Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 661-003
Date: Monday, January 31, 1972 at 3:51 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Butterfield, Alexander P.; Ziegler, Ronald L.; White House operator; McClory, Robert
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/661-003

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:02] Do you want the Vice President to play a role, such as receiving with you cocktails in the Blue Room, and then you and the Vice President receiving in the Blue Room?
[0:17] I'd like to say something, I suppose, if the President's in it.
[0:24] Do you want Governor Mulligan to say something?
[0:28] Chairman of the Governor's Association, respond?
[0:30] 41 people total.
[0:33] 42.
[0:33] Well, I think we should have sort of more than that.
[0:44] We'll have Governor Milliken be the final one to respond, but we don't have regular representatives.
[1:18] So... Whoops.
[1:18] Okay.
[1:27] We'll have to be each other when we tell them we love them.
[1:32] Two minutes each.
[1:32] All right.
[1:33] Rex says he can't possibly seat all those people at that one single rectangular table.
[1:36] He'd like to go a small E-shaped table, but not the other table.
[1:39] What did he want?
[1:41] Sure.
[1:41] Good.
[1:42] How many are, aren't they all the cabinet people, too?
[1:44] Yes, all of the cabinet.
[1:45] All right.
[1:46] All right.
[1:47] Plus...
[1:47] No, we're not having the press at all on this one, are we?
[1:57] The remarks just to the archives.
[2:01] Yes, sir.
[2:02] This is a political thing.
[2:05] I never want to put any of that out.
[2:13] We thought we'd send a presidential reference out to this general.
[2:17] These two policemen who were gunned down in the neighborhood, 12 ex-marines.
[2:21] When the hell were they gunned down?
[2:25] Two days ago.
[2:27] For no reason at all.
[2:28] They were not only shot once, but shot several times as they were on the sidewalk.
[2:37] But they were both ex-marines.
[2:40] We thought we'd send a cushion up there.
[2:47] Peter Flanagan or someone like that.
[2:49] I think Brandon maybe would be the best.
[2:53] You mean Cushman?
[2:53] Cushman suggests to come.
[2:54] Ask him to go.
[2:55] That's very good.
[2:57] As the president's representative, you're damn right.
[3:00] Cushman should go.
[3:02] He's proud of the Marines.
[3:05] He's a full general.
[3:08] That would be very impressive.
[3:11] And bring along a read for both.
[3:16] Yes, sir.
[3:18] Where was it?
[3:19] Was it in Harlem?
[3:23] I suppose it was in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
[3:24] I suppose it was in Blackton.
[3:28] Lower East Side.
[3:29] Lower East Side.
[3:30] Well, probably Bedford-Stuyvesant.
[3:35] One after 22, one after 23.
[3:36] They were just walking along.
[3:40] It was at night.
[3:41] Yeah, it was at night.
[3:46] What?
[3:47] Yeah.
[3:47] Yeah, there's two of them.
[3:48] When is General?
[3:49] Tomorrow.
[3:50] Tomorrow.
[3:50] Wednesday morning, Wednesday afternoon.
[3:53] That's General Cushing.
[3:54] He can go.
[3:55] If he can't go, everyone can go.
[3:56] Right.
[3:57] Okay.
[3:57] All right, you got another turn down?
[4:02] Well, that's a case.
[4:03] It's a case on the difficult decision.
[4:04] I guess you agonize about it up to the last minute.
[4:07] Yeah.
[4:07] It's the last minute.
[4:09] I've talked to the team.
[4:10] Yes, sir.
[4:12] And to McLaurin, please.
[4:14] a quarry congressman, a quarry of Illinois.
[4:18] And a Holtzman.
[4:20] So they want to go back to Holtzman.
[4:23] Buckley.
[4:23] Buckley.
[4:25] Pat's view is that he's going to cut us anyway.
[4:28] He said, but he can be influenced.
[4:31] He said he's been influenced over the last two years.
[4:34] And he said he feels that...
[4:40] Of course, Henry knows in the present no more about what's coming out of the meeting than we do.
[4:45] But he said he feels that Buckley could have a key influence for us.
[4:50] And he said, if he's going to go against us and go against us anyway, that's .
[4:54] Haldeman has about the same gut reaction I do.
[4:59] It might be worth a chance.
[5:01] Kissinger says, fine.
[5:02] He said, I don't have any problem with Buckley from that standpoint.
[5:06] He said, the only thing I have is how
[5:09] John, he might react, but he said, judgment's call.
[5:12] And he said, from a judgment standpoint, I'm not going to be bothered by it.
[5:21] Hello.
[5:23] Yeah.
[5:24] Hello.
[5:25] Bob, I just noticed you're having a birthday today, so, well, I figured I'd catch you there, and I wanted to wish you the very best.
[5:32] And don't you believe me, you've got a lot of years left, so...
[5:40] Yeah.
[5:40] Yeah.
[5:42] Where do you have your party?
[5:43] Your staff in your office?
[5:44] Yeah.
[5:46] Oh, boy.
[5:50] Coffee, huh?
[5:52] Yeah.
[5:55] That's right.
[5:56] OK, bud.
[5:56] Well, fine, bud.
[6:09] that Wilson's an odd one.
[6:11] No, he really doesn't.
[6:12] He doesn't, to be quite candid, doesn't think Holmes is Alexander's either, so that's not the solution.
[6:19] He's responsible.
[6:21] Well, that's, you know,
[6:32] Why don't we name that?
[6:33] I would say we want to go with Jim because you were on the President's Advisory Commission under the USIA and, of course, as a reporter.
[6:40] That's right.
[6:41] But then he goes into capacity.
[6:46] Buchanan seems to think that Buckley is a type that can be flattered and so forth.
[6:50] He's tough.
[6:51] Well, Buchanan would be a long way to work on.
[6:57] He could work on him.
[7:06] It's like all through their darn heart, and he was wondering, what's wrong with you?
[7:11] Yes, sir.
[7:12] Have you called, so I don't have to bother you, have you called, have you ever called yet?
[7:18] You have called?
[7:19] Yeah.
[7:19] Irvington wants me to put that out and say that you did call him.
[7:26] Well, you have to.
[7:27] I don't have to put it out?
[7:29] Yeah, well, if I was in, yeah.
[7:36] You could say, well, gentlemen, the President had talked to Senator Rick Cobb today and asked his advice about welfare reform.
[7:47] He stressed his support of welfare reform.
[7:53] And there's a lot of staff, the fellow Secretary of the Senate, going to be working there, going to be talking to him, to Senator Long and Senator Bennett over the next, uh,
[8:05] a few weeks while the hearings are processed, to see if we can work on a strategy which will get the bill reported out and majority support for passage.
[8:17] Now they say, well, we don't accept the senator's plan.
[8:22] The president simply expressed his support of the administration.
[8:33] I noted that Senator had taken a different position for a test plan.
[8:38] And he knew that he agreed to support it.
[8:42] He called an action from the Senators to the Senators' advice as to what we should do.
[8:50] Now the next time, Mr. John, John Irvin, is going to talk to Mr. Richardson.
[8:54] And we hope this will make a good bottom.
[8:58] But throw in the fact that the President also
[9:02] He's not coming down to see you.
[9:14] Oh, sir.
[9:15] You can call.