Nixon, Ziegler & Haldeman on Presidential Campaign and Press Relations

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I was asked this morning, excuse me.

I was asked this morning.

I was asked this morning about the voters.

I said it's difficult for me to even comprehend

If they're using, will they use my helicopter, or what will they do if they use another one?

They've got one up there.

Yes, sir.

And use that down here.

And I'll even treat 30 of them.

All right.

Mason Point, it's difficult for me to comprehend how the president is not in the White House.

That's what the president's doing in there.

What are you doing?

Sitting with him.

Congress in session.

Legislative decision.

that you spent your morning on and have to be, you know, the crisis.

That's right.

I made that point.

So I thought I'd say that.

But what rotor I understood...

Of course, we expect that you control your fundraising speeches today.

I may have got to treat the press on the trip a little rougher, or just to a standpoint.

But the assholes, I would pick up the brooms and all that sort of thing.

Well, we treated them pretty good.

What I meant is...

They don't very well.

What do they want me to do, go down and talk to those demonstrators?

Is that what they want?

Well, what they want, they don't know what they want.

They just, first of all, the attitude in the press corps is not negative.

I mean, Roeder is not negative.

They can pick up on that.

They have to have something to talk about.

Well, basically, what they want is a campaign.

Sure.

So that they can have a story.

Exactly.

They want a campaign, and they want controversy.

And they want to see you, and they want to have you in a position where you are responsible for the government and so forth.

That's right.

Answering him.

I mean, I think that's not the law.

We've got to just talk about something else.

But I think that, yes, sir, but I think that particular point, where they're looking for this so much, we should keep that in mind.

For example, they took those two statements that we put out and escalated that into a kind of confrontation.

I mean, that's... On the other hand, what do you want to do?

Say, no.

No, no, absolutely not.

So maybe you are so surprised.

Well, what I mean is, should we get it?

terms of a statement, two statements that we've released, however, they move that into a direct confrontation between you and the government, which shows that we should expect that, however, much more than in the future.

But I think what you're... Well, I think you're still...

to assess, I think, at Camp David, was to lay it out hard in the acceptance speech.

We did.

You were constantly reminded of that.

Right.

I'd say, all right, that's all they got.

And also, they asked about, what are his programs?

Read his 1971, 1972, and umpteen messages.

I had, if you want a book, fellas, here's an index.

And you can name any God-named program you want.

I've got a program out there of every interest.

On record, every issue there is.

Practically every issue.

But I suppose it's one of those things that you're never going to have.

It's a disgruntled press corps.

Well, but I don't want to mislead you on that.

The press corps is not disgruntled.

Well, the press corps is not disgruntled as a collective body.

That's why I flew back on a plane.

Not as a collective body, but they have to gossip.

You have to talk about why isn't the president out?

What's the strategy there?

What does it mean?

What problem does this pose to the government?

That's what we're facing now.

We're in a period where it is not a disgruntled press corps, but it's a press corps that is, as you pointed out earlier, would like to have a campaign, would like to have a conference.

Let me say this.

This week, Conley can't go.

He can't make his speech.

He's sick.

And I'm not going to go to Atlanta.

But I am very privately doing it, because I figured I should do just one before, I don't know, one of my phases.

I am planning to do an in-office at 3 o'clock on Thursday.

Now, it will not be a winner.

But it won't necessarily be a loser, because there will be no God in camera.

And we'll just sit in here and fly around with everything from the Jewish exit visas to the Green Deal, to the why don't you debate, whatever, and to Vietnam and the rest.

But on the other hand, they will have an opportunity to, my view is to give them a chance so that then you really, in effect, I don't want them to be able to say, rather than even see the price,

Take them off.

No, we do it now.

We'll run the first radio thing this week.

That was, we'd already planned that.

So you do a little press conference, you know, party around in here with the assholes, and then do a, try to parry the thing.

But then they won't have their chance.

And then they'll ask about the strategy of the campaign, should we be out debating, and so forth and so on.

So I covered, you understand, you realize that in that same committee press conference, I covered every dot dance, absolutely.

I had a covered debate, and I said, look, I just wouldn't like that.

But that's perfect, because it's catching off balance.

First of all, I was asked in a briefing this morning, well, does the President plan a press conference between now and November?

I said, well, gentlemen, when there's one scheduled, we'll let you know.

That's just my standard answer.

Well, I had that in mind, and frankly, I think it would be useful.

I don't have anything else to do.

And then, also, it...

In the sense that, I'll let you know.

In the sense that, I mean, I've answered all the damn questions.

All the best.

I don't know.

You know, they don't respect me.

The assholes are kind of wobbling in here.

See, they're built, you can see, I mentioned to the president, real negative attitude permeating the press corps, but it's not.

He says it isn't, there is negative in the press corps, it is.

But it's getting a little antsy.

I was asked about the press conference.

And I was asked a question about getting out.

So I had to get, you know, why it's not getting out.

On the other hand, let me say, I said, Rob, they can't have it both ways.

They can't say that I made hard-hitting political statements in California that I'm not answering.

You see what I mean?

So there, it shows you that we're up against it.

But I agree.

I think you're right.

You're right.

Don't give them a goddamn answer.

Where the hell was I signing?

He was signing an interim treaty.

He said it was campaign.

Yeah.

He said the only candidate who wasn't campaigning today was Sergeant Stryker.

And then he proceeded to run a five-minute film with Sergeant Stryker proving that the way to get on CBS is not to campaign.

Yeah, well, that's very positive.

Yeah, very.

Ron said it wrong.

No, he was.

No, no, no, no, no.

Ron said it was you.

He said, see, he has a tendency.

all of all of the things that would be available and then put him on he says he doesn't come across so i completely agree with ronald that what they were doing no absolutely not because they picked a good thing sure but the third day the thursday press conference would just take these guys off balance and fuse them again and i think that happened for a long time and also let's hear your president

But they will not be able to do anything but admire the people doing it, even though they will resent it.

Your ability not to confront McGovern, because it drives him up the wall.

Sure.

I'm not going to say anything.

Now, when that press conference, you were watching it all.

But that's him in a way, though.

He's never been with us before.

I don't know much about him for years.

And also, don't let the people around here get all disturbed by us.

You've got to remember, the people that are writing this and the press that are not writing this, to help us.

Because they know what we're doing is working.

Look at that picture of the signing of that treaty.

Those papers were spectacular.

It was a hell of a picture.

Did they use any?

No, they absolutely didn't.

Sure did.

What's tomorrow?

I'll see you.

Nixon, Ziegler & Haldeman on Presidential Campaign and Press Relations

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on October 2, 1972

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