Nixon, Freund & Goebel on Supreme Court history and Library of Congress

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Yes, how are you?

Nice to see you.

How do you do, Professor?

Yes, I'm fine.

Nice to see you again.

I'm glad to have you down here.

Professor Curtis, are you free to ask?

Oh, yes.

Professor Curtis, nice to see you.

Yes, how are you?

These are great names from the law.

Nice to see you again.

Those lines look a little, uh, impressive, but they're weighty.

They're weighty, so I can't read it under the head.

That's very trouble.

That's right.

I've often wondered, if you can read it in bed, I can do it.

It's all on YouTube.

If we can get some of the book publishers to find a way, so you didn't have to write in the back of a book all the time to read it.

You know, sometimes the book will be like this.

You know, I can't believe you said that.

This is the benefit.

She didn't hold on much longer.

It ought to be a loose leaf binder.

The binder would be much easier to read.

I said any constitutional law book should be in a loose leaf binder.

That's right, that's right.

A loose leaf binder is much the better way to read.

That's right.

Take out the page if you don't mind.

I'll be right in the district.

He's the nurse you love, you know.

Let's go over here to our pictures first.

You recorded this, didn't you?

Oh, let's see.

You stand up.

Come on, come on.

Either side, if you like.

Now, it's divided on the inside.

Yeah.

There we are.

Come on.

There we are.

Now, you're handing me one.

Let's get this properly done up here.

Does that get it?

Oh, yeah, fine.

It's done up.

They're going to be 11 hours in all action.

Congrats, you got work to do.

Let's get one of the drawing tools here to get you closer.

Very important, gentlemen.

Yes, I know.

Because I know many of his colleagues are in a car accident.

My old friend teaches a lot of other A.A.ers here in Philadelphia.

And, uh, they're awesome.

And here's what we're doing.

We're not going to dig in any further.

Did you do this all the way?

That's tough.

That's tough, right?

My mic would go off.

I had a great adventure tonight.

It was very quiet at home.

I didn't socialize.

And I freed from the distractions and all that.

My mic would go off.

No, no, this is reading, writing.

I write and I don't dictate.

Oh yes, yes.

I use various colors.

If I lose something, then I can use blue paper or yellow paper.

But you don't dictate now?

Do you find it's really better to write this in writing?

Oh, I could possibly.

I...

I'm a writer, basically.

I write very difficultly.

But sometimes what I do is to write quite a bit.

And then in order to get it into the, if I'm going to speak, to get it into the spoken word, and I'll pick up the digital, not the secretary, but I'll pick up the digital, and then it's like, then it's like, right, I'll read, I'll start to get it, and then the flows change, and it's very different.

I mean, you can see something, it reads beautifully, and then you try to speak about its death, and you just got to put it in there, and it's,

Well, I would say to myself, Steve, it comes out with some kind of a cadence.

But I like to do very full loads.

Exactly.

The thing that I've always been amazed at, of course, I've watched, and I really mean this, people in the press, a very good reporter, you know, these calls today, with their deadlines and so forth, they can sit down and kind of write it.

And it'll just come out, and it'll get rid of its liver.

It's a very effective drug.

Well, they say they don't go off the top of their heads, and I doubt that they may not.

But with me, when I write, it is really an agony.

I sit down and I, my first words, I mean, outline number one, outline number one is nothing.

Outline number one is usually just ideas, ideas, ideas, a whole group of, and after I see the ideas, I sit and think, think, just nothing's ever going to come.

Then finally, outline number one.

Outline number one.

Yeah.

Is that the way?

That's right.

It's really.

And then it gets tighter and tighter and tighter until finally I begin to get something.

And then after you get it down in a draft, you take the draft and you look that over and then you start polishing.

And you polish it and finally you just wear it away and you have nothing.

I'm delighted to receive these and they will have an honor to place on these.

We are not getting these.

What it is, is you open this off to the board and you miss the fact that it isn't.

What really distinguishes it, not only its old shape, but the rather lovely view out here, the ceiling of the ceiling and the ceiling floor, every rug, this is a new rug, of course, every carpet is new, everything, they always weave that in there, and they balance it, and there it is.

But the other thing, you've got to add something else.

When a congressman introduces a bill, through the grace of God, he gets passed the sign, we give him pens.

Now these are the presidential hands.

They work.

I can carry one.

So, the box is worth more than a ten.

You'll give the box an extra ten.

Thank you.

It's been a ride for you the whole time.

Mr. President, I'm very proud of you.

Mr. President, if you're going to the manuscript division, you can't use the pen and ink.

Oh, you can't?

I do this automatically, and I was called to account here in the manuscript division.

I would make comics, Professor Musset.

So now this kill is what I need.

I see, I see.

Well, very good.

Well, that's, uh, if you don't think you have to do it, you can give me another one.

That'd be great.

Well, this will be a spurt, you know.

Yeah, that's right.

Well, uh, I'll probably look at more than most of the occupiers' office, because of the background.

That's the story.

The pictures of yourselves would be the pictures, Mr. Franklin.

I haven't seen those in goodness as much.

Oh, yeah.

I know.

I have my own.

I don't need any sight, Mr. President, to the extent that it's important to this project.

We've got to find one of the members of the commission to see the first person.

Well, the way I have it, I'll show you.

I'll watch it at home together.

I just want to report to the committee, though.

According to the maximum.

he didn't have a he didn't have any dependents

Well, it was Chief Leach who was Senator Salstall, and it was Frank Burr.

Frank Burr, this was known, him setting up this committee, because he was a great admirer of Senator Leach and Salstall.

Yeah.

Frank Burr told us that at lunch once in the morning.

When did Frank Burr, when did he leave the court?

About 64, 64, right?

Yes.

There are all sorts of ideas for the use of this one, a bird sanctuary, because, hold on, the bird sanctuary, everybody knows that now.

They're all everybody knows in the park, which is fine, but none of the people, I think it was Frank Bird who steered it.

There'd be something electional there.

Well, of course, that always reminds me, you know, that couple, you know, the Marshall story,

that of Brandeis, I mean, Drew Holmes' reading habits.

Almost while on vacation, I had a very long time with him.

He gave us very, very, I mean, Holmes, according to the story presented by Drew Pearson, it's the Pearson and Alexander, and you can hear it very, very Brandeis.

It all inspired, you know, sociologically, you know, all the things that would go into a grand ice-free.

Almost took them all down.

After one day, nailed them all up in a box, went and set them back up, went back to these detectives, right?

Yes.

I always wondered if there was any of you know-homes.

Did you know any of them?

You went in the direction of the sheriff.

He used to have a crush on the next street in Los Angeles.

Well, Peter said he used to go over to a place called Old Tower in Boston, which is not the same level, I believe.

Well, that's what makes Joe's opinions.

That's what makes Joe's opinions.

Well, I'd like to thank you again, sir.

I appreciate your time, your contribution here.

You're welcome.

And I hope you enjoy what we have.

That's Mars, the guy that wrote there.

I'm going to miss you.

Charles, it's two weeks out of the year.

I was out at the last Oceanside lot.

Did you just tell me?

Don't tell me I can't dress right.

Stay in town for me.

Don't worry.

I mean, it kills your eyes, doesn't it?

I don't think so.

Nixon, Freund & Goebel on Supreme Court history and Library of Congress

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on November 15, 1971

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