Nixon, Ziegler & Haldeman on Soviet Summit

2:28:40Yeah, he's been traveling around a lot, he says.
2:28:46Well, if he can't find us, he can't get us.
2:28:49The Polydome's going.
2:29:00Because he got his right of way.
2:29:01Because he said, that's good luck, you deserve it.
2:29:06And Lassie's going.
2:29:07Great, well, they'll go.
2:29:08So, wise words.
2:29:09And 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.
2:29:22Oh, is that right?
2:29:23I'll never say that.
2:29:24I think they are.
2:29:26They'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.
2:29:35And 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?
2:29:42Seeds of Treason was the first book in his case, right, what they tell about on the last scene.
2:29:47Now they've got friends and more, which is why they, these are the others, and it's them who read the Digestion.
2:29:51ran a secret prison, as it is in this book section.
2:29:54So 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.
2:30:08Fair enough.
2:30:14Good.
2:30:15Oh, when I come out today for the announcement, I'm calling.
2:30:18I think I've got to say something on boss.
2:30:22I think yesterday, the tone you did yesterday, I watched it on the special last night and everyone commented on how right that was.
2:30:30The way you handled it.
2:30:31the 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
2:30:59No, they have not to the degree that it is definitely one.
2:31:13I don't understand.
2:31:15The public does not know that.
2:31:16I will indicate it.
2:31:17I mean, I have nothing to add to the press call, say, or action here.
2:31:21But he's receiving the very best possible medical care.
2:31:28In talking to Dr. Kosh, he has already talked with the...
2:31:32regarding 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.
2:31:42I 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
2:31:54Well, this is Takashi Lukash.
2:31:55Lukash- Takashi is getting the presidency.
2:31:57Takashi has lost the presidential seat and all that.
2:32:02It is Walter Reed, not the president.
2:32:03It's not Reed.
2:32:05It's being redone.
2:32:06So he gets the presidential seat.
2:32:10Or, 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.
2:32:18Thank you very much.
2:32:20Now, we're going to shut up for a few minutes.
2:32:29Good.
2:32:29You might want to add a question, Paul.
2:32:36It was perfect.
2:32:48The setting was just perfect.
2:32:50It really did come over.
2:32:51It was played over and over on the specials last night.
2:32:54And you looked so good versus...
2:32:58the McGoverns and the Humphreys.
2:33:00Well, they were there, just going on, you know, with harsher words.
2:33:05Well, harsher words about the terror and our society.
2:33:08Now, there's a time for that, maybe, but your posture was just perfect.
2:33:11They are trying to smaller us.
2:33:12I'm going to walk over afterwards.
2:33:28to try and finish these meetings.
2:33:31And 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?
2:33:38I'm not going to be back and down here with a whole bunch of people, you know what I mean?
2:33:41It's a very safe operation.
2:33:42Those tourists will be pleased, and I'll get shingles and come in.
2:33:45I'm not going to be, you know, grinning or laughing or anything, but I'll just say how you do and so forth.
2:33:56Let's try to do that.
2:33:58All of them had the idea.
2:34:00I told them, I just got to get the impression.
2:34:01We're not going to say it, but I have put my foot down in Secret Service.
2:34:07You have to keep in mind, Mr. President, I don't have a real strong judgment on this, but you asked me.
2:34:12Most people think they're scared.
2:34:13You 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.
2:34:20And a lot of people have called me, and I don't think that you should convey the impression of being battened down at all.
2:34:28But I don't think you want to in any way indicate that you're flouting the risk here this close.
2:34:38Because a lot of people focus their concern on you when something like this happens.
2:34:44They don't want you to batten yourself down.
2:34:48Well, yeah, and there's an awful lot of concern in the nation about this.
2:34:52Even 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.
2:35:07So I just wonder if it's too close to...
2:35:15to this incident for you to do that.
2:35:18My judgment may be wrong, but I want it all together.
2:35:20I do know this, that if you did it, there would be a comparison drawn because you would be in a crowd this close.
2:35:25In other words, that in itself, that action in itself would be a news story that you were out mingling among the crowd.
2:35:34I thought it through well enough to know if that's a negative or not a negative.
2:35:47That's a basic thing.
2:36:11Well, they come up with some exceptions.
2:36:13You know, like the elevator fellow and the guy serving the food.
2:36:22That must have been... Ron raises a question.
2:36:24He says about our Milwaukee number.
2:36:26He says, I'm here tonight.
2:36:27The public sentiment at the moment may be that there's about half scared.
2:36:34They'll think I'm being bravado and rash and all that sort of thing.
2:36:43See, the point I was making was wrong.
2:36:45It 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.
2:37:04And you ought to walk over briskly.
2:37:07That's why you're not doing anything.
2:37:09See, no matter how you do it, the picture is a president and a crowd.
2:37:11But you want that on the way back.
2:37:13I know, but his point is that that is the only picture that's going to run.
2:37:18See, my point is that there is a lot of sentiment in the country when something like this happens.
2:37:25A lot of people...
2:37:27immediately go, you know, watch our president.
2:37:30You know, they have the concern about that.
2:37:34And 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.
2:37:51Give them a little confidence.
2:37:52My 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.
2:38:03Bullshit!
2:38:04Bullshit!
2:38:04What are they talking about?
2:38:07We use television for other reasons, but not to really refrain from people.
2:38:11This country isn't that way.
2:38:12I mean, I don't want the country, I don't want the world to sleep with the president.
2:38:17That's a good argument.
2:38:19That's a good argument.
2:38:20Before we go to Russia, if I can, I think it's good to have the advice of the President still working among the people.
2:38:26If I can, I just walk back and I can't really say.
2:38:29I wouldn't manufacture an event outside of it.
2:38:32It all seems to be done because of the Treasury change.
2:38:37And the President walked over to Treasury before.
2:38:39He walked over and he is saying how he's taking care of himself.
2:38:45I can walk across the street, that's all.
2:38:47I won't shake my hand.
2:38:48Just come over and say, how do you do?
2:38:52We don't announce it.
2:38:57No, absolutely not.
2:38:58Until he gets hurt, don't stay there very long.
2:39:00So we don't let too much of a crowd build up.
2:39:02We've got to, you see, I think we've got to call those dollars here until 12.30.
2:39:06I've got to see the ambassador.
2:39:11So I've called 45, 45.
2:39:15Do the captains know they've got fish?
2:39:18Announce it at 1115.
2:39:18Get out and go over there at 1130.
2:39:22Well, provided they finish, I mean, 1145.
2:39:24Yeah, I agree.
2:39:25That's right.
2:39:25The county won't answer your question, but you'll cut them off after they want to run the story.
2:39:37They've got to get to their cul-de-sac.
2:39:38Well, let's take out that old back wall.
2:39:43I'm going to enjoy this.
2:39:43I think we'll have to do a little extra content, Bob, because we're going to take time.
2:39:47I think the question doesn't come up.
2:39:48There's one place that's a little bit very cozy.
2:39:49There's a guy who's going to do it, but he wants this one here.
2:39:54He wants to do it at his time.
2:39:56This is the Democrats in all standards.
2:40:02Is that my point?
2:40:08You'll get the questions.
2:40:10Oh, yes.
2:40:11And 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.
2:40:27And he said they know that rain could come.
2:40:28Well, I know they're coming, but they don't have a lot of other absolute questions.
2:40:33That's true.
2:40:33Anyway, just wanted to have it.
2:40:34When did you, when did you announce it?
2:40:36So many questions today.
2:40:38I'm...
2:40:38I'm waiting to hear from Henry.
2:40:39I've got to start moving on this today, and Connie should start moving on some of the Mrs. Nixon type thing tomorrow.
2:40:46If 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.
2:40:54The only thing I intend to do is the press list and a general review.
2:40:58Yes, sir.
2:41:02The general schedule and so forth, but I won't get into it.
2:41:07The point I've made on the briefing books, I would say that's how many briefing books there are.
2:41:31I'd make the point that, well, as you said before, the president's been in ongoing contact with the vets.
2:41:36I can't say this.
2:41:36On Sunday was my group day.
2:41:37So on Sunday, I got ready to go to work, and I read for 9 1⁄2 hours straight.
2:41:42You could see the rain.
2:41:43The department had to go out on Sunday because it was raining all the time.
2:41:53I've read for nine and a half hours, one, two, three, uh, three and three books.
2:42:01I have, uh, I have two more, two major books I'm reading that I can't read.
2:42:09This is just a book of small lyrics, but I love it.
2:42:12Glad to read it.
2:42:16Right.
2:43:20very interesting point, Colin, about the fact that he thought that what I said over there was extremely volatile.
2:43:26It was perfect.
2:43:27And we were talking about what I said last night.
2:43:29Well, 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.
2:43:42Then it came to the President, and he was very much
2:43:46I'd say a thousand degrees above it all, expressing concern in a very dignified way.
2:43:52Leadership, your thoughts and prayers, no matter what your political affiliation, you know, it was just the perfect tone.
2:43:59And a lot of people have mentioned that.
2:44:03I saw it on the news.
2:44:04I didn't see it.
2:44:05No harshness.
2:44:06Just right.
2:44:08And it looked good.
2:44:09It did look good.
2:44:10Looked good.
2:44:11Right.
2:44:13The way that worked out yesterday was the perfect way to handle it.
2:44:16It sure was.
2:44:17I had it worked all the way around.
2:44:20That was good for Mrs. Nixon.
2:44:22She ended up that it was just the right way to handle it.
2:44:25Be sure to give us a call for her about the blue room reaction and so forth.
2:44:33She got all used to it.
2:44:35The blue room does look beautiful.
2:44:36It is so great.
2:44:37While she was disturbed, she was struggling with the negatives.
2:44:42The post didn't give a bunch.
2:44:45Screw the fucking post.
2:44:45I mean, it's unbelievable how good it is.
2:44:48What do you expect from the post?
2:44:49Do the tires have any of that?
2:44:52I don't know.
2:44:54Probably not.
2:44:54That's their own.
2:44:55The room is a real smash.
2:44:59I wouldn't look at it, but it really is.
2:45:02They've done a great job.
2:45:03Beautiful.
2:45:04The way they've moved the tables, the way they've put the chairs.
2:45:08That cheap wallpaper.
2:45:10It really is.
2:45:11The wallpaper on the ground looks almost like me.
2:45:14Great style.
2:45:15Oh, it's...
2:45:17The colors are just great.
2:45:18The whole, the whole thing is just lovely.
2:45:20All three rooms.
2:45:21Yes, sir.
2:45:21Yes, there is, and that's, that's, I hope she does take that one.
2:45:27I don't know, but it's, it's not a really good one.
2:45:29It has to be redone, too.
2:45:31I can just play that for a while.
2:45:33It's a big job.
2:45:34It's a big job.
2:45:35I'm sure we have all the details, and she'll be more like it.
2:45:44I don't know how you do that.
2:45:46No, when you look at this White House today versus all the other guys.
2:45:50No, that's what I mean.
2:45:51I'm talking about the entire White House.
2:45:53If you look at this.
2:45:54I think they sent that girl, let her go.
2:45:56Yes, sir.
2:45:56They did.
2:45:57They had to set up something.
2:45:58What they did to that and the people that get out of that, I'm sure they did.
2:46:02And that was right.
2:46:04It's not a person who walks into this room who doesn't walk in here with all.
2:46:07Well, they should.
2:46:08I always do.
2:46:09I see.
2:46:14I want to tell you, anybody who told us one week ago, well, eight days ago, Henry went from the clutter to the dead.
2:46:26He's all four of them.
2:46:30Bullshit.
2:46:31He was blessed.
2:46:34His work was done.
2:46:36But Henry is a warrior.
2:46:38I asked him, I said, Henry never looked back.
2:46:39I said, remember Lot's wife.
2:46:40He's probably not even read the Old Testament.
2:46:41The Old Testament.
2:46:42Right?
2:46:47Anyway, whatever the case may be, the situation is so interesting there.
2:46:50They would predict that we would have a Soviet song on, and the main thing wrong is the psychological effect.
2:46:55The 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.
2:47:15You realize the psychology has had on the American people, though.
2:47:19God damn, it's good to have a few Americans proud of their country, yeah.
2:47:23The guys in the West Point cheer and holler, and the guys in Albany yell, you know.
2:47:28And you see that running through all this.
2:47:29I mean, sure, the kids in the campus are fetched, but when crashed, they're all a bunch of goddamn draft doctors anyway.
2:47:37Well, but how many of these kids?
2:47:38That's what I mean.
2:47:39Those are fetched.
2:47:41That's right.
2:47:41And those are fetched.
2:47:42I think a lot of guys on campus, look at them.
2:47:45We've got some good wires from campus kids.
2:47:47Well, the other thing is, demonstrations are penance.
2:47:51Penance.
2:47:52All they have is just a basic, you know,
2:47:55Hardcore organization.
2:48:04is 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
2:48:30I'm putting a knock away and the bridge buckled way up with a great big gap in it.
2:48:34Well, that's a bridge that didn't hit since 1966.
2:48:36So that must be a shock to get the maze if you ordered it and you go in and immediately take the damn bridge out.
2:48:42Well, you can knock those out so easily.
2:48:43I guess you're right.
2:48:45Sure.
2:48:46See, notice it just takes a little bitty bump to, a little hit to knock out a mountain.
2:48:54I've taken that major bridge.
2:48:56The other thing was the infection from our own salt in the beach.
2:49:01And our own troops aren't there, but they're helping the enemy.
2:49:04They're doing a little better.
2:49:06I think we should be doing much better.
2:49:11But they're fighting a little better.
2:49:12The moves are, the press is all over it.
2:49:13But, uh... No.
2:49:13Well, 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.
2:49:17I agree with it, and I can go to the ICA and say, what's happening now?
2:49:21It's a real nice fight we're having.
2:49:28Well, I'll tell you the other thing, too, is that
2:49:30Like when they razed up that stone, if that boasted, well, they should find much opposition.
2:49:36But they took it.
2:49:38What in the name of Christ are we talking about?
2:49:40Well, it's significant that they didn't find much opposition.
2:49:43You know, that was happening when we bombed the opposition.
2:49:48The other good thing, too, is the fact that it goes back again to keeping people off balance.
2:49:54I'll tell you, these guys, on the Ingranski show on Sunday, did you see it?
2:49:58It's taped on Saturday.
2:50:00People were there while the summit's off.
2:50:04Did they?
2:50:04Well, I should ask them.
2:50:06Oh, they've got ego.
2:50:07Hey, hey, hey, hey.
2:50:08Everybody was prepared to take that risk.
2:50:10Why the hell did they do it?
2:50:12They're not running around saying it.
2:50:14Well, they know they want it to happen.
2:50:16Sure.
2:50:16They're wishful.
2:50:16They hope that it's off.
2:50:17Now, 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.
2:50:24They really hate it.
2:50:25Some do.
2:50:25This is where people are like, you must be joking.
2:50:29He might not, but as far as I can figure, they all didn't grow up.
2:50:33Did he go at all?
2:50:38No, sir.
2:50:38Did you tell them that I was gone?
2:50:40I told George.
2:50:40I'll ask him.
2:50:42I'll ask him again.
2:50:42Jack, I told you to tell Patrick.
2:50:50He won't go.
2:50:50George?
2:50:51Oh, yeah, I talked to him yesterday.
2:50:54It's all exciting.
2:50:55Is he?
2:50:55Oh, yeah.
2:50:55It would be good to have a few of our friends here.
2:50:57You know what I'm saying?
2:50:58Yeah.
2:51:00It would be an interesting trip for that.
2:51:01Frank Landerman was all, I called him yesterday, and he said, oh, I knew, I was the one.
2:51:06He said, the president told me.
2:51:08I said, well, he just wanted me to call you to, you know, make sure you're all set.
2:51:14And he said, I will have it.
2:51:15And he has done it in Texas papers, too.
2:51:16Yes, sir.
2:51:16We have the Bob Baskin, the Dallas News, and we've got the Margaret Meyer of the Times.
2:51:21You made it very clear to all of them, the president wanted them to be saved.
2:51:26I've been talking, I saw them.
2:51:27You drank money from Columbus.
2:51:29Well, we've checked everyone, and they don't.
2:51:32But...
2:51:43Bauman's going from the Globe.
2:51:44Yeah, I think Button going there would be as much of a problem as taking Buckley to generalist.
2:51:47But Bauman is going from the Globe to Buckley.
2:51:49Right.
2:51:50And Osborne, I guess, your old friend.
2:52:04Don't give an inch.
2:52:09I told him this.
2:52:12I saw it on the press room.
2:52:17He 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.
2:52:34How many people did they send to the Soviet Union?
2:52:39I had an opportunity to send them, and I didn't want to give them this opening.
2:52:44How many did they send?
2:52:45They sent exactly the same number they sent to the giant.
2:52:49And I had an opportunity to send more.
2:52:55Snidey is a little old lady.
2:52:57But, well, he's terribly emotional.
2:52:58You know, he's got his luck in this little little town.
2:53:03You know,
2:53:37And then Maisel took a leave of absence and went and did it for a freelance.
2:53:44Oh, really?
2:53:44That's how we got on that?
2:53:45That's how Maisel went on the trip in 1990.
2:53:47Maisel's not going anywhere.
2:53:49Well, I was agonizing over this.
2:53:51Damn, I don't know what you can do with your team.
2:53:58We've done so much for Maisel.
2:54:00I know absolutely nothing from him.
2:54:03Okay, Ron.
2:54:04Okay, sir.
2:54:04I think I'll do the thing across the street.
2:54:09I don't think we should spend very much time on this.
2:54:18No, I'm not going to walk down the line.
2:54:21I'll just say, how are you?
2:54:23Nice to see you.
2:54:23And I want the Secret Service to be too much evidence on it.
2:54:26No cops.
2:54:27Nobody in the uniform.
2:54:31Bob, let me be quite candid about the subject that was raised by
2:54:46I've got all your others, the whole planning.
2:55:02kind of whatever hero, you know, he's very blind.
2:55:03Five old people sitting here.
2:55:06Haven't spoken to Stans since about the Soviet developments.
2:55:11And, you know, Stans, the one who started the war, they haven't had a good relationship with the Trump campaign.
2:55:20Of course, he, the account says, and he says that Stans was trying, he hadn't heard from me, he hadn't heard from me.
2:55:25I said, well, I said, no.
2:55:26He reported to me when I returned.
2:55:29He's aware of my views.
2:55:30But Peterson, you know, was trying to make it all his own.
2:55:32He's running around and he just doesn't have any son of a leader, if I understand.
2:55:40The other thing, you know, I'm really trying to see if he's not in the room.
2:55:45I mean, that kid, that kid's great.
2:55:47You 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.
2:55:56You know what I mean?
2:55:56Henry Reese is just playing.
2:55:59And I just think we have to face them.
2:56:01that this requires school, negotiating, acting, so forth.
2:56:15If you could take, basically, that goddamn Peterson's brains and put it in Peter Dimpley's character, you'd have a beautiful combination.
2:56:25Because Peterson had brains and no character.
2:56:28Yeah, and Pete Flanagan has some brains, but not as much spirit as you know what I mean.
2:56:36It's just one of those damn things, but we haven't faced this fact.
2:56:42Now, 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.
2:56:52We'll put Flanagan in charge.
2:56:58Henry 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.
2:57:07But, 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.
2:57:19Henry doesn't know his ass in the first place.
2:57:20He says, I don't know.
2:57:25But Pete does it in the book.
2:57:27Well, 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.
2:57:38Well, I'm surprised he hasn't talked to Sands if that's true.
2:57:45What I meant is, he's going to guide Henry and guide him.
2:57:50He's been guided by working all this group, Peterson, Connelly,
2:57:55The economic advisory group, the whole bunch, he's the one that's supposed to be putting all the views together.
2:58:03Have Rose or somebody else call her, Rose or, who is it, one of your other senators around here?
2:58:11This was a nail-biter, so she knows that.
2:58:19No, she's not really.
2:58:23I think Steve Douglas caught the cat on things.
2:58:27Well, Steve never caught the cat, so I'll have Steve give her a call.
2:58:31Just saying, just raving reviews.
2:58:34Man, not raving, reactions to the movie.
2:58:44But apparently, apparently it is true.
2:58:46Oh yeah, it is.
2:58:46Jesus, it's good.
2:58:54And she should be delighted that she's watching now.
2:58:57It'll be real cool on that.
2:58:57It's all very nice.

Nixon, Ziegler & Haldeman on Soviet Summit

AI Summary

Audio

Transcript (AI-generated)

NARA Description

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on May 16, 1972

Cite this conversation