Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 515-002
Date: Wednesday, June 9, 1971 at 12:06 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Lombardi, Marie; Larkin, Felix E.; Mulcahy, John A. ("Jack"); Mara, Wellington T.; McCrane, Joseph M.; Volpe, John A.; Mitchell, John N.; Casey, William J.; Conte, Silvio O.; Breslin, John J., Jr.; Leone, Gene; Brown, Peter C.; Sullivan, William H.; Carlesimo, Peter; Walsh, Michael P.; Jackson, Andrew; Mackin, Francis C.; Fine, Phil David; Hansen, Zenon C. R.; Levitas, Robert; Rosenbloom, Carroll D.; Ryan, John J.; Cashen, Henry C., II; Nixon, Richard M. (President); Lombardi, Marie; Larkin, Felix E.; Mulcahy, John A. ("Jack"); Mara, Wellington T.; McCrane, Joseph M.; Volpe, John A.; Mitchell, John N.; Casey, William J.; Conte, Silvio O.; Breslin, John J., Jr.; Leone, Gene; Brown, Peter C.; Sullivan, William H.; Carlesimo, Peter; Walsh, Michael P.; Jackson, Andrew; Mackin, Francis C.; Fine, Phil David; Hansen, Zenon C. R.; Levitas, Robert; Rosenbloom, Carroll D.; Ryan, John J.; Cashen, Henry C., II
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/515-002

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Mr. President, Mr. President, young man, I'm sorry to ask, how are you?
[0:16] We're very happy to see you.
[0:17] We're very happy to see you.
[0:18] We're very happy to see you.
[0:18] We're very happy to see you.
[0:19] This friend of mine, my best friend, won't cry when I run into Dick Rizzo's scribe.
[0:33] He's one of the poor renders, and I keep my daughter right off of him.
[0:35] Now, this gentleman won't cry.
[0:35] I want to tell you about one thing.
[0:36] If he's the most improved golfer in the club, so the next time you're playing, I'll have you in the parking lot.
[0:38] Well, thank you, Mr. President, really.
[1:07] He's in great condition for it.
[1:22] He has to try hard to keep it up now with all the scholastic.
[1:23] And it's really trying to keep by the most regular level we can.
[1:25] You know, we get nice tears, man.
[1:25] Well, when we passed him, he was great.
[1:26] He was awesome.
[1:27] He was awesome.
[1:27] He was awesome.
[1:27] Oh, yeah.
[1:27] It was a great day.
[1:29] Thank you very much.
[1:53] Thank you.
[1:54] ... ... ... ...
[2:18] All right.
[2:36] .
[2:51] .
[2:51] .
[2:51] Are you sure?
[3:17] Are you sure?
[3:21] Yeah.
[3:36] Yeah.
[3:39] Thank you very much.
[4:00] Thank you.
[4:00] Thank you.
[4:24] I never gave my students a great escape.
[4:25] Every one of you was the greatest of the Giants.
[4:26] That's right.
[4:26] Thank you.
[4:27] Thank you.
[4:27] Thank you.
[4:27] Thank you.
[4:27] Thank you.
[4:27] Thank you.
[4:46] Well, we're so glad to have you here in this impressive place.
[5:07] Now, let's see.
[5:08] Maybe I can get in a little here so we can see it.
[5:09] Ready?
[5:09] I hope we have a lot of us here at the time.
[5:10] Okay.
[5:10] Locker, that's a little longer.
[5:10] Locker's here.
[5:17] Oh, yeah.
[5:56] This is the very first time I've ever been on TV.
[6:23] I'll be there in a few seconds.
[6:23] I'll be there in a few seconds.
[6:24] I'll be there in a few seconds.
[6:24] I'll be there in a few seconds.
[6:27] Well, if you'd like to throw the ball back, we can throw the ball back.
[6:41] We can throw the ball back.
[6:42] We can throw the ball back.
[6:48] Thank you.
[7:14] So I spoke to the law school, you know, many years ago.
[7:39] I visited them.
[7:39] You know, you hear people talk.
[7:40] You know, you hear people talk.
[7:41] You know, you hear people talk.
[7:41] You know, you hear people talk.
[7:42] You know, you hear people talk.
[7:43] Thank you.
[7:58] Oh, well.
[8:15] Let me see what else we've got here.
[8:16] Well, this is the story.
[8:16] I saw that.
[8:17] Remember what I did?
[8:17] I wasn't.
[8:17] I don't get to see television very often.
[8:18] You know, I'm not able to do this when it's on, but the White House people here made a tape of what they did in the Super Bowl.
[8:37] I did not see that.
[8:40] I missed that.
[8:40] And I saw it at Camp David about a month ago.
[8:42] And I thought, oh, what a great, great story that was.
[8:44] And the marvellous shots of the men all talking about him.
[9:09] They told so much about him.
[9:10] Yeah, yeah.
[9:10] Well, he's, uh, he's, uh, let's see, I always find out that football can have a lot to be
[9:13] I never knew our own place.
[9:32] Now, Mr. President, we very much appreciate your kindness in seeing us today.
[9:45] We share your feeling about the value of sports and discipline, and of course, your admiration for Vince, as we've had.
[9:50] And, you know, there's qualities of character, and we don't pick up the loose moments on bodies, and... You said you could give us a big list today.
[10:04] That's very kind of you.
[10:04] Let me say something for a senator at all.
[10:08] We will have to go out and talk to people and raise money for this.
[10:10] But someone said, why sports?
[10:11] And it is some of the fashion these days.
[10:12] Not everybody's, and not a majority, but...
[10:13] because it's still a sports-minded country.
[10:23] But they say, well, you ought to put it into other buildings.
[10:32] And believe me, you need other buildings.
[10:33] You need libraries.
[10:36] You need classrooms.
[10:36] You need higher teachers.
[10:37] That's going to be far more money that's going to be paid.
[10:39] But you show me an institution that has a good sports program, and I will show you an institution that puts out men graduates who have
[10:43] a better chance to come out with strong character.
[10:46] Now, that doesn't mean that people have to be active participants in sports that have character.
[10:52] But over and over again, you will find that people who have been in sports, that they come out with
[11:03] But that was basically what he had.
[11:07] And he wanted to win.
[11:11] He was willing to pay the price.
[11:15] He had a sense of discipline, basically, a lot of character.
[11:20] And that's the reason I support sports.
[11:21] It's not something...
[11:23] the participation in the sports program and every individual should be in there competing, fighting, and not just learning to win,
[11:50] but also learning to lose and to fighting back, trying harder.
[11:55] If he doesn't appeal to sports, he'll learn to do it in other areas.
[11:59] I believe this very much.
[11:59] It's been true of my life.
[12:01] And I should tell you, I got it.
[12:08] I went out there every day.
[12:12] More years than Mike said, more years than Tom.
[12:15] Basketball, football, track, baseball, not baseball.
[12:17] I just couldn't see a ball.
[12:20] But nevertheless, I never regret that moment.
[12:24] And the association with the men.
[12:25] My coach, who's not with us, was a very fine man, too.
[12:26] He's still living.
[12:27] He's an American.
[12:27] He's an American.
[12:29] He's an All-American.
[12:29] He works in Southern California.
[12:30] He or she can stay for the rest of their life.
[12:31] He had a great job.
[12:41] He had a lot of characteristics against Lombardi.
[12:45] You know, they had to fight his way up and all that sort of thing.
[12:47] But boy, he was a little nonsense kind of guy.
[12:49] I remember a fellow would come off the field, you know, and make a good play.
[12:51] He didn't see the chief running up to him and slapping him on the back.
[12:52] That's the way he's supposed to have played.
[12:53] You know?
[12:53] But anyway, I want to give you all a memento of your visit here for the men, and that's virtually everybody.
[13:11] These are the presidential convicts.
[13:12] It's the presidential seal, which you see here in the floor in the ceiling, which is the arm of this room, reproducing.
[13:29] And because I know this is a bipartisan group, it isn't my name.
[13:32] So we'll get those out to all of us quickly.
[13:34] And also, because it's important to us, we're going to have golf balls.
[13:35] Give me one of those balls so I can shoot it.
[13:38] I know a lot of you do play golf, and a lot of you don't.
[13:57] But this is the first golf ball made by Wilson, and a good friend, Don Pendle.
[13:59] I always say, I give these to almost anybody except the Vice President.
[14:05] But for you, Mr. Lombardi, there's something we just had made.
[14:31] We can't give this to anyone, because they're a little more expensive than that.
[14:33] But this is a nice, expensive complex, maybe, where it's going to be sealed off.
[14:34] So we cannot get evidence in respect to you, but you don't have to report it.
[14:54] In fact, that is the first, the second one of these we've given out.
[14:56] Now that's been reported.
[14:56] Who's the character of the outfit now?
[15:17] I want to start it with a modest little congregation in my home.
[15:19] Thank you, Mr. President.
[15:41] Thank you very much.
[15:41] Quite a few of these.
[15:42] I want to be part of it.
[15:42] That's your first one, right?
[15:43] That's the first one today.
[15:43] Is that my office?
[15:44] We wish you the best.
[15:44] Someday, maybe I will come up and speak to you.
[15:45] Oh, that'd be great.
[15:46] Thank you.
[15:46] Good luck.
[15:46] Thank you.
[15:46] I know you are, I know you are.
[16:14] I was noticing that you were saying, you were saying, you were saying, you were saying,
[16:16] That's what I need.
[16:31] Thank you so much, guys.
[16:56] Oh, yes, yes.
[16:56] They'll be here for the... Well, if I...
[16:57] I watch the TV.
[16:57] Well, then, can I... Incidentally, I think that now... Oh, Alex, you never got to... Oh, great.
[16:59] Now, because you're here, you might not be able to... You're going to have to...
[17:00] Yes
[17:04] Chris, I remember the days of George Marshall.
[17:27] He'd just sit in his box up there, or on the way home, and he'd have them like a game or two.
[17:29] And I remember the funny things that I'll never, never, never forget.
[17:30] I remember sitting up there, and I just started saying something, and I remember it was funny.
[17:32] I never said another word after that.
[17:51] Thank you.
[17:53] Oh, he is.
[17:59] He's coming back.
[18:00] Great.
[18:01] Oh, I get it.
[18:02] Great.
[18:02] You're, you're a citizen.
[18:04] You're number one.
[18:08] You are.
[18:08] I mean, is he?
[18:09] Yes, he is.
[18:10] Sure.
[18:10] He's going to be a mighty brother.
[18:12] I said, give him a set of gummies for the boys to eat.
[18:27] All that for the sir to eat, you know.
[18:28] Good.
[18:28] We had two of the lessons.
[18:28] I know, I know.
[18:29] You're a tough guy.
[18:29] I know.
[18:29] You tell him there's no good in this.
[18:30] I know.
[18:30] You're all over the desk.
[18:31] I know.
[18:31] I bless you.
[18:31] You're 20 years.
[18:31] 20 years.
[18:32] He shows him the house every day.
[18:32] Well, we have the Andrew Jackson movie, but I gave it to President Johnson.
[18:58] I gave it to him.
[18:58] I gave it to him.
[18:59] I gave it to him.
[18:59] I gave it to him.
[18:59] I gave it to him.
[19:00] I gave it to him.
[19:00] I gave it to him.
[19:01] I gave it to him.
[19:01] are cold.
[19:27] There'd be no doubt about you.
[19:27] I will let Eddie fall out.
[19:28] You know what's happened to me?
[19:29] He's a big bum.
[19:29] You know what's happened to me?
[19:30] He's a big bum.
[19:30] You know what's happened to me?
[19:31] He's a big bum.
[19:31] You know, just a little of it.
[19:53] Well, I really thought that was great.
[19:54] I thought it was great.
[19:54] I thought it was great.
[19:55] I thought it was great.
[19:55] I thought it was great.
[19:56] I thought it was great.
[19:56] I thought it was great.
[19:56] Thank you very much.
[20:20] Thank you very much.
[20:21] Thank you very much.
[20:21] Thank you very much.
[20:22] Thank you very much.
[20:24] John, tell them not to burn down any more of our buildings.
[20:43] I know.