Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 781-012
Date: Monday, September 18, 1972 at 11:45 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Henderson, David N.; Nidecker, John E.; White House photographer
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/781-012

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:03] President, Congressman Dave Henderson.
[0:05] How are you?
[0:07] President, I'm honored.
[0:08] We're seeing you.
[0:09] I thought I'd be down with a large group this morning.
[0:11] Thank you for your time.
[0:13] Well, you're a special guy.
[0:15] I wish you good vibes on so many good folks.
[0:20] You're very welcome.
[0:20] Sure you are.
[0:21] We appreciate it.
[0:22] I think you know that fellows from all around do that way.
[0:29] I've had a lot of speeches about our foreign policy.
[0:31] I'll be right back.
[0:33] I know it does, and I don't know the last time we were about this civil service speech, Bob.
[0:38] You were so concerned about our prisoners of war.
[0:42] Right.
[0:43] I love my friends.
[0:44] Right.
[0:46] Sometimes I think that's probably the thing.
[0:48] You know what the diversity thing, and I was delighted to meet Ms. America as we came in.
[0:56] I hadn't seen the program, but one last year was in Ohio, and one this year is in Wisconsin.
[1:00] She's a very religious person.
[1:12] Right.
[1:12] Right.
[1:36] Oh, this is not an old name.
[1:37] I'm working for the Baltimore Civil Company.
[1:39] You have three people.
[1:42] Isn't that great?
[1:44] Did you go to Chapel Hill?
[1:45] I was all there.
[1:46] I was Davidson.
[1:47] Davidson, yeah, sure.
[1:48] I was Baptist.
[1:50] Davidson was a Baptist school.
[1:51] Presbyterian.
[1:52] No, no, no.
[1:53] Wake Forest was Baptist.
[1:54] Davidson was Presbyterian.
[1:55] I know all of them.
[1:56] I can use them all.
[1:57] I played Duke in 19...
[2:03] And the 41 Rose Bowl game was transplanted, if you remember, to Douglas.
[2:07] It sure was.
[2:10] Mr. President, your situation in North Carolina is excellent at the present time.
[2:16] You're going to win in spite of anything that you or anybody else does, in my opinion.
[2:22] Because I think those of us in the House represent our people.
[2:25] They've got confidence in you.
[2:27] What you've done is right.
[2:27] I have to say nothing about your position.
[2:33] The local races, the state races are being tested.
[2:39] In a final way, I think your county government is responsible.
[2:45] Your situation is very good, and I don't think this is happening.
[3:12] We're close to the state he lived in for three years.
[3:14] And I know those guys.
[3:16] I love them all.
[3:16] Thank you.
[3:17] They were a big little place.
[3:18] Oh, they did.
[3:19] They did.
[3:19] They came down.
[3:20] I had them in my class.
[3:22] And he came to the party.
[3:25] And it just went great.
[3:27] And, well, there's the Beaumars who were from South Carolina.
[3:32] They were there.
[3:33] And Matt Holland was also there.
[3:38] We all, it was interesting enough.
[3:40] law school, he used to call Basil Piper the senator.
[3:45] He always looked like that.
[3:47] He called him the senator.
[3:48] I remember it so well.
[3:51] Well, there's nothing else.
[3:52] They never called me that.
[3:54] That's right.
[3:55] Well, it came as a good law then, because we watched it fall.
[4:03] I said, no.
[4:04] I said, it's my responsibility to appoint people who have the same legal philosophy that I believe we should have.
[4:17] And I'm going to point more light at this situation.
[4:23] Because otherwise, me and you, you see me and my brother, we'd run along.
[4:34] I said, not partisan.
[4:36] I'm a funny Democrat.
[4:37] I'm looking for, the next time, very likely, we might be one.
[4:41] We might be right.
[4:43] All I'm saying is, what's he standing for in Ohio?
[4:46] What does he stand for in the interpretation of the Constitution?
[4:52] Because we cannot go all out.
[4:54] I'm sure we should.
[4:55] Basically, there's no difference.
[4:56] I was with the Chief of Police and the Director of our State Bureau of Investigation for a few minutes Friday.
[5:00] I've never talked about law enforcement.
[5:07] program, and they're very anxious to continue the program.
[5:11] But they will try to come out of the coldness.
[5:14] So we go to the police, the law enforcement.
[5:17] And it affects their attitude, you know?
[5:19] As the police, if you were interested in the safety of the police, but I saw my daughters and great-grandchildren, and they had a movie called Dirty Parody.
[5:35] You see how safe that is, though?
[5:40] It's about a San Francisco policeman who wasn't backed on the courts by the true wage badge.
[5:44] And they told me that when I was shown here in Washington, the audience applauded the true wage badge.
[5:50] Well, that's what this is all about.
[5:52] I don't mean we don't back brutality.
[5:54] We've got to have a decent guy's eye on it.
[5:59] But if you have a policeman risk his life and then have some court for some reason, you know, let somebody out, we'll murder somebody again or steal again.
[6:07] That's all.
[6:11] Oh, yes, yes, there are all of those.
[6:13] Oh, I've got a couple of them for you.
[6:16] These are new couplers.
[6:18] All of them are done in color.
[6:20] Take a look at that little seal.
[6:24] I mean, all of them are black.
[6:25] See all the couplers.
[6:26] Let me see your white ones, because I want two.
[6:30] All right, all four.
[6:33] Very good.
[6:34] Well, you get all those good books.
[6:36] They're always there when we need them.
[6:38] Well, I remember when you were in the meeting, I heard it was half a row, too, you know, on that, uh, on the way to, uh, the legalization, right?
[6:46] Well, they did fight this last Thursday on the civilianization of the KP, uh, the latest trial.
[6:51] Right.
[6:52] I'm sorry.
[6:53] I'm sorry.
[6:54] I couldn't tell.
[6:55] Two thousand votes that we had in the White House.
[6:59] And I think it was a good, uh, I don't know what's going to happen to these guys.
[7:04] They lose, they lose.
[7:05] I don't think it's safe.