Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 601-022
Date: Saturday, October 23, 1971 at 12:17 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.; Butterfield, Alexander P.; Colson, Charles W.
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/601-022
National Archives Catalog: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/417179305 (NAID 417179305)

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:00] Yeah, I have a job.
[0:26] I think it's a new problem we're already working with to stop the shooting, but when people are smart so often, I'm glad we can keep up the speed.
[0:48] All right?
[0:48] Yes, sir.
[0:48] I have a letter from the trade council here from Chick-fil-A, and I will get back to you soon.
[0:50] Where do we have them?
[0:50] I'm trying to lay on some people to meet the vice president.
[0:52] I don't think much has been done.
[0:52] Where's he going again?
[0:53] He comes here again.
[0:53] It's 6 p.m., so I don't know.
[0:56] Why don't you get a bus and put it around here if possible.
[1:26] Dr. Hoopes has got the project pieces.
[1:50] We'll be right back.
[2:05] You might see when the...
[2:13] I've got to set up a time to see him.
[2:15] Why don't we just say, instead of telling him when he comes in, what the time will be, Tuesday, that we've got a time set for his reporting in.
[2:39] In other words, that's the way, that's the way we have to announce the meeting right away.
[2:41] So, would you set a time?
[2:41] I will.
[2:41] I think it's 10 o'clock Tuesday early.
[2:42] Fair enough.
[2:42] Yes, sir.
[2:42] Well, I'll take off now.
[2:43] I, uh, I talked to Moore.
[2:58] I'm pretty late.
[3:00] I'm trying to get out of here.
[3:06] So I guess he decided he would.
[3:08] But, uh, I took him after he took him.
[3:10] But, uh, I don't know whether it's worth it.
[3:12] Actually, as I told him, it's inevitable.
[3:27] Everybody's, I mean, they depressed, you know, they got tired.
[3:29] And they're going to try to explain this the rest of their lives.
[3:35] Well, I told him very, very last night, Nixon in desperation chooses excellence.
[3:39] And the old Rachel, she just died.
[3:39] And rather, I've been talking to some people who would
[3:42] Brandon, or rather, he was just up the wall.
[3:45] He was so mad at himself.
[3:47] I mean, he had nobody to blame but himself.
[3:50] Mad?
[3:50] Sorry, did you miss him?
[3:51] Sure, sure.
[3:51] And he had built up this, you know, on Wednesday morning, Thursday morning, he came on and said it's all set.
[3:59] It's Friday and Lily, and he always talks positively.
[4:02] And then comes right back and dreams up this wild story yesterday about how you...
[4:08] You got boxed into it and had to make this last-minute move.
[4:12] I mean, he's on that school of thought.
[4:13] The other school of thought is that the whole thing was a charade.
[4:17] Now, I humped Dick up a little bit.
[4:20] I told Dick, really, what he ought to do is talk to both 18-year-olds and say, you guys did this yourself.
[4:27] What the hell are you doing?
[4:29] Stop trying to crawl out of the box.
[4:32] And I think if a story is out, watch it.
[4:36] I can, sure.
[4:40] Oh, he takes it very well.
[4:43] You know, we've got all those CBS guys just scared to death because we put a lot of heat on them.
[4:50] I don't know what the Bob told you, but I got smuggled a copy of a memorandum that Solana sent to his news chief.
[5:01] Just scorched Marvin Kell for a bad report he gave on the
[5:06] During the lie detector test, where he concluded a commentary by saying, this proves that the administration is hostile to newsmen or something.
[5:17] And Solan just raves holy hell with it.
[5:20] And Solan would never admit that.
[5:23] He never admitted he interferes with the news.
[5:25] He doesn't even roast and count.
[5:27] All those CBS guys are gunshot.
[5:30] Just a call from a sponsor.
[5:34] I'd say, you know, you're honest.
[6:00] I can't say that in this question.
[6:01] If you look back, remember all the injections about when I bought a burger?
[6:04] Well, the phrase I told him to use, Mr. President, and he will, is that, and the sake of the sake, take it as a high White House aide without attribution name-wise,
[6:32] is that the press is right now desperately trying to dig themselves out of the hole that they dug themselves into.
[6:40] And that'll take a little while.
[6:49] Thank you.