Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 768-008
Date: Monday, August 14, 1972 at 11:14 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Keating, Kenneth B.; Haig, Alexander M., Jr.; Bull, Stephen B.
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/768-008

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:04] Hello, President.
[0:05] How are you?
[0:06] How are you?
[0:07] I got it.
[0:07] How are you?
[0:08] Great.
[0:08] How's your girlfriend?
[0:11] Which one?
[0:11] The American.
[0:14] Oh, you mean Mrs. Candy?
[0:16] Well, she is no longer my girlfriend, but great.
[0:20] Yeah, I'm sorry.
[0:23] No, to you.
[0:25] I've got to be.
[0:26] I've got to be.
[0:29] I've got to be the choice.
[0:31] No, but you're not.
[0:35] I don't have a question about that.
[0:38] Oh, no, you must go around and say it.
[1:05] of all the cables that I've ever sent here I guess maybe that last one you read from her my talk last talk with her oh boy that was an experience she really she has a she's even more because of the woman she has the overlay
[1:41] And she is somewhat more leftish.
[1:43] Oh, hell yes.
[1:45] Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
[1:47] I do not think she's kind.
[1:49] Oh, I think at times it doesn't help to even say that she weren't.
[1:53] No.
[1:54] I think she, at times, fears or feels she must watch.
[2:10] The left-wing communists are enemies.
[2:13] And the most astounding thing in our entire conversation was your allegation that we were working with the left-wing communists to undermine her and her party.
[2:24] I said that's the most fantastic proposition I've ever heard, Madam Prime Minister.
[2:32] What possible interest would we have that parallels that of the CPN, your left-wing communists?
[2:42] So, well, anyway.
[2:44] Tell me about the keeping plan.
[2:47] The keeping plans are the following.
[2:49] I still have some debriefing, debunking, delousing, and decontamination to do at the State Department for about three days.
[2:57] I go back to New York Thursday.
[3:00] I'm spending one day in New York.
[3:02] I go to the convention Saturday.
[3:05] And, you know, you know what they've done in New York.
[3:14] And the floor is being filled by the disadvantaged, namely blacks, women, and young.
[3:24] So that's the idea.
[3:27] I like that.
[3:55] The head of the Federal Reserve is Jewish.
[3:58] The head of the National Security Council is Jewish.
[4:03] These are three of the most tolerable positions in America, all of them, by this point.
[4:09] He said, if you had a voice,
[4:33] That's it.
[4:36] Well, it isn't necessary this year to stick it to them the way I'm used to doing it in the past, because you're so popular with Mrs. Meyer, and we all are Jewish leaders.
[4:48] We should be, but it's reflected.
[4:51] I have many Jewish friends, just a few days I've been in New York, Democrats, who told me that during voting.
[5:05] Israel.
[5:06] We're going to get rid of all of our carriers at 66.
[5:10] How the hell are they going to get there?
[5:14] If we're going to cut off 80 degrees, where are they going to stage?
[5:16] How the hell are they going to get in there?
[5:19] Is it a viable policy to say, to have your only option in the event that the Syrian troops move on to Jordan and threaten Israel, that your only option is to threaten mutual annihilation for the United States and Russia?
[5:34] In those years, a policy of massive retaliation was totally credible because we had 20 to one advantage.
[5:44] Right now, it's totally incredible because we're equal.
[5:47] And that is why we've got to have, we've got to have NATO if we're going to defend our friends in this room.
[5:54] I know you can make out on the case.
[5:56] Oh, yes.
[6:08] And also, I really think you ought to play the Jewish, play the Arab.
[6:14] So this president is the best guarantee of all, because he put it this way.
[6:20] Israel doesn't need American troops.
[6:22] Israel needs, because Israel can take care of all of its enemies with its own forces.
[6:27] Israel would help.
[6:28] He knows that.
[6:29] What Israel needs is a president strong enough and America strong enough to hold the ring against the Russians.
[6:36] I do it, but there's a better means.
[6:40] That's right.
[6:40] And his commitment is absolute, and he keeps his word.
[6:44] That's the other thing.
[6:44] The president keeps his word.
[6:46] That's right.
[6:46] And that's what she has said several times.
[6:50] She's said it to some top leaders.
[6:51] I don't know whether it's all filtered back.
[7:04] I...
[7:06] appreciate this opportunity to have served out there.
[7:10] I think...
[7:12] He's served in the biggest democracy in the world.
[7:14] Well, not only that, that's a cliche.
[7:18] I've said that so often, it's about all we have in common.
[7:23] But in the last three years, difficult as it was, I think it's the most interesting post that there was.
[7:29] Sure, you had a war.
[7:31] That's right.
[7:31] And a Cold War with the U.S.
[7:36] You know, all together...
[7:37] But yours was not very supportive, actually.
[7:41] You really did have... Mark, yours was just entertaining, dignitaries.
[7:45] Yes.
[7:45] They asked the Prime Minister.
[7:47] Well, it was...
[7:49] I told Bill Radcliffe, when I called on him, they said, you know, when we talked first, I said, I don't want to be an ambassador unless there's a real challenge somewhere.
[7:58] So you called me and said, well, I have a challenge.
[8:02] And I said, you sure gave it to me.
[8:17] And he told me that
[8:58] I don't have a asshole like Ramsey Clark over getting aid and cover for the enemy instead of the FBI.
[9:03] Crack Clark.
[9:04] I don't know how they helped him.
[9:06] He didn't say that.
[9:07] I said, we're going to continue to appoint the clerks and take a strong view with regard to strengthening the police forces.
[9:16] Even the cops.
[9:18] That's the one thing.
[9:19] You can be very liberal on civil rights and all that sort of thing.
[9:22] Yeah, I agree.
[9:23] The cops nearly all supported me in my election.
[9:28] Because they, and they're a part of the forest.
[9:31] You have to be careful waiting for the cats because there's another side.
[9:36] Three years have you been there?
[9:37] Three years.
[9:43] Hello.
[9:43] I wanted one of those watches for you.
[9:59] It's not expensive, but I appreciate it.
[10:01] It looks expensive, but friend of mine made a few watches for very distinguished people.
[10:07] It's very nice to meet, including retired ambassadors.
[10:11] There's your watch.
[10:12] Thank you very much.
[10:13] What it is, it's a, it doesn't all, but I mean, it's worth all that.
[10:17] You should see it.
[10:17] It doesn't, you should see a lot.
[10:19] It's great.
[10:20] That's not, that's not on the back.
[10:31] I mean, it's so difficult to get in.
[10:33] That's right.
[10:37] Well, then he got better than one year, so he had his name in his picture on the map.
[10:43] Okay.
[10:43] I would see it in a hundred.
[10:46] I would know.
[10:47] Well, you know the state.
[10:49] We can't.
[10:49] I got the state fairly loose now.
[10:53] I can't break down it.
[10:57] And even when you do get into the ring, unless there's a change in things, it looks so good, in my judgment, the same kind of a statue.
[11:09] And to a degree more than they're used to, I think I will, at least now.
[11:16] Oh, yeah.
[11:16] We'll talk about the issue.
[11:18] I'm going to speak in several places on foreign policy.
[11:23] Good.
[11:23] Which can be sometimes as effective as...
[11:28] Thank you very much.