Conversation 725-024

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

Well, if he can't find us, he can't get us.

The Polydome's going.

Because he got his right of way.

Because he said, that's good luck, you deserve it.

And Lassie's going.

Great, well, they'll go.

So, wise words.

And that of both of them, I think you might say to Hobart Lewis that I think that both of them are friends and he had no right to talk to Hobart on these.

Oh, is that right?

I'll never say that.

I think they are.

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

And they were, I don't know if they were the first, but the Seeds of Treason was the name of their book, do you remember?

Seeds of Treason was the first book in his case, right, what they tell about on the last scene.

Now they've got friends and more, which is why they, these are the others, and it's them who read the Digestion.

ran a secret prison, as it is in this book section.

So if you 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 Russia, and they know communism, it's going to be interesting.

Fair enough.

Good.

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

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

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

The way you handled it.

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 common shelves in my living room i just have them waiting down below i think i should be the 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've been in touch with uh i mean uh dr lucas

No, they have not to the degree that it is definitely one.

I don't understand.

The public does not know that.

I will indicate it.

I mean, I have nothing to add to the press call, say, or action here.

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

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

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 Walter Reed.

I have, if you've got me in caution, that if he goes to Walter Reed, he will be in the state or in the presidential

Well, this is Takashi Lukash.

Lukash- Takashi is getting the presidency.

Takashi has 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're going to shut up for a few minutes.

Good.

You might want to add a question, Paul.

It was perfect.

The setting was just perfect.

It really did come over.

It was played over and over on the specials last night.

And you looked so good versus...

the McGoverns and the Humphreys.

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 your posture was just perfect.

They are trying to smaller us.

I'm going to walk over afterwards.

to try and finish these meetings.

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

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, and 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 and so forth.

Let's try to do that.

All of them had the idea.

I told them, I just got to get the impression.

We're not going to say it, but I have put my foot 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 batten 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.

My judgment may be wrong, but I want it all together.

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

In other words, 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 a negative.

That's a basic thing.

Well, they come up with some exceptions.

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

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

He says about our Milwaukee number.

He says, I'm here tonight.

The public sentiment at the moment may be that there's about half scared.

They'll think I'm being bravado and rash and all that sort of thing.

See, the point I was making was wrong.

It would be if you didn't do something that was, you know, if you got out in the car and went down the town of Washington, it was a squirt that would go over with the common man's shorts and just walk over and then walk back and then walk 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...

immediately go, you know, watch our president.

You know, they have the concern about that.

And I don't think that the president should batten himself in at all, but I wonder this close if it's not, as I said, kind of just... You can argue the other part, which is the best picture the big people of the country could see right now is the president with a lot of emails.

Give them a little confidence.

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 for the country.

Bullshit!

What are they talking about?

We use television for other reasons, but not to really refrain from 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, if I can, I think it's good to have the advice of the President still working among the people.

If I can, I just walk back and I can't really say.

I wouldn't 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 saying how he's taking care of himself.

I can walk across the street, 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.

Until he gets hurt, 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've called 45, 45.

Do the captains know they've got fish?

Announce it at 1115.

Get out and go over there at 1130.

Well, provided they finish, I mean, 1145.

Yeah, I agree.

That's right.

The county won't answer your question, but you'll cut them off after they want to run the story.

They've got to get to their cul-de-sac.

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, Bob, 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, yes.

And he's trying to say, well, what he said, and I said it last week, he said, I think I've read where we can fly the back of the Scorpion.

And he said they know that rain could come.

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

That's true.

Anyway, just wanted to have it.

When did you, when did you announce it?

So many questions 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 would say that's how many briefing books there are.

I'd make the point that, well, as you said before, the president's been in ongoing contact with the vets.

I can't say this.

On Sunday was my group day.

So on Sunday, I got ready to go to work, and I read for 9 1⁄2 hours straight.

You could see the rain.

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

I've read for nine and a half hours, one, two, three, uh, three and three books.

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

This is just a book of small lyrics, but I love it.

Glad to read it.

Right.

very interesting point, Colin, about the fact that he thought that what I said over there was extremely volatile.

It was perfect.

And we were talking about what I said last night.

Well, just in watching the specials last night, you had McGovern there, and you had Humphrey 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, you know, it was just the perfect tone.

And a lot of people have mentioned that.

I saw it on the news.

I didn't see it.

No harshness.

Just right.

And it looked good.

It did look good.

Looked good.

Right.

The way that worked out yesterday was the perfect way to handle it.

It sure was.

I had it 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 give us a call for her about the blue room reaction and so forth.

She got all used to it.

The blue room does look beautiful.

It is so great.

While she was disturbed, she was struggling with the negatives.

The post didn't give a bunch.

Screw the fucking post.

I mean, it's unbelievable how good it is.

What do you expect from the post?

Do the tires have any of that?

I don't know.

Probably not.

That's their own.

The room is a real smash.

I wouldn't look at it, but 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 me.

Great style.

Oh, it's...

The colors are just great.

The whole, the whole thing is just lovely.

All three rooms.

Yes, sir.

Yes, there is, and that's, that's, I hope she does take that one.

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

It has to be redone, too.

I can just play that for a while.

It's a big job.

I'm sure we have all the details, and she'll be more like it.

I don't know how you do that.

No, when you look at this White House today versus all the other guys.

No, that's what I mean.

I'm talking about the entire White House.

If you look at this.

I think they sent that girl, let her go.

Yes, sir.

They did.

They had to set up something.

What they did to that and the people that get out of that, I'm sure they did.

And that was right.

It's not a person who walks into this room who doesn't walk in here with all.

Well, they should.

I always do.

I see.

I want to tell you, anybody who told us one week ago, well, eight days ago, Henry went from the clutter to the dead.

He's all four of them.

Bullshit.

He was blessed.

His work was done.

But Henry is a warrior.

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

I said, remember Lot's wife.

He's probably not even read the Old Testament.

The Old Testament.

Right?

Anyway, whatever the case may be, the situation is so interesting there.

They would predict that we would have a Soviet song on, and the main thing wrong is the psychological effect.

The only one that I would agree to have a chance to take, Henry does have a chance to be so involved in one of the negotiations, perhaps.

You realize the psychology has had on the American people, though.

God damn, it's good to have a few Americans proud of their country, yeah.

The guys in the West Point cheer and holler, and the guys in Albany yell, you know.

And you see that running through all this.

I mean, sure, the kids in the campus are fetched, but when 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 fetched.

That's right.

And those are fetched.

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, demonstrations are penance.

Penance.

All they have is just a basic, you know,

Hardcore organization.

is that picture in the paper this morning that bridge knocked out they've called do they have the bridges yeah they have got a picture right they have the it shows the concrete total you know the

I'm putting a knock 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 get the maze if you ordered it and you go in and immediately take the damn bridge out.

Well, you can knock those out so easily.

I guess you're right.

Sure.

See, notice it just takes a little bitty bump to, a little hit to knock out a mountain.

I've taken that major bridge.

The other thing was the infection from our own salt in the beach.

And our own troops aren't there, but they're helping the enemy.

They're doing a little better.

I think we should be doing much better.

But they're fighting a little better.

The moves are, the press is all over it.

But, uh... No.

Well, I mean, I, my only press I agree with is that as long as the Washington Post is a star, the Post particularly, I'm crying.

I agree with it, and I can go to the ICA and say, what's happening now?

I don't know.

It's a real nice fight we're having.

Well, I'll tell you the other thing, too, is that

Like when they razed up that stone, if that boasted, well, they should 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.

You know, that was happening when we bombed the opposition.

The other good thing, too, is the fact that it goes back again to keeping people off balance.

I'll tell you, these guys, on the Ingranski show on Sunday, did you see it?

It's taped on Saturday.

People were there while the summit's off.

Did they?

Well, I should ask them.

Oh, they've got ego.

Hey, hey, hey, hey.

Everybody was prepared to take that risk.

Why the hell did they do it?

They're not running around saying it.

Well, they know they want it to happen.

Sure.

They're wishful.

They hope that it's off.

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

They really hate it.

Some do.

This is where people are like, you must be joking.

He might not, but as far as I can figure, they all didn't grow up.

Did he go at all?

No, sir.

Did you tell them that I was gone?

I told George.

I'll ask him.

I'll ask him again.

Jack, I told you to tell Patrick.

He won't go.

George?

Oh, yeah, I talked to him yesterday.

It's all exciting.

Is he?

Oh, yeah.

It would be good to have a few of our friends here.

You know what I'm saying?

Yeah.

It would be an interesting trip for that.

Frank Landerman was all, I called him yesterday, and he said, oh, I knew, I was the one.

He said, the president told me.

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

And he said, I will have it.

And he has done it in Texas papers, too.

Yes, sir.

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

You made it very clear to all of them, the president wanted them to be saved.

I've been talking, I saw them.

You drank money from Columbus.

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

But...

Bauman's going from the Globe.

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

But Bauman is going from the Globe to Buckley.

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 put off by the Soviet Union.

How many people did they send to the Soviet Union?

I had an opportunity to send them, and I didn't want to give them this opening.

How many did they send?

They sent exactly the same number they sent to the giant.

And I had an opportunity to send more.

I don't know.

Snidey is a little old lady.

But, well, he's terribly emotional.

You know, he's got his luck in this little little town.

You know,

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

Oh, really?

That's how we got on that?

That's how Maisel went on the trip in 1990.

Maisel's not going anywhere.

Well, I was agonizing over this.

Damn, I don't know what you can do with your team.

We've done so much for Maisel.

I know absolutely nothing from him.

Okay, Ron.

Okay, sir.

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

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

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

I'll just say, how are you?

Nice to see you.

And I want the Secret Service to be too much evidence on it.

No cops.

Nobody in the uniform.

Bob, let me be quite candid about the subject that was raised by

I've got all your others, the whole planning.

kind of whatever hero, you know, he's very blind.

Five old people sitting here.

Haven't spoken to Stans since about the Soviet developments.

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

Of course, he, the account says, and he says that Stans was trying, he hadn't heard from me, he hadn't heard from me.

I said, well, I said, no.

He reported to me when I returned.

He's aware of my views.

But Peterson, you know, was trying to make it all his own.

He's running around and he just doesn't have any son of a leader, if I understand.

The other thing, you know, I'm really trying to see if he's not in the room.

I mean, that kid, that kid's great.

You know how rich of respect I have for Pete's strength and everything else, but I don't think he is up to the son of a leader of the kind of thing we have to do.

You know what I mean?

Henry Reese is just playing.

And I just think we have to face them.

that this requires school, negotiating, acting, 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.

Yeah, and Pete Flanagan has some brains, but not as much spirit as 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.

We'll put Flanagan 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 the first place.

He says, I don't know.

But Pete does it in the book.

Well, 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 putting it together.

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

What I meant is, he's going to guide Henry and 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 senators around here?

This was a nail-biter, so she knows that.

No, she's not really.

I think Steve Douglas caught the cat on things.

Well, Steve never caught the cat, so I'll have Steve give her a call.

Just saying, just raving reviews.

Man, not raving, reactions to the movie.

But apparently, apparently it is true.

Oh yeah, it is.

Jesus, it's good.

And she should be delighted that she's watching now.

It'll be real cool on that.

It's all very nice.