Conversation 715-002

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 Do not cite this transcript as authoritative.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.

All we'll do is just have a lot of hacking around about .

I just not going to have any advanced copies circulated .

Do you see any advantage to get a lot of advanced copies?

I was just looking at another decision over in Texan .

But urging that we be sure to get advances out well at that time.

And his purpose is Christina.

and talk to Henry about the Harriman thing.

And he said, do you think you should do the Harriman bombing hole?

Oh, he did say, however, he said, wait just a minute.

Because he said, I think I've gotten the public record

be classified.

And so we've got back what he said.

If you can't, then do it the other way.

Well, when you speak for yourself,

He's saying the conference is up to get the favorable analysis from the writing press of tomorrow's first editions if they have the text in advance.

Which will affect the TV and radio tomorrow night and beyond.

Well, I don't know.

The only problem I have is as to do you want to kill the

My view is I tend to need to have him read it.

I don't know.

That's what I do.

See, McCurry overhooks.

He's got the third button.

He may be right.

You know, that is, I don't know.

Television is riding on the wind.

I'm saying those.

So that's my plan.

10 o'clock, you're just going to bury me in the early editions.

Of course, I know you're gone.

That'll open the space open and run.

I think we have to give it to them.

Yeah, what has to happen is that if we do give it to them, then Henry's going to agree with everything.

He's the only one that has the sophistication and the toughness to do it.

He can read at 9.30.

The writing person.

Well, what's the headline you want out of the speech?

I don't know.

Whether B is an action that reduces withdrawals, or A is

And Ron said that yesterday by saying he will make it an S on troop level rather than on troop withdrawal.

And so they're looking at that as being maybe significant.

the idea that you make points by people knowing something in advance kind

be accomplished almost to the same degree by just calling and saying, the president of the black community is listening to the speech.

And you will find me very supportive of everything that you're doing.

On the other hand, you may want to draw a line for a letter to follow.

But I don't want that to raise speech.

Let me put it that way.

What I would do is, rather than giving him the speech, we'd give him up on the intersection of the three decisions.

I think that's a good idea.

What about doing that with the press?

I don't know.

Why do you think that's an issue, sir?

You don't know why?

On what basis is that like historically?

We could do it on the basis that the president is, yeah, this is the summary of the decisions that the president will announce tonight.

The text of the speech will not be, oh, this president, that's going to be a personal list.

It's not, you know, something that goes on.

Good.

You're writing it up to the last minute or something.

Yeah.

It's still worth it.

But they could get at it so that you could give them that dozen.

That's really public relations.

Right.

Because I have to do this.

We don't have to sign the damn thing later.

That's right.

But if you would do this, which would say around 3 o'clock, we would sign it.

You talk to the grader and say we're going to get an answer.

I do know that I will not, I will just not give him out the text because then there's some reverie.

See, some mere reverie.

You agree with that?

Yeah.

Make him listen.

Fair enough.

But I think he would give out the page that deals with the citizens.

They would follow him.

And the history of where we were in Vietnam won't hold, so it won't give any interest.

The thing to do is look at it on the basis of what's for the TV folks and what do we want in the paper.

And if we know what we want in the paper, write a summary that gets that in.

Write one page to review the situation in Vietnam.

And that's the conclusion.

That's what I do.

Why don't we check it out?

It's always a problem.

We have three of us standing in a straight spot and we have to do it this way because of the goddamn press.

I do not believe they will.

Anybody on your team still needs convincing about the decisive role of bylines, please ask them to measure the undertow of critical opinion makers and TV commentators of today's Scotty Press America.

And remember, it all began when you were in that Churchill headline on Reston's summation of your Peking mission, Nixon's on this hour.

And the Church of Reston column says, it kisses your miracle.

And so what's he mean?

He means, yeah.

But he's saying that this kind of stuff is very good.

I don't know what that is right now.

His obvious intelligence, unfailing discretion, and ceaseless energy.

His latest secret trick is the most dramatic illustration of confidence in power and strength, and it's trusted to them, and a tribute to them both, that this confidentialization endures despite Kissinger's insistence.

I'm sorry, I didn't hear you.

We have a government now with men, not really in clause and procedures.

We have an alliance with Jeremiah, but not with China.

But this is the way it is to be.

It is not just a Jewish hope, and he is a man.

He is an instrument of the president, but he has played his role with astonishing courage, patience, and skill.

That's good.

Okay.

My point is, having said that, why don't you talk, so that I stay out of it.

You'll get the best possible case for what they would like.

But I didn't know this.

I did not give them the whole tax.

Do you have that?

Yeah.

Or maybe take the me section of it.

But leave out the opening and close it and leave out the... Yeah.

I think that might be the good way to end it, I appreciate it.

Okay, let's...

Explore it out.

Speaking of our object-based material...

At the moment, yeah.

Dan Ryan.

Market has to correct anyway, so let it correct.

It's supposed to get a little warmer tomorrow, apparently.

It's also supposed to be good in Florida.

Actually, well, about 80 or so years of time there.

It's good weather down there, kid.

You're going to get to work in suits.

which should have the best feel.

Fabrics are actually lighter, you know, they're taller.

You know, I wonder what it is that people on our own staff, maybe someday it's not just for Andrews, who's one of the toughest of all, but particularly at that time, with the exception of Buchanan, all are obsessed with the demonstrators, you know, and give decent chances.

Why is it, are they, are they, why are people guilty about it?

I think they just have a feeling that you have to recognize it and respond to it.

Yeah.

Well, it's like the same thing when all the riots, you know, they want me to go to church or have them in or just listen to them.

You know, that's the kind of thing that got us into that horrible herd thing, wasn't it?

Yeah.

Which was a mistake.

Sure was.

I didn't mean that.

That was it.

Yeah, I know.

But you remember what happened?

And him overreacting.

He gave me end of his reports and the rest.

We were supposed to have meetings and things.

I've had one of those back years.

How's that?

We never will.

Hey, Shep, it isn't up to you to solve the campus problem.

It's up to them.

There isn't any follow-up people to give us questions.