Nixon, Packard & Haig on Defense Budget and Resignation

Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Click a timestamp to play from that point; the page address then links to that moment (e.g. #t=125).

All right.

I thought we'd better do it when Blair got back, because we don't need to do it all the way.

We can't.

We don't want to do it.

We want to do it now.

You see, the Congress is here.

I had to be in a position to do it.

But Henry said we didn't do it, and I think Blair ought to be here.

Well, we'll be here at 1.15 today, so come here.

Yeah.

They did very well over there.

So, uh...

I'll set a group.

Okay.

Our boat now, and Bill will come back today.

Bill, I believe it's a contract later tonight, and I'm coming back to get it.

Oh, I see.

And I'll set a group on the sign.

I'll set a group on the sign with some funds for housing, and by the terms, and I haven't seen the details.

And what's in the bill is a good job.

Actually, sir.

Mr. President, I feel very sorry about that.

Well, I'll tell you about this, but I hope you understand.

It's just a simple term that I had to make with the Senate.

It was good for two years, and I've assessed it to three, and I don't know if I can't resign as of Monday.

And I want you to know that you have my good support.

In fact, I may be able to be more helpful to you next year.

Well, let me say this.

I don't know how the hell we got here in the first place.

I mean, for you to come and take this damn job, it's a tough job.

It's an anguished job, and we couldn't have run it without you.

The second thing is that I know that you have to go through these crises that we've had.

My God, Cambodia, Laos, Jordan.

And needless to say, he, and all the rest, and he's really been a power of strength there.

I know that he's sitting down there with what Henry comes late for, a blessing.

But it must be a, it must have been quite a, quite a journey, apart from all the management functions that you had, if you could go there.

Well, the country's been lucky.

That's right.

And what you gave up, I mean,

Mr. President, the country's lucky I had you, and I was proud to be able to study.

Well, I really did.

I guess since I don't know whether we'll survive, we'll try.

I'm just sorry that I can't do more, but I will do more.

Well, let me say that I think, as a matter of fact, you could be enormously helpful on the outside.

You know, there is a need among basically the kind of people you meet, the business elite, let's face it, the business elite,

They need to understand what we're trying to do is the right thing.

I need to support it.

I need to be articulate about it.

I think that can be helpful.

They'll respect you if you've been there.

Well, at least I can report it from a first-hand experience, and that'll make some credibility.

You're in the business council.

Yes.

You're in the business council.

Will you go back to California?

Yes, I will go back to California.

Yeah.

We live in Los Alamos, which is beautiful.

I'm flexible.

You don't have to be a full-time.

I hope not for a while.

You've been so comfortable.

You know, you're going to find, I guess, I remember when I left the Vice Presidency, you know, we all forgot where it was and all the parties and everything.

you're gonna find you're gonna find that

Well, in a sense, it's a relief not to have those damn old pressures and all these people to talk to.

You may find that having moved on this track and this, you know, and that not, well, it's like coming home from war, I guess.

You, that what you, what you will find when you return is that much as you love where you will be and the people and all the rest,

It'll never be the same.

I mean, you know, you can't go home again.

And you, for that reason, I think, should plan to move.

Well, you always have moved on that national scene, but you could never go back to run the company again.

Never.

I have a number of ideas of what I might want to do.

Right.

One other thing I wanted to say, Mel has a good team over there now.

He's got a good team and he can get along fine.

I'll stay around and help him informally so the rest of the year or longer if he needs it, I can help him work out the transition.

So it would be my kind of thing to be able to do that.

I may have to make some decisions that he'll have to use his signature for to work out the transition.

How do you feel about the meeting of Smyrna and the defense budget with what they call the Conservatives, Goldwater Valley and Colorado?

Do you feel that the defense budget is getting pretty comfortable about it?

This level that we recommended in the paper that you all read this week, from 1979 to 1980, the expenditure is, I think,

It's all right.

Now, that, as you know, can be printed at about $2 billion more than that, if you wish to do so.

That includes...

They print it lower than by action.

Well, I think that's what George has thought.

It's printed at $76,500 or something like that.

Well, it might have been in the obligation authority of 82.

That's about right.

It might have to be a little bit higher than that.

What figure do you think it should be?

Well, I'm trying to figure out what we'll do with as much as we can.

I'm pretty careful.

79.5 is as low as I think we should go.

That would be the chance of going down to 77.5 instead of 76.5.

And I think that extra $1 billion will be very helpful.

and maintaining an image of strength, which I think is desirable to do, both in terms of your individual problems, and I think in terms of domestic problems.

So we have a person from 1979 to 1975.

That would, I think, be better than 1975.

And we can get the forces and work out all the details of that.

That might have come out somewhere 82, 83 feet away.

I want to talk about the land effector.

I want to be sure we talk about the land effector.

We've got to do it.

This involves accelerating the OMS program and keeping the R&D going up.

R&D?

Research and development.

Yeah, research and development.

Obviously, it's not fun.

None of the services are getting everything they'd like to have, but I think this is a good balanced plan.

The services will know.

They don't know that $79,500 is a real number.

Oh, yeah, so no problem with that.

As a matter of fact, we've been getting longer.

We should be getting more.

Hell, I'd put it at 85 if these budget problems are in our hands.

Well, no, I think from any standpoint, it's desirable to have it below 80 as long as we can have some things that show some strength in them, which we can have.

There are one or two alternatives.

should be considered at the last minute if you want to show some additional strength as an issue of whether we buy more H-111s.

That has a strength posture.

It also has a job impact.

I'm sure you know what would be the cost.

That would add another $140 million.

But again, wherever they need it, that work would be done with that.

Fort Worth would be the headquarters, but it would also, that would impact the California plant.

140, anything else in that score?

I just like having my mind, it's like, well, that's one.

Is there another one?

Yeah, that's a great thing.

There's several more.

I don't know that I would recommend any of this.

Let me do this.

You can give me your confidential list.

We'd like to get a few words from you.

Give it over to Henry.

Just a little confidential list of a few little things that could have a sharp impact and that would help the defense thing.

There is one very important one that has to do with setting up our command and control capabilities.

And we're working on that with your people in terms of a possible amendment after the first of the year.

Well, this is to move ahead an accelerated program of airborne command posts.

It's an airborne command post, and that is very important because that indicates an improvement in our ability to control our strategic air forces.

And this would have good visibility, and in fact, it needs to be done.

That would impact specifically Boeing.

And it would be important to the job impact in that state.

That could be done after the first of the year.

Can you say that after the first of the year?

I think that would be presented as an important issue.

We will have a specific list.

I already have this.

I'll just call all the other key items.

Now, I have a

Copy of the letter.

I'll send it to you.

This way.

Yeah.

Sure.

Yeah.

Well, I want to be very sure that this is clear to everyone that this is a personal reassurance.

There's no question about my support for you and your policy.

Oh, I appreciate that.

I'm sure there's no misunderstanding about that.

So whatever, we'll be helpful on that deal.

We'll be obviously around there.

Thank you.

Did I give you the money, though?

Did I give you the money?

I don't think so.

Now that money, as a real honest man, as the president you see, I, you know, as a secret servant, I've never carried a dollar in my pocket since I've been in the other... Now this is...

The worst that may happen is it would

Unless you get the humanitarian impact to have some protection.

Well, of course, we work.

We don't have much leverage.

We haven't had much leverage yet.

Now, we can give them a little bag here.

It's just cool for a while.

Well, that has been effective.

I'm convinced that if you move ahead with your plan,

So we're working on it.

We see if you know we're coming to Russia to help us.

But that's a long time.

Well, we'll see you.

Thank you again.

Thanks a lot.

Thanks a lot, sir.

We'll see you around.

Thanks.

Nixon, Packard & Haig on Defense Budget and Resignation

AI Summary

Audio

NARA Description

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Transcript (AI-generated)

Also recorded on December 10, 1971

Cite this conversation

Nixon, Packard & Haig on Defense Budget and Resignation

AI Summary

Audio

NARA Description

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Transcript (AI-generated)

Also recorded on December 10, 1971

Related conversations

Cite this conversation