Nixon, Haldeman & Bull on National Prayer Breakfast and Public Relations

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Well, a lot of things.

He's, uh, he says he's ready to move, you know, to take it to the right place at the right time.

He's got a lot of possibilities.

He's got a lot of opportunities.

So, they've been moving around a bit.

We can give all kind of analysis we want about the, you know, the house and all the rest.

And, you know, there's not many pieces and so forth and so on.

But you've always got to measure a man against you, who is up against you.

And, as you see in comedy, there's a potential present in these kinds of things.

You've got to hit the shoulder top.

You mentioned that on some of his children.

He's a damn leader.

I'm sure mostly it's impulsing the rest.

But on the other hand, what needs to be done just to get him to be able to change is to start working with him on some of the stuff that he ought to start building up a staff.

He ought to start putting the thing together that

He's got to build himself a guy that'll run it.

And he's a manager.

He really does.

He'll need it as president.

He's got to have somebody that, you know, runs at least Miami.

So it's not a guy that can take the overall stuff.

He'd be better than Steve to share maps.

He doesn't have the self-discipline.

He does talk to lots of people in that comment.

Yes, and that's good.

He loves it.

He likes that comment.

He's a strong person around people who say, God, that won't work.

See, I basically...

a very cautious operator.

I think true.

The other guy might be Tom Johnson.

In some ways, it's trying to be any senator.

We can't get Tom Johnson.

The Dallas, in the LA Times' paper, the Dallas paper, is going to go on as executive editor, which is

He wants to stay down there.

He feels he's better off outside.

For now, at least.

Let me ask you one thing.

I looked over this program and it was too long.

It's not bad.

I just want to read a 10-minute speech.

It's about 100 words.

The way that's set up, the younger you are, the better off you are.

I just wondered if we could, I suppose, as the speeches are written now in terms of calling for reconciliation and all that sort of thing, I don't have an opinion, I don't think you're wrong about this, but I'm just not comfortable doing that.

I understand, I don't let my prejudices...

So sometimes they're wrong.

I know John Seals and sometimes they're wrong.

But this is something I just have a gut reaction about.

I am more heartbroken than any of you can on this.

Calling for reconciliation.

It's up to them to reconcile, not up to you.

You know what I thought I might do, Mr. Franklin?

I was just going to say that the way it went is to say that many people have suggested to me that one of the most moving things in relation to the

of religious observance of the ceasefire was the five minutes of silent prayer.

And it's been suggested that that, at this particular prayer breakfast, would be more appropriate than addressing the President.

And I'd ask you to join me in five minutes of silent prayer.

How do I just do that?

I think it would be a real good way to play back to humbleness, because a lot of people have seen it.

It ties you back to your peace.

I'd say this is a time when our own thoughts are maybe more important than what someone else says to us.

You know, I'm playing sick and I'm a little better.

I think he'd be sensational.

They're all sitting there babbling, you know, he just kind of flips it to them.

I'll say during his period, I'd suggest that a lot of campers, I'm pretty sure that some carvers come out there and smack their campers.

Well, I come back to the reconciliation.

I think everybody else will be saying that anyway.

I'm sure Arthur Burns, he's the speaker, he'll talk about reconciliation.

There's so much crap in that program anyway that it bugs those people to sit there and be quiet.

Is that a hell of a good idea?

It makes sense on this side.

All right.

Let me just add something.

We have the luncheon.

Is he going to stay up there?

That's a Saturday night.

He's coming back.

He's not staying up Friday night, at least.

He's going up this night.

He's not spending the night.

He's going up for the afternoon and for dinner.

Is that correct?

He's still laying on that end.

I would say so.

They'll go up and you'll meet me after and then you're going to go to his cabin and get refreshed for dinner and all that.

You can take a walk or whatever you want and meet your dad.

I want you to have this little secretary on here.

Is there a call in argument's appeal and asking for a quotation that he uses about Carlisle and silence is the ultimate thing with integration to ideas are mixed.

It's, it's a long horse line, but I want the exact quote he was often using, it's, you know, silences, they, if you get my point, this is, I can't get an argument, it's a video that one of these little boys over here works with a lot of, you know, with the books, you know, a lot of my, aren't it?

Silences would be awesome, wouldn't they?

It is, as you can see, it's a field quote, he uses that sentence quite often.

I didn't prepare it for this morning, I didn't need it tonight, aren't it?

Okay, that's it.

You know, Colson makes an interesting point, which I'd like you to consider in terms of this press conference.

First, he approved of the idea.

He thought it was a good idea to do this in the press room and not in here.

And as I say, we shall wait and see.

I don't think it was any harm.

Let me put it this way.

Television is the name of the game.

And you're going to get more or twice as much on television by doing it from there than you would in this room.

Correct?

You've got five minutes on ABC.

All right.

Yeah.

Which, you know, eclipses you quite a bit.

You used the opening thing on Mr. Churchill.

And they used the, did they get it in the turn for the rest of their days?

I'm not sure.

I didn't see it.

Oh, they're just going to run down.

They used the impounding, right?

And some people get down.

Yeah, I'm asking.

I'm joking.

Sometimes I'm walking.

And you see impounding and the gist of it.

That's what we're doing.

All right.

Those are three good presidential speeches, actually.

But the point that Paulson makes is that really the press converts for the Q&A is my best method of communicating, which is why I said that Roosevelt's actually .

Roosevelt told Sapphire, and he said, that's President Roosevelt's firefly chapter next month.

if we think that is the case close to some of my killers he thinks we're coming to him during the night his crime can be done on the bottom of the 7th area I just feel more comfortable in 7th area I think it's very never been 7th area's been held by a lot of people but nevertheless if he did I think that the uh

I think the combination, the best combination, is this.

And I can do the same thing when I'm just out in San Clemente and I'm standing out there in front of the crease again and I'm back away at the end, making the evening business, which is a lot.

And then do the prime timer, not prime timer, or 730, which is close to prime time, about once every two months.

I do it four or five times a year, and I think that's all.

Four or five times a year, right?

There's not really enough on that one.

But I would argue that you ought to do one or maybe two prime time.

And you need to do it each year, too, where you really get the big audience.

Because the audience difference is enormous.

Whether you do it prime time or not.

The way around that is to do a 730 in California, where you do it prime time early.

I don't mean this trip, but I mean, how's it going?

Do it out west instead of doing it here.

Do it out west instead of 30 million, 10, 30 back here, which is, I'm going to crank.

Damn good.

But also, I'm going to crank out from the three people.

Which is better?

Okay, that may be better.

If you have all three.

Maybe better.

But then...

You know, we have great arguments about that, you know, we want our own people something that's the best in something, but each of us, and the answer is that nobody really knows which is best, and then probably one, then probably there isn't an answer to which is best.

One is best for some people on some points, and the other is best for other people on other points.

Therefore, you have to go above and do it in the short run.

No, we're not going to have it.

Do we have, uh, the, the, uh, the disruptors?

Yeah, the rifle?

Uh, yes, sir.

I don't know.

Not five minutes.

Well, when is the prayer breakfast over?

We should do that at 9.15.

You have about a half an hour.

I can't get back.

Forty-five minutes.

That's all.

And it's also nice to see you prior to the meeting.

Thanks.

Well, you'll have to go through the books on the evening and go into Henry now and say, I only have the time to read it.

I want it down to the least amount that I have to read it.

I have no time to read the books.

So that's why I want to take everything out and everything I don't need to see.

All right.

We'll get that done.

Nixon, Haldeman & Bull on National Prayer Breakfast and Public Relations

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on January 31, 1973

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