Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 843-004
Date: Friday, January 26, 1973 at 8:27 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Ziegler, Ronald L.
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/843-004

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:07] I don't think we'll have sound.
[0:12] Unless you feel that you... We don't want to have a stand-up mic, but we could have the directional mic thing that I wanted to raise up with you.
[0:29] I wouldn't have
[0:41] If you're going to say something, I wouldn't have it.
[0:43] Well, I'm not going to say much except that I haven't said it previously to the greatest people in the world.
[0:49] But I was like, but I think the place for it is the leaders of our community.
[0:52] That's what we're doing.
[0:53] Right.
[0:54] But I think you're saying you can do that and have that another role.
[0:59] Yeah.
[0:59] We'll take the press in the far end, the far side, the fireplace end, and have a writing pool press there.
[1:05] Have a writing pool press and the cameras with the shoulder harness with those directional mics that can pick that up.
[1:12] Okay?
[1:17] I'd like to get your permission, Mr. President, to have Jerry talk to Time Magazine to put them straight on a story that relates to a fellow by the name of Angelo DiCarlo, who you can get at his sentencing of six months to live.
[1:38] And there's a
[1:44] that he's tied in with Frank Sinatra and the vice president and all this.
[1:49] It's not a...
[1:50] I understand.
[1:51] But his sentence was commuted because he has six months to live.
[1:55] And it was commuted.
[1:56] I just talked to John about it.
[1:58] I strictly understood it because of compassionate reasons.
[2:02] And the vice president, Frank Sinatra, no one talked to anyone about it.
[2:06] And I'd like to get that word... Why do we have to advise him?
[2:10] Why do you say that?
[2:14] Well, OK, we can do that.
[2:19] See, they have a query in the ear.
[2:26] From the White House standpoint, because you didn't commute the sentence, I'd like to get the quote out.
[2:29] It was recommended by the pardon attorney and the attorney
[2:37] And there was no knowledge, whatever, of any interest, quite frankly.
[2:42] Right.
[2:43] Not to the Vice President or anybody else.
[2:45] I'd just like to put that pressure against him, but I didn't want to do it until I checked with you.
[2:49] Just on this one thing, and I'll let you know.
[2:51] Are you up for an accessory to having police in Henry?
[2:56] Good.
[2:57] I think very good.
[2:58] He talked at work, sir.
[3:10] How is he?
[3:11] He's, he's, uh, Bernie Wordsman is a funny guy.
[3:14] Bernie Wordsman, if he feels secure in the information he has and knows he has, you know, a good, good relationship, he'll play ball.
[3:23] Where Bernie Wordsman has gone, Bernie Wordsman is basically a good newsman whore.
[3:29] And if he, he'll play any, he'll play anything.
[3:31] He's not, he's not philosophically hung up.
[3:33] Like most of those types of people.
[3:40] What did Henry get to him, they say?
[3:41] He snuck it out.
[3:41] See, Bernie Burtman, when he calls in...
[3:47] The only thing that I see is that it was the Times, of course, that was going way out on the line.
[3:49] Henry did the whole thing, all that sort of thing, and I was thinking that may have been a result of his talk with Burtman.
[4:03] Henry doesn't deliver the credit, but what he does is the way he talks.
[4:08] Of course, I...
[4:13] to florida on a plane henry has about three tv requests from all three networks one way to get henry locked into a straight story is let him do one of these because he's not about to go on nationwide television in an interview and say i did it all and once he does that publicly in that type of setting well but the the breaking over the eos
[4:44] It was, you know, the people were wondering about the protocols and all that type of thing.
[4:49] Can we ever get him to say the right thing?
[4:51] I think we can.
[4:52] He knows it, but you're not.
[4:54] I think we can.
[4:54] Well, then can we get somebody to get like, I would do it with Howard Smith.
[4:59] Howard Smith.
[5:00] Ask the right question.
[5:01] We have three requests.
[5:02] Which I'm going to ask you.
[5:04] No, no, no.
[5:04] This is all part of time.
[5:07] Who?
[5:07] Howard K. Smith wants to do a 15-minute interview.
[5:11] Barbara Walters wants to do an interview with him, which she would use in a special.
[5:16] But CBS, ironically enough, has offered the best time.
[5:20] They've offered prime time, hour, or half an hour, whichever we would agree to, for an interview with Henry.
[5:28] Now, one of the things, one of the advantages of CBS... Well, this is the thing.
[5:34] Cal was doing it.
[5:35] Barbara and Cal were doing it.
[5:37] Now... Well, but I don't...
[5:39] Here's the thing.
[5:41] When Henry is up against what he feels to be a strong, you know, adversary, I think Henry would perform better.
[5:52] And I also think that up against that type of setting, he would be forced through those responses to get the right line.
[6:01] Oh, I'm trying to get into the questions, I'm afraid.
[6:06] Well, is he called by the government?
[6:11] I just don't know if that's behind him.
[6:14] Yeah.
[6:15] Cal would come at him with those things, but I think Henry could not.
[6:17] Why not try to defend himself rather than trying to build what he should do to roll the president?
[6:22] That's what's really got to be done here, as you understand.
[6:24] Absolutely.
[6:25] That's the only thing.
[6:26] Well, that's what we're gearing up this weekend now to do that on all the shows.
[6:29] Sullivan's doing it out of Paris.
[6:31] We're going to be in touch with Sullivan out of Paris on Meet the Press.
[6:38] We've got... Well, at least there's some positive...
[6:41] Oh, absolutely.
[6:58] Sure.
[7:01] Well, we can, well, I don't like to say