Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 782-001
Date: Monday, September 18, 1972 at 4:31 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); White, Theodore H.; Bull, Stephen B.; Sanchez, Manolo
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/782-001

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:01] We got through it a lot because, you see, he had Congress.
[0:04] That's what it is, right?
[0:05] Remember?
[0:06] Wilson had a Democratic Congress.
[0:08] But we, on our third-party situation, let me put it this way, with our third-party situation, it happened.
[0:16] Wallace suffered us more than the other side.
[0:20] Whereas, in Wilson's case, you see, he was just looking around.
[0:24] And the Republicans, because they're all welcome.
[0:26] But what they're having is, we're at Wilson's.
[0:30] Not this time.
[0:31] While Wallace was a Democrat, he was taking basically what was ours.
[0:35] But anyway, the first four years have been difficult.
[0:39] The next four years will not be easy.
[0:43] But they will provide enormous opportunities to exploit the breakthroughs that we made in foreign policy, to leave a real structure of peace.
[0:52] The world will never be totally peaceful.
[0:54] Men are always going to fight.
[0:56] There's always going to be a need for outcomes, because there are bad people
[1:01] They're bad leaders, and they're good leaders.
[1:03] And it will always be that way.
[1:05] I am, unfortunately, not one of those who believes in perfectibility of man.
[1:08] I wish he were so, but this is the way history tells me the world works.
[1:14] But on the domestic front, what we have here, you see, is an opportunity that we just couldn't even dream of when we came in before.
[1:24] Sure, I made some outstanding State of the Union proposals
[1:30] the quality of life, you know, an environment for us in 1970.
[1:36] And then in 1971, the two American revolutions, government reorganization, sixth grade goals, health, welfare, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
[1:44] Where have we gone?
[1:45] Well, revolutionary is a start.
[1:47] It's pretty good.
[1:49] But there is more to be done.
[1:51] But I want to emphasize that I see what more to be done.
[1:55] I do not see it in the revolutionary term.
[1:59] that we saw in 32.
[2:00] I spoke of the 100 days when I was out in California with the press about three or four weeks ago.
[2:07] But when I speak of the 100 days, I do not, as I said to them, I'm not speaking of the type of 100 days we had.
[2:14] And then the nation needed some very strong medicine.
[2:18] Now what the nation needs is something quite different.
[2:22] We've got to look over all of our institutions.
[2:27] And we've got to have a return to the old values.
[2:30] We've got to return to the old values.
[2:33] We have to reestablish pride in country, pride in work, pride in our institutions, instead of .
[2:44] I'd like to go over to the EOB, and I'm going to go out there and just write a short note on this.
[2:55] I hope, frankly, I can see if we get an ad in the election sometime on the group.
[3:00] Oh, fine, fine.
[3:01] And one thing, NAFTA will be easier, actually.
[3:05] I think, and I don't think about it very much, is that I'd rather stick around here for a few foreign policy days.
[3:13] But afterwards, it would be, in that period, it would be an easy time.
[3:19] It would probably be an easy time.
[3:22] What time do you get your deadline?
[3:23] I suppose it's booked by Monday, 15th.
[3:24] Oh, but we spoke last time in January after the election.
[3:27] We spoke several times in December.
[3:29] If after the election, we can go ahead and again, this domestic thing, grant.
[3:33] There's one way out.
[3:35] What do you all know if you can afford that?
[3:37] I'm not prepared to talk about some of them yet.
[3:40] There's one other thing I would like to take up with you some future day.
[3:46] I don't know how far I can probe you on the Peking visit.
[3:49] Oh, sure.
[3:50] I'd love to be able to talk to you before I...
[3:52] I don't know.
[3:53] How it really happened.
[3:54] How it really happened.
[3:57] I would like to bring this book.
[3:59] Oh, wait.
[3:59] How it came about or what happened when we were there.
[4:02] What happened this winter.
[4:05] And I leave that with you as a thought.
[4:07] Sure.
[4:08] Because if you take...
[4:10] I can talk pretty much about my evaluations of the men, you know, what happened to the Soviets.
[4:25] It really was, of course,
[4:41] the most unexpected and the most important thing in the history of the world.
[4:46] Unexpected because you said that to me in 1967.
[4:48] I know, you're one of the few.
[4:50] At the moment that you said that to me, that I came over to Nixon's side, there were 67 back there in New York who said, I've got to do it.
[4:56] So I had not, but I got most impressed to think it was ever going to happen.
[5:01] But it did, and, uh... Well, that, you see, is where the world, the old world breaks down.
[5:11] That's right.
[5:13] And really had a chance to make a tree, a fucking tree.
[5:18] That's the case.
[5:18] And which I don't even take for a place like the Middle East, the way they're, that's a, well, it'll probably work out.
[5:25] But then again, you know where it's going to be settling.
[5:33] Between Russia and the United States.
[5:36] They just got to some way or other without, of course, either of us
[5:40] getting in the doghouse with our ally, our friend.
[5:44] And that is tough.
[5:45] Basically, if we don't get the Russians to quit dabbling around, we've got to dabble.
[5:49] What's that?
[5:50] I just think it would be a wonderful thing to leave this place in 1976 without a gun shooting anywhere.
[5:59] Oh, God.
[5:59] I want that to happen before 76.
[6:03] Oh, yes.
[6:03] Yes, I want that.
[6:05] I'd have to leave after that.
[6:07] Yes.
[6:07] I want that.
[6:08] I'd like that.
[6:08] Yeah.
[6:12] But I think as far as Europe is concerned, as far as Asia is concerned, I think it can be done.
[6:24] I think it can be done.
[6:28] And I think it's going to come.
[6:43] They're not still in hand, sir.
[6:45] But as you know, they're still in the law.
[6:49] We aren't just twiddling our thumbs in Paris.
[6:54] We can't say we're not twiddling our thumbs in Paris.
[6:55] You feel some part of us don't you?
[6:57] I won't say that because the moment you're out there, what they're so sensitive about is whether or not it is.
[7:04] I'll tell you what, the real problem is whether they really have to 25 years of war.
[7:12] whether they want to make these .
[7:13] The Koreans did.
[7:15] They finally decided what they had.
[7:17] I mean, now they had to step up to the divided country.
[7:20] Now the question is, what are these people with these premises?
[7:22] But it's very, let me say, if any rational people were involved, there wouldn't be any question, because the evidence is too strong.
[7:36] We'll see.
[7:36] I must say, you'll have the answer to that.
[7:39] What are you going to wait for me to decide?
[7:57] They won't be like the others.
[7:59] They're not going to go dancing across six reaches a day and all that.
[8:04] Look, I told you this is 1956.
[8:06] I suppose age creates an affection.
[8:08] You know, the only men in this policy are longer than me.
[8:10] Yeah.
[8:11] You want me to come with you?
[8:14] Yeah, I'll walk with you.
[8:15] I think it looks like you've seen this building.
[8:19] You've never seen that?
[8:21] Or were you with the OVP?
[8:22] I'm at an office.
[8:23] Did you come over to see me there?
[8:25] No, I didn't.
[8:25] You're at home?
[8:31] Uh, that can go to, uh, the residents.
[8:34] Yes, my way back.
[8:35] And, uh, anytime.
[8:36] And, uh, I'll go over here.