Nixon, Haldeman & Woods on Vietnam War and 1972 election

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I wonder if you would get off a little.

Congratulations on leading the Lakers to their first NBA championship.

You're very courage and

I'm playing so that doesn't mean that they have broken the rest of the final game.

We'll go down and find great stories.

The history of sports.

Larry, what you demonstrated is that we'll tackle it and play better with one hand than most people can play with the hands, actually.

Uh, P.S.

Uh, Mr. Dixon and I were, were, uh, fascinated by the pictures in my magazine of your, your home.

With your jacket and leggings.

You know, uh,

And I thought you'd like to make a call.

This morning I've gotten a lot of people who just simply couldn't get through to either the White House Board or My Lion's Home or anything like that, and they said that

Well, Lloyd Waring at once, who was just so proud, and he said this, a fellow named Paul Cabot, who hadn't given before, and so forth, called in his lawyer and said, anyone who had that much courage, that much leadership, and just another, you know, great, funny actor, had tried all that.

And he said, you were absolutely marvelous, courage, great speech, and, you know, Fred Schluter, all these people.

Oh, right.

And Dr. Luke Page called.

He also thought that it was just a magnificent speech.

And he was annoyed that one of those commentators, they were the courage and guts it took to make that decision.

Then he told me they operated on Manolo this morning.

And the reason it was so painful and probably swelling partly was that there had been an injury to the bones.

But that just means they have to scrape the bone.

He'll be in there seven or eight days, then on a crutch, possibly even may have to use a cane, you know, a little bit after.

But they'll have him on the phone and start the physiotherapy right away.

But he's out of the operating room.

Well, he's in the intensive care unit right now.

And we have a telephone number for him.

I had a talk with Bob Hill a couple weeks ago, and he again recommended that Admiral, who was the Puerto Rican, you know, for the Spanish post,

Because when the Admiral visited, Frank, you know, he and Frank were really good.

Is that the Peter guy, I think?

Mm-hmm.

His name's already put in.

I'll give it again.

Just get a memorandum and say that Bob Hill feels strongly that he ought to meet.

Okay.

And then, if it's all right with you, I'll put it in.

What he feels strongly that Nancy's got.

Remember the fellow that you were so impressed with when you took your trip?

Lado, George Lando, back in 1963, I think.

Bob thinks he, because he has all the languages, that he's kind of a guy with a tendency to go on.

Where this woman sort of leans to... Is that right to pass out?

Well, I...

George Landau.

I think he was in Spain then.

You told me at the time that he was the best secret service officer you ever seen.

Landau, yeah, yeah, yeah.

He'd go in and put his name down.

But I didn't want to put it with your recommendation unless I reminded you.

Julie called that time, and right after you finished, and she was so, she just thought you were so great.

She was so thrilled.

She was really something.

I told her that you were in captivity.

I had talked to her earlier.

Yeah.

I talked to her.

He knew you knew then, but I think it was nice of him to call.

I don't know if you're going to make comments tonight or anything.

They do have a book with a picture in the background of some of these people.

I don't think I'll go into any of that.

But you might want to just look at it, please.

Oh, yes, yes.

I will put that in.

That's good to ask.

In a way, I think, if you do say anything, or even when you talk to Charlie, Charlie said he was the only one who was married at the time we were all in school.

I guess his poor wife really had a tough time.

It was awful, I'm sorry.

He also said that's why when he was offered at Rand and a couple of places, he couldn't go.

He didn't want to use her as an excuse, but he couldn't leave her.

I think he thought it was a terrible, you know, old thing.

They're not going to announce the scholarship tonight.

Kiefer felt it was better to have a meeting tomorrow and have it, rather than, since they couldn't contact everybody, announce, do you have a scholarship later tomorrow or some other time after they talk to them about going to college.

I told him I thought that was a better idea anyway.

That's really a worrying thing to get these things out.

It is.

I need to be careful with the line.

I need the security.

I know, and you delivered it beautifully.

I admit it.

Well, no, that's one of the complaints I just said.

It's quite wearing for me.

It's an emotional strain.

That's the day we could go away.

The Democrats, of course, are playing a dog on me.

I think back to the Cuban Missile Crisis when I got on television from San Diego and supported the general election.

These people are playing the partisan side of the other way.

Oh, they shall.

Oh, they've got to leave and wait.

Governor Humphrey, of course, didn't get it on, but at least they've got to say that's what George Meany came up with.

Yeah, and then you've got to say something like, George Wallace didn't like it.

He said a lot better stuff than what he said.

He said, I'll wait and see.

Well, he said he hoped you were right, or something like that.

He hoped it was right, which is a lot better than the government was jackasses.

You know, it's just one of those, except that the great majority of people are behind you.

Some of these jackasses deserve a government.

It would ruin the country if he'd gone.

Well, they're going to get carried off roads.

I noticed the paper says that now Humphrey is probably going to be in Brass Park or has a chance to because they've been paying for the government.

He is.

Except now they haven't got money.

They're starting to find out what he's doing.

Humphrey is a total jackass.

He's on all sides of the issue.

And yesterday I heard a company on one of these editorial radio stations

They hear people saying, well, it won't really be McGovern, it'll be Teddy.

But if they take one good look at Teddy, it's not much different than McGovern.

Looks like they don't care a thing about McGovern.

That's what Bunny Baxter said.

She surprised me when she said it.

You know, he said, I don't know what they want.

What kind of country do they want?

They want a country, they want this country to be so small and so weak and so namby-pamby.

He says, I don't even mind some of the politicians as much as I mind, what's he call them, the liberal-zine liberals or pinkos.

He says, I can...

Anyway, so it was sort of riding around in great safety and...

Is there anybody who can get some rest today?

Sure.

They've been doing it for a little while.

I'm sure because of the smell, clearly.

All right, all right.

Period.

What was that?

Yeah.

Well, you know, the thing is, just today, so much as the fact that we just did a speech two days ago.

I know it.

But then in between it, there's that unity, which is terrible.

That's free in just a period of 12 days.

Yeah.

And that's all a lot of money.

And a lot of work to do.

And that's because work is the emotional drain, too.

I'm at the home of Earl Mester and Paul Brennan.

Earl Mester couldn't have been learned how to write.

That's it.

This is .

The point that I made, Bob, is which I think should get into your comment.

Alex and Rose just reminded me of two.

His comments were of the main concern.

Your couriers were telling us of the line you put forth and the compassion that you spoke.

Rose was pointing out that Bunny Lassiter had called, that he had said that he just couldn't stand the limousine lids, who didn't do anything.

He couldn't understand why some of the commentators, not one of them,

You know, it took a lot of courage for the president to take this action.

Did they?

Yeah, I suppose they did.

But the point is, you see, what I think the trouble with the page, the one page that was prepared, it was great on facts, but it didn't have the, you know, I think that's, would you not agree, that's the funny thing.

Most people don't know what the hell we did.

They don't really care about it.

They just say, well, they've got to get something.

And I think that personal qualities maybe is the thing that matters.

And Dr. Lukacs mentioned that.

And even people, some people calling around too have said, you know, what great courage this took.

And it was not necessarily, well, many that it took in that, you know, long time ago.

You know, you raised the election in order to save the country.

That's the other thing.

And you know, a driver that I came in with this morning said, you know, it was so great.

And he said...

These guys are pretty smart.

He said, you know, what kind of leverage would you have if you pulled everybody out?

How would you get, how would they propose to get those prisoners out, you know, these other people?

And he thought it was very, very brave.

He said, tell President not to worry.

If they could even get a million marchers in the city, there are not a lot of them.

The other people, all the rest of the country would be behind.

I don't think so.

I think that's a fine start that occurred to me as I read this.

No, I think it's a good idea.

If we can do it, we can make some points on the second page.

So you might do it on the basis of the reactions.

I could emphasize these points very quickly.

Everyone mentioned it.

It's very cool, and it is a strong, right?

I agree with you.

Your typical reactions then make up some folks.

Well, let's do it again.

Nixon, Haldeman & Woods on Vietnam War and 1972 election

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on May 9, 1972

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