Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 817-003
Date: Thursday, November 30, 1972 at 8:34 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Woods, Rose Mary; Monzon, Zosimo T.; Bull, Stephen B.
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/817-003
National Archives Catalog: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/417181947 (NAID 417181947)

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:01] That's another new backup for you.
[0:04] I'll tell you what you do.
[0:10] Find all of the silver pens that I've got.
[0:17] There may be one on the desk over there.
[0:21] There may be one here.
[0:26] Whatever they are, the points change.
[0:30] See, they're the best by far, the best ants, and I like them the best, except that the points that wear out, they go very fast because of the, you know, they don't take pressure.
[0:41] And the other points change, so that can happen.
[0:45] Maybe back on the wick they are, the points are okay, as far as the size.
[0:54] They're not large.
[0:56] Maybe that's part of the problem.
[0:58] Yeah, they're hard to get in.
[1:00] I think medium will be better.
[1:01] Medium points.
[1:02] Maybe that's the problem.
[1:44] I mentioned this in the past, I don't know if she did know it, and that they got me a bedside notebook.
[1:50] I remember, and we definitely did.
[1:55] Right, right, right.
[1:56] I need one, and you might have mentioned it to Tricia, that's the best way to get it in the summer when it's usually gone.
[2:06] I would like to have one again.
[2:20] You know what would be fine?
[2:32] It would be this way.
[2:39] Those little left angles that have a, that stick to the marker because then we've got to reach it.
[2:56] Now, if there are, may I say this, maybe, I don't have that exact one, but I guess we need one with a stronger paper, this shape, even that doesn't matter.
[3:09] You can check around and see whether there's some spikes or anything.
[3:14] And then if they fall, I need them anyway, because I use notepads a great deal.
[3:20] You don't like the little ones they use, like on a pad?
[3:22] That's too small, isn't it?
[3:25] They're too small, yeah.
[3:26] The ones in the captain's table are too small.
[3:30] I need a size about that or slightly bigger so that I can write it.
[3:38] That size is fine.
[3:39] And hers was probably a little too heavy to take, but it's all right.
[3:43] It's better than any I can see.
[3:45] You know, they don't make many things like that because most of them make those up extensively.
[3:51] But one about this size would be fine.
[3:59] Yes.
[4:00] Maybe Becker's might have it.
[4:01] I'll go look at Becker's, and I can't wait to look for it.
[4:03] Why don't you go look for it?
[4:06] I'll go look for three of those.
[4:30] It's a great thing.
[4:31] It's a great client, but it worked out to be very good.
[4:36] And it's a special guest of mine, which they should do.
[4:39] In fact, she's in the University of Southern Oklahoma.
[4:43] She's also staying with Shabbat.
[4:48] And...
[4:50] It's a big group that I'm so sure I can pray.
[4:52] John Wayne is going to be a grand marshy.
[4:55] And I have built.
[4:55] She's exactly the right man.
[4:57] If I had been the man in the car with her, then of course.
[5:00] Well, that isn't right.
[5:01] She should get the honors.
[5:02] She's not going to spend the period over there.
[5:04] I mean, she should be paid for it.
[5:11] She should spend it.
[5:14] She should help all the relatives and the jobs.
[5:16] I'll let you guys have a good chat in California.
[5:21] Isn't this a sad thing?
[5:25] It is.
[5:27] Well, Father told me that Firestone was going to entertain the men who had given the most and then make a pitch for Bob, I think.
[5:36] Maybe not a pitch for Bob.
[5:38] I just know that he's going to declare that.
[5:40] Whatever it is for Bob, you know, I'm all for it.
[5:44] All for it.
[5:45] I know.
[5:46] Well, he's fine.
[5:47] He's all right.
[5:48] I told Pat I'm already going to be at Camp David.
[5:50] I should be bringing her up there, but it's all right.
[5:55] But you're going to go by that California when I understand, right?
[5:58] Yes, yes.
[5:59] I'll come that time.
[6:00] I'll just come down and do it.
[6:01] I've got to be at Camp David all week next week.
[6:05] Of course, she's coming back for Christmas.
[6:09] Rosebud, we're going to see if Jack is with her.
[6:11] And that he will come and pop it up there.
[6:16] And if so, I will, what I will do is just move my sight of being here.
[6:23] And I'll just get the hell out of there.
[6:27] Because I'm not going to go through, I'm not going to expose myself.
[6:40] Does it have been changed?
[6:42] Yes, it was, sir.
[6:48] Yes.
[6:48] Oh, good.
[6:48] Thank you.
[6:53] Well...
[6:54] Okay.
[6:54] And, and... For them to announce, you know, it's a goddamn shame, Rose.
[6:57] Knowing that this time, I mean, they can't... Knowing that this time it really would be a crime.
[7:03] And for them to announce that they're going to bust it at the White House, it is mind-boggling.
[7:21] I just don't worry about it.
[7:23] Whichever way they play it, you just do the opposite.
[7:30] Just don't let them take up your time.
[7:34] They go up there, you come down here.
[8:00] And have them all have a drink.
[8:01] And then they can walk the hell out over to the other place you see them.
[8:05] Go to the other place and have their dinner.
[8:09] And I'll get on the helicopter and call them if you need me.
[8:21] Okay.
[8:22] Very good.
[8:22] I really think it's going to mean a lot more, even though some of the most of the men have to be in the White House than they used to go to the Blair House on the
[8:32] You know, I've got a bad defense.
[8:36] She's going to have the kitchen man come back.
[8:39] They're going to break her arm.
[8:45] They're going to put the kitchen in the lunch.
[9:14] Did she ever approve of the kitchen mask?
[9:16] She did, didn't she?
[9:17] That's done.
[9:17] Is that all done now?
[9:20] Well, it was approved, so I assume it's done.
[9:22] And I also do the upstairs, third floor, do it over, make it nice.
[9:31] It's horrible the way the Johnson's are there.
[9:36] It's unbelievably bad.
[9:38] It was gross.
[9:41] Because it isn't anything.
[9:42] It looks just like you'd see in Texas, but they have no taste on it.
[9:47] And so I just said, you know, let's use that.
[9:51] You see, we use it to eat in the West Hall.
[9:53] That'll give, for example, if I'm using it, if Pat and I are using it, the kids can go up there.
[9:59] Julie often has guests, and they can use that.
[10:02] Or on occasion, I can go up there, and when Pat's busy, I'm going to go to the ball game.
[10:09] Okay.
[10:42] So I was thinking, what we would do would be to go to Florida or California for Christmas.
[10:49] And then a thought occurred to me that we'd be right in the fire again because we have all the relatives in the grounds.
[10:57] Now, as far as the relatives are concerned, I'm not worried about that because they're all coming to the inauguration virtually, you know?
[11:08] And so they'll be there.
[11:09] Well, thank you for having us on holiday today.
[11:11] I know that, frankly speaking, we've gone and we've got a hell of a problem with him and so forth.
[11:19] We're just not going to have a dad or mother.
[11:22] We've got the crown, so, you know, we've got to be around that dad track over and over again.
[11:26] So I think we want to stay, I'm going to stay with Florida, so I've got to work anyway.
[11:43] I don't know.
[11:48] I can find out.
[11:50] I don't know.
[11:52] I can find out.
[12:15] Right.
[12:15] Right.
[12:16] Right.
[12:43] You underlined a lot of the letter from Gabe Howie, but you didn't say anything about it when I came back.
[12:50] Nothing on tape.
[12:50] Did you have any thoughts about it?
[12:52] No, I didn't.
[12:54] Just ignore it.
[12:55] I mean, I think he was on top of it.
[12:56] I think you had to do something to it.
[12:59] Yeah, I know what it was.
[13:01] I guess you did.
[13:02] Just giving a letter, ignoring that part, or just thanking him for suggesting it?
[13:07] Yeah.
[13:07] I just, I always appreciated his very wise and his, appreciated his, well, get the ones, the one that I wrote you before.
[13:22] He's written about me, you know.
[13:25] Yeah.
[13:25] He didn't like the controls policy.
[13:26] He didn't like the Vietnam policy.
[13:29] No, we can answer it.
[13:30] I just didn't know whether you were answering it.
[13:31] I can't believe it.
[13:33] So this is no surprise.
[13:35] There's not a letter.
[13:36] Yes.
[13:36] I understand that, I know why you sent it in, but that's the point is that I'm quite aware that in Gabe's case, the others, I could get a warm-up, but on this one I'm just not going to go to the grave, because it was a special action request.
[13:52] I've never received a letter from one of them at that time.
[13:56] Okay.
[13:56] I'm worried about that, because I'm concerned with so many people's lives.
[14:01] Tony Rossi called me in today.
[14:03] Yeah.
[14:03] And he wanted to make sure that all of your clothes were in order for the inauguration, because they closed the week of Christmas.
[14:10] And he thought if you could look before so he could, if there is anything you need, you know, that.
[14:15] Oh, there aren't any.
[14:17] You sure?
[14:18] We're not going to use any.
[14:20] No, but he just meant every day.
[14:22] Not the right time.
[14:23] Not the right time.
[14:24] They're the same.
[14:25] They're the same.
[14:33] But he figured they were all right, but you know, he is the nicest man.
[14:37] He does so many nice things for us.
[14:39] Yes, he is.
[14:40] Better bring him to school.
[14:41] Still alive, but you know, some days he's with us, some days not.
[14:46] Yeah, I know that they say it's never-ending.
[14:51] Now, the music boxes that you like, she thinks she can make them as low as $125.
[14:56] It may go a little bit above that.
[14:59] And we have... $5,000.
[15:02] We have different combinations of songs, which I think you ought to look at songs or music, but I don't think you can see the tools there.
[15:11] Let me just take a look at the floor.
[15:16] She's going to have to ask us.
[15:18] She's going to have to ask us.
[15:26] Yes, she's got it.
[15:28] Well, it is hard to read, because we're going to have to turn it in.
[15:33] Do you want some of those for Christmas or for inauguration, or just to get some on hand?
[15:45] She thought she could get some for Christmas.
[15:49] So they have to know what songs we want on there.
[15:57] Well, at that price, I think we'll buy one of you.
[16:09] But you would stop, maybe, I don't know if you meant for Christmas, but if not originally, you would stop at like Pat's Brothers.
[16:15] You know, I'm very happy to be virtually covered with other of these things.
[16:20] Yeah.
[16:21] Well, it's just a gift, not actually a thing on their boat, the type of deal.
[16:27] Well, very, very, very, very big contributors, like, well, basically, you've got about 10 contributors, 500,000 or more.
[16:37] And they ought to really get something special.
[16:40] I mean, other than this.
[16:43] And I think, like, speaking of them, that's John O'Keefe and John Rawlings and Flintstone.
[16:50] They've stayed.
[16:52] You know what I mean?
[16:53] Yeah.
[16:54] The Smiths.
[16:54] I know the group.
[16:55] Well, I know all of them.
[16:56] Well, there's two people about 500, 500 and above.
[17:06] So I was thinking that maybe I better, I've got to meet with John this morning, so I better, tell me this, if I got the list done, I'll work on it.
[17:19] Send it back up today, tomorrow.
[17:21] Sure, that's fine.
[17:22] Oh yeah.
[17:22] Or do you want it today?
[17:25] No, no, tomorrow's fine.
[17:26] You get the list to me and then let me, because I have this thing I kind of like to think about.
[17:32] That's what I wanted to send it down.
[17:34] And could she do...
[17:36] Because if I may do some in one type and some in another, in other words, for the board, I guess I might want to have more classical stuff for American.
[17:45] Oh, yes, you can have them in.
[17:46] Any of these go in.
[17:47] It's just those are the ones that came up with that style.
[17:51] Well, they were cheap today to pick that out of the context.
[17:54] Great, great number.
[17:55] I'm sorry to be, you know, I might put some in there.
[18:00] Well, I'll do that one thing.
[18:02] There's a nice one that I'll put in there.
[18:04] I'll just share it with John next time.
[18:08] How are you?
[18:10] You take that off.
[18:16] I've been in here for months before.
[19:01] Maybe you would.
[19:01] I would rather have it.
[19:06] We are part of this brother.
[19:08] There's a decision that a bullet with a hat on.
[19:48] Did you get ties while you were in New York?
[19:51] Did you want to have a club for 10 grand from now?
[19:54] I did.
[19:55] They had another one in that box.
[19:57] So let's leave it there.
[19:58] I don't want them to come down now because they all see what they found.
[20:05] And after Christmas, if I don't think I have things that I can use to do an article on that.
[20:13] The only other thing, can I just take your call one day with Pedro Bell, Tom?
[20:17] Yeah.
[20:18] He'll be in New York for two weeks, and he did not want to go to the regular channel.
[20:23] He wondered if it would be possible if he could have just seen a 12-minute video.
[20:29] Now, Frank is only asking us if we can go back to Frank and say it's impossible, but he didn't know how to do that.
[20:34] I'll say that I would be delighted to see Matt at the inauguration, but I cannot see him now.
[20:40] He's a great guy, a great friend of ours.
[20:44] I can see it then.
[20:48] Okay, and I think Should I tell Frank, did Frank go along with it, did he tell Frank?
[21:00] Oh, hell yes.
[21:02] Yeah, I know him very well.
[21:13] Able man, I'd love to see him, but I just can't right now.
[21:18] That's why he's wanting to see me, you know, he's probably- Yeah, he doesn't want to see anybody.
[21:32] I'll see you in a week, see.
[21:33] It's gonna be announced tomorrow.
[21:47] Okay, that's good.
[21:53] All right.
[22:10] Yeah, I'd like to have it over at the P.O.P.
[22:15] That's a nice place.
[22:17] Oh, and I have a beautiful gold that was small, but it's called Goldbrook.
[22:29] Oh.
[22:29] That's beautiful, thanks.
[22:31] We've got the office up there fixed up nice.
[22:38] She cursed, and on the fake gifts as well, there isn't any word to put it on that.
[22:46] Fake gifts are the most magnificent thing that ever snowballed.
[22:49] The vice presidential gifts make that D.O.V.
[22:51] look great, Rose.
[22:53] And those fake gifts, you've seen them, I'm sure.
[22:57] Where did she go?
[22:57] She went, she's going back.
[22:58] Where did she go?
[22:59] She's coming back.
[23:00] She told me that you've suggested it, and she's glad.
[23:03] Yes.
[23:07] So as you see, I'm getting that up to putting on a hell of a lot of stuff.
[23:12] We're not going to do that, but we put on a lot of parties.
[23:14] And some people, you know, people can come roaring through there and see the decorations.
[23:22] run it at night a little bit more and investigate as much.
[23:25] I mean, I say we'll attend some, but that's unusual.
[23:28] But I'd like the press, I'd like to do the press party, let them all do it themselves.
[23:32] But we've got to do, say, the people in the staff.
[23:34] I mean, I say, when the house is so great.
[23:36] Yes.
[23:36] Let me see.
[23:58] We are, uh... As you know, we're having, like, Don's urgent work.
[24:10] Evelyn, too, working on the inauguration.
[24:13] Oh, God, I know.
[24:14] Her daughter's working on it.
[24:15] And now her daughter's... Evelyn has just, she'll just have everything.
[24:19] Something that won't even be reasonable.
[24:23] I know, for the van, she...
[24:26] Did he?
[24:27] Yeah.
[24:28] And his shirt was all over.
[24:29] Well, you shouldn't pay.
[24:31] They can't afford to come back to you, okay?
[24:56] But Roberta's daughter has purchased it.
[24:58] Eddie is already ready for Roberta's daughter.
[25:00] Is Eddie working on things?
[25:01] Eddie is.
[25:01] Is Roberta working on anything?
[25:04] He's not going to come back here, but he has Ned tell him to take on Roberta's daughter and his secretary, and they're paid as well.
[25:11] What is Ned working on?
[25:14] God, he's great.
[25:15] Quite an evil law.
[25:16] And Eddie is going to work with him, but Eddie's not coming back here, and the two of them work together.
[25:21] Well, I think Eddie is in charge of the Nixon family.
[25:26] That's right.
[25:28] But Eddie and Pat and Ed have talked.
[25:31] And Eddie has... Oh, is Roberta working with them?
[25:34] Well, because Ed asked her to.
[25:38] Do you want it?
[25:39] Ed asked her because Don embraced it.
[25:42] Well, it's not Ed.
[25:43] It's Roberta.
[25:43] It's Ed's done it.
[25:45] Ed has... Well, then maybe that's...
[25:46] He's secretary from the campaign.
[25:49] And Roberta Jones.
[25:51] And then Ned Sullivan, who's going to work with them.
[25:54] And then they come back and forth a couple times.
[25:58] That's another part of it, yeah.
[26:03] All those cousins, kids, and everybody, they're all assigned to cousins.
[26:07] That's what I think.
[26:08] And I think we should get a letter out and get the same thing out.
[26:12] Some of the cousins on both sides are a little bit much.
[26:17] Some of Pat's are too.
[26:19] Oh, Christ.
[26:20] That one was super huge off at the Irish Jake.
[26:23] And of course, Pat also, well, you know, those cousins, those victims.
[26:27] But none of them have ever done it.
[26:29] Everybody's got bad answers.
[26:31] We don't care.
[26:33] They're big night, and I've got that ready for them.
[26:36] But on the other hand, the family this time is going to get to the second place.
[26:40] They had it before.
[26:41] This time, by God, the word is going to get to the people who contributed to the people.
[26:48] This is what I can tell them.
[26:50] The family cannot all think they're going to be in everything.
[26:54] No, no.
[26:54] And even, you know, the basic heroes, we've got to take care of them.
[26:58] Maury Sands has given me a lesson, you know, a long, long lesson.
[27:02] And of course, Mark McGregor's given me a hell of a list.
[27:07] And of course, John Connery's given me a very big list.
[27:11] And he should.
[27:13] And of course, and so's Peter Grant.
[27:16] See, now I've got to take care of the new friends.
[27:20] At least the family just can't come back and exist because many of them have really just hung on.
[27:27] They haven't really done a lot.
[27:30] Would you like to leave the country?
[27:35] Well, you don't stay there all the time.
[27:59] Does Louise's daughter have it now?
[28:00] No, she had to resign it.
[28:02] Who's done it?
[28:02] I don't know.
[28:03] I don't think it's been appointed, but I don't know.
[28:05] Let me see.
[28:07] Is he ever allowed to park on the way?
[28:10] Yeah, he's fine.
[28:11] He's passed second because he's fine on the way.
[28:14] Then they checked out.
[28:17] Yeah, you know, we went through that.
[28:20] I guess everybody agreed that if Eddie next could be here, it's a nice hand holder and so forth, it would be great.
[28:27] But we can't do it.
[28:29] He can't even be a White House employee, can he?
[28:31] Oh, listen.
[28:31] I had John Deacon.
[28:34] John Deacon's worked the law there in which way.
[28:38] He can't be a White House employee.
[28:40] He can't be an employee of the agency.
[28:42] He can't be a damn thing.
[28:43] That's the way it is.
[28:44] See, here the issue is that, you know, people are right here in the airport.
[28:47] I just think we might have to employ the foundation.
[28:52] Why not?
[28:56] Because he, apparently, was a hell of a hit.
[28:58] He was a big man at the top of his campaign.
[29:00] I heard that from so many people.
[29:01] And, you know, he didn't get through to people.
[29:06] Well, he's a very patient soul.
[29:09] Like his mother.
[29:10] Right.
[29:10] He is.
[29:10] He's very much like his mother.
[29:15] And people immediately sense that he's such a decent man.
[29:18] And you probably know he's had a lot of time with Melanie.
[29:27] He called for me and I had some people with me.
[29:56] And he said to me, he said to the operator, well, just tell her she'd better get on that phone or I won't be responsible.
[30:03] So I said to the operator, you're just connecting with this early one dog.
[30:08] And, you know, I had to be on it.
[30:10] Did you hear him say that?
[30:13] The operator told me that she kept coming back to me and probably said, he's so bad.
[30:21] I think he's really starting out.
[30:22] He's got such a high-fiving idea of himself.
[30:25] They think, earlier when I was looking into it, they think there's a chemical problem.
[30:39] There's something.
[30:40] There's a chemical problem which makes him over-hyperactive.
[30:45] If they get to 42, maybe they're getting related.
[30:49] but they don't usually.
[30:50] Did you mention it to them?
[30:52] I said if you could get some of them, but I don't mind putting it into that store.
[30:58] So you just buy them, because I can use two of them.
[31:01] I can use two, see.
[31:02] And that would be great.
[31:04] And $10,000 contribution to that.
[31:20] Okay.