Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 570-011
Date: Monday, September 13, 1971 at 8:04 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); Bull, Stephen B.; Nixon, Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan)
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/570-011

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:03] He had a long session with Hugh Scott yesterday.
[0:22] I think he just got back.
[0:23] He was very critical of Lance Steele and said he had done a lousy job at whatever that conference was they were at over there in Europe.
[0:48] No, they were at that inter-parliamentary meeting.
[0:58] He said he had not gone to the sessions, and that he had a Boeing 707 with a big staff standing at his disposal, and they pleaded with him to go to Bonn to meet with the German leaders on the NATO troop reduction business, and he wouldn't go.
[1:10] And he only attended three sessions of the meeting.
[1:11] He was all cranked up.
[1:12] He says, the more I see what the President's doing, the more I realize what a
[1:15] a very, very shrewd man he is.
[1:18] You know, he's got this, he's, obviously he's really gallant folks and a few other things, you know, and he's got a cool sense of stuff, but that's good that he has.
[1:27] That's all that motivates the subject, so.
[1:30] And he said that... Not all.
[1:50] He said it was clear around the world that... Oh, and he discovered...
[1:51] He said how crude he is on phone calls.
[1:52] He discovered that the President's China move was a very much a masterstroke, that it was much more significant than just the fact the President was going to China.
[1:56] It was having a very major effect on the Soviet Union.
[1:57] He just figured that out.
[1:58] He said that's why the Soviet leaders have launched this tour all over the, you know, visiting everybody.
[2:00] The president's got to do a lot more than we realize.
[2:11] But this is a good sign.
[2:12] At least the guy's got something.
[2:18] Do you know what's going on?
[2:22] Yeah.
[2:23] Wait a minute, Mr. President.
[2:23] This just makes no sense here.
[2:31] But our big thing on the conference, we've got to figure out what we need to do this year.
[2:54] And I know that federal pay action is going to be a beautiful thing, the suspension.
[2:56] But what do they have to do with that?
[2:56] I mean, that was a spectacular show last night.
[2:57] Boy, I just think we lost lots and lots of others in that.
[2:58] Now, I'll be good.
[2:59] I'll be good with that whole thing.
[3:00] I mean, after work, our people, there's no action on what I do.
[3:08] No.
[3:09] The question is how do we make sure that they don't overrun in their house?
[3:18] Because they're playing it as a tent, obviously.
[3:19] It's the first real test in Congress of your economic program.
[3:25] And we've got to mobilize it.
[3:26] Whatever we can.
[3:29] We've got two big battles, that one and the military, the draft bill, which we've got to get through in its present form.
[3:43] What's McGregor think about the pay reasons?
[3:46] Not yet.
[3:46] He may have.
[3:47] We didn't get into that.
[3:48] He was just spitting on the other thing, so I don't have to read it.
[4:06] Have you asked any of those foals of these guys to know the specific collection?
[4:12] Yes.
[4:12] Oh, yeah.
[4:12] Not quite as much as some of the other things.
[4:13] I think that would be a very good thing to get around.
[4:14] Yep.
[4:15] So most foals realize it.
[4:15] All right.
[4:17] I noticed that Carl Snyder is, uh, yeah, most jackasses I ever saw, he wants to increase the family assistance and social care.
[4:33] You've got to not pay for social security to put more money in the hands of people.
[4:37] Well, fortunately, he's got his own party.
[4:40] You know, those won't go along with most of that.
[4:41] Well, you're sure they're needed, by the way.
[4:43] They're going to fight that one anyway, you see.
[4:44] No, he criticizes those for not going far enough.
[4:48] I think they're all sort of up in the air.
[4:56] That's exactly what it is.
[4:57] They're all, there's a state of confusion on their side.
[5:14] I don't know where they're going.
[5:15] And the impact that Congress is so terribly irresponsible about.
[5:18] Well, of course they always are, but they are our Democratic friends.
[5:35] Usually we get away with it, and this time we've really got to put it to them.
[5:36] Yeah.
[5:36] National Board, and I believe Gavin Schultz, three times.
[5:38] Was it Schultz in the tent?
[5:38] I haven't seen him in time.
[5:42] See, it was on the radio.
[5:42] I'm sure it was this morning.
[5:43] It's not a big story, but nevertheless, I'm sure it was.
[5:56] And he said, what was the other one?
[6:23] He said, I don't know.
[6:24] He said, I don't know.
[6:24] He said, I don't know.
[6:25] He said, I don't know.
[6:27] Well, he got trapped on that one somewhere.
[6:39] Would you be surprised if, well, would you be surprised if?
[6:40] He's still separate.
[6:41] What is wrong with these guys?
[6:42] He's a rich man, isn't he?
[6:52] I'd say that he is in the sense that, you know, you want to conclude by 3.30.
[7:03] Mitchell is on if you want to see him at 3.30 or if you want to get out at 3.30.
[7:18] Well...
[7:18] Apparently...
[7:18] I'm trying to stay out of that telephone.
[7:21] Yeah.
[7:21] I think she has some idea about the...
[7:23] And the delegation thing, I mean, there's a lot of delegation meeting in Albuquerque.
[7:35] Is he talking about it?
[7:36] Yes, I've talked to Mitchell about it.
[7:36] Mitchell's talked to Mitch about it.
[7:38] It's that all the code they're meeting is a delegation meeting only because that's the, you know, the code of the group here is nothing.
[7:41] They're not doing anything on the delegation.
[7:42] This is the meeting Mitchell's...
[7:43] The governor programmed them not to do designer change, which is to get it done so they have, then they, after this meeting, move with their chair, get their mail announcements, and to pull them all together.
[7:57] Well, sooner than Wednesday.
[8:02] Before the meeting, that's the point, whatever meeting as well.
[8:22] It's a little late now.
[8:37] You ready to park?
[8:37] Yes, sir.
[8:48] I think this used to be a lot of energy severance.
[9:02] Well, what they had done, you know, they had a lot of film, you know.
[9:07] Yeah.
[9:07] Before.
[9:08] And so then, it actually took a lot.
[9:09] They had two and a half hours here.
[9:10] Really?
[9:10] Just sitting there talking?
[9:11] In and out of California, you know, those things just took time consuming.
[9:28] They took a whole day in California.
[9:28] That's just hard work.
[9:29] They stacked things back in one place, and then they set it up in another, and then they set up for duty, and they set up for the equipment.
[9:32] It took from about, I think, two o'clock to about five.
[9:33] It was always time consuming.
[9:34] that they wanted to do a good job, you know.
[9:48] Yeah, obviously they did.
[9:48] They did though.
[9:49] She did a wonderful job interviewing the headache.
[9:50] As far as I see it, that shot cut a lot more because what they used was awfully good and they got points over it that were good.
[9:52] They didn't dispute so much, but they had me talking a lot.
[10:02] I saw some of that over other pictures of the president, too.
[10:03] When we were walking down the walk, they had him still talking in front of the president.
[10:07] So they did a lot of work on it.
[10:33] And this Mr. came from New York to produce it.
[10:33] And you know, he's a .
[10:34] He was turned old over.
[10:34] He did a good job, too.
[10:35] But he could have ruined us.
[10:35] And said, too, that she just really didn't have any control over New York.
[10:37] That is .
[10:38] I won't take that.
[10:41] Why then?
[10:41] Of course, that's not a deal they could...
[10:43] That was so good.
[11:05] But you know, I didn't realize that they had sound some places.
[11:06] Yeah, yeah.
[11:06] They use those microphones that, you know, are way back here.
[11:07] You know those long ones that have the... No, they stand way over here and they pick you up.
[11:09] Because I didn't see you back there.
[11:10] I didn't see you.
[11:10] I didn't see you.
[11:11] Well, are those things really big?
[11:16] With the stuff they've got now, they can fix you up?
[11:22] Oh, I'm sure they have a lot of holes.
[11:27] They're ready.
[11:28] All set?
[11:28] Yes, sir.
[11:28] Okay.
[11:29] Well, big game.
[11:38] Thank you, sir.