trip when we need it.

I'm flying in the afternoon.

You're right, though.

He shouldn't be, uh...

In fact, nobody should be riding around those presidential times.

Bob should.

It's a hell of a damn luxury.

Connelly goes over with the crowd, yes.

Well, it's ludicrous to go and see if the key thing is they get to who pays for it.

Yeah.

In church, which looks bad on the record, and somebody starts investigating, they run up the presidential money account.

Yeah.

And there's no reason to.

The other departments have more funds, far more than the presidential fund does.

Well, that doesn't come out of your funds, but it's charged by DOD to the president.

All right.

It's just, it's building up a record of plane use that isn't desirable.

From our viewpoint, it's better to have the State Department use it.

If he has to go military, he can use it, and the state's willing to pay for it.

He can use basically the same airplane, the same quality of airplane as he wants to.

I just wanted to warn you that

I got our first problem with the Eddie Knox family.

They want to use a plight.

Now, Ed's uncle, Edward Finch, is a New York lawyer.

Has been active in the Air Force Reserve for a number of years.

He's a full colonel.

He's been considered for promotion to Brigadier General five or six times.

Failed each time to be selected.

This year was his last chance.

Now he has to retire as a colonel.

That's his father.

Edward Ridley Finch.

Okay.

His father's, his mother's brother or something.

Yeah.

He's a very depleted, he can't understand why, and he says it this way, a successful lawyer who is about to become a member of the first family cannot be selected for Brigadier General.

Hughes has checked his records and talked to the Air Force people, and it's clear that he doesn't stand up, you know, in the competition.

and he refuses to accept this.

He's pressed Hughes directly to have him promoted by one means or another.

Hughes has cut it off.

And, uh, after having the president promoted to the position by Fiat, overruling the Air Force.

I just want you to know about it because it may,

what he thinks about what he never done.

You've never done any promotion.

You've never done anything with your own staff, people, which has been customary.

But he's got the costumes, et cetera.

We have several of that, you know, and they want you to do, hey, I didn't do it.

We didn't do it.

So we just say that there's a presidential taking the position that you will not move people out by the hour.

But he just wanted any hopes that we would arise with you.

Bush wanted you to know that he's, uh,

He made a speech urging that the United Nations start holding sessions of it around the world.

It's a good thing you had raised.

There's a lot of background stuff on why and what to accomplish.

Pushing the cause there.

Well, yeah, I wanted you to know that I was doing it.

Great.

The other cabinet minister who has come to the just to thank you on your behalf.

Rogers, Tommy, and Bush.

Plus, uh, Will and Graham, Spryce, Carlos.

And I, uh, we don't know what that's going to do with David, but, uh, I guess we'll have to spend some time with David and Graham, so I'll probably have to be a little more stable.

I wonder if we should have bought a little

Whenever it's going to be hit Friday evening or so, they won't have to clean up the trash.

They won't have to come back.

I'm going to be on the plane.

I'm going to keep the option open.

I'm coming back here rather than going to Florida in the event that I have to be doing something here.

Keep it open so I don't have to go on the floor to see.

On Friday, perhaps, for sure.

This is the best possible proof of why he can't have the Senate handling foreign policy.

Do you ever get into a crisis?

They can't even act on the road.

That's right, but they knew two weeks ago it was coming.

How the devil can you... Could I want to handle foreign policy crises where you have to move instantly and... We have...

It's clear that they're all... Yeah.

...compromised.

They're trying to find something.

And they're feeding her.

Man, it's the election.

It's the white father.

They're trying to get him.

They're feeding him.

What we're trying to do...

Yeah, that's a good question.

In fact, these guys are still prepared to strap pretty well on that, too, because he keeps saying that he didn't expect his resolution to pass, but he wanted to get something, too.

He's a leader.

We really like a leader.

That's all.

We love him a goddamn thing every time.

So, yeah, obviously.

So...

So negative on everything.

Negative.

Never step us down.

He was too bad about it.

He was anxious to get it.

No, he said it was a good meeting.

Yeah, it was a good meeting.

And there's been a lot of signers right here in Ohio.

You know, each guy in some way had something to talk about.

How are you going to do that now?

We've got a man to go out and pull the gush in, but you know what I mean?

As they come in and they wind around and go out and go.

He tries to be objective.

I told you yesterday, he raised the question of the Cooper thing.

He says now this morning that there's no necessity for a Cooper meeting, but he'd be desirable just to have Cooper in for a few minutes later, and he's going to wait and see.

He's going to raise that again, so we're going to look him all over.

Well, no, he did get Buckley, but

The other thing, you worked on a lot of them.

They weren't terrible.

I remember you had Bennett.

I don't know.

Hanson was there.

Cooper, I had Cooper in.

I had Cooper in, and I had Bennett, I had Hanson in.

That was the one he wanted me to see, I saw.

And we got probably a whole bunch.

Yeah, he's been strong for the SS team.

Why'd he change?

I was like, well, that's the news report.

And John may know when he gets in.

Oh, boy.

This changed him as the bullying cost figure, which he says if it's going to cost more than $500 million, he stood against it.

Well, that could be changed on that.

I don't know.

I thought that figure was wrong.

Well, that's what they've said.

That's what John's trying to get worked out, is to, I guess, get a specific reason for that.

If they get that and get to Eleanor and get him to come back, that might make a difference.

They're billing him as a major SSD proponent who has switching shifted because of the cost and the procedure.

He's also made the argument that the house shouldn't have done this.

and then several missions, and then we're just hanging out at this goddamn luncheon.

I'm having that cruise luncheon.

What the hell has he done?

You know what he's done?

He goes his own way.

I don't know what he does with these goddamn pieces.

And then you see somebody in Louisiana on top of this and thought, you wonder what?

Now there isn't any man I've had better personal relations with.

Margaret Smith is another contender for a great part of our job.

I see her every occasion.

I've talked to her.

Exactly.

Well, she makes a nice speech and all that.

She's self-imposed with us.

They should put us in the crowd.

I guess the times are different.

So when did Elmer's fly by?

I didn't see it in the morning.

It was somewhere over the weekend.

I think it was yesterday.

I think we got a date with some bullying thing.

Or we had a problem.

We didn't.

I don't know how today is.

I don't know.

See, we've got to screw up the security again.

What was that?

No.

Well, they want to say the security would increase on the Danville apartment.

No.

They've changed the rule.

It's 13-12 now.

Nixon, Haldeman & Kissinger on Supersonic Transport and Railroad Strike

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on May 18, 1971

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