Nixon & Haldeman on POW wives and Funeral of Justice Hugo Black

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That new barrage of pressure, Mitchell, is not the one that you definitely should go to, you know, today.

Chief Justice thinks you should be there.

Justice Horne is going.

He's looking forward to seeing you there.

John's argument, which has shifted from yesterday, is that it's a question of respect for the court.

You know, some others are at a time when they...

When you got the two nominations out, well, Harlow isn't gonna die for a while.

He's even close to Vlad's funeral.

What is it?

Two o'clock.

Goddamn, did Moore talk to them?

Is that what he's heard that he's done?

No.

You see, this is not a good idea.

This is a bad business.

this morning, because he had said no, you know, and then he got to thinking about it.

Now I can talk to John and see how, whether he really wants to steal the whole business of going, I guess, to Mankin and the rest of it.

Senator, you're going to die.

You're going to die.

You're clear on it, Senator.

This is not my man, either.

I mean, it's not mine.

I don't know who I'm talking to.

I mean, there isn't anything to recommend.

That's the whole point.

If you could separate them out, somehow it would be different.

But what the hell is it different on?

He's not been there long.

That's right.

They're probably in very good pressure these days.

Well, they're in very good pressure.

If he wants everybody to pay attention to the color of his eyes, everybody wants to pay attention to something else.

Stay on strong and make sure you do this stuff.

Regulations, I might.

We're not caught in that one, I hope.

None.

But here it is.

External.

I couldn't.

Chief Justice.

Well, actually, Chief Justice, but that doesn't convince me.

What's the appeal of the message?

That's another one.

Henry's going over it now because I want to get his view before I made any recommendation.

Who's going to speak at the present time?

Larry.

Do you have anything else?

Bill spoke yesterday.

But Larry is their dinner speaker now.

Really?

To help.

And what's Larry going to talk about?

Bill will.

Dole did not do very well.

It was sort of on the defensive and went into this non-Mexicans war kind of stuff, which wasn't the right approach.

The organization did well.

They resoundingly voted not to go the political route, which was what they were a little afraid they might get some pressure to do.

The new president is strongly with us and the board is strongly with us and all that.

They're still solid, or not solid, but they're still in good shape.

And it's just a use.

And then, you know, people are dealing with the POWs, of course, feel strongly that you should go, very strongly that you should go.

The, uh... By going, what do they mean?

Go and say that we're meeting?

No, sir.

The...

What's the offer?

The idea, well, we don't have any offer because they're not expecting at all.

This is completely .

The idea that we've been working on would be to go as soon as they sit down to dinner, and you come in and greet them before they start dinner, and then we wish the employer to do the major speech, and you simply to have dropped by totally unannounced.

Now, I'd say with no press or anything, that there'd be press there, I'm sure.

Don't say that there'd be no press.

No, no.

I just do it at the end of the day, and I just pop out there.

It would be, yeah.

And that's probably the way to screw the television and all the rest.

It's too late to make television.

Well, the next man is still one bottle of Bob, that's the point.

So I don't want the little advanced man running around and everything.

Yeah.

And I just started to go, I'll be around if I'm telling you that I'm not going.

I'm not going to tell anybody, just like I went to the Columbia County Club.

I'm just going to tell them to go out there and find us before they get the army man.

They'll have everything here.

I mentioned some.

They got there, weren't they?

Good.

You got any more I want to handle?

Yeah.

I don't want to get, you know, don't root around here.

So Mike's the best way to do it.

Press.

It'll also mean more to them.

We're trying to do this for them.

What time would it be, Bob?

I'm not sure.

I think probably about 7.30.

Couldn't go earlier than that.

Possibly.

I just want to get the details.

We'll get it.

We're going to do a Hague or something in Mississippi once we go in and find out how we can do it.

Or Hughes.

So that we don't skirt the interest.

I'm checking those over again.

It's a lot long.

I don't want to spend two minutes.

I don't want one of those gobbledygook things.

What really needs to be in a sector.

Also, we've got to know what Larry says.

What's Larry saying?

If that's what it was, I'll do it.

I decided to get up on my own and sit in front of that thing.

Forget about her, man.

I'm gonna come here and see how it's going.

That's my best way to do this.

And I made a second option of sitting in that way.

I'm completely free to do what I want.

We're all going to see what they do today, too, I think.

And maybe some meetings, we'll see how that all goes, which is what we want to do.

And that's why we, you know, tried to stake completely out of it.

Because they didn't know which way the whole thing was going to go.

They apparently thought well that it could have gotten built.

There are terrible pressures to this.

Well, I mean, we're watched by the political types.

Yeah.

I'll be sure to keep Mitchell out of any incident.

I'll be sure to keep him out of any line.

where it involves speaking occasions.

Yeah.

You can see that he's a passive worker.

Yeah, and he, as you know, he gets in once in a while.

When they work him over, he gets into one.

Yeah, that's right.

Because you know, the speaking occasion thing is so easy for people to get in on.

We're not in the business.

Christ is like Henry.

But it's very hard to say no.

No.

They give you all the reasons, and they're all good.

You don't have to take any of that in.

I'm pulling the rotary propeller to make it very simple.

The reason is by it being very quick, I think if you do this, it's pretty good for you.

But that's why I think you do all of you well, and I just want to be sure to keep you in control of it.

I really think we look well.

It's not a suggestion.

Yeah, except maybe when I feel like it.

It's obvious.

I was a bit...

Thinking up to that sort of Alaskan hunter kid.

And also that, you know, that... Those little things like that.

People that... And also that... Coding back into her, not arranging her.

You could say a little something for her.

That thrill...

the danger of us to leave those things to the advanced man.

I mean, I think it's like I said with Mark Good on the Detroit thing, the Detroit TV, and he can work everything out to a tease.

But there's got to be a commander at the top that sort of feels the whole thing, obviously, like, is this event done?

Are we getting everything out of it that we can?

I think maybe you have to do that.

I don't think your advancement can do it.

I mean, they did a hell of a good advancement.

All the advancements are good.

They're great jobs of advancement.

But you know, they can't be expected to.

And frankly, I don't want them to make decisions as to whether the hell I speak or don't speak or whether people are on the curve or not on the curve and all that sort of thing.

But I think what has to happen is that somebody's got to get in there

Secret Service and everybody else you get in there.

Now, as I told you, cutting out the microphones for the speeches and so forth at the airport and so on, so that's pretty sure they won't call me across the country.

Well, that, of course, you were doing intentionally for the picture, but I can see the problem for you.

And the picture doesn't make that much difference.

Well, we can accomplish both.

We can bring them around.

We did it in the airport.

It was good.

Because it had practically all the people that were in front of it.

It was all around us.

So it gave a picture impression of the area to me.

Awesome.

And it took a side angle shot.

See, one of the things they're worried about is trying to get the best camera angle.

And on the outside airport things, it's better not to get the best camera angle.

It's better to get an angle.

Kind of meaning to it.

And unless you talk to the crowd and not the camera, it's just better you talk to the crowd.

That's all I meant.

Because that's the story there.

It's not what you're talking about.

It's the story of the crew.

And I think it's better to look in and watch it.

Watch me talk to the crowd rather than...

I don't think you're starting there.

We'll make sure that we can.

What happened in Alaska, the thought on speaking had originally been that we were going to check it out.

That's what it did, check out.

That's what it did.

The best place was to stop downtown and just use your bike and the car.

It's great to hear, and that's what they put the remarks in for, but then when they got into the slap on what's happening downtown... We could have stopped and discussed that five times there, out in the house.

There was plenty of questions.

Stopped everywhere except that one block.

There was only one block, I believe.

In fact, it was much better than usual because they were all in one place.

The best way to have done that would have been to have the lid open as you're standing up to stop a block and a half ahead of the demonstrators for you to stand there and speak.

Let the cameras get up and all that.

Then let the cameras pull back when we restart the motorcade.

And you sit down and put the lid down.

And goose it.

And goose it past there.

I kept saying to him, I said, well, I don't see anybody.

He said, well, I can't get in touch with them.

I said, I can't find out where they are.

He said, we haven't got a report.

We knew exactly where they were when we left the airport.

They told me they were between F and G Street.

And he said, that's exactly where they were.

And I said, well...

I said, I don't see anybody here.

So I put the window down, and I started to wake up.

Yeah, so I got that.

He should not have done that.

He's just played it out wrong.

He's what he's done.

He's just awfully dumb.

I don't like dumb people.

I didn't think he's dumb.

He just doesn't have it in him.

He's smart.

He's slow.

That's it.

Love you.

Thank God it was an anchor.

He could hear us.

He should always try to do everything right.

Well, he did the right thing afterwards by putting the lid up.

So he got some of that.

But we could have done it all the way until we got to him.

He won.

What else?

The question asks whether you do the State Department.

Would you go to that signing on Thursday or not?

Is there some argument about not going?

No.

Henry still has, you know, sort of his argument that it's a little bit not important enough.

Well, yeah, he has some convoluted argument about it that it's stressing the Chinese or something.

It would look like you were putting too much importance on it or something like that.

But then he backs off of it and says it wasn't real.

Well, there is faith.

But there is faith for me.

You're on Wednesday afternoon, signing is 11.30 Thursday morning.

And it could be changed, Captain.

Hunter, you put the grooming tool thing on, or let us not handle it.

Just don't do it.

Excuse me.

I think we've got enough coming up now.

I'm going to make a picture for you.

Don't add anything in the schedule, of course, just leave it open so that I can, as I need that time to talk to you.

Schultz, Stein, Kahn, they've got, they've got a crash on phase two, so.

If I take it out, just leave it out, okay?

Razzak is out.

I think he didn't tell me about that.

Call him when it's convenient.

And say that I am completely open.

I don't care one way or another.

And I am really not interested in what would be best for his end.

And then if he doesn't think I should see him, I want him to come and tell Schweitzer.

See what I mean?

Yeah.

And if he wants to, he wants

Put him in prison.

Well, we've been quite a bit of work here.

I guess if you don't have to mention about this.

Okay.

I'll go, okay?

I guess they ought to find us concerned about the fact that I can't do senators that we knew.

Probably not.

And some people thought I should have.

Yeah.

And I didn't go out there.

I didn't go to the thing here either.

Goddamn, they got excited.

How do I make an exception on this?

Don't you believe you're not going?

I don't think it means one goddamn thing to the country.

That's for sure.

There's shit about the courts beginning to make you get a little bit too buck anyway.

Well, we've got to appoint an extinguished curtain on this.

Why?

We've got to find who the hell we please.

I ain't got anything to do.

what they believe.

That's why you left the appointment.

All right.

What happens to the other one?

I just question whether it's that big deal, whether it's a big deal.

I suppose it's the same as the liberal legalistic types and the people that you've got to get the confirmation through with and all that.

That may be part of what's influencing John.

Huh?

He means with Hercules Jack.

And Laskin knows that it's just when the guy votes for Bob.

Yeah.

Yes.

No, not when the guy votes Bob.

What do they please?

What do they want to?

You know, on that Eisenhardt Theater thing, I guess we're stuck on that R.P.

pretty much.

No.

Well, I think you would be told it's marriage.

No.

Laskin, if you know, that's why we're considering it.

That would be the only argument for it.

Let me ask you one other thing.

Is there some way we could maybe get out of the Eisenhower?

Hostile?

I don't know.

Is that enough to hold me?

Bob, hold me.

You can talk to Bob about it.

Well, I didn't tell him any more than I said I would.

Hold me.

Help me.

It just seems like a hell of a long haul for just that thing, because I'm not going to go out and stay.

You're not going to go to Thanksgiving?

No, I'm not.

That would not be staying.

It would be two days.

I'll go out Thursday and come back Sunday.

Well, you can go out on Wednesday and come back Monday.

I know.

It's just not worth it.

But, uh... Let's fight the blues, huh?

Mm-hmm.

See how far down the road it is.

Well, how strong are you?

Yeah.

Okay.

So you've got an awful lot of stuff on your plate, haven't you?

Yeah, and maybe we can do some of that as a reason, just, you know.

Because of our... Yeah, because of our... ...practices.

Yeah.

Because, you know, you can't...

The whole business of, you know, going into reality has just gone too far.

But...

I'm coming back to that last night, why Jesus Christ, what you're going to do in the 76th century.

Yeah.

Now that, as you know, is one of those things that's okay for your own kind of adventure right away.

Nixon & Haldeman on POW wives and Funeral of Justice Hugo Black

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on September 28, 1971

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