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Conversation 705-018

TapeTape 705StartMonday, April 10, 1972 at 4:46 PMEndMonday, April 10, 1972 at 5:01 PMTape start time04:40:40Tape end time04:55:11ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob");  Bull, Stephen B.;  Butterfield, Alexander P.Recording deviceOval Office
AI Summary

President Nixon and H.R. Haldeman met to discuss administration strategy regarding the Vietnam War, press relations, and upcoming domestic initiatives. Nixon expressed frustration with the State Department's perceived lack of long-term vision, contrasting their cautious, tactical approach with his own administration’s bold foreign policy maneuvers such as the opening to China. The conversation also touched upon the inefficiencies of Great Society social programs and transitioned into a wide-ranging, personal discussion regarding the political influence and historical shift of the Jewish American electorate.

Vietnam WarForeign policyPress relationsGreat SocietyVolunteerismJewish American politicsState Department
AudioNARA Description

On April 10, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Stephen B. Bull, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:46 pm to 5:01 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 705-018 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 705-18

Date: April 10, 1972
Time: 4:46 pm - 5:01 pm
                                             50

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. 10/06)
                                                                     Conv. No. 705-17 (cont.)


Location: Oval Office

The President met with H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

     Henry A. Kissinger

     Food prices

     Vietnam
          -US policies
               -Domestic politics
                     -Possible demonstrations
                     -Staff meeting
                           -The President’s instructions to Haldeman
                           -Kissinger
               -Article in New York Times by Robert B. Semple, Jr.
                     -White House contact
                           -Identity
               -1972 election
               -Peace efforts
                     -William J. Porter statement
                     -Negotiations
                           -Outcome
                                 -Press hostility
               -Press
                     -Hostility to the President
               -Reasons
                     -Foreign policy
               -Press
                     -John F. Osborne and Hugh S. Sidey
                           -Opposition
                                 -Cambodia, Laos and demonstrations
                                       -Criticism
                           -Support on People's Republic of China [PRC] matter

     The President's schedule
          -Meetings with Cabinet members
                -Herbert Stein
                -George P. Shultz
          -Free time
          -Mornings
                                           51

                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 10/06)
                                                                 Conv. No. 705-18 (cont.)


       -Afternoons

White House staff
     -Cambodia and Laos
     -Stakes in Vietnam

Vietnam
     -Press
          -Areas of support for policies
     -Stakes in war
          -US defeat
          -Aggression
          -US casualties
          -Memorandum

Domestic issues
    -National Alliance of Businessmen [NAB] reception
          -Value
    -NAB programs
          -Minority hiring
          -Costs
    -Concept of volunteerism
          -Haldeman’s view
                -National Center for Voluntary Action
                -Local and national levels
          -Great Society programs
                -Legal aid
                     -Lawyers
                     -Government interference
                           -Radicals
                           -Costs
                -Impact

Jews
       -Kissinger's parents
       -Number in world
            -Percentage in New York City
                  -Other minorities
       -Number
            -Political influence
                  -Compared with Indonesians, Indians, Americans, Soviets, Japanese and
                                               52

                               NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                         Tape Subject Log
                                           (rev. 10/06)
                                                                    Conv. No. 705-18 (cont.)


                               Germans

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 4:46 pm.

     The President's schedule
          -NAB reception

Bull left at an unknown time before 4:59 pm.

     Jews
            -Ultraliberalism
            -Adolph Hitler
                  -Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]
                  -Franklin D. Roosevelt
            -Republicanism
                  -Influence before 1932
                  -Economic status
                  -Private enterprise
                  -Blacks
            -Democratic loyalties
            -Kissinger

     Foreign policy
          -Kissinger
          -State Department
                -Tactical issues
                -Crisis handling
                      -Jordan
                      -India
                      -Cambodia
                      -Laos
                -Vietnam
                      -Policy advice
                -PRC initiative
                      -Soviets

Alexander P. Butterfield entered at 4:59 pm.

     The President's schedule

Butterfield left at 5:00 pm.
                                              53

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. 10/06)
                                                                  Conv. No. 705-18 (cont.)



     Unknown persons [Jews?]
         -Actions

     The President’s schedule

The President and Haldeman left at 5:01 pm.
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

You know, we've got to be ready.
And, uh... We're too very strong.
But, uh...
The main point of the situation.
I don't want that.
Must stop.
Must.
and ramble around about what the politics is at such times.
You know, I just know that would be the case.
I don't care for $500,000 in margin on side.
We just gotta do what's right about the investment.
So you get that through the, you set up that strategy in the market and tell Henry to give me all the charge, huh?
Did I do?
Yeah.
not because it's needed at this point because it's it's what you're going to do you know could i be a little blunt yeah you you'll find out he says i noticed this and he said i i don't know what happened you know the guy is there you know let me tell you that that's very bad that we must have a
And this is the man that's waiting to come here about politics.
He's not worried.
He's not worried about the next election.
That's the only way to do the right thing.
We're looking about the next election.
And they'll say, well, can't we emphasize that we're at peace?
We're going to get that across the border.
We'll go back on Thursday and say that we're at peace.
Well, the point you make is if you come out of this, then you've got it.
If you don't, then you've got to say we are.
You've got to think.
You've got to think.
Well, you know, they also know that I'm aware of the places that are wrong, really, for the right reasons.
So, shake them a little.
John Oscar, huge signing.
When have they been right?
On four calls.
Maybe one time in the last three years.
They've never been right.
Have they?
That's the right option.
No, but that's not it.
They've never been right.
They've rocked, can't work it.
Wrong on the house, wrong on the demonstrators.
What in the name of Christ have they been right about?
They consistently take the W, take the piece of any price on it out, without thinking of what happens is the next step.
After we did the Air Force, I was in China, and they, to an extent, after a dozen or more weeks, it was so dramatic.
And they know all that.
And the Air Force, they don't understand shit like that.
That's all right.
I want you to clean up the underbrush and switch.
It's also good if you get your captain and people in there after you've seen the hell out of the way.
Well, there's, there aren't many.
There is a bunch of underbrush.
Your spy, Schultz, has got something to come to the talk about.
He can get us to do what they've got.
We're never going to need to...
I would do anything before 10 o'clock in the day, because I need that time.
I get the morning reports at 10 to 12.
Schedule.
I don't think I would do anything in the afternoon.
Oh, I did.
Yeah.
From 3 to... Maybe 3 to 5.
That's convenient.
Apparently.
Yeah.
No, I don't mean that I feel that our people are...
Well, they've learned a little bit.
They've learned that, you know, you know what you're doing, you're doing it.
Maybe they realize what's on the line.
Maybe.
I think the people do, too.
I think you're getting some of the press.
You're getting fairly decent press on a lot of this.
The United States is not going to lose.
We're not going to surrender by coming into Congress.
We're not going to cave in and make a digression.
We're not going to have 50,000 men die or nothing.
You know what I mean?
That's what's involved here.
I cover all this in the grant.
You know, this is one kind of operation for sure that I'm not going to be forever in this office again next year.
I'm just not going to do this company again.
This is pure crap.
Well, it is now.
I really think it is.
Am I wrong?
What the hell is it?
Oh, I guess it's a good encouraging to get out and hire from minorities.
Of course, you know they're all such nice hired veterans.
You know, you don't just call such a bunch.
This is out of the goodness of their hearts.
Christ, this is a $400 million program.
God bless us.
We have a lot of this stuff.
They've got to take some rest.
I mean, my kids, you know, my young kids, just don't think of it as just a...
Yeah, but I'm not sure you
I don't know.
Volunteerism that works, works.
I have a feeling that our whole concept of volunteerism is wrong.
Something's wrong.
I don't know what it is.
I think it only works at the people level.
It doesn't work at the bureaucratic level.
When you try to set up a national center for voluntary action, try to set up a national program for it, it won't work.
You've got to get something wrong.
It's wrong.
I don't think...
It works when a group of volunteerists has got to be volunteerists.
The government can reward it by recognition, but not by dollars.
And not by taking it over, and not by
That's what the Great Society was.
Really, you took over, you moved into, you had a damn, legal aid was a damn, sure it got a lot of applause, but it was a damn good program in a lot of, especially in small cities.
Lawyers.
Lawyers.
They busted their ass to help poor people who needed help.
Got a young lawyer.
Now the goddamn government comes in and hires radicals to secure the people up and spends more money than the, than the, than puts legal aid out of business because they're not going to screw around with legal aid.
Oh, and his parents are, I suppose, like, thousands.
Another only 14 million Jews in the whole world have had any more than that.
It's been stable for three, four, eight years.
Forty percent of them live in New York.
Really?
Yeah.
Forty-four?
Forty percent.
Forty percent of the world's Jews?
Sure.
There are four or, let's see, four or five new Jews in New York.
New York is a Jewish city, you know.
Jewish, black, Puerto Rican.
And if you iron me out a little bit, I think it's forty, forty percent of the Jews in New York.
Forty-five years ago.
They're an amazing people, though, even Jewish.
There's almost 13 million in the world who have more clout than 100 million Indonesians, or 400 million, or 500 million Indians.
They have more clout than, well, frankly, almost every people in the world, except the Americans, the Russians, the Japanese.
That's 200 million in each case, and the Germans.
We just have more, but the Jews are in the world.
What happened to James?
Really?
Do you want me to answer?
But they are amazing people.
They work like a son of a bitch.
The great tragedy of the Jews in the United States is because of Hitlerism and the fact that the Russians fought Hitler, that they became ultra-liberal.
And Roosevelt arrested.
The Jews before 1932 were primarily Republican.
Well, even the ones that weren't rich were the private enterprise.
Now the Jews are primarily Republican.
Now the Jews are hopelessly Democratic.
What I'm trying to say is that it would be taken for life, isn't it?
God, he's an enormous kid over there.
He's an athlete.
And you know what Henry does see?
He sees he's got his problems.
He does sit down and take a long view.
I can't understand why the people of the state couldn't do that tomorrow.
Why couldn't they?
God doesn't matter to them.
Why are they so tactical?
No, isn't it just that that's the way they're, their whole thought, bringing it then all the way along.
Their whole effort is to avoid trouble, patch things up, never make the bowl move.
They do a lot of the things, of course.
But basically when it comes to these crunches, then they're very healthy.
And it's times perhaps we can do rough instead.
Maybe we are too rough, Jordan, I don't know.
Maybe so.
Maybe too rough.
Too rough.
Can't go too rough.
It's too rough.
I'll tell you this, if we follow the Straits Advice, though, the amount would be down to two today.
And we followed their advice, we would never take it to China unless you prepared it to make the Russians mad.
We had to take it to China, we wouldn't let it go to the Russians.
Does that make sense?
All right.
They apparently take that movement very seriously, you know, and it's a great challenge if they accept it.
I'm delighted that you got around to that thing there.
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