Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 778-029
Date: Friday, September 15, 1972 at 3:15 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); White House operator; Buchanan, Patrick J.; Bull, Stephen B.; Dailey, Peter H.; White House photographer; Sanchez, Manolo; Ziegler, Ronald L.
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/778-029

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:01] The Justice Department was going to release a statement that they decided not to have Peter Sam in the press conference because they didn't
[0:47] What the hell is the cat figure on this other boat?
[1:18] They still didn't, I was talking to Dean about an hour ago, and they still didn't, he didn't have the live report from them on that.
[1:27] I think that was, but they, they say it wasn't their report, we don't know why it would have been sent.
[1:31] They know they checked that, you know, because they followed the instrument.
[2:07] There has to have been something there.
[2:11] There were some men in the Hall of
[2:36] They said they were putting in the fire.
[2:38] Maybe that's it.
[2:41] Maybe it was a fire.
[2:49] John said he called me and said he had a meeting on that subject.
[2:56] But Dean is being a real strong man in this.
[3:01] Yes.
[3:03] He's very good at...
[3:06] It's been interesting to watch.
[3:10] He doesn't get all excited about it.
[3:13] Well, he's good at keeping other people calmed down, which has been, in this one, probably the most key thing of all.
[3:20] Because keeping the Duke Sloanes and the Maurice Sances and the Martins and his big cross.
[3:26] I don't know, but I thought we were going to get Martin off the field or something.
[3:31] Well, we did try a lot, but then he came back.
[3:35] Go back in.
[4:20] They can just start getting on the phone right now.
[4:24] I invited him to come out and show him to the folks tonight.
[4:32] On this schedule that I have, I don't really see that there's a reason for doing it.
[4:52] I was lucky.
[4:52] Hershey was in New Jersey yesterday, and Pat's going in.
[5:20] I think so, yeah, I'll check with John Dean.
[5:23] And then, if you could work something up, man, John, I'm talking a lot on both, and I see what McGregor's saying.
[5:29] And also, I've checked with Clark McGregor's making a statement on the party, and a lot of people are crazy about it.
[5:35] And then, obviously, the main thing they ought to do, probably, is just say, Mr. McGregor covered that in his statement yesterday.
[5:41] You know, I don't know what to say about it.
[5:44] Whatever it is that they ought to do, I think they ought to get rid of it.
[5:49] All right, how are you?
[6:55] The problem is the war isn't his issue.
[6:56] The war is our issue.
[6:58] While he's saying we should have ended it, people think you are.
[7:02] And all the reason we get told is that.
[7:07] I don't understand why...
[7:30] We'll be having some announcements, too.
[7:35] And then October 10th is the 15th period with the Soviet.
[7:41] So that's not bad.
[7:44] It's not bad.
[7:44] We played the Soviet trip to Tai Chi, wasn't it?
[7:45] Yeah, because we'll have an announcement.
[7:48] Because the film shows you sitting at the... We'll have an announcement for fall, too.
[7:50] And then we'll begin November 15th with an announcement, possibly a security conference.
[7:57] So that will all come.
[8:01] between the 10th of October and the 20th of October.
[8:09] This might set the stage for some of that, I suppose.
[8:10] That's why I was saying that we can get those dates set down to work against .
[8:13] Yeah, we'll give you those as some of those dates.
[8:14] Right.
[8:14] No, we can give you a good view on a confidential basis.
[8:19] And we can also determine those dates and other things, set those announcements so that they wouldn't come too early.
[8:48] Well, anyway, where do you, you used to date her all the time.
[8:53] Did you go back to California?
[8:55] Well, my family's back in California.
[8:57] Sure.
[8:58] I've been here.
[8:59] So January, my wife comes back occasionally.
[9:05] We have five children though, 18 to 10, so it was kind of a burden trying to move them.
[9:12] Sure.
[9:12] Did you go back about that?
[9:14] I did try to go back weekends, every second or third weekend.
[9:21] So I'll have them back soon.
[9:31] I had several people at a leader's meeting the other day remarking about the effect
[10:07] the fact that we seem to get a few times so often, the initiating and the person in contact with those two clouds, differently than what we're supposed to see.
[10:22] What was your reaction to the whole thing?
[10:24] Those people started to hold on the whole time.
[10:25] Well, Mr. President, maybe I'm a bit too involved in sports for time.
[10:27] I got more angry at the U.S. Olympic Committee than I did anything else.
[10:30] I just feel that those youngsters were very poorly prepared when they were there, in many ways.
[10:36] I think that two athletes like Collette and Matthews who stood before you, I don't know, I think I was a little more angry at her.
[10:44] They should have a little bit of a fight.
[10:46] By us, Collette is one of our schoolmates, and we don't like to see UCLA take a fight.
[10:49] Matthews, Collette, and Matthews back here, somewhere in New York.
[10:56] But I agree with you.
[10:57] It didn't raise the patriotism.
[11:08] I mean, I think you can pretend one boy's missing with a 100-meter dash, and the officer who was taking medication for asthma and the team doctor hasn't checked his mind out.
[11:18] It's ridiculous to let a kid take a drug for asthma that is a banned drug.
[11:23] I mean, obviously, it's a stupid technicality to throw a kid out for taking medicine for a disease that he's been taking all along.
[11:30] But if that's the rule, they should have known it.
[11:33] And they should have appealed ahead of time for a suspension or else changed his drugs.
[11:39] I didn't see it.
[11:43] But we also were had by the judging.
[11:45] Oh, sure.
[11:46] No question.
[11:47] The role of the communists on the world propaganda operation was never so clear.
[11:54] The judging was atrocious.
[11:55] The goddamn diving, boxing, all those individual events.
[12:01] And the basketballs.
[12:02] Basketballs.
[12:03] Everybody's got to remember that.
[12:06] It really was.
[12:06] We should have sent the UCLA basketballs.
[12:09] I wouldn't have any problem.
[12:10] Did you read that letter from the little girl to the Indianapolis News that was in the news summary?
[12:26] No, I didn't read that letter.
[12:32] Because that was kind of weird.
[12:34] She made that sort of bad point.
[12:39] I was thinking she had the thing that he can't run, his own thing he can't run.
[12:47] She hit on the draft dodgers, Vietnam, military, it's a hell of a letter.
[13:30] I just want to get some advice on the indictments.
[13:35] We haven't had any.
[13:35] I didn't have a report on them, so I don't know what.
[13:38] It was 5 and 7.
[13:41] The 5?
[13:41] Plus Lydia.
[13:42] Yeah.
[13:42] We haven't had a comment up to this point.
[13:45] Now, there are two ways we could go.
[13:47] Just so you know, we won't have anything to say about that.
[13:51] The Justice Department is currently speaking to that.
[13:53] And Klein needs, of course, to say there's a thorough investigation into that.
[13:58] Second, I'll...
[14:06] The problem with doing that is that puts a White House comment into the story.
[14:13] I would simply, I don't think the White House should comment on it.
[14:19] I think that they want a White House comment.
[14:24] And I would simply say, you know, let's just say that it was.
[14:43] I think it's so they're going to say we were defensive, but if you make news about the White House... And you override McGregor.
[14:56] I would say that we...
[15:15] I have nothing to add from here.
[15:22] Nothing to add from here.
[15:24] The Justice Department has commented on that.
[15:26] Isn't that right?
[15:26] Also, it's not proper for us to comment any further.
[15:28] I would say, you know, that any of them go on and say, well, what about anybody else involved and so forth as well?
[15:35] I feel confident.
[15:37] You know, I had to call that out there.
[15:40] This bears up.
[15:41] Nothing to be done for me.
[15:42] This bears up.
[15:42] Nothing to be done.
[15:51] What was that case that they were, what was that case that they were
[16:29] and how they feel about such things.
[16:33] But the rights of the president.
[16:37] I will say something about this.
[16:42] Of course, Henry will see me when he gets in tonight.
[17:00] Well, he gets in at 11.30.
[17:01] But I've said that he will report to you when he gets in, either tonight or tomorrow, but before he meets with the press tomorrow.
[17:34] That's what I thought.
[17:34] I didn't say he'd report to you or the secretary.
[17:37] Yeah, yeah.
[17:39] But he intended to report to you.
[17:51] All right.
[17:51] Good.
[17:51] That's a good job.
[17:54] After his briefing, he said, he gets worried about things.
[17:56] He says, I got mad and I shouldn't get mad.
[18:00] Oh, yeah.
[18:01] But some black reporter was...
[18:06] What the hell was it at some point?
[18:13] No, no, it had nothing to do with plaques.
[18:17] Mary Seraphin.
[18:21] He was pushing the money.
[18:23] What the hell was it?
[18:24] Ron Hammer, I thought he described it.
[18:26] He was worried about it.
[18:27] I thought it was, he handled it beautifully.
[18:28] The guy, he said they won it.
[18:36] About the campaign?
[18:37] No.
[18:38] He did a beautiful job of separating... Oh, Korean.
[18:48] But one of their stupid things about a moral issue, you know, or something.
[18:58] It was kind of funny, but I thought Ron handled it beautifully.
[19:00] He separated the issue and drove the guy on it.
[19:03] He said, what do you mean?
[19:09] That's fine.
[19:11] But on this, you've just got to tap down the hatches and let the assholes go.
[19:16] Don't talk to Jesus Christ.
[19:18] I mean, when you talk to Rob again, you might just remind him.
[19:23] Leslie Johnson.
[19:24] At the time of the Bobby Baker thing.
[19:26] At the time of Jenkins.
[19:32] Just shut up.
[19:34] Like that.
[19:46] That's exactly right.
[19:47] And we should just say exactly that.
[20:46] a note to you from Rose saying, Secretary and Mrs. Rogers are giving a farewell dinner at Blair House for Pat and Bess Mossbacher at 7.30 tonight.
[20:52] The guests will be all State Department people.
[20:57] Rose promised Rogers she would get this message to you before you left the office.
[21:01] No one thinks you will attend.
[21:03] This is just FYI.
[21:03] I already got the message.
[21:07] Oh, you shouldn't.
[21:11] No, sir.
[21:13] Jesus Christ.
[21:13] I'm going to let the State Department people in Washington
[21:17] Never have.
[21:29] Everybody worries so much about Mark Spicer.
[21:31] He's definitely quite under shit.
[21:33] What is it?
[21:35] I'm not worried about that.
[21:37] He's a nice guy with a nice wife.
[21:39] They can all arrive out of their time in Washington.
[21:43] They didn't do anything wrong.
[21:44] They haven't done anything since.
[21:53] First of all, where do a guy like Dean Taylor, who's packed up from his home, come back here, get no glory, no prestige, no nothing?
[22:25] You want to do a private bill signing for John Kyle and Don Cluss?
[22:36] They've got a bill that's open.
[22:55] Always.
[22:55] That sort of thing.
[22:57] Just to help them out.
[23:02] Or how?
[23:02] No, not now.
[23:04] You mentioned that George told us that you might want to drop by the dinner he's giving for past secretaries of the Treasury.
[23:11] Yeah.
[23:12] That's next Wednesday night.
[23:13] Do you want that put on as a possible?
[23:17] Yeah.
[23:23] I guess he's not giving it.
[23:25] Joseph Barr is giving it.
[23:28] And it's a dinner to welcome Secretary.
[23:30] It's in his honor.
[23:30] It's in Schultz's honor to give it by Barr for all the past secretaries.
[23:38] You just do it as a drop-by.
[23:40] Tell George that it's not a plant, but that it's just something that's like... That's a Wednesday dinner.
[23:48] That's when you can't have it normally.
[23:51] With the
[23:57] Now Conley will be at the dinner.
[24:00] Conley won't be able to come up to Camp David.
[24:04] Because he's going to be the master of sound when he's at the dinner.
[24:11] So we could do the Camp David thing Tuesday night, or not at all actually.
[24:14] Maybe we should skip the Camp David thing.
[24:27] But I had to knock off at Camp David because of that dinner.
[24:33] Well, the dinner's not until 8, which means you shouldn't drop by until 9 or something anyway.
[24:39] You could go to Camp David.
[24:40] We were down at 9.
[24:41] I could go to Camp David and have my dinner up there a minute before and get on the plane.
[24:46] Come down and when you land here, just step over to the upstream club for a minute and say hi to them and come back.
[25:01] Yeah.
[25:02] If you want Connolly, it would have to be, because he will have to be.
[25:05] I want him at all.
[25:07] Mr. President, I'm going to go downstairs before the three of them on campus and read a statement.
[25:15] Don't bother.
[25:16] Don't bother.
[25:17] Have her call when he comes back.
[25:18] There goes all of his work.
[25:21] Don't hurry.
[25:21] Don't hurry.
[25:22] What do you think?
[25:26] We ought to have a meeting.
[25:30] I think they're a good idea.
[25:32] I think it's good to keep those guys cranked in, but it isn't necessary.
[25:37] So it is the thing about Tuesday.
[25:39] You know what I mean?
[25:39] This time I can just have them go up with me and they come back.
[25:43] Yeah.
[25:44] I don't know.
[25:44] Maybe rather than doing them there, how about just having a meeting
[26:15] Good boy, good boy.
[26:16] Yeah, okay, come on, come on.
[26:21] That's a good boy.
[26:22] Good boy, good boy, yeah.
[26:23] Good boy.
[26:24] Do it like a four o'clock?
[26:25] Yeah.
[26:26] And I can finish by 30.
[26:28] Let's do it that way.
[26:29] And I let them know that I'm over there.
[26:39] Don't stop.
[26:43] Okay.
[26:45] All right.
[26:54] All right.
[26:54] All right.
[26:56] All right.
[26:58] All right.
[27:23] It is.
[27:25] It's the kind that you get lost in and get...
[27:55] I don't think so.
[28:06] I don't think so.
[28:09] I just think I'll do it.
[28:12] I'll do something else.
[28:14] Would you agree?
[28:15] Yep.
[28:15] It's a crowded thing.
[28:17] Everybody's going around having drinks and standing around with the wives.
[28:20] That's right.
[28:22] Well, you could buy on it, but why don't you just stand by for that?
[28:26] You know, I don't know.
[28:27] Do it a day, and then it should end.
[28:28] They won't know what.
[28:53] Is there any reason not to run Gale Sayers in?
[29:02] Is there any problem with that?
[29:03] He wants to endorse you.
[29:21] Either before the election or after reaffirmed U.S. support for Korea?
[29:26] No, not before the election.
[29:33] Is that the problem?
[29:35] John Rockefeller of the Asia Society invited me to visit the U.S. this fall to receive its annual award as an outstanding Asian leader in testimony of entering New York.
[29:44] And Parker's been angling for me and with you since last year.
[29:51] Well, I have no objection to seeing him.
[29:53] We have never extended the invitation.
[29:55] No, I have no objection to seeing him, but if they have the dinner, I don't want to get the dinner.
[30:00] That's the problem.
[30:01] This would not be a dinner.
[30:02] The suggestion was that you just set up a meeting for an Oval Office meeting and then an informal dinner if you want to do that.
[30:11] You've got a problem with the President.
[30:12] I think with the President, I don't think I can have it here.
[30:17] Why don't we say you'd like to see him after the election, obviously in this region?
[30:22] I don't think there's anything in it that's having to do with Korea.
[30:30] Not Korea.
[30:31] It's the law.
[30:32] That's my point.
[30:33] I agree with you.
[30:34] Right.
[30:39] Suggestion of a meeting next week with Rogers and Bush on Tuesday, which is the day the General Assembly opens.
[30:48] Would you meet with them?
[30:49] Is there a problem with seeing the president of the AMA?
[30:53] The purpose would be a non-pressing, well, to get the
[31:19] picture in their magazines and part of the U.S. Soviet health agreement.
[31:51] sure we don't.
[31:53] We can read, well, they, the world, what the hell is it, the European Broadcasting Union, are now ready to do and will do that worldwide satellite TV news conference if you want to do it.
[32:08] But that isn't something.
[32:10] What they do is have eight journalists and eight capitalists.
[32:12] I don't have one question plus a follow-up.
[32:20] I agree.
[32:21] I think that's something we might want to do next year.
[32:23] That's right.
[32:24] That's right.
[32:25] First.