Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 829-032
Date: Tuesday, January 2, 1973 at 11:46 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Bull, Stephen B.
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/829-032

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:06] I mean, this is not a funeral.
[0:10] It's a memorial service.
[0:41] Would you want to meet with this leadership group prior to meeting with the Mansfields or Calgary?
[1:14] I was just like, I don't know, I'll work it out myself.
[1:17] And this, the plans for this should go forward, and that would be kind of the other thing.
[1:23] The plan is for a tuition-price literacy, like Marcia was saying.
[1:28] Would you be receptive to the idea of expanding it to, I don't care how big of a name it is, I'm sure it's been, to the free organization, finding two courses, and that would probably save
[1:41] some of your time for the long run, as long as they're going to be able to tackle that issue.
[1:45] Make it 830.
[1:47] All right.
[1:47] Do you want to see the people who have been invited?
[1:58] This does include Proxmire and
[2:12] I'm talking with Nick Rui on the phone right now regarding some of the numbers there.
[2:17] Give us a way of saying, well, there are different ways of looking at it.
[2:21] You see, all Washington masses, I'm afraid, are going to be appointed to represent some countries.
[2:26] So if you have the darn perception, why don't we ask you this?
[2:31] How many people who have traveled from abroad have asked you,
[2:38] asked the State Department if it could be arranged so that we gave something for only those who were attending the general and traveling abroad.
[2:49] That was going to be, that's what I was going to take up with Nick.
[2:52] There were approximately 16 of those right now.
[2:55] That's all there was.
[2:56] What our concern was, was that if we had a reception for some of the resident ambassadors of all the countries, they all started pointing
[3:05] Right now, that's all we have.
[3:07] If you wanted to have a reception for those 16 or 17 people, probably get up to about 20, 22 by the time Friday rolls around.
[3:34] that the State Department can host something of an entire diplomatic corps, including those people, those ambassadors who have been designated as official representatives.
[3:43] We could even have Rui seat those people together with the diplomatic corps, and then that solves that problem.
[3:50] And then you just handle the visitors from out of the country.
[3:56] Are we going to reject the entire thing and consider it a memorial service?
[4:02] Let them go ahead with their plans to save the Vice President and Secretary of State hosting it.
[4:08] To save the plan the way they're setting it up right now.
[4:15] Let's put it in the state to begin with.
[4:17] It's because of the low order of people that are coming.
[4:20] So I will not be the receptionist.
[4:23] The protocol department over there, I don't know how much staff you want to replace in the room.
[4:28] I was very greatly surprised that Kissinger came in with the recognition to have any sort of reception for him.
[4:34] That's what I thought.
[4:35] Kissinger is always a damn rocker.
[4:37] I thought he was inappropriate.
[4:38] He's fine with the state of mind, but that's not what the whole point is.
[4:42] The point is that I'm just afraid I'm going to get too many names.
[4:48] I want you to go back into the...
[4:57] I just cannot expand beyond these heads of state.
[5:01] You see what I mean?
[5:02] I said it.
[5:06] Yeah.
[5:07] All right.
[5:07] I'll find out.
[5:07] You see, I'm not going to go to the board of ministers.
[5:10] That's the point, Steve.
[5:11] That's what they've done to get through the day.
[5:15] Give me a list of the board of ministers.
[5:17] I have to go down here.