Conversation 756-003

On July 28, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, unknown person(s), Stephen B. Bull, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the Oval Office of the White House from 10:03 am to 11:04 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 756-003 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 756-3

Date: July 28, 1972
Time: 10:03 am - 11:04 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with H.R. (“Bob”) Haldeman.

      The President's schedule
           -Allen J. Ellender's funeral
                 -Wives of officials
                 -Accommodations on plane
                       -Very important person [VIP] section
                       -William E. Timmons, Thomas C. Korologos
                       -Richard K. Cook
                       -Bryce N. Harlow
                       -John D. Ehrlichman

Henry A. Kissinger entered at 10:04 am.

      Vietnam
           -Study on bombing dikes in North Vietnam
                -Forthcoming State Department briefing
                      -Photographs
                      -Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
                      -The President’s recent statement
                      -William P. Rogers
                      -U. Alexis Johnson, William H. Sullivan
                      -Rogers's views
                          -Defense Department
                                  -Controversy
                      -Compared to possible Defense Department briefing
                      -Rogers
                          -Meeting with the President
                          -Possible telephone call
                      -Facts
                          -The President’s recent statement
                      -Compared to possible Defense Department briefing

Kissinger left at 10:06 am.

      State Department
           -Dispute with Defense Department
                -Rogers

                                      (rev. Mar-02)

     Rogers
         -Conflict handling

     The President's schedule
          -Ellender's funeral
                -Politicking

     The President's recent press conference, July 27, 1972
          -Subjects
                -Foreign policy and politics
                -Domestic topics
                      -Busing
                      -Environment
                      -Office of Economic Opportunity [OEO]
                      -Child care
                      -Legal services
                      -Veto strategy
                      -National economy

     Thomas Eagleton
         -Forthcoming press conference
         -Continuance on ticket
               -Jack N. Anderson
               -George S. McGovern's statement
                    -Public attitude

*****************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 10/31/2022.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[756-003-w001]
[Duration: 20s]

     1972 campaign
         -New York Times editorial
              -Thomas F. Eagleton
                   -Continuance on ticket

*****************************************************************

                                       (rev. Mar-02)

     Senate

     Anderson
         -Story about Eagleton
               -White House response
                    -Haldeman’s possible conversation with Herbert G. Klein
                         -Story
                                -The President’s recent conversation with [Thomas] Hale
                                Boggs and Gerald R. Ford
                                -Purpose
               -Anderson papers
               -Veracity
                    -Washington Post
               -Radio broadcast

     Los Angeles Newspaper Guild
         -Endorsement of McGovern
               -George Putnam’s possible action

     Alexander M. Haig, Jr.'s forthcoming briefings
         -George C. Wallace
         -Nelson A. Rockefeller, Ronald W. Reagan

*****************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 10/31/2022.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[756-003-w002]
[Duration: 1m 9s]

     1972 campaign
         -George C. Wallace
              -Aide’s call to the White House
                   -Alexander M. Haig, Jr.’s schedule
                       -Briefing appointment on August 1, 1972
                   -Forthcoming announcement on July 29, 1972
                       -Presidential candidacy
                       -No third-party run
                       -No support for George S. McGovern
                   -White House liaison
                       -Designation

                                        (rev. Mar-02)

*****************************************************************

     Wallace’s health
         -Health
                -Unknown person
                -William F. (“Billy”) Graham

*****************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 10/31/2022.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[756-003-w004]
[Duration: 1m 44s]

     1972 campaign
         -John B. Connally’s efforts
               -Effect of possible George C. Wallace candidacy
                    -Polls
                    -George S. McGovern
               -Charles B. (‘Bud”) Wilkinson
                    -Possible telephone call from Clark MacGregor
                    -Strategy session
                         -The President’s schedule

*****************************************************************

     Space shuttle
         -Contract
                -Notifications
                     -Peter M. Flanigan’s role
                          -The President's conversations
                                 -John N. Mitchell
                                 -Ehrlichman
                                        -Rockefeller
                          -Politically subtle projects
                          -Ehrlichman
                          -Computers
                          -Mitchell

     Flanigan

                                        (rev. Mar-02)

          -Usefulness in political matters
               -Soviet grain deal, trade

*****************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 10/31/2022.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[756-003-w005]
[Duration: 4m 35s]

     1972 campaign
         -Thomas F. Eagleton
               -Continuance on ticket
                    -New York Times editorial
                          -James B. (“Scotty”) Reston
         -Jack N. Anderson
         -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman's conversation with Herbert G. Klein
         -Dan Rather
               -Comment on Jack N. Anderson
         -Barry M. Goldwater [?]
         -Thomas F. Eagleton
               -New York Times editorial
               -Letter to the editor
         -Press coverage
               -Television coverage
               -George S. McGovern
               -The President's previous press conference, July 27, 1972
                    -Press response
                    -Timing
                    -Robert B. Semple, Jr.

     The President's previous press conference, July 27, 1972
          -Clothing
                -Ollie Atkins's views

     1972 campaign
         -George S. McGovern
              -News photo published July 28, 1972

*****************************************************************

                                       (rev. Mar-02)

An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 10:06 am.

     Request
         -New York Times, Washington Post

The unknown person left at an unknown time before 10:35 am.

*****************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 10/31/2022.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[756-003-w006]
[Duration: 51s]

     1972 campaign
         -Candidates’ attire
              -Propriety
                    -H. R. (“Bob”) Haldeman’s opinion
         -The President’s attire
              -Sports shirts
                    -Key Biscayne
                    -San Clemente

*****************************************************************

An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 10:06 am.

     Newspapers

The unknown person left at an unknown time before 10:35 am.

     Newspaper coverage
         -Eagleton
               -Photograph
         -The President’s recent press conference
               -New York liberals
               -Kurt Waldheim
         -Eagleton
               -Photograph
         -Herbert L. (“Herblock”) Block
         -[Washington Post story]

                                        (rev. Mar-02)

                -Yolanda Gomez
                     -Financial aid

*****************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 11/01/2022.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[756-003-w008]
[Duration: 2m 47s]

     1972 campaign
         -George S. McGovern
              -News story photo
                    -Vacation
              -Press strategy
                    -Tennis
              -Golf
              -Basketball
              -Tennis crowds
              -Tennis match
                    -Attendees
                        -The President’s opinion
                        -Compared to players
              -Bowling
                    -Popularity

*****************************************************************

     Watergate
         -Grand jury
               -Henry E. Petersen's conversation with John W. Dean III
                         -Forthcoming indictments
                                -Timing
               -Forthcoming indictments
                    -E. Howard Hunt, G[eorge] Gordon Liddy
                    -Possible statement

An unknown person entered and left at an unknown time before 10:35 am.

                     -Timing of trials
                         -1972 election

                                        (rev. Mar-02)

                     -Timing
                         -Dean's view
                         -Effect
                                -Republican National Convention
                                     -Television coverage

     The President's schedule
          -Ellender's funeral
                -Timing
                      -Departure

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 10:06 am.

     Request for a meeting with Ronald L. Ziegler

Bull left at an unknown time before 10:35 am.

     The President's schedule
          -Ellender's funeral
                -Transportation
                      -Planes
                          -Boeing 707
                      -New Orleans
                      -Helicopter
                -Length

An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 10:06 am.

*****************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 11/01/2022.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[756-003-w009]
[Duration: 4s]

     Request
         -Tea

*****************************************************************

The unknown person left at an unknown time before 10:35 am.

                                       (rev. Mar-02)

     The President's schedule
          -Ellender's funeral
                -Transportation
                      -Helicopter
                -Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
                      -Attendance
                          -Richard B. Russell

Ziegler entered at 10:35 am.

     Ellender's funeral
          -Ziegler's forthcoming announcement
                 -The President’s attendance
                      -Senate leadership
                           -Transportation
                                  -Michael J. Mansfield, Boggs
                      -Russell’s funeral
                           -President Pro Tem
                      -The President’s frienship with Ellender[?]
                 -Ellender's luncheons
                      -The President’s attendance
                      -Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
                      -Soviet Union trip
                      -Quote
                 -Louisiana’s power
                      -Russell B. Long, Otto E. Passman, F. Edward Herbert, Mansfield, Hugh
                      Scott, Joe D. Waggonner, Jr., Boggs

*****************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 11/01/2022.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[756-003-w010]
[Duration: 1m 35s]

     1972 campaign
         -Thomas F. Eagleton
              -Continuance on ticket
                   -New York Times editorial
                   -Public statements
                       -Statement to retail clerks union

                                        (rev. Mar-02)

    Forthcoming press conference
         -Hawaii
              -Timing

*****************************************************************

    The President's schedule
         -Press conferences
               -Patrick J. Buchanan's views
               -Points on foreign policy, politics
               -Jerrold L. Schecter's conversation with Ziegler
                     -Tone in Oval Office
               -Garnett D. (“Jack”) Horner's conversation with Ziegler
         -Horner
               -Travel with the President
                     -Florida, California, Hawaii
                     -Washington Star's finances

    Horner
        -Age
        -Health and lifestyle

    Newsmen
        -Health and lifestyle
              -Frank Cormier
              -John F. Osborne
                   -California
        -Merriman Smith
              -Work
        -Work
              -Cormier
              -Horner
              -Dictation from notes

    The President's press conferences
         -Newsmen
              -Methods of work
                     -Wire service news leads
                         -Dictation from notes
                                -Typing

                                       (rev. Mar-02)

*****************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 11/01/2022.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[756-003-w012]
[Duration: 3m 32s]

     1972 campaign
         -Thomas F. Eagleton
              -Continuance on ticket
                   -Timing of decision
                        -Political strategy
              -Popular opinion
              -Albert E. Sindlinger poll
                   -Response to Thomas F. Eagleton
                   -Impact on George S. McGovern
              -Continuance on ticket
                   -Howard K. Smith
              -Albert E. Sindlinger poll
                   -Charles W. Colson
              -Herbert L. Block cartoon
                   -George S. McGovern
              -Continuance on ticket
                   -Howard K. Smith
                   -James B. (“Scotty”) Reston
                   -George S. McGovern’s statement

*****************************************************************

An unknown man entered at an unknown time after 10:35 am.

     The President's schedule
          -Meeting with Ehrlichman

The unknown man left at an unknown time before 11:00 am.

*****************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 11/01/2022.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]

                                      (rev. Mar-02)

[756-003-w013]
[Duration: 33s]

     1972 campaign
         -Thomas F. Eagleton
              -Health
                   -Effect on campaign

*****************************************************************

     The President’s recent press conference
          -Vietnam
                -Bombing of dikes
                     -State Department
                     -Conventional compared to nuclear power

*****************************************************************

[Previous PRMPA Personal Returnable (G) withdrawal reviewed under deed of gift 11/01/2022.
Segment cleared for release.]
[Personal Returnable]
[756-003-w014]
[Duration: 6m 25s]

     1972 campaign
         -Thomas F. Eagleton
              -Continuance on ticket
                   -Ronald L. Ziegler’s opinion
                        -Replacement process
                               -Democratic Party committee structure
                                    -Democratic convention delegates
                   -Edward M. (“Ted”) Kennedy
                        -As a running mate
              -Television coverage
                   -Compared with Republican National Convention
                   -Cost
                   -Timing
                   -Possible effect
              -Continuance on ticket
                   -Timing of possible withdrawal announcement
              -Staff pressures
              -Frank F. Mankiewicz’s statement

                                         (rev. Mar-02)

                      -Washington Post story
                      -Gary W. Hart and Jean Westwood
                      -Significance
                -Gary W. Hart’s statement, July 27, 1972
                      -Television interview
                -Possible withdrawal announcement
                -George S. McGovern campaign strategy and handling
           -The President’s strategy
                -The President’s schedule
                      -Press conference
                          -Timing
                          -Format

*****************************************************************

      The President's recent press conference
           -Absence of cameras
                -Network mention
           -Photographs
                -Absence
                -Future occasions
                       -Wire services

Ziegler left at 11:00 am.

      Watergate
          -Grand jury
                -Forthcoming indictments
                      -Hunt, Liddy and burglars
                      -Timing of trials
                           -1972 election
          -Civil suit
                -Timing
                -Status
          -Possible trials
                -Timing
                      -1972 election
                -Pleas
                      -Hunt
          -Possible leaks
                -Justice Department, Federal Bureau of Investigations [FBI]
          -Cover-up

                                        (rev. Mar-02)

     Weather
         -The President's schedule

Haldeman left at 11:04 am.

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

Because of all those gumbo deals, we may get wives wanting to go on that.
How do you want to handle that?
If someone says his wife is going, we just say, fine.
We're going to offer just on the other basis and see whether a problem arises.
As soon as one life goes, oh, it's not the right time to do it.
Yeah.
The way that's not bad, though, is if you're a 700, probably we can get on.
And you can have a man up to talk.
It's not too good.
It's not bad at all.
In the new plane, we don't have it set up that way.
That section's the other side.
Well, I can do what you want with that.
I don't think we'll need it.
I think we can fill in the VIP section and the lounge.
I thought we'd just take Dennis and Carlos.
No, no, no.
That's all you need.
You do need a couple of people.
I think Carlos just talked to him.
He's all famous for what he's doing.
Number three, I like people who can sort of talk.
And instead of looking over the list, if there's anybody else on there that needs to be talked to, I put somebody else on the talk phone.
I could go right to them.
I can just let everybody in and talk to them.
You know what I mean?
But I said about Louis 95.
Sure.
On this, Bob and the guy who said it,
We have told SAFE to do their briefing today, because you shouldn't be the principal spokesman on that issue, and we ought to get the basic facts out with pictures and everything.
We have a CIA study that should be classified, and then we can use that as a Bible to which to go back.
Well, I think the statement doesn't countervert what I've said.
Oh, no, it supports what you've said, but it gives it the backup, and then that can be referred to.
It backed it up.
Well, you should be sure to get in there.
He said, this is totally true.
This is the report the president based his statement on.
That's right.
Here's the report he based his statement on.
Raja is going to complain.
He doesn't want to do it.
Alec Johnson and Sullivan want to do it.
Raja now wants the fence to do it.
Everybody, however, knows it.
Why does the president want the fence to do it?
Well, because he doesn't want the controversy, but all I want you to know is he's willing to do it, but if he hits you on it, if you would just back it up.
That's more effective.
It depends on us.
If they don't believe defense, they will believe safety.
That's what I'm talking about.
It's more effective to state that.
To state that.
No, if defense, defense, yes.
They won't believe defense.
They will believe safety.
That's right.
They can do a very effective, it's a good reason we've gone over it.
And it is the briefing on which you were present at the table space, but it has a lot more facts than you could possibly give, but it shouldn't be you against James Bond and weapons shooting at the other.
Good.
I want it to be done in the terms that I believe.
Two things are made.
One, they are to say here are the facts upon which the President's base is statement.
Second,
We're to say that he believes state should do it because state will be more believable on this than the Nets.
Defense is considered to be a party, but if it's the Nets, state will be considered to be more objective.
Okay.
Okay.
Do you think...
And on that thing like this, they're going to be rushing out to try to do it.
God damn, they, you know, I say shame.
They can build a support back up.
But he's good enough.
He doesn't ever get in any fights.
That's just Bill's rule of mind.
If they have a fight, you can go ahead and let somebody else take it.
Now, I could do a lot of good politicking on this trip.
I'll just do that, and everybody will have a chance to talk to me.
So, boy.
Where are they?
Okay.
It wasn't that interesting that yesterday in that restaurant, there wasn't one goddamn question on anything except for false apologies.
Not one.
Not one.
A message, a question.
Sir?
Seriously, what people, what the press is used to saying that, man.
What the press used to represent is what people are hearing about.
You know that.
They ask questions.
Some areas people are thinking about busing, but not so much right now because it's early summer time and schools aren't going to school.
They're thinking about issues like environment.
Nobody's hearing about that.
And the OEO, child care, legal services, even the veto strategy and so forth.
And I could ask you about the apartment meeting because that's all good news.
That's right.
That's true.
That's true.
At the moment, it's good.
You've got to be prepared for it, because they might pass something.
They're going to do something.
Well, he was in the schedule of the press conference for one o'clock, and he must be getting off.
I don't know.
He said he had his whole line yesterday with the
Under no circumstances will he get off now.
He's doubly certain he's going to stay on.
He's going to let Jack Anderson drive him off the ticket.
And the McGovern people have put out that it's an irrevocable decision that he will stay on the ticket.
At the same time they put out that they're watching to see what the public attitude is.
Thank you.
The one in the center, the one in the distance.
You know, I was trying to say that the... My doctor heard a line.
It seems to me that it doesn't get off.
The story, see, he built the lineup by, I mean, I had to use his credibility, I don't know what he did yesterday, but I don't know.
Another story, I got out to the president, and I told him, I said to him, you know, I'll talk to the board, and I'll be here to explain to him.
He said, I'm not going to get another evening, and I said, I know that the NJAC has some call, but a yellow camera was a bad choice.
That not only were his charges,
false based on gossip that he violated the average American sense of decency and fair play.
You don't kick a man if he's down.
Of course, he's setting up an average treatment if he's down, but if he's stubborn or something that he didn't say, if the president didn't get breakfast with the
with the bodge and so forth, and Sidney Hankerson can hang on that.
It gets in an indirect way of bragging, actually.
I think hit and damage is very important, Bob.
It's very, very important in this credit song.
And while we're working on that, I was talking with you about that this morning, because we've got the chance, like his editors,
right now because, well, you can't expect him to kick Jack Anderson on the Anderson papers because he was screwing us, which most of them think is a good thing for him to do.
But here he's screwing Eagleton, which most of them have to think is a bad thing for him to do for both of these reasons.
And on the merits, this is clearly yellow journalism at its very worst because he didn't have the facts.
The guy based it on, as you say, on gossip twice you're moved.
He missed
stated the story when he said it to begin with.
He said he had found evidence.
He had finally been told by someone else that someone else had done it.
Yeah.
This is when you would think that even the Washington Post would run an editorial condemning him.
Because they didn't carry it.
See, it wasn't a column.
It was on his radio broadcast.
So they didn't carry the column.
No, but the point is none of the newspapers carry that column, so they aren't on the defensive with it.
They're not co-dependents.
You would be just a reminder to be sure to follow up on getting George Munson to shut up in Mexico.
Here's to me.
And you would also be sure to be on page three of Wallace.
It says he's going to be briefed by Rockefeller and Reagan as the governor, as the southern governor, as the other.
There are three, I'm reading three major governors.
All named.
And I've got it on the survey.
Oh, then the guy offered us the final copy, and he said, and also, the governor is not at all well.
See, that's the fact that that comes in every single one we get.
The governor says everybody needs to, you know, both fill the frame, and he may be living down that long road.
You know, he really may.
His dad says apparently he had to eat a lot of nothing about these things, but, you know, guys get all worried at the end.
Also, most people have pre-conditions, and they know if they're gonna die, and if they do, they do.
Incidentally, Bob, did Blank get to handle the notifications on that space thing?
I don't know.
I was just curious to mention that you were crazy the point last night.
I thought it was under control, because I had spoken to her earlier about it, and I said, you know, he knew that Tyson was going to get Rocky.
As often as you can, if you were picking on him a lot, he would keep peeing off of things, and go off.
But some of the time, that would be right.
I can't imagine he did.
John didn't say he didn't have a notification, he said that the word was that he had made the decision.
Sure.
The decision was made by computers, as I understand it, and that was the thing they were sweating out, was what, what all was in there.
That's what we was fully aware of all that.
He does not have the soul to handle political matters here.
We have that promise.
We're talking about this brain, the trace, the rest.
The one guy, he's not there.
You've got to face it.
Harvesting in this business is quite real.
Your best friend's on top.
You cannot, our best friends cannot, cannot, cannot.
somebody hanging on or, you know, I don't, you were under attack over there.
That's what I'm talking about.
Right.
But, I mean, in terms of assignments and the rest, if he doesn't have it, he's got it.
Is it right that the first section of the York Times, the first section of Washington Post,
We'll be right back.
That's a good one for us.
I sure did get an answer.
Have somebody get ahold of this.
Send a little money to this one with the $100.
The Watergate thing is... well, it's on a reasonably good track, considering that Grand Jury is going to the 1701 people, but
Peterson's view lying to Dean is that what he expects to do, what he said Dean wants, I think we're going to be able to finish this grand jury thing up pretty quick.
And we'll bring indictments on the 7th, and we can probably bring them by the latter part of August or wait until around mid-September.
And Dean said he'd get the dissenting.
Peterson was asking for guidance as to which we wanted
But he was also telling him they were going to bring indictments on 7.
And that's very good news because that means they're indicting Watergate 5 plus Hunt and Liddy.
And that's all.
John says if they are going to put out an indictment on 7, apparently not.
That's just what the indictment says.
And what they'll do is then...
Our view, I think, is to wait.
To wait because there's a very good chance of it not coming to trial for the last day of the license.
It will be called on special calendar, and the special calendar is fairly clear, so it could come up pretty soon.
But even if it gets to court, there's a set of pre-trial motions they've got to go through.
And all that stuff.
John feels that we ought to go for delay, and just hope nothing happens before the election, that we're better off with that than we are.
My original feeling was, get it out now, get it done in August, and get it over with.
But that might get it right in the middle of the Republican convention, where there's a lot of TV attention, which would be a problem too.
Anything else on the left?
Okay, never mind.
Well, you have to keep them for how long?
I'll tell you, 20 minutes from tomorrow.
How much is 20 minutes?
You can drive 40 miles.
20 truckers.
We don't have very, uh... Well, that's all right.
We can take all that one trucker's family.
We can have more than one trucker.
But can't we?
See my point?
But, uh...
What do you want the VP to do?
To go on this?
No, I don't.
You should not go.
You should not go?
No.
He's probably asking what road you want to go on.
No, he's telling me that when I go, you should not.
The two of us should never go to the Senate.
I'm president of the security department.
Wait, I mean...
Even though he's president of the Senate?
No.
I don't think he should.
If the president goes...
Don't overdo it.
He didn't go to the water today.
He had a vessel, too.
I thought you needed to put out the water.
I will.
Okay.
And they would let me down and stop.
There might be several members in some leadership.
And some would let me down and stop.
And some would let me down and stop.
And some would let me down and stop.
And some would let me down and stop.
You will attend if you will not participate.
Well, you know, I mean, I would still, I would just say he's just going to pretend.
Yes, please.
I mean, this is what I've heard.
I would think not.
I don't know what kind of thing it is.
Right.
He's just going to pretend.
And you could say that he did it in view of the fact that he was the president because he was...
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I had to do it.
It would be .
Did you attend the whole ?
No, no, no.
Neither I did.
I only attended one.
Yeah.
But Mrs. Nexen attended the other two.
She was up there trying different functions.
And he showed us .
The president declared the nation's chef supreme.
Thank you.
Thank you.
You know, I think that was Bob McGregor's chapter.
I think Buchanan's advice in regard to not having those comments, he meant that he didn't take that into consideration.
I think it was good to go ahead.
Right, again, historically, we got across our point on the board of policy and got us a chance to make a political point so it wasn't a headline.
Yeah, they're coming in this morning, still.
Did you tell them what Schechter said?
Well, Schechter came in the office as we were talking, and he said, you know, he said there was a tone in that room, a tone, a feeling in that room, a sense in the room.
You know, these guys that look for the tones and stuff like that.
He said that was a man who was not standing there saying he was president.
He said he was very clearly the president of the United States.
He said that was, you know, that was the very definite sense.
They bought him.
They don't check him.
Yeah.
That's good.
In other words, they, you know, they were quite impressed with that session yesterday.
Horner came in yesterday.
But old Jackson.
Well, he said, you know, those are so good because it allows the president to put into perspective
without short answers, but to put it in perspective, his feelings, what his decisions are, what he wants, what he's trying to do, and what he's doing.
And he said it's very, very, very productive.
You know, Horner hasn't been traveling with us because the star cut us off, but he came in and got us all excited this morning about the fact that he's on the trip to Florida and to California and Hawaii.
So if you see that he might...
I'm glad you're here.
But now apparently with the new combination, Jack's back on, so he's just really in ecstasy this morning.
He's a nice guy.
Yeah, he really is.
He's one of them.
Very decent.
Oh, yeah.
I don't know how Frank Cormier stayed alive.
Does he drink?
Oh.
He really does.
And I'll tell you.
But I've never seen any of those.
No, but I'm not talking about, I don't mean, I mean, drink.
I mean, these guys drink.
Like what?
Well, they'll start, after the briefing, you know, they'll go out on the beach and play tennis or something, do their overnighties and so forth.
They'll sit up in those bars.
They'll sit and drink for five hours in a row.
I mean, sit there and talk.
And talk and go on, and I mean, they won't have...
They get glitter here and glitter here on the airplane.
The air goes out.
They won't have four shots of water, five shots of water.
So, I don't know, they'll go to 12.
And the ninth, that's John Osborne.
I've never seen a man...
Oh, I haven't.
But doesn't he?
I didn't know that.
Oh.
I thought he was a street dog.
Are you kidding?
You're a slut.
Osborne must go through, I would suspect that every night in California, Osborne will go through at least, at least, seven.
Let me say at least six.
That would be six.
That's right.
Martini.
Martini?
Oh, my God.
But these guys, these guys have developed over the years such a capacity to absorb.
You know who for a while could handle it until he got into trouble?
You know, Marilyn Smith obviously used to drink very heavily.
But Marilyn Smith was a guy who I
saw in the first two years here, on occasion, really put them down.
But when the story broke or something, and he would have that telephone, reach for that telephone at his hand, he could dictate absolutely clear, good time.
They all do that.
They all see the story.
It doesn't...
The farm dealers that way, too.
Yeah, yeah.
It's true.
But, as you say, it hornered the opening years.
They put it over its own.
They put it in the main notes.
Again, I said, I'll make a note, and they'll pick up the phone, and they'll dictate from your note.
You'll notice that in a press conference, particularly on the wires, the first lead will always be the first thing you say.
It may not be the whole lead, but they'll immediately, when they get out of here, run.
They go out of here, and they run back to the booths.
They grab the phone, and they've got people waiting there with the typewriters, and they dictate their running copy, their lead, and just from their notes, just going from their notes.
And when they dictate, they'll say, President Nixon said today that the North Vietnamese are using propaganda, you know, mass propaganda.
And then they'll say period, paragraph.
When they say period, paragraph, the copy guy takes a copy out of the typewriter and the guy put a new piece of typewriter in it and it's over the office.
They'll go immediately to the wire and punch it out of the water.
No rewrite.
No rewrite.
Not on the initial bulletins.
They do a good job of that.
I'm sorry.
And then as the story begins to build, and back until... ...come down around 11 to 15, or if you have a subject group of 11 to 30 that we...
11 to 10, because we probably need more than 10 minutes each.
That'll give you 20 minutes if you need some.
All right.
This is probably not going to come up because I think we're not supposed to be able to do this.
And what I would refer again today to the major components of the dam system could be taken out in a week.
What I would refer to there, I think there are five or six dams.
What are you mentioning?
I did, but I, now, when I said, and I said it later, I mean, we do, in America, we're very ashamed, or if anybody knows that we use our ultimate power, of course, that we have, that we have been taught to be anonymous.
And I have a question for you.
You know, I mean, I know I've made some serious conventions that we want to hear together.
We all, uh, we all got, uh, yeah, usually most of the networks never fail to say without cameras and gear change and shit like that.
Right.
And the other thing is that it doesn't mean a thing to anyone except their own ego.
Exactly.
It's an end.
That's kind of the thing.
We did not have a picture of me coming in, you know, the reason why I said that.
I just did not want to be sure that the medical evil was yawning down and coming and floating over the suburb.
It's not a charity that way.
So I didn't have a bad picture at all.
We showed a serious one out of something else, something brief.
Did you notice that that was much the better thing?
I'm not saying the same thing.
I'm just saying, yeah, we're going to tell them.
Yeah, right.
All right, that's fine.
So this one, but next time, next time, we won't do it, then they say it.
But we're good because they requested it.
See, they all requested it yesterday.
Did they request it?
No, just the wires came up and asked for it.
I said, well, I don't have a chance to see it.
I'm trying to look at it next time.
So when the next time comes, those photographers will say, well, we have had requests when we've had them here to do it.
And then they'll check the wire guys.
And they'll say, yeah, we've been pushing for this for a long time.
That would be fine.
That's almost an ideal scenario.
They would indict seven.
and then not get around to the trial until after the election in pretty good shape.
And on the civil suit, what they're going to do, the judge took some time off.
He's out of chambers, so he's coming back.
And what they're going to do there is we have a motion, which they think the judge will probably withhold any
further steps on the civil suit of pending the outcome of the criminal suit, that any action on the civil suit would damage the rights of the defendants in the criminal suit or something like that.
They've got some legal language that they think they'll get, and if we do that, then we're home free.
thing means not the indictment, it means the trial.
And a trial will never get through before the election.
A trial will never get through before the election.
Well, yet the people will be not guilty.
They'd be guilty, wouldn't they?
Well, some of them are going to go not guilty.
They're constantly going to go not guilty.
You know, there's a fight at the end.
But they've got a lot of motions they've got to go through before they get to the pleading, apparently, on the trial.
That's the point I'm going to make.
So it may be that by legalisms, alcohol, it's the only problem that you've got.
And as I've, my life, you know, compared to the Vatican, Mark, I actually, the only problem I actually have on it is that in some lower echelon, you should ask Justice Mark early after the eye.
I'm trying to leak out stuff about this and that.
And force, in some way or another, force, force it to go in another direction.
You know, that can happen.
Fortunately, we have not tried to ever allow them to cooperate with us.
The record has to show us pretty much everything.
All right.