Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 504-006
Date: Thursday, May 27, 1971 at 11:52 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.; Robinson, R. C. ("Hugh"); Haig, Alexander M., Jr.; Cole, Jack T. ("Tom"); Malek, Frederic V.; Martin, Robert; Rocco, Frank P.; Howell, Carson M.; Howell, Carson M. (Mrs.); Butterfield, Alexander P.; Peterson, Peter G.; Bedell, Catherine May
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/504-006

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:06] Are you ready to strike?
[0:35] I appreciate you for working in the past few years.
[0:51] I look forward to serving you for the rest of your life.
[1:00] Thank you, we have a, yeah, well, I tell you, we do give you both questions in higher track, but we hope that you can read and recognize that.
[1:18] So, I don't know if it would be worth it, I'm sure, I was thinking the same for the system.
[1:20] When I was, I mean, back in Scottsdale, in the past, earlier, it was another 67 or so drive.
[1:25] How do you picture the role in the president's system?
[1:28] Did you have time for one?
[1:35] Are you a golfer?
[1:41] Uh, I may be a golfer.
[1:52] Wait, you're a golfer?
[1:53] Yes, I am a golfer.
[1:53] Well, that matters.
[1:54] Yes, I am a golfer.
[1:55] Yes, I am a golfer.
[2:07] I'm sure it's all right.
[2:26] You might have got a big boat here.
[2:26] A big boat.
[2:27] Yeah.
[2:27] Yeah.
[2:27] Yeah.
[2:27] Yeah.
[2:32] Well, we got good
[2:52] Get along.
[2:59] Get your presidential cufflinks.
[3:05] Do you want to be a golfer?
[3:09] No, sir, I don't know.
[3:09] No, they don't do that.
[3:10] And we wish you the very best.
[3:11] I'll give you golf ball anything you want.
[3:12] Rather than be quiet about it, you'd say you've got to hold your line.
[3:19] I think there are other things to be said about it.
[3:23] Yes, yes.
[3:35] Yes, sir.
[3:45] Yes, sir.
[3:46] He was having a career.
[4:06] You're on the swamp or something.
[4:08] I didn't know what that was.
[4:08] I don't know.
[4:09] He should have applied in the background.
[4:09] Okay.
[4:10] One.
[4:10] I don't know.
[4:10] I didn't know.
[4:11] I didn't know.
[4:11] I didn't know.
[4:12] I didn't know.
[4:12] I didn't know.
[4:14] I need to give a call to the financial side of us.
[4:32] He's got to be certain most of the time.
[4:33] Well, I did vote that you didn't give us too many hundreds.
[4:36] I don't know if you got rid of the people.
[4:37] I don't know about that.
[4:37] Did you do that?
[4:38] Did you vote?
[4:38] I don't know.
[4:39] You were in that shirt and brown over there.
[4:40] Why was there a meeting on that afternoon?
[4:41] I don't know.
[4:44] I mean, you can take what he wants about legalizing marijuana, but I'm not for it.
[4:58] So you should leave your kid in there, huh?
[4:58] I agree with you, sir.
[4:59] Well, you hear your girl's an actual cop, I mean, so there's nothing for you to watch over your ears, but you've got to have something to prove your fear.
[5:02] And also, you're all talkers, aren't you?
[5:04] Yes, sir.
[5:06] How's it going, Dad?
[5:18] Oh, you can call them home.
[5:27] I'm just buzzing.
[5:27] Thanks, all.
[5:27] That's all you have for all the next few times.
[5:28] Not another thing.
[5:29] It's been a pleasure, though.
[5:29] We are appreciative.
[5:30] Thank you so much for serving us.
[5:31] We'll call them again.
[5:32] Absolutely.
[5:32] Perfect.
[5:32] Now, where you are, you're definitely good.
[5:33] Just out there raising the tension again one of these days.
[5:34] Thanks a lot.
[5:35] Nice.
[5:35] Mark, right?
[5:35] Yeah.
[5:35] Thank God.
[5:35] Thank you.
[5:40] But I was here, sir.
[5:45] I was here.
[5:46] I was here.
[5:46] I was here.
[5:46] I was here.
[5:58] Yes, we agree.
[6:10] Mr. Harrison, hello, Mr. President.
[6:13] Yes.
[6:13] How old are you?
[6:13] I'm thirty-five.
[6:14] Thirty-seven and a half years.
[6:15] Well, it's hard to realize you could have been here that long.
[6:18] Oh, thank you.
[6:19] Good to see you.
[6:21] Yeah, it's good to be here.
[6:22] Thirty-seven and a half years.
[6:22] Thirty-seven and a half years.
[6:23] I was talking to Marcel this morning on the building across the street.
[6:24] He says, now you speak of the State War Navy, the Cure Corps, Hunter River, January 4, 1933.
[6:26] And I said, well, I think we must have a president.
[6:27] It's a lot of worries, isn't it?
[6:50] I took a message to your dad.
[6:51] How many days?
[6:51] Five.
[6:51] Yeah, I got a lot of days.
[6:52] Excellent.
[6:52] What about our dad, son?
[6:52] He's right over in the house.
[6:53] Yeah, he's right over in the house.
[6:54] Let's get a formal picture for you.
[6:54] I'm going to have to write you an extra message.
[6:55] Let me see where you're going to write it to your father.
[6:57] Get this, boy.
[6:59] Thank you.
[7:15] Thank you.
[7:15] Thank you so much.
[7:43] Thank you.
[7:52] The office will be impressed, Lord Ransom.
[8:22] President?
[8:22] Well, there's no turning back.
[8:36] Amen.
[8:39] That's almost as good as being mad at God.
[8:45] Because you know it's not.
[8:48] That's the point.
[8:48] It does show that we...
[8:50] You want to be sitting?
[9:01] I wonder if we should.
[9:02] I wonder if we should.
[9:07] Is it in the house, Jack?
[9:17] No, you're not.
[9:19] This is the day.
[9:24] You're not going to do that.
[9:25] Oh, yeah, no.
[9:33] Pardon me.
[9:34] You're going to do something.
[9:34] There, amen.
[9:35] Amen.
[9:35] Amen.
[9:35] Amen.
[9:43] .
[10:06] .
[10:06] .
[10:06] .
[10:10] No.
[10:33] They go out?
[10:33] No, no.
[10:33] I live at home.
[10:33] They go out.
[10:34] I live at home.
[10:34] I live at home.
[10:34] I live at home.
[10:35] I live at home.
[10:40] The second thing is that they will trust you.
[11:05] And I would like you to work very closely with me.
[11:07] We're going to have a new attitude on all these things.
[11:09] He is looking after America's interests, understand?
[11:12] So, when he tells you, it's from me, right?
[11:33] Well, you are this.
[11:34] All right.
[11:34] You do the right thing.
[11:35] Thank you.
[11:35] And he's good at the station.
[11:35] All I want to say is, I'm sure you're on the right side.
[11:37] Oh, I think so.
[11:37] I think he has all these trinkets.
[11:38] We want to give you that as a paperweight.
[11:38] That means, that means that's just a split of seconds from now.
[11:40] Very small, as you see.
[11:40] Thank you, Mr. Perry.
[11:41] You don't know what I'm talking about.
[11:41] No, I don't.
[11:42] I don't think so.
[11:42] I'll give you that.
[11:42] Can I have one of those crickets?
[11:57] No, I don't have one.
[12:00] I just have one of these.
[12:01] Thank you.
[12:02] You'll see.
[12:02] They're strong.
[12:02] So we got a friend.
[12:03] Oh, we got a friend.
[12:03] Thank you, Mr. President.
[12:03] Sir, it's my envy, Mayor, that this town is, first of all, a shrewd country.
[12:06] And second, she knows what those, excuse me, some of those clowns up there, that are not our friends, what they'll be up to.
[12:23] On this whole business here, you're talking to her very candidly, and it will be done in nice little confidence.
[12:27] And I would think that at a very early time, when you do have a briefing, like that international stuff, she and all the members of the committee, and top members of the commission, span lots of that here,
[12:34] If you can't hear him, he hasn't touched yet.
[12:41] He has an hour and a half reading on the United States.
[12:47] But it's an attitude of mine that we have to change in this country.
[12:53] All of your people will see you over there.
[12:55] What they can do, and this is one where even, you know, as big as 100, if you want to pick a half a dozen of your top stackers, talk to me, this is who they ought to be, right?
[13:07] This has to be an attitude that I'm told that I don't have.
[13:10] Yeah, yeah, except one secretary, but can we make a change in that?
[13:33] I think we do, don't you think?
[13:34] We need some, uh, well, everybody talk it out.
[13:35] Yeah, I'm going to turn it into a money man.
[13:36] Everybody rolls over.
[13:36] Everybody rolls over, but there's plenty of rockers in there.
[13:38] He's a real tough author.
[13:38] I asked her two questions, and he told me this is what she wanted to say.
[13:40] One,
[13:40] I need some guidance.
[13:48] Am I supposed to sit there and go to sleep in my gavel and let the cobwebs escape?
[13:59] And two, if I keep my nose clean, do my work hard, and then come up with some constructive ideas, can I get to see you and Pete at some time and see you and her?
[14:03] Well, he and Patrice are in exactly the same relationship to me on these matters as Henry Kissinger is.
[14:05] On the, uh, National Security Matters, as Ann has said, of course, John Rosen is on the domestic media.
[14:25] So, can you talk to him?
[14:26] That's it.
[14:26] All right.
[14:26] He has my total confidence.
[14:27] So, we have Tom Curtis.
[14:27] Yes, I understand.
[14:28] Tom Curtis.
[14:28] Now, if we discover he's a mutual friend of ours, or if we lose the media, they'll become friends.
[14:30] Right.
[14:31] And I have to go out and talk to him.
[14:31] Do my natural.
[14:32] I like your white and blue.
[14:32] Thank you.
[14:33] Thank you.
[14:33] Thank you.
[14:40] Very well done.