Nixon, Haldeman & Connally on George Wallace and Secret Service

3:17:19it may be a bad idea to turn off the press
3:17:39Why don't we just have her go up with the press without me?
3:17:43How's that sound to you?
3:17:44Yeah.
3:17:45Or do you think I have to go too?
3:17:47Oh, hell no.
3:17:48Look, if you go over there, you've got to stand there and talk to 800 people or whatever it is throughout assassinating presidents, because that's all anybody's going to talk about.
3:17:53They're not going to talk about the truth.
3:17:55Right.
3:17:56Well, can she go ahead and do it?
3:17:57She can.
3:17:58I don't see why not.
3:18:00She can do it.
3:18:01Right.
3:18:01Okay.
3:18:02Because the people were already there.
3:18:04It would still be better if they weren't impressed.
3:18:07Oh, well, you can't do that.
3:18:08That's fine.
3:18:09I didn't just go ahead and put the event, but without me there.
3:18:12Mr. Dexter, please.
3:18:13Go ahead.
3:18:13I don't know if you've ever graciously smiled at people in the rest of the union, all of a sudden, Christ, because you're a boss.
3:18:28It was the same damn stuff.
3:18:29He fell down on the stage and his wife threw herself down on top of him.
3:18:33She did?
3:18:34Yeah.
3:18:34That's the news story.
3:18:41You see if she gets...
3:18:47It's kind of incongruous.
3:18:50People's minds aren't going to be on Google next week.
3:18:54Nobody's going to be thinking about it.
3:18:56That's right.
3:18:58Good God, this is a kind of thing.
3:18:59The other thing I was going to say, I wondered if you were able to come home tomorrow.
3:19:01I think we're going to go.
3:19:06Somebody hit the little bell now.
3:19:20Well, if he lives, you know, if he's going to be all right, I think he probably can.
3:19:25In fact, maybe it's good.
3:19:26That's why I want him to come over.
3:19:28We've got to decide that.
3:19:30Well, we'll take the Wallace story to the Vietnam of the news tonight.
3:19:41Too bad.
3:19:41It was a good day in Vietnam.
3:20:08God dang it all.
3:20:09Has anybody ever thought of it?
3:20:15It's ironic.
3:20:16He uses, apparently, a bulletproof podium.
3:20:17He has a thing with that.
3:20:19Oh, I know.
3:20:20He's petrified.
3:20:21He shot glass in front of me, finished his speech, stepped out from behind the podium, started.
3:20:27And I guess there's still .
3:20:28Apparently, it was still on the speaker, which ended up moving.
3:20:33Here at Laurel?
3:20:34Laurel, right.
3:20:34It's a rich guy.
3:20:36Very, yeah, I don't know.
3:20:38Yeah?
3:20:38Who are you?
3:20:38Nobody's going to complain about our having to do the service anymore, are they?
3:20:43No.
3:20:43I'll learn from Teddy.
3:20:44Probably have to give it to Teddy, you know, too.
3:20:52That's something I'll probably have to consider, because he's the holdout.
3:20:59Now, he's moving, and Schultz goes in there.
3:21:03He's agreed to stay on as Secretary of the Consolidated Confirm, which is good.
3:21:08He's agreed to go on the FIAAB, just in case there's a good reason to come up here.
3:21:13And I'm going to work out with him to send him on a trip to Latin America after he leaves to be in Brazil.
3:21:27His view is very, very .
3:21:28He said that he leaves and says immediately, I want to support the president and so forth.
3:21:36He said he's going to indicate that, as he did last week.
3:21:39But he says, I don't.
3:21:40He says, I want to let the other shoe drop right out.
3:21:42I can't support him.
3:21:44I can't support him.
3:21:46He shouldn't be against the Democratic Party.
3:21:48He shouldn't be against the Democratic platform.
3:21:53Yeah.
3:21:54Well, the deal is here is I definitely shouldn't go because, you know, they just have that impression of us good spirits and so on.
3:22:04And I don't want to put an apron on the party.
3:22:21Well, and then leave.
3:22:24Well, I don't know.
3:22:25I just think it's so, it's just so incongruous, basically, to be, you know, they'll come in and that sort of thing.
3:22:30I mean, yeah.
3:22:33Well, you know, it's, you know, people are just, they're very upset about this kind of thing because of the candidate that, and so forth.
3:22:46One of the other candidates will be shot.
3:22:57I should just...
3:23:01They did?
3:23:02Yeah.
3:23:02Yes, they did.
3:23:05Well... We all hope that the President could not pretend, but...
3:23:20But you could still give your remarks, is there?
3:23:24Oh, I see.
3:23:27Well, we'll see.
3:23:28Well, at least, yeah, fine.
3:23:31Okay.
3:23:32Anyway, I'll have to decide very soon.
3:23:41But I just can't be there in terms of...
3:23:56yeah yeah yeah i know okay i'll see about it well just to come over and see that i appreciate it
3:24:22have the occasion and of course express appreciation for all you've done.
3:24:25So to get a little bit of a remark about what they've done to redecorate the lighthouse, I will not be able to attend the reception, but this is excellent.
3:24:34We'll be glad to see you there.
3:24:36And I might not be a bad man.
3:24:42In other words, not just go in the morning immediately, just to go over and
3:24:50Well, he should.
3:24:51Yeah.
3:24:52See, I wouldn't shake hands.
3:24:53That doesn't get as handy as a minute of silence standing at home with a prayer.
3:24:58It ain't going to be no moment of silence.
3:25:00In fact, it's just, if John's out there, do you want to see what he thinks?
3:25:04Yeah.
3:25:05Yeah.
3:25:09Oh, yeah.
3:25:11No, I don't know.
3:25:11I'm not going to do that.
3:25:13I know.
3:25:18I understand that.
3:25:21Thank you.
3:25:24I had a couple of thoughts.
3:25:26I think, John, that you ought to give us that goddamn enemy.
3:25:30Now, if something happens to some revenge, they'll say we didn't provide it.
3:25:33Yeah.
3:25:34So we, uh, and I think if you ought to, if you ought to announce it yourself tonight, I mean, you could say you have, uh, do you mind, you got a cigarette or anything to put this off?
3:25:44I just think it's a good idea to just show that we're, we're aware of this thing.
3:25:49No, I don't mind at all.
3:25:51I think I ought to get ahold of the proceedings and tell him we're going to do it.
3:26:00Second point, let me ask you about one procedural point.
3:26:16The present indications are that he is serious, but not credible.
3:26:24They say he's in a stable condition.
3:26:26Well, he claims he can't move his legs.
3:26:30Well, the only story that he was a bullet in his spine.
3:26:34Or as far as near his spine.
3:26:35Well, the operation we do these days is pretty damn good.
3:26:39But if he got his spine... Well, they don't know.
3:26:41They don't know.
3:26:42They won't know.
3:26:43They won't know.
3:26:44They've got an x-ray and the bullet's still in there.
3:26:48Where were you when you got shot?
3:26:52Well, it came in the shoulder.
3:26:54Hit your spine?
3:26:55No.
3:26:55Came in the shoulder, right about there.
3:26:57It came out right here.
3:26:59Did you go unconscious?
3:27:03Oh, yeah.
3:27:05I didn't follow that thing.
3:27:08Of course you did, but I just didn't get that close enough to you.
3:27:12I was conscious for, oh, I don't know, a minute or two.
3:27:17Less than a minute.
3:27:18I was conscious long enough to give a third shot.
3:27:24Consciously.
3:27:27I tried to, and this is when I was hit.
3:27:30I was seated on the jump seat.
3:27:33She was seated right in front of me.
3:27:35And I was seated right in front of him.
3:27:38And I heard the shock of what I thought was a shock.
3:27:47and turn around, just instinctively, because he came from back over my shoulder to see if I could catch him out of the corner of my eye.
3:27:52I did, looking this way, and I was in the process of turning this way, looking in the back seat when I got hit.
3:28:00And, uh... Just a minute.
3:28:07But you saw it all, and I was conscious, uh... Gene... You know, uh, Gene Brownlee, and let's get a detail on Kennedy tonight...
3:28:17And I want to announce it over here, I think, or have Rob say that.
3:28:40I think I could slip over and say it.
3:28:44Well, let me get you.
3:28:47Shirley Chisholm is on this call.
3:28:48She's asking for protection now.
3:28:53Get her to order it.
3:28:57Really?
3:28:57How the hell do you get boarded?
3:28:58I don't know how you get boarded.
3:28:59Get it.
3:29:00But don't take your kind of sons on a bitchy shooter.
3:29:03It's only for a brief time.
3:29:06Listen, it's only a month.
3:29:07Month and a half.
3:29:08Well, eight weeks.
3:29:08The question is whether or not we want to do Kennedy first or do two of them together.
3:29:12I don't know.
3:29:14See, I don't want this to build up so that you're forced into it.
3:29:17Who else is left out?
3:29:19Who else is left out?
3:29:20You've got Mills.
3:29:20Yeah, but they're not active candidates.
3:29:23I just want to tell you, I just want to tell you, he's not an active candidate.
3:29:32Sure, but Chisholm is.
3:29:33Kennedy's asked for it.
3:29:34Kennedy asked for it, didn't he?
3:29:35At some point.
3:29:40All right, run down to this.
3:29:41Call the chief.
3:29:42Tell him to be the very old man.
3:29:43Kennedy and Chisholm both.
3:29:44All right.
3:29:47I'll play a call to him.
3:29:48He needs more recent information.
3:29:49All right, get something and call us for him.
3:29:57See, John, that's exactly what I anticipated.
3:30:00The heat would go off, and then we'd react to the heat, and I'd repeat it to him.
3:30:03Yeah, okay.
3:30:03All right.
3:30:06Well, in any way, you know, it's only seven weeks.
3:30:09Oh, yeah.
3:30:09Oh, huh.
3:30:10Yeah, huh.
3:30:10That's fine.
3:30:12The other thing, I was not granted the... Yeah, oh, that's fine.
3:30:14That's fine.
3:30:15Now, incidentally, you're still protecting Muskie.
3:30:19Oh, yeah.
3:30:21Yes, well, unless...
3:30:22He gets reduced coverage.
3:30:23He gets reduced coverage of the other bombs.
3:30:27You've got a lot of them.
3:30:28We get them all over this country.
3:30:31And he's a couple of Christchurch vice presidents.
3:30:33I had two brain years, even when I was in Caracas.
3:30:36Well, this proves exactly the point you were talking about.
3:30:39He, Wallace, had 50.
3:30:4150?
3:30:4150.
3:30:42Oh, hell.
3:30:43He has 50 agents.
3:30:44Now, not all at one time, but he's got a lot of agents.
3:30:48You see, they have to go with him.
3:30:50But I'm at 17 with him at this moment.
3:30:52John, I have another thing that I'm going to ask your advice on.
3:30:58It's small, but it's terribly important.
3:31:02It's that damn thing in the East Room.
3:31:10Hello, Ron.
3:31:11Ron, why don't you announce that... You want to go out and do it?
3:31:17You want me to do it?
3:31:18I think you should.
3:31:20Hold on.
3:31:20Okay.
3:31:20We've just got announced full Secret Service protection being offered to Senator Kennedy and to...
3:31:29at the Congresswoman Chisholm.
3:31:31Chisholm.
3:31:32What's her first name?
3:31:33Chisholm.
3:31:34Chisholm, yeah.
3:31:36And that others would receive the reduced cost of coverage if they so desired.
3:31:40Yeah.
3:31:40What do you think you should do?
3:31:47What do you see the problem?
3:31:50you're going to have one you've got a debate going now on kennedy and chisholm has already asked for it she's just asked for it i agree to announce it i'm just wondering do you want to go up there and do that maybe no i really don't think i'll do it that's right the secretary of the president and the uh secretary of the president of the problem and uh
3:32:15The Secretary of the United States and the President, of course, approved the Secretary's action.
3:32:21How does that sound?
3:32:22SECRETARY KERRY, You made that comment, or did you just say you ordered it?
3:32:25SECRETARY KERRY, Yeah.
3:32:26I wanted to say that the President asked the Secretary to come over.
3:32:29They discussed the matter, and the President said that we should take every precaution for all candidates and for all directives.
3:32:37The Secretary offered to offer Secret Service protection, full Secret Service protection,
3:32:46Senator Kennedy, which is just a, and protection is necessary for others who are not in this action.
3:32:55Well, you can't say that Kennedy is a candidate.
3:32:56You can't say that everybody knows he is.
3:32:58He's traveling around stumping and stirring people up.
3:33:00Mills isn't stirring anybody up.
3:33:02Nobody's going to shoot one of them.
3:33:04I think the idea is, I called him up because that was exactly what happened.
3:33:08I anticipated this.
3:33:09I went through this over the evening when Bobby was shot.
3:33:12At that time, they all provided secret service.
3:33:15Well, and I'd rather it come from you as an order, because, see, we've taken a position that under the law, we can't offer it to Kennedy.
3:33:21All right.
3:33:23We'll say that under – we'll say that the President, because Senator Kennedy is very active and traveling around the country at this time, that the direction that he would be provided, I don't see him in service coverage.
3:33:36You know what I mean?
3:33:39If he decided to be offered, the same just –
3:33:43They'll say, well, you consider Kennedy a candidate?
3:33:50Well, I would say it is, that Secretary of the Treasury already has a legal opinion that convinces him that the senator does not qualify for the protection as a, quote, candidate.
3:34:07Unquote.
3:34:08But notwithstanding this, the President has directed that protection be offered.
3:34:13Be offered.
3:34:15Because to just guard against any potential danger.
3:34:21You see what I mean?
3:34:23We'll say Secretary of Treasury has a legal opinion that he is not entitled to a legal present directive that he... Then I'll say, well, why Kennedy and why not... John Gardner?
3:34:37Right.
3:34:38Take another example.
3:34:40But Kennedy's the only one under the Congress tried to circumvent the Secretary.
3:34:44I know the argument that it is convenient, but we all know, everybody in the right mind in this town knows that Teddy Kennedy is next to Wallace, is the most vulnerable of any man out there.
3:34:58I don't want to say that.
3:34:59It would be flawed.
3:35:00All right.
3:35:02May I?
3:35:03May I brief?
3:35:04It's just one minute before the background on this.
3:35:06Shouldn't we notify the senator's office before you do this on the press?
3:35:09Yeah.
3:35:09I can do that.
3:35:11Yeah.
3:35:11No, Rosselli should do it.
3:35:12Yeah.
3:35:12Yeah.
3:35:13Or the chief.
3:35:14Or the chief.
3:35:14Yeah.
3:35:15Yeah, we'll show up to them.
3:35:16Both of us.
3:35:17Riley should notify first before you do this.
3:35:21The background on this is simply that the advisory committee, which is composed of five people, Hugh Scott, Manstein, Tommy Keeble,
3:35:33Carl Albert and Jerry Ford met, and they tried to write a criteria that would include Kennedy.
3:35:46The law says that we afford protection for candidates for president and vice president.
3:35:54And they tried to write a criteria to say that he and Andrew got 20%
3:36:01of the focus in any column, and this was written specifically to include Kennedy, even though he's not a active candidate, would be afforded protection.
3:36:11We got in a fighting discussion about whether or not that qualified under the law.
3:36:14The law says, uses the word candidate.
3:36:17We came back and we told them that we would offer, we would offer it to candidate if in our judgment.
3:36:22The law permitted us to do so.
3:36:24This is an advisory committee.
3:36:26The Secretary of the Treasury has the final determination.
3:36:30We came back, we briefed it very carefully, leaned toward leniency.
3:36:36But Judge Pierce said there's no question.
3:36:40He's not entitled to it.
3:36:41He's not a candidate.
3:36:42He is a non-candidate.
3:36:43He has specifically disavowed any interest as a candidate.
3:36:48So we felt, under the law, we could not offer him protection.
3:36:51That's the background.
3:36:52Therefore, and I had written Mansfield that, and sent him a copy of the legal opinion, and wrote every member of the advisory committee that, and sent him a copy of the legal opinion.
3:37:01So that's the background.
3:37:03Now the President's in a position to say, I don't care.
3:37:05I'm ordering you to.
3:37:06Well, the President can't provide, can't direct the provision of medical service or of secret service to anybody.
3:37:14You know, the President provided to Dawson on occasion, as I recall, didn't he?
3:37:18Oh, yeah.
3:37:19And President Dawson did this in 1968.
3:37:20You see, that's kind of right for everybody.
3:37:23So you've got ample press support, but just say that now, notwithstanding, there was some legal questions as to whether or not Senator Kennedy was entitled to it.
3:37:31President, now, as a speaker, let's have a final question.
3:37:33President, President, President, President.
3:37:36Incidentally, John, I think you ought to call Kevin.
3:37:39I think you ought to call Kevin on that.
3:37:42We're out of time.
3:37:49Senator Kennedy, please, for Secretary Connors.
3:37:55So I think we're trying to be on a C-man scale, is the question that's tonight.
3:38:02And I think it's, I think the President directed these, and one other bit of information, the Senate has passed a resolution.
3:38:12In effect, after my letter to them and after the legal opinion, the Senate passed a resolution
3:38:19In effect, putting the decision in the hands of the advisory committee and taking it out of the hands of the Secretary of the Treasury, so that they could, solely for the purpose of providing protection for Kennedy.
3:38:31The House is not acting on it, but the President's now directing it.
3:38:35You can tell John your receipts, if you will, of course, and tell the members of the advisory committee.
3:38:39Thank you.
3:38:46Uh, just a minute.
3:38:49This is Jerry Wallace.
3:38:59So, Ms. Wallace, I just wanted you to know that we were terribly concerned about this shooting of your husband, and we just hope and pray that everything goes well.
3:39:14I remember the time we had that nice visit down in Alabama.
3:39:21Yeah, that's right.
3:39:22How are things going?
3:39:35But they don't have the test behind them.
3:39:38They come with their X-ray and their glasses.
3:39:54He is conscious.
3:39:58Yeah.
3:39:59How's his spirit?
3:40:04Yeah.
3:40:04Well, you tell him to just keep his spirit, and tell him that all of us people in politics have got to expect some dangers, and that Mrs. Nixon and I both send our very best wishes, and we'll be sure to remember our thoughts and our prayers.
3:40:27And you'll tell him to write, because I'll call you, please.
3:40:30Oh, yeah.
3:40:31Right.
3:40:38I've got to say one thing for him.
3:40:42He's a fighter.
3:40:44You remember, you remember, you can tell him a little history.
3:40:49Theodore Roosevelt was shot when he was campaigning as a third-party candidate in the final election.
3:40:56And he went on and finished the speech.
3:40:59Of course, he wasn't going to shut down the show business.
3:41:02So tell him that the politicians are too tough to meet up.
3:41:05Let's get him a little better than this guy.
3:41:09I don't know if she'll be there.
3:41:25In any case, he's going to stop it.
3:41:28She's going to laugh.
3:41:29She says he'll probably be out there running against you in November.
3:41:32You know, this will give him a big boost.
3:41:39Oh, God.
3:41:40He's a celebrity now.
3:41:41He never was before.
3:41:42I'll tell you what, both of them are under disarmament.
3:41:45That's very similar to your thoughts about this old man.
3:41:50He probably did deliver it.
3:41:50Yeah.
3:41:53But not if it went up, if they shot him.
3:41:55Well, for both of us, Dave Dawkins had been bad.
3:41:59But it has to be.
3:42:01It's that which is more lodged against his mind.
3:42:03He said he doesn't have much room in his legs.
3:42:07So that may be just, you know, how it is in Georgia.
3:42:10Oh, yeah.
3:42:10Well, he'll have a plate for all his work.
3:42:12Yeah, well, he's armed up in a sling.
3:42:17Man, did you see him in a wheelchair?
3:42:19I'll lay you money.
3:42:19He wins the Merrill Cranker.
3:42:21I've got money.
3:42:22I guess you will.
3:42:24Michigan, too.
3:42:26You think he went that way?
3:42:27Probably.
3:42:27After this?
3:42:31John feels you should go over and do the thing that you said, and that you and Mrs. Nixon both ought to leave.
3:42:39Unless you get some word.
3:42:42It's not that he's all right.
3:42:44If he's all right, I think you might think about staying.
3:42:49People aren't going to know that.
3:42:50They aren't going to know that.
3:42:52We aren't going to know.
3:42:53No.
3:42:53He has to stay with them.
3:42:55He's got to talk to all those people.
3:42:57They're all going to laugh about assassinating Miles.
3:43:00I don't want to be Mr.
3:43:02Laughing.
3:43:03Well, that's the point.
3:43:04Yeah, I would do it.
3:43:05I would, frankly, I would walk in and have a very brief statement, just as you would talk to me.
3:43:11And tell them, some of them may not know what happened.
3:43:13But you, Mr. Secretary, for your work, this is open for full press coverage.
3:43:18But that's all, that's fine.
3:43:20They didn't go ahead and just say it didn't work.
3:43:21They didn't say it didn't work.
3:43:22Like I said, we were planning every Sunday of the day, but you know, Dr. Wallace's job.
3:43:24I want to give you a report that I just told Mrs. Wallace and he is resting comfortably.
3:43:28We will not have a final.
3:43:30But we're, of course, concerned.
3:43:32We're greatly concerned.
3:43:41And, uh, this and that.
3:43:42And, uh, we, we're running out of reception, but you, Mr. Vaughn, we would like for all of you to, to, uh, to view the room.
3:43:51And, uh, but Mr. Nixon and I will, will not attend.
3:43:56Walk out, please.
3:43:58That's fine.
3:43:59But whatever the president says will be heavily pledged.
3:44:03Well, that's what I said, Mr. President.
3:44:05That's the point I was making.
3:44:07Okay.
3:44:08Thank you.
3:44:09See you then.
3:44:10Sorry, John.
3:44:11Only ten minutes.
3:44:24I don't think so.
3:44:26He's right in the middle of it.
3:44:27He asked if you'd mind if he finished first.
3:44:31I'm sorry?
3:44:32He's got a Georgetown cool hat over there that he's in the middle of.
3:44:35Oh, oh, oh, oh, I beg your pardon.
3:44:37I'm a little dull.
3:44:38I didn't hear the Georgetown routine yet.
3:44:41Well, I ended it fast.
3:44:42I mean, so I'm sorry.
3:44:45Oh, she's a real bitch.
3:44:49Great.
3:44:51Well, I don't think there's anything wrong with that kind of press coverage.
3:44:56I think it's great.
3:45:01It's your, yeah, it's a way to get yourself on.
3:45:11It won't be on the news, so it won't matter.
3:45:15It's just going to move on then.
3:45:19I think I just can't fail to go over this.
3:45:21No, no.
3:45:22It's an overplay.
3:45:22I think it's overplay.
3:45:23I'll say it's good that we used the radio to view over the committee's service condition.
3:45:27It's an extra nine minutes out of ten to reception.
3:45:30We hope that you will have the opportunity to view the new rooms.
3:45:34Right.
3:45:34Thank you very much.
3:45:35I appreciate all you've done to make this possible.
3:45:37I'm grateful for all who contributed to it and so forth.
3:45:41We know you understand that.
3:45:43Well, should I?
3:45:43Excuse me, sir.
3:45:44Their family would be quite heavily out there for it.
3:45:47Should I speak?
3:45:47Where the hell is this guy?
3:45:48Well, Gray was sitting in the crack.
3:45:50I don't know where he is.
3:45:52This is Gray.
3:45:53Where's Guy?
3:45:53Where's Guy?
3:45:54Where's the insurance?
3:45:58It's a devil view.
3:45:58It seems to me, John, that this, obviously, if anything happens to him, this would change everything.
3:46:05That's for tomorrow.
3:46:06I don't think it's going to happen.
3:46:10Because, you know, as in, shall we say, a satisfactory condition, I think we go right ahead.
3:46:17Is that your view?
3:46:18I think so.
3:46:18Otherwise, how the hell are you just going to hang on?
3:46:24No, no.
3:46:24And I don't... Or do you have other feelings?
3:46:26No, I don't.
3:46:27I think we have to... No, I think we have to be careful about overreacting now to what he said, what happened to him.
3:46:32He's all right tomorrow.
3:46:33Yeah.
3:46:33And then... Yeah, just go ahead.
3:46:35Then go ahead.
3:46:36But if he's not, then we ought to...
3:46:39scrubbing for tomorrow.
3:46:40Well, I had a feeling the part of her that he didn't know how a lot better reports that we would get in here concerned.
3:46:46Did you have a problem?
3:46:48No.
3:46:48The media is going to crank it up and we've been having trouble getting straight reports.
3:46:52We've got your doctor over there.
3:46:58Yeah.
3:46:58Is he in the pheasant?
3:46:59No, he went over to the Holy Cross where Paul is at.
3:47:06The doctor told us we're offering the facilities of the dentist that he wants to go over there.
3:47:18I think I do have to go.
3:47:19I think we're just going to thank them all.
3:47:24I would.
3:47:24I think that's... And I think I can bring a little note that I'm just talking to Mrs. Wallace.
3:47:28I've been delayed.
3:47:29I've just talked to her before and I'm out of time.
3:47:32Frankly, I think that's good.
3:47:33You've just told us our thoughts and prayers for all of America.
3:47:36We hope to be able to cover so forth and so on.
3:47:37And we're here for the open.
3:47:39We will not be attending the reception.
3:47:44But we don't even say we're not attending the reception.
3:47:49We just walk out.
3:47:51We should say we're not attending the reception.
3:47:55That looks like purgating your dead or something.
3:47:58What would you do on that, John?
3:48:02Well, I think you might just say it.
3:48:03I hope you will understand the business and I do not have a receding line.
3:48:07Yeah, if you do not have a receding line, then I want you to enjoy the situation and hold on to the circumstances.
3:48:14which I want to check on again, and we will not be having you receiving that.
3:48:22We hope you enjoy your stay here.
3:48:24This is your house.
3:48:24Goodbye.
3:48:25And that covers you that you can leave, or if he gets well, he's up having a good time, and you come back, which you won't do, but... You won't know that.
3:48:31Oh, listen, George will stay in that damn hospital for a week.
3:48:35He's smart.
3:48:35At least leave without critical bullets for a couple days.
3:48:40He is.
3:48:40He's smart.
3:48:43I must say, though, I mentioned
3:49:08I was going to say, I mentioned Theodore Roosevelt.
3:49:11I should have mentioned he didn't win.
3:49:13I also should have mentioned that
3:49:18He didn't help him get any more books.
3:49:19He was shot near a road in Wisconsin or someplace by an assassin.
3:49:23And the son of a gun had been shot like that, and the old rough rider said, by God, this is one who could take more of that than bring down a rough rider.
3:49:31He stood there and finished his speech, right?
3:49:32What had happened is it went through the, his manuscript was in his pocket somewhere.
3:49:36It went through the manuscript, went through, he went ahead and handed the book straight away.
3:49:40He closed it and finished it right on the end, and he was going to go to his son.
3:49:52Senator, I'm in the office of the president, and I hope you know what my situation has been with respect to protection for you.
3:50:05It was not a matter of reflection of a personal desire, but what our people thought was an interpretation of the language.
3:50:10But the president asked me to come over here a minute ago.
3:50:14He said he doesn't really care what the hell the law provides as far as our council is concerned.
3:50:20He thinks that you're traveling around the country.
3:50:23He thinks that of all the people who are susceptible to some nut, you are probably more than anybody except Hillary Wallace.
3:50:31And he would like reception from all of you.
3:50:34the full Secret Service protection.
3:50:35And I'm calling to tell you that, and it's available to you.
3:50:39And it'll be available as of tonight if you want it to.
3:50:42And you wait for the city, and we'll offer it to you.
3:50:46It's there.
3:50:47So you don't have to ask for it.
3:50:48That's the point I'm making.
3:50:51And so he wanted you to know that, and I wanted you to know that.
3:50:55And the president was very thoughtful about it.
3:50:58And actually, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it before he did.
3:51:00He called me.
3:51:01We heard it and got real big.
3:51:11Fine.
3:51:14I'll get you your seat if you're cheaper.
3:51:16I'll let it fall on you.
3:51:17Are you at home now?
3:51:24We will announce it here at the present moment.
3:51:32Well.
3:51:34All right, what do you want to do?
3:51:35And I think now that it's done, we don't want to do it without you knowing it.
3:51:41We don't want to do it.
3:51:42We'll keep you full of dirt.
3:51:44I think you're going to go to hell.
3:51:47It's very frankly, I don't know that they can save you, but.
3:51:51But it was a damn good chance that good son of a gun came up.
3:51:53And I said, you ought not to be reluctant about it.
3:51:56And I know you're not akin to some of that.
3:51:58So you're exposed.
3:51:59And I've known it all along.
3:52:00And I damn good without it.
3:52:02So we were claiming the trust that you were very strongly about it.
3:52:05And you can tell the press that we insisted that you take it.
3:52:11But I didn't.
3:52:13All right.
3:52:17All right.
3:52:17Well, you did all right.
3:52:24All right, that's fine.
3:52:26And obviously we're going to do whatever you want to do, but we just want you to know, we don't want you to be in a position of asking for anything, and you're not.
3:52:44Okay?
3:52:45Thank you, Ted.
3:52:47All right, sir.
3:52:48Thank you.
3:52:52Well, the Secretary of Commerce called .
3:53:00Yeah.
3:53:22The thing about this sort of thing that everybody knows is it's contagious.
3:53:27It's like the old question.
3:53:28One guy takes a bottle, then somebody else takes a bottle.
3:53:30See, that's why it has to be.
3:53:32If we can't have this fall's blood in our hands, it's conscious.
3:53:35This is the problem.
3:53:42Now all the others on
3:54:14Well, no, I'm not McCartney.
3:54:18But you talk to Rousey and the other side.
3:54:22We might put two or three of them.
3:54:24Just the three of them.
3:54:26I'll say the others in case anybody else.
3:54:30The others don't.
3:54:31Just very shortly.
3:54:33That's all you need.
3:54:36And Jackson.
3:54:37I'm going to read this statement.
3:54:41SECRETARY KERRY, Yes, sir.
3:55:06The President has ordered that she be given protection.
3:55:09You can put out a statement on her.
3:55:11You can put out a statement from the Treasury over there to the President.
3:55:50He called it.
3:55:52Oh, I can't believe it.
3:55:55I just can't believe it.
3:55:58I can't believe it.
3:56:05I can't believe it.
3:56:18I don't know if you can call over there and say, oh, yeah, it'd be 15 minutes late.
3:56:28I can't do that.
3:56:29I was on his way to the hospital to see Wallace, and whenever it's leaving the admission, to go to the hospital to see him.
3:56:37My God, maybe I should go to the hospital.
3:56:43No, no.
3:56:44Tomorrow.
3:56:45I think I'll have to carry on.
3:56:48I just wanted to write one up, you know.
3:56:51I sent my copy of that.
3:56:53It's a new book.
3:56:54It's so cool.
3:56:55And it goes so well with me.
3:56:58I can't keep going.
3:56:59No, I can't.
3:57:00I'll ask you.
3:57:01No, I can't.
3:57:01I can't.
3:57:02I can't.
3:57:02I can't.
3:57:03I can't.
3:57:04I can't.
3:57:04I can't.
3:57:06What can you do?
3:57:08Make calls.
3:57:08That's fine.
3:57:09That's all.
3:57:10Because you can do that.
3:57:11You can announce that over here at this party.
3:57:13That's all you ought to do now.
3:57:14Because pretty much no way they're going to deny it.
3:57:17They're going to keep your brain safe.
3:57:18You can't keep it.
3:57:19You can hurt the going on.
3:57:22You can sell it to the other party.
3:57:26Lucas is there scrubbing up to do the work, serve the operation.
3:57:30Wallace has three wounds, right elbow, upper chest, lower chest.
3:57:34Lower chest wound is the one we heard earlier is an abnormal one.
3:57:37He pierced the liver and the spleen and the spine.
3:57:39They can't tell if the spine is severed, but he is now paralyzed in the waist down.
3:57:42That is now or not?
3:57:44Is.
3:57:46Blood pressure and pulse are holding.
3:57:48Secret service agent's wound is in the neck.
3:57:50The bullet lodged in his arm.
3:57:52This condition is critical.
3:57:55Agent, this is Lucas.
3:57:57My point is, for a secret service man, that's their job.
3:58:25wife and two kids.
3:58:27Now, that's somebody you can talk to.
3:58:28Yeah, well, in the Napa, that's likely to be lodged, wound in the neck, lodged in the jaw, in condition of death.
3:58:44Humphrey's out of hospital.
3:58:45Right now, the government's in the room.
3:58:48They describe his condition as stable, critical, serious.
3:58:52They're going to have him.
3:58:54So...
3:58:56I can't tell what happened to his spine.
3:58:58Well, he obviously is doing well.
3:59:00His blood pressure is good.
3:59:01His heart and everything is good.
3:59:02Or they would already have operated.
3:59:03It would have been some time ago.
3:59:05He would have had an emergency.
3:59:06Yeah.
3:59:07So he apparently is doing fairly well.
3:59:12Excellent team about to operate.
3:59:13Only one unit of blood is coming in.
3:59:15So he is bleeding, Captain.
3:59:16With three wounds, no bleeding.
3:59:20I don't believe that.
3:59:22Well, he said, obviously, please.
3:59:23That's probably the question.
3:59:26Yeah, that's the question.
3:59:29Did you read it in Germany?
3:59:35No, hell no.
3:59:36I bled externally.
3:59:37See, there's a hole in my chest big enough to put a baseball in.
3:59:40You've got a couple good size bullets.
3:59:41See, the bullet came through my chest completely.
3:59:44No, I could never bring myself to read all that wonderful stuff about you.
3:59:49I never did.
3:59:50It just repels me so good that I never did read any of that story.
3:59:54I know you're a good shot.
3:59:56I've never asked anybody, but I've never talked about it.
3:59:59Well, it's an interesting thing.
4:00:00Well, it's an interesting thing because two things saved my life.
4:00:06nearly in the proximity of a hospital, strangely enough.
4:00:09But it's an incredible series.
4:00:11Sometimes when you've got three minutes, I'll tell you, or five minutes, it's an incredible series of coincidences.
4:00:18On timing, what happened to me, the doctor, where he was, it was an unbelievable circumstance.
4:00:29A bullet came out.
4:00:32or the chest, and the left hole was not as big as a fist, but about as big as a baseball.
4:00:37Almost to the top of that cub.
4:00:39But the magnetic pulled me over in her lap.
4:00:43Pulled me down in the hole.
4:00:45And I crumpled.
4:00:46And this closed up the hole.
4:00:48Otherwise, you try to breathe through this hole.
4:00:52See, it slipped my lung, just like you cut it with a knife.
4:00:56Cut my lung right in two.
4:00:58You weren't moving forward.
4:00:59No.
4:01:01And the doctor who operated on me is one of the pioneers of thoracic surgery in the United States of America.
4:01:09He had just come back about a month or two before from Afghanistan, where he'd been for 18 months.
4:01:16He was driving down Harry Hines Boulevard, parallel to the freeway, Simmons Freeway.
4:01:22He saw this open limousine driving down that freeway at about 100 miles an hour at an incredible speed.
4:01:28He knew something was wrong.
4:01:29He was five minutes in the hospital or less.
4:01:33He wasn't even on duty.
4:01:34He happened to be on duty.
4:01:37Did you know that?
4:01:38No, I didn't know that.
4:01:39But 25 years later, he knew something was up, so he immediately rushed to the hospital.
4:01:45And immediately walked in and started operating in the emergency room.
4:01:49He went right to you?
4:01:50Came right to me, not to the President, because he was dead.
4:01:55Oh, yeah, I knew it.
4:01:56Mr. President, I knew he was dead before I became unconscious.
4:02:01I was lying down on Nellie's lap like this, and she had her head on top of me, and I had my eyes open, and I heard that bullet hit his head.
4:02:10And immediately there was brain matter.
4:02:12Hell, I know brain matter.
4:02:13It was all over the car.
4:02:15Chunks of brain as big as the end of my thumb.
4:02:19Blood, brain tissue, and I knew he was dead.
4:02:22There couldn't be any possible way he could live.
4:02:26Anyway, then I blanked out and came to the hospital.
4:02:31But this doctor was one of the two pioneers of thoracic surgery in the United States, 25 years before.
4:02:38All over in the war, he operated on chest wounds.
4:02:41And that's what I had.
4:02:43And he said, if you hadn't crumbled, you might have suffocated.
4:02:47Because in the battlefields, we used to stick a hat or a shirt or anything in the chest wound, just to close it, to keep them from breathing, from trying to breathe through the
4:02:56chest you don't get any air in the oxygen in the bloodstream so secondly if you hadn't been said sure immediately and said you were bleeding so profusely if you've been over five if you've been five minutes for the hospital he's bled to death so i'm a lucky fella crazy damn assassin
4:03:21Did you, did anybody let her go?
4:03:22I got to get over to Maddie.
4:03:25She's over at home with us for 15 years.
4:03:27Give me just a second.
4:03:28I want to tell her to come over and I'll meet her over here.
4:03:30Yeah, why don't you go on here?
4:03:31I'll be there about a quarter after anyway.
4:03:33She's at the office now.
4:03:34I'll just meet her.
4:03:36John?
4:03:37Yes?
4:03:37Why don't you have her just meet you here?
4:03:39Well, that's what I thought I'd do.
4:03:40Just tell her to come over and I'll meet her at the diplomatic center.
4:03:44Good.
4:03:44Oh, yeah.
4:03:44Fine.
4:03:45Great.
4:03:48You know what I mean?
4:04:03From Afghanistan, where he'd been for 18 months, he was driving down Harry Hines Boulevard parallel to the freeway, Simmons Freeway.
4:04:15He saw this open limousine driving down that freeway at about 100 miles an hour at incredible speed.
4:04:21He knew something was wrong.
4:04:23He was five minutes in the hospital or less.
4:04:26He wasn't even on duty.
4:04:28He happened to be on duty.
4:04:30Did you know that?
4:04:31No, I didn't know that.
4:04:33But 25 years later, he knew something was up, so he immediately rushed to the hospital.
4:04:39and immediately walked in and started operating in the emergency room.
4:04:43He came right to you?
4:04:45He came right to me, not to the person, because he was dead.
4:04:49Oh, yeah, I knew it.
4:04:50Mr. President, I knew he was dead before I became unconscious.
4:04:55I was lying down in Nellie's lap like this, and she had her head on top of me, and I had my eyes open, and I heard that bullet hit his head.
4:05:04And immediately it was brain matter.
4:05:06Hell, I know brain matter.
4:05:07It was all over the car.
4:05:09Chunks of brain as big as the end of my thumb.
4:05:13Blood, brain tissue, and I knew he was dead.
4:05:16There couldn't be any possible way he could live.
4:05:20Anyway, then I flanked out and came to the hospital.
4:05:25But this doctor was one of the two pioneers of thoracic surgery in the United States.
4:05:3025 years before, all during the war, he operated on chest wounds.
4:05:35And that's what I had.
4:05:36And he said, if you hadn't crumbled, you might have suffocated.
4:05:40Because in the battlefields, we used to stick a hat or a shirt or anything in the chest just to close it, to keep them from breathing, from trying to breathe through the chest.
4:05:50You don't get any air in the oxygen in the bloodstream.
4:05:54He said, secondly, if you hadn't been, he said, sure, immediately.
4:05:58And he said, you were bleeding so profusely, if you'd been over, if you'd been five minutes more to the hospital, you'd have bled to death.
4:06:09So, I'm a lucky fellow.
4:06:13Crazy damn assassin.
4:06:15Did anybody let her go this time?
4:06:16I've got to get over to Maddie.
4:06:18She's over at home.
4:06:20There's 15 here.
4:06:20Just give me just a second.
4:06:21I'm going to tell her to come over and I'll meet her over here.
4:06:24Yeah, why don't you go on here?
4:06:25I'll be there about a quarter after.
4:06:26She's at the office and I'll be meeting her.
4:06:30John?
4:06:30Yes?
4:06:30Why don't you have her just meet you here?
4:06:32Well, that's what I thought I'd do is tell her to come over and I'll meet her for the diplomatic session.
4:06:37Good.
4:06:38Oh, yeah.
4:06:38Fine.
4:06:38Great.

Nixon, Haldeman & Connally on George Wallace and Secret Service

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