Nixon, Ziegler & Haldeman on Soviet Summit

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Yeah, he's been traveling around a lot, he says.

Well, I've been jammed up by him, though.

He can't get it.

The Polydome's going.

Oh, is that right?

I'll never say that.

I think they are.

very far, very far to the left, but they're both annoyed, and I think they could do a superb job for the Digestion.

And they wrote, tell me if I'm right, they wrote the first book, The Seeds of Treason was the name that they wrote, do you remember?

The Seeds of Treason was the first book, and his case wrote what they tell about on the last scene.

Now they've got friends and more, which you can point out, but they, each of the others, and it's them who read the Digestion.

which is in its book section.

So if you could just call the vote and say the President just wanted to remind them that they're going, and they can vote, and they both have our total confidence, and they know Russian, or Communism.

That would be interesting.

Fair enough.

Good.

Oh, oh, now, when I come out today for the announcement, I'm calling.

I think I've got to say something on boss.

I want to say at least.

I think yesterday, the tone you did it yesterday, I watched it on the special last night, and everyone commented on how right that was.

The way you handled it.

And the way you said it, I think today- The way I was planning to do it was to go out.

You see, I've got to bring out Thomas Schultz in my living room.

I just have them waiting down below.

I think I should be at home when I say, gentlemen, I have an announcement before, so I'll give a brief report with regard to Governor Wallace.

I said I had been in touch with Dr. Lucas.

I should have called this morning.

I'm in a caution.

No, they have not, to the degree that you've been informed.

Pretty, 60 to 70 percent.

That's what I understand.

The public does not know that.

I will indicate it.

I mean, I have nothing to add to the press call, say, or actually hear.

But he's receiving the very best possible medical care.

In talking to Dr. Kosh, he has already talked with the...

But as far as regarding his desires and regarding where he's going to be, and he does not know yet whether he's invited to Alabama for recuperation or to Wolverine, I have, if you've got me in caution, if he goes to Wolverine, he will be, he can stay there in the presidential seat.

Well, this is Takashi Lukash.

Lukash.

Takashi is the one who lost the presidential seat and all that.

It is Walter Reed, not the president.

It's not Reed.

It's being redone.

So he gets the presidential seat.

Or if he wants to go to Alabama, then I've authorized his use of an Air Force hospital plane so that he can be active in the Air Force.

Thank you very much.

Now, we just have a question.

Good.

You might want to add a question, Paul.

maybe a sentence like you said yesterday.

Of course, we've all been very concerned about Governor Wallace.

Yeah, everybody was concerned, and I know that our best wishes will live in this argument.

Right.

Something like that.

Yeah.

Good.

No, I think that the tone was right.

It was perfect.

And the setting was just perfect.

It really did come over.

It was played over and over on the special class.

Right.

And you look so good versus...

the mcgoverns and the humphreys and well they were there just going on you know with harsher words well harsher words about the terror and our society now there's a time for that maybe but but your your posture was just perfect

I'm trying to finish these meetings.

And then I'm going to walk back and show the few hands up there and also those tourists that are, you remember, you remember when we did it?

I'm not going to be back and down here with a whole bunch of people, you know what I mean?

It's a very safe operation.

Those tourists will be pleased.

I'll get shingles and come in.

I'm not going to be, you know, grinning or laughing or anything, but I'll just say how you do.

So let's try to do that.

Alden had the idea.

No, I told him, I just got to get the impression.

We're not going to say it, but I have put my book down in Secret Service.

You have to keep in mind, Mr. President, I don't have a real strong judgment on this, but you asked me.

Most people think they're scared.

You have to keep in mind that a lot of people in the nation, something like this happened, focus a great deal of concern on you and your well-being.

And a lot of people have called me, and I don't think that you should convey the impression of being battened down at all.

But I don't think you want to in any way indicate that you're flouting the risk here this close.

Because a lot of people focus their concern on you when something like this happens.

They don't want you to back yourself down.

Well, yeah, and there's an awful lot of concern in the nation about this.

Even Helen Thomas and some of the press people who have a great deal of respect for you last night were in the office, and they were saying, you know, let's just watch our president, is what Helen said.

So I just wonder if it's too close to –

to this incident for you to do that on.

My judgment may be wrong, but I want it all for them because it's just a thought.

I do know this, that if you did it, there would be a comparison drawn because you would be in a crowd this close, you see.

In other words, it would be that in itself, that action in itself would be a news story that you were out mingling among the crowd.

I thought it through well enough to know if that's a negative or not.

That's a basic thing.

Well, they come up with the conceptions and all that.

You know, like the elevator fellow and the guy serving, Freddie, and the guy serving the food.

That must have been... Ron raises a question.

He says about our Milwaukee, how recent it is here tonight.

There's some public sentiment at the moment.

Maybe they've just gotten half scared.

They don't think I'm being remodeled and rationalized or anything.

See, the point I was making, it would be if you didn't do something that was, you know, if you got out of the car and went down, and you walked back, and you ought to walk over briskly.

That's why you're not doing anything.

See, no matter how you do it, the picture is a president and a crowd.

But you want that on the way back.

I know, but his point is that that is the only picture that's going to run.

See, my point is that there is a lot of sentiment in the country when something like this happens.

A lot of people...

uh immediately go you know watch our president they have the concern about about that and and uh i don't think that the president should back himself in at all but i wonder this close if it's not as i said kind of kind of just well you can argue the other club which is the best picture the big people of the country could see right now is the president

Give them a little comfort.

Well, as I said... See, the president is a bastard, and my point is that the people exactly feel did that horrible editorial at the Times, where maybe the president of all candidates should not talk about television in the country.

Bullshit!

What are they talking about?

We use television for other reasons, but not to rephrase people.

This country isn't that way.

I mean, I don't want the country, I don't want the world to sleep with the president.

That's a good argument.

Before we go to Russia, I think it's good to have advice on the person still working among the people.

I would manufacture an event outside of it.

It all seems to be done because of the Treasury change.

And the President walked over to Treasury before.

He walked over and he is taking care of himself.

That's all.

I won't shake my hand.

Just come over and say, how do you do?

We don't announce it.

No, absolutely not.

Don't stay there very long, so we don't let too much of a crowd build up.

We've got to, you see, I think we've got to call those dollars here until 12.30.

I've got to see the ambassador.

So I'm calling 45.45.

Well, let's take out that old back wall.

I'm going to enjoy this.

I think we'll have to do a little extra content, Rob, because we're going to take time.

I think the question doesn't come up.

There's one place that's a little bit very cozy.

There's a guy who's going to do it, but he wants this one here.

He wants to do it at his time.

This is the Democrats in all standards.

Is that my point?

You'll get the questions.

Oh, it is.

And he tried to say it one way.

He said it, and I said it last week.

He said, I think I've got green.

Where are we going to fly the back of the Scorpion?

He said they know that green could come.

Well, I know they're coming, but they don't have a lot of other absolute questions.

I don't know.

That's true.

Anyway, just know they have plenty of money in the house, and so many persons today.

I'm...

I'm waiting to hear from Henry.

I've got to start moving on this today, and Connie should start moving on some of the Mrs. Nixon type thing tomorrow.

If not, we're going to have stories that suggest, you know, that there are problems being focused, quite frankly, on the fact we haven't given any information out about the press.

The only thing I intend to do is the press list and a general review.

Yes, sir.

The general schedule and so forth, but I won't get into it.

The point I've made on the briefing books, I always get asked how many briefing books

I've made the point that, well, as you said before, the President's been in ongoing contact with the rest of the United States.

But I think you can say this.

On Sunday was my Google Day.

So on Sunday, I got pretty much to it.

And I read, I read for nine and a half hours straight.

Because you see the rain.

The department had to go out on Sunday because it was raining all the time.

I've read the 9 1⁄2 hours one, two, three, three and three books.

I have two more, two major books I'm reading that I can't read.

This is just a book that's called Rex and I love it.

Glad to read it.

Right.

— 1 min 3 s with no transcribed speech —

very interesting point, Colin, about the fact that he thought that what I said over there changed the history of all of it.

It was perfect.

And we were talking about what I said last night.

Well, I just didn't want you to special last night.

You had McGovern there, and you had Humper there running up the hospital, you know, right when the guy was shot and surrounded by all these things, using harsh words.

Then it came to the President, and he was very much, I'd say, a thousand degrees above it all,

expressing concern in a very dignified way leadership your thoughts and prayers no matter what your political affiliation uh you know it was just the perfect tone and a lot of people have have mentioned that i saw the news i didn't see no harshness just just just right and it looked good it did look good look good right yes sir that that the way that worked out yesterday was the perfect way it sure was

Worked all the way around.

That was good for Mrs. Nixon.

She ended up that it was just the right way to handle it.

Be sure to just call for her about the blue room reaction.

She got all used to it.

The blue room does look beautiful.

It is so great.

She was disturbed.

She was struggling with the negatives.

The post that became a bunch.

Screw the fucking post.

I mean, it's unbelievable how they are.

What do you expect from the post?

Did the tie-in happen in it?

I don't know.

Probably not.

That's irrelevant.

They told me the room is a real smash.

I've seen it.

It really is.

They've done a great job.

Beautiful.

The way they've moved the tables.

The way they've put the chairs.

That cheap wallpaper.

It really is.

The wallpaper on the ground looks almost like paint.

Great style.

The colors are just great.

The whole thing is just wonderful.

All three of them are great.

Yes, there is, and that cycle, she does take that one.

I don't know, but it's not a really good one.

She doesn't do.

When you look at this White House today, of course,

No, that's what I mean.

I'm talking about the entire White House, if you look at it.

I think they sent that, or left the corridor to the Oval Office.

Yes, sir.

They did.

They had it set up.

What they did to that, and the people that get out of that, I'm sure they did, and that was their... Not a person who walks into this room without walking near the hall.

Well, they should.

I always do.

I see.

I want to tell you, anybody in control just one week ago...

Well, eight days ago, Henry went through the treasure to the den.

He's all foreign.

Bullshit.

He was Western.

His world was down.

But Henry was a warrior.

I asked him, I said, Henry never looked back.

I said, remember lots of ways.

He's probably not even read the Old Testament.

So interesting.

They would predict that we would have the Soviets on the ground.

And the main thing that would be wrong is the psychological effect.

The only one that I would agree to our chances is hate.

Henry does have a chance to be so involved in one of the negotiations.

You realize the psychology has had all the American people done that.

It's good to have a few Americans proud of their country.

The guys in the West Point cheered and hollered.

The guys in Albany yelled, you know.

And you see that running through all of us.

I mean, sure, the kids in the campus is bitching, but when it crashed, they're all a bunch of goddamn draft doctors anyway.

Well, but how many of these kids?

That's what I mean.

Those are bitching.

That's right.

And those are bitching.

I think a lot of guys on campus, look at them.

We've got some good wires from campus kids.

Well, the other thing is, these demonstrations are pitiless.

All they have is just a basic, you know, hardcore organization.

this crap that they walk over when we should.

We cut off Cambodia.

That was in the back of 1968.

We're totally cutting off everything from sea.

We have new mounds that are popping in a lot of bridges.

I'll tell you, that picture in the paper this morning, that bridge knocked out, they've called... Do they have the bridges in there?

Yeah, they have.

I've got a picture.

It shows the concrete total, you know, the...

support completely knocked away and the bridge buckled way up with a great big gap in it well that's a bridge that didn't hit since 1966. so that must be a shock to the nobody at the maze if you ordered it and you go in and immediately take the damn bridge out of it you can knock those out so easily

A little hit, and I've got a lot to do.

The other thing is, the other thing is the infection from our own south Vietnamese, and our own troops out there, but the south Vietnamese, they're going a little better, I think.

They're fighting a little better.

The moves are pressing, pushing all over.

But, uh, well, I mean, it's funny, because I agreed, as long as the Washington Post is a star, the Post is a ridiculous book.

I agree with it, and I agree with it, and I agree with it.

What's happening now?

I don't know.

Well, I'll tell you the other thing, too, is that... Like when they re-took Bastogne, if that boasted, well, they didn't find much opposition.

But they took it.

What in the name of Christ are we talking about?

Well, it's significant that they didn't find much opposition.

They got, you know, that was happening, but we found a lot of the opposition.

The other good thing, too, is the fact that it's...

It goes back again to keeping people off balance.

I'll tell you, these guys, on the Ogroski show on Sunday, did you see it's taped on Saturday?

People were there going, well, the summit's off.

Did they?

Well, I should ask them.

Well, they've got to go.

They may have been.

I was prepared to take that risk.

Why the hell are they doing that?

They're running around saying.

But they want it to happen.

Sure.

Their wish will be hoping that it's over.

Now, I'll bet you that out there, the press corps is out of its mind because they hate the fact that the son is still alive.

Okay.

It's fine.

He might not, but the press corps might figure out what they all need to grow.

He ought to.

You know what I'm saying?

It tells them how it's going.

It tells them how it's lasting.

Yeah, it does.

The last thing we need to do is jack down and kill Patrick.

He won't go.

George, we have to talk to him yesterday.

It's all exciting.

Is he?

Oh, yeah.

He could have a few more friends.

Sure.

Let's see what we can do.

All right.

It'll be an interesting trip for them.

Frank Vandenberg was all, I called him yesterday, and he said, oh, I knew who I was going.

He said, the president told me.

Well, he just wanted me to call you to, you know, make sure you're all set.

He's now happy.

He has done it in Texas papers.

Yes, sir.

We have the Bob Baskin, the Dallas News, and we've got the Margaret Meyer, the Times.

You made it very clear to all the president wanted to say.

I've been talking, I saw him.

You dragged him out of Columbus.

Well, we've checked everyone, and they don't.

But...

Bowman's going to the Globe.

Yeah, I think Button going there would be as much of a problem as taking Buckley to China was.

But Bowman is going to the Globe to publish his documents.

Right.

And Osborne, I guess, your old friend.

Don't give an inch.

I told him this.

I saw it on the press room.

He was the guy who was bitching to me and raising all this hell about the fact that the writing press in China were far outnumbered by the Soviet Union.

How many people did they send to the Soviet Union?

I had an opportunity to send him, but I didn't want to give him this opening.

How many did they send?

They sent exactly the same number they sent to John.

And I had an opportunity to send more.

I don't know.

It's exciting.

It's a little late.

But he's terribly emotional.

He's got his luck in this long term.

Yeah.

You know, poor old, old, listen to her.

I remember this is hard to be like a long time ago when we were all younger.

And then Maisel took a leave of absence and went and did it for a freelance.

Oh, really?

That's how he got on it?

And then Maisel went on the trip in 1940.

Maisel's not going?

Well, I was agonizing over this.

Damn, I wonder what you could do with your people.

We've done so much for Maisel.

I don't have absolutely nothing.

OK, Ron.

OK, sir.

I think I'll do the thing across the street.

I think so.

I think it's a good idea for you to run.

I'm not sure it's a good idea.

I don't think we should spend very much time on it.

No, I'm not going to walk down the line.

I'll just say, how are you?

Nice to see you.

I want the Secret Service to be able to watch what happens.

No cops.

Nobody in uniform.

Well, I'm going to be quite candid about the subject that was raised by, uh, Kendall.

I covered it with carbon, and you probably got that diagram for me about the stands and how he had been so horribly mistreated and so forth.

No.

I got all your others.

The whole planning.

Peterson, I haven't had the kind of whatever you're writing on.

He's very blind.

I don't think he was sitting here.

I haven't spoken to Stans about the Soviet developments.

And, you know, Stans, the one who started the war, they haven't had a good relationship with the Trump community.

Of course, he, the count says, and he says that Stans was right.

He hadn't heard from me that far from me.

I said, well, I said, no.

He reported to me when I returned.

He's aware of my views.

Peterson, you know, was trying to make it all his own, you know, and strutting around, and Pete just doesn't have any son-in-law, you know what I'm saying?

The other kid, you know, I'm ready to say he was not in the room.

I mean, that kid, that kid, right?

You know how much respect I have for Pete's strength and everything else, but I don't think he is up to the son-in-law of the kind of thing we have to do, you know what I mean?

Henry Reese is just fine.

And, uh, I used to be in the base then.

But, uh, this requires, uh, school, negotiating, tax, and so forth.

If you could take, basically, that goddamn Peterson's brains, and put it in Peter Dimpley's character, you'd have a beautiful combination.

Because Peterson had brains and no character.

And Pete Lanigan had some brains, but not as much as Peterson.

You know what I mean?

It's just one of those damn things.

But we haven't faced this fact.

Now, we're taking him over there.

And the difficulty is that Henry doesn't know enough about economics, frankly, to know what to negotiate in this area.

But we're taking him there.

But with the planning in charge, Henry says it's not going to be a problem because we're going to postpone the implementation by saying I'm going to need to join economic commission.

But I mean, when it comes down to this, as to whether credit should be free for five years, whether it should be accredited or consumables or not, that's the thing.

Henry doesn't know his ass in first base.

He says, I don't know.

But Pete doesn't vote.

He doesn't vote.

He does matters.

He does an enormous amount of homework, and he'll, if he has policy guidance, he can do a hell of a good job on the... Who's going to guide him?

...on the button together.

Well, I'm surprised he hasn't talked to Sands, if that's true.

What I meant is, who's going to guide him?

Henry can't guide him.

He's been guided by working all this group, Peterson, Connelly,

The economic advisory group, the whole bunch, he's the one that's supposed to be putting all the views together.

Have Rose or somebody else call her, Rose or, who is it, one of your other secretaries around here?

This was the, was that an alias, or did she know that?

No, it's not really.

I think Steve Douglas caused a lot of things.

Well, Steve, I don't know.

Have Steve give her a call and just say that she's raving reviews.

And not raving reactions to the movie.

But apparently it is true.

Nixon, Ziegler & Haldeman on Soviet Summit

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Transcript (AI-generated)

Also recorded on May 16, 1972

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Nixon, Ziegler & Haldeman on Soviet Summit

AI Summary

Audio

NARA Description

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Transcript (AI-generated)

Also recorded on May 16, 1972

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Cite this conversation