Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 626-006
Date: Tuesday, November 30, 1971 at 9:54 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.; Bull, Stephen B.
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/626-006

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:02] Walter says he's
[0:31] The trouble is they're treating him so well now that he's going to gain ten pounds stuffing him as if he were a peaking duck.
[0:42] Sure.
[0:43] I think they appreciate actually this Indian-Pakistan thing if we play it cleverly.
[0:50] We won't lose the Indians because there's nothing to lose there.
[0:55] I mean, they haven't done a goddamn thing for us.
[1:02] And...
[1:02] I was noticing another story.
[1:03] I think that Cumberland thinks there's some sort of campaign coming right after this.
[1:13] Against Cumberland?
[1:19] Yeah.
[1:19] Yeah.
[1:19] I didn't like the book.
[1:20] I didn't like the speech.
[1:20] I didn't like the speech.
[1:25] I didn't like the speech.
[1:27] I didn't like the speech.
[1:27] I didn't like the speech.
[1:28] I didn't like the speech.
[1:28] I didn't like the speech.
[1:29] I didn't like the speech.
[1:29] Well, there's a story then this morning.
[1:30] There's a Kraft article.
[1:32] saying that Connolly has been bridled.
[1:36] I talked to Connolly this morning on the Italian thing where I think we can get away with it.
[1:41] Their presidential election won't be open over until December 29th.
[1:46] Then the government has to resign.
[1:49] So they don't want an invitation now.
[1:53] So we are in the best position we can say we extend it.
[1:55] You reassured him on the articles?
[1:58] I reassured him, he says he thinks it comes from Peterson and the Fed.
[2:03] I think Peterson could be one of them.
[2:09] Peterson?
[2:12] No.
[2:13] Well, you see, what of course happens is...
[2:16] So say Peterson is at a dinner party, he may just emote a little about how bad the situation is.
[2:23] I mean, I get people
[2:27] saying how that Peterson, Stoltz, Burns, and Connolly are managing the economic thing.
[2:36] They don't even mention me, which is fine.
[2:38] I don't want to be mentioned.
[2:41] Well, my only concern here is Connolly.
[2:43] I don't give a damn about their saying that we're doing this and that, but I will not have any misdemeanor.
[2:50] Because he is a very sensitive man.
[2:52] He thinks the White House is doing it.
[2:55] Of course, what I think is happening, Mr. President, is that it's the, it's people who are trying to knock him off for the vice-presidential possibility.
[3:07] Right.
[3:08] And are trying to, in the press, and are trying to discredit him because it's not working.
[3:15] Because I haven't, first of all, our real problem has been solved, not
[3:23] Not Connolly in the last two weeks.
[3:25] Connolly is doing exactly...
[3:26] It's down to you.
[3:28] Preciseland has smoked out.
[3:29] You see what he did?
[3:31] Went to Berkley's.
[3:34] Preciseland went to Berkley's.
[3:35] Now, Sid Stills, the son of a bitch, was always with him all the time.
[3:39] Mr. President... Rockies are trying to sell out some of this to me.
[3:43] You're not saying you're nice?
[3:46] Get all my medics in here, Mr. President.
[3:47] Yost is another one of these sons of bitches.
[3:49] Um, Preciseland...
[3:51] On the left wing of it too.
[3:52] I didn't realize precisely.
[4:21] This morning, I'm not going to have that fist on him.
[4:25] In your background of the day, in concept, I would volunteer the information that gentlemen speaking on record, that I, you know, I'm perfectly honest with you.
[4:45] The most
[4:50] Totally.
[4:50] That he was at a home meeting.
[4:53] Most totally.
[4:57] False stories.
[5:00] Those indicating that Secretary Connolly has been bribed by Secretary Connolly.
[5:07] And I just thought, I just knocked him out.
[5:10] Well, I actually, I talked to Connolly on the phone this morning.
[5:13] This sentence we didn't agree on, but I told him I'm giving a background.
[5:15] I may be asked about it.
[5:17] What should I say?
[5:18] And what he asked me to say.
[5:20] is exactly, with just a slight, you know, difference in language, what I would have said.
[5:28] I mention this only to indicate that we are in total agreement.
[5:31] So I'm going to use his precise language.
[5:35] And I'll have to say that all this talk about disagreements between the White House and the Secretary of the Treasury is totally wrong.
[5:44] Well, as a matter of fact, President considers the Secretary of the Treasury's top economic
[5:52] He's the top economic advisor, whatever you want to call it, in the administration.
[5:58] That's it.
[5:59] He's about everything.
[6:00] They say, what about Schultz?
[6:02] Well, he's always one.
[6:02] And C.J.
[6:04] yesterday, right?
[6:04] Tom has been the one that has the whole picture.
[6:07] He's the one in foreign and domestic stuff.
[6:10] This kind of story is totally without knowledge.
[6:12] And everything that's being done in the field is not only done with the concurrence, but at the recommendation of the secretaries.
[6:18] The recommendation of these things worked out.
[6:20] It's just one of those, you have to constantly do this.
[6:25] There's the air, there's the air, the economy, and all that.
[6:29] You see, Mr. President, they basically like to drive you off.
[6:31] What they like to do is to get you suspicious, which you could be, and why not stop and quit and help?
[6:39] If they know we've got it linked, if they know that by the end of January we're going to have an agreement, well, too, they know that our company is a power of man.
[6:55] And they'd like to drive it on.
[7:01] Exactly.
[7:01] Exactly.
[7:02] This is a consistently...
[7:05] It's a consistently hostile practice.
[7:08] That is,
[7:10] determined to piss on everything we do I think it came out fine I took it another ride today and that's one thing I hate to keep harping on it I mentioned it to Mitchell yesterday and he said I could raise it and he'll raise it right and I've scheduled a meeting on Mideast policy with a large group of congressmen and senators tomorrow
[7:40] and there's just no way we can keep him from blowing the whole goddamn thing.
[7:45] And the tragedy is, after getting us into a needless confrontation with the Israelis, he's now gonna collapse on us.
[7:53] If he were tough, I mean, as long as he's civilian, they'll hate him anyway.
[8:00] If he could stay tough, then you could sell the goddamn thing for your Russian ploy.
[8:05] If he gets the planes away on Wednesday,
[8:10] We've got nothing to deal with them on, on the other thing.
[8:27] If you agree, I think, Mitchell, you ought not to get into that.
[8:31] It's not worthy of you.
[8:32] It's the real problem is that the President of the United States shouldn't have to do that.
[8:38] And if you agree, I'll get Mitchell to call him and say, now look, we want you to shut up on this.
[8:47] And do it right after the meeting.
[8:48] Let's still attempt the meeting.
[8:52] And then he'd read them all.
[8:56] Yeah, but then it's explaining you apologizing.
[8:58] You were the old man.
[8:59] You were the old man.
[9:01] You were the old man.
[9:02] You were the old man.
[9:05] And what is yours?
[9:06] You ought to be the man.
[9:07] First of all, it is true.
[9:08] They would never have moved in the State Department without you.
[9:12] Well, the first one is that we have a lot of... That's all right, Mr. President.
[9:15] I've been given this whole strength here.
[9:16] And I'm sorry to tell you that I can tell you the truth as hands, but no.
[9:29] Now that it's got here, he can't step in and turn around.
[9:32] He could have gone in and believed nothing.
[9:36] I think my service might say, hey, Dan, you still have to give them a thing.
[9:40] These cops are going to blow.
[9:43] They'll leak it.
[9:43] Well, they'll blow the mayor into the tree.
[9:46] If he goes to the woods, I'm going to be there.
[9:48] They have us to go to the corner of the mirror.
[9:50] I think we're going to get the money.
[9:54] I think my service is going to be doing it.
[10:02] He may have asked Bob to send him on.
[10:11] It shows a mentality that is almost incomprehensible.
[10:17] Let me get Mitchell.
[10:18] I'll join you in a minute.
[10:22] Thank you.