Conversation 862-016

TapeTape 862StartFriday, February 23, 1973 at 12:57 PMEndFriday, February 23, 1973 at 1:37 PMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Volpe, John A.;  Kissinger, Henry A.;  Sanchez, Manolo;  Bull, Stephen B.Recording deviceOval Office

On February 23, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, John A. Volpe, Henry A. Kissinger, Manolo Sanchez, and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 12:57 pm to 1:37 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 862-016 of the White House Tapes.

Conversation No. 862-16

Date: February 23, 1973
Time: 12:55 pm – 12:57 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Henry A. Kissinger and John A. Volpe.

       Volpe’s visit
              -Report
                      -Kissinger
              -Relations with US

       US Ambassadors to Latin America
            -Brazil
                    -Leadership
                    -William M. Rountree
                            -Capabilities
                    -Volpe’s schedule
                            -Letters
            -Venezuela
            -Argentina
            -Brazil
                    -Air traffic control project
                            -Loss of contract
                            -Raytheon Corporation of Massachusetts
                            -Charlie Adams
                            -US firms
                            -French contract
                    -Reopening of negotiations
                            -Contract
                    -Growth potential
                            -Amazon River developments
                                    -Trans-Amazon highway
                                    -Volpe’s travel

Manolo Sanchez entered at an unknown time after 12:57 pm.
                                                    -30-

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                         Tape Subject Log
                                           (rev. Jan.-10)
                                                            Conversation No. 862-16 (cont’d)




       Message for Volpe

Sanchez left at an unknown time before 1:10 pm.

       Latin America
              -Brazil
                     -Importance
                            -Emilio Garrastazu
                                   -Visit by President
               -Mexico
                     -Luis Echevarria Alvarez
                            -Statements regarding US

       Volpe’s job as ambassador
              -Promotion of US

       Italy
               -Political situation

       European nations
             -Electoral politics
                     -Great Britain
                             -Election
                     -Greece
                     -Turkey
                     -Spain
                             -Socialist

       Italy
               -Economically oriented
               -Parties, Interests
               -Volpe’s task
                       -Ties to political parties
               -Party shifts
                       -Jeopardy
                                             -31-

                  NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. Jan.-10)
                                                             Conversation No. 862-16 (cont’d)



                     -Economic potential
                     -Ties to West
              -Support for Andreotti
              -Meeting with Andreotti, Christian Democratic Deputies, Industrialists
                     -Transportation Secretary
                             -Pride in US
                     -Italian history
              -Andreotti
                     -Stability
              -Congress of Christian Democrats
                     -Timing
                     -Fall of government
              -US position regarding Andreotti


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BEGIN WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1
[National Security]
[Duration: 22 s]

      ITALY

END WITHDRAWN ITEM NO. 1

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                     -Cautions
                             -Leaks
                             -Corruption
              -Reputation
                     -Industry, economy
                     -Politics
                     -Compared with Ancient Rome
                     -Industry
                     -Politics
                                            -32-

                    NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. Jan.-10)
                                                         Conversation No. 862-16 (cont’d)



                             -Leaders
                             -Bureaucracy
                                    -Volpe’s view

       Volpe’s role
              -Andreotti
                    -Meetings

       Prime Ministers
             -Cabinet
                     -Opposition party members
                            -Former prime ministers
             -[First name unknown] Ashburg [?]

       Kissinger's meeting with David K. E. Bruce
              -Timing
              -Meeting with the President
                     -Radio talk

       Charles G. ("Bebe") Rebozo
              -Business
              -Women

Kissinger left at 1:10 pm.

       Unknown woman
            -Foreign Service

       Volpe
               -Support for the President
               -Ambassadorship
                     -President’s achievements
                              -Vietnam
                              -Critics
                              -Prisoners of War [POWs]
                              -Impression
                                        -33-

            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                  Tape Subject Log
                                    (rev. Jan.-10)
                                                     Conversation No. 862-16 (cont’d)



       -Pride

State Department
       -European affairs
       -William P. Rogers
       -Walter J. Stoessel, Jr.
       -William J. Casey
       -Kenneth D. Rush

European Community
      -Volpe’s work
      -Year at Europe
      -Importance
      -Relations with US
              -Economic confrontation

Volpe’s job as ambassador

Peter G. Peterson
       -International monetary situation
       -Volpe’s request for reports
       -Travels
               -Italy, France

People’s Republic of China [PRC]
       -Navigation system
             -Kissinger’s letter to Volpe
             -Defense Department
             -Conflict
             -Usefulness
                      -Peace
             -Effect on US labor

Volpe’s meeting with George Meany
       -Work with Meany
              -Bill Driggs [?]
                                       -34-

            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. Jan.-10)
                                                     Conversation No. 862-16 (cont’d)



               -State Department
        -Free Labor Movement
               -Union cooperation
                       -Italy
                              -Communists
                              -Christian Democrats
                              -Numbers
                       -US policy

Poles
        -Businessman

US contacts abroad
      -Work with Volpe

News summary
      -Patrick J. Buchanan
      -Copy for Volpe
      -Diplomatic mails
              -Newspapers abroad
              -New York Times
              -Biases
              -Walter H. Annenberg

Ethnics
       -John A. Scali, Frank C. Carlucci
       -Ella T. Grasso
       -Poles
       -New American Majority
       -Michael P. Balzano
               -ACTION posting
               -Reputation

Volpe’s experience in business
       -Ethnics
              -Quotas
                                               -35-

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. Jan.-10)
                                                             Conversation No. 862-16 (cont’d)




Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 1:10 pm.

       President's schedule
              -Radio talk


Bull left at an unknown time before 1:37 pm.

       Volpe's job

       Ethnics
              -Commission of Food Advisory, other commissions
                      -Cost of Living Council [COLC]
              -Assistant to Volpe
                      -Support for Nixon
              -Staff appointments
                      -Blacks, Polish-Americans, Italian-Americans, Slavs

       President's administration
              -Credit for domestic problems
                      -Transportation, health
              -Long-range plans
                      -Congress
                              -President’s plans adopted
                                     -Airport
                                     -Speech
                      -Credit
              -John D. Ehrlichman's interview in US News and World Report
       Transportation Department [DOT]
              -Environment
                      -Achievements
                              -Expressway
                                     -Tennessee
              -Highway safety
                      -Lives saved
                                      -36-

            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                               Tape Subject Log
                                 (rev. Jan.-10)
                                                       Conversation No. 862-16 (cont’d)



              -Decline of auto deaths
              -Air bags
                     -General Motors, Ford Motor Corporation
              -Support
       -Railroads
              -Potential for nationalization
              -Northeast corridor
                     -Volpe's report
                     -Savings over highways
                     -Service to public
                              -Public-private corporation
                                      -AMTRAK
                                      -Subsidy
                     -Success
                     -Congressional relations

Public transportation
        -Budget
               -General funds
        -Claude S. Brinegar
               -Highway funds
               -Congressional relations

Volpe's experience
       -Bismark chief executive
       -Commission of Public Works
       -Governor
       -Cabinet officer service
               -Staff meeting
                       -President's statement
               -Cabinet officers
               -Staff in DOT
                       -John McReynolds
                       -Joseph A. Bosco
                       -John Cole
                       -[First name unknown] Russell
                                        -37-

            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. Jan.-10)
                                                    Conversation No. 862-16 (cont’d)




President’s call to Cabinet officers and families
       -Volpe’s son
               -Italian lessons
               -Work
               -Vacation

Staff members
       -Power
       -Attitudes

Congress members
      -Contacts with White House

Cabinet members
       -Support from President
             -Telephone calls
             -Encouragement

President’s travel plans
       -Europe
               -Timing
               -France
               -London
               -Germany
               -France, Italy

Europe
         -Length of trip
                -Difficulties
         -Compared with USSR, PRC
         -Italy
                -Timing
                -Election
                -Andreotti
                -Communists
                                      -38-

            NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                               Tape Subject Log
                                 (rev. Jan.-10)
                                                  Conversation No. 862-16 (cont’d)



                 -Socialists

Volpe’s report
       -Origin
       -Massachusetts

President’s image

Volpe
        -Role in Italian-American community

Scali
        -United Nations [UN]
               -Rebuilding
        -Recognition of Italian-Americans
               -Anglos
                      -Henry Cabot Lodge
                      -George H. W. Bush

Gifts
        -Cuff links
        -Ash trays
        -Golf balls
        -Presentation
        -Expense
        -Mementoes
        -Meeting with Andreotti

Giovanni Leone
      -Letter to President
              -Reply
      -Middle East
              -Role of Italians
                      -Role of Volpe, Andreotti

Volpe's weight
                                           -39-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

                                     Tape Subject Log
                                       (rev. Jan.-10)
                                                           Conversation No. 862-16 (cont’d)




       Volpe's return to US

Volpe left at 1:37 pm.

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

Get us out of here.
Get us out of here.
Get us out of here.
Get us out of here.
Get us out of here.
Get us out of here.
Get us out of here.
Get us out of here.
Get us out of here.
Get us out of here.
Get us out of here.
They kind of feel that, well, I guess you might say, in a sense, some of the types of people we sent down, just wonderful men.
They're tall, six foot six tall, they have these little jambles, you know, and you know, they brush the back of their hands and they say, you know, we're just little men, we're little guys.
So, you've got an ambassador around for me who's coming back from Brazil or being changed.
I would just like to recommend it if it is delayed, Mr. President.
I don't know, what do you find either?
But somebody who has a Latin temperament, who's warm.
I was in Brazil for three and a half days, and I've gotten half a dozen letters back from there.
The mineral transfer.
The ground trade is a capable guy.
He's got a pretty cold face.
He's got a cold ear, you know, tall, austere, you know, professional, no question about that.
He's probably done a good job in some way, but sometimes you can get a person better.
combination of both.
What other countries would you change?
Venezuela.
I didn't go there because of the fact that there was a question, what was it?
I was supposed to go, but nevertheless.
Well, I think it's more than that.
Well,
where you can even score great name points if you have somebody who makes them feel that, well, we're partners.
Now, of course, we're not 50-50 partners, but, you know, we're partners.
They're not just the people that you can depend upon, you know, if you want one when you need us or in other situations.
And I know that we've lost some business down there.
In Brazil, for instance, we lost a $36 billion dollar
air traffic control project, contract, half of it was the Raytheon Corporation, Massachusetts, Charlie Adams, but that was only one American firm.
There wasn't three or four American firms.
And they were big millions of Frenchmen.
Raytheon had the best product by far.
They had the best delivery schedule.
And the credit terms were about the same or a little better.
But the French got the contract.
Now, as a lot of my conversations down there go, is it really going to be held down?
There is a possibility of that being reopened, Chairman George.
And if it is reopened, I think that with the right kind of tactics that conceivably it might come our way.
I know it's 36 million years, and that's only 36 million to start.
They probably have pulled the attack control system all over the country.
It's a common country.
I've had it resolved.
Everybody said that.
If I was a young engineer, Mr. President, I would go to Brazil.
They took me up to the Amazon River development, the Trans-Amazon Highway.
And frankly, I felt like, I don't know, this was a 22-hour trip.
I had that damn blazer.
I was still wearing it.
I remember.
But I did it, and they were sure that I did it.
And it is just phenomenal.
Excuse me, Mr. President.
You saw the greatest people.
Oh, good.
Very good.
We'll have that in mind.
South America is very much up on our agenda at the present time, and Brazil in particular.
He says that he has a chit from you that says you want to visit him, and very early in the second term, and he says, I take very early to meet the first few months.
I'm surprised I can't speak with the president.
I know that he has great admiration for you and so forth.
I kind of put it down with each of the presidents of Mexico.
But he, well, you know, he put it down like it was the last time I met him.
But he...
always, you know, knocking us, you know, give us a little bit of break, but, you know, hitting us on the shins at the same time.
But, uh, uh, here again, I think, uh, some of it is, is a kind of representation we've had, uh, and one thing I'm going to do, maybe I must go to spend some time with this, but, uh, I think part of my job as an ambassador, or as a visitor to President Burns, is to do a job for, for America.
For the other two of these, to keep America... One of the reasons we wanted to go there...
Now, let me get down to Italy for a moment.
The Italian political situation, of course, is, well, all the countries of Europe, except for Britain at the moment, thank God, they have an election coming up, are bleeding out land across Britain, Turkey, Greece, Spain, are tilted left in their social circles.
The Italians are always a very difficult problem.
You know, they're angry.
And you're, as you know, sitting on top of a whole collection of parties and interests and the rest.
And I consider that your major job, basically, is not only—I think the Italians like America, and that's all, and you contribute to that enormously.
But I think it's very important for you to stay very close to all those damn political parties and co-turkey them on the situation at level.
And then when Italy turns in other directions, Italy, its great economic potential, its ties to the West, its ties to America, is seriously jeopardized.
I guess that's what has to be agreed on.
We've broken this opening to the left, and this is the Jewish government that's leading the whole thing to the right.
I know, but I don't know whether he succeeds.
Get him all the support you can.
or whatever, for whatever reasons.
But when I'm over there, remember, when I'm up in Romania, and I'm told, you asked me, do you want to start knitting?
And I said, well, I haven't planned it.
And you said, well, sure.
Of course you can start knitting.
You went right over.
So I said, well, if you want me to stop, I will.
And just one of those kind of strokes about you said, you know, that man likes to come up and so forth.
I got in one room with Grand Mountain's knowledge that he wasn't there, but I told him I was going to do it.
And I told him I was going to do it.
And I had Adriani in that room, Marianne Reward, three or four other Christian Democratic deputies, together with a half-dozen industrialists and a couple of other friends of mine in that room.
And in essence, I just took my hat off.
Look, I'm not the member of the President's Cabinet.
I'm not the Secretary of State.
Fiercely proud to be an urban, but also quite proud of his ancestry.
And I hate like hell that I continue to have to talk about the Roman civilization, about the Renaissance.
I'd like to talk about the total industrial that Italy is doing now.
Then, in a country, then in a world, and in a world of curious old people.
And so I would say, look at what Italy's doing today, in both its government as well as its industry and its economy.
And both Enriotti, who I knew at that time, this is a year ago, last November, I don't know if he's going to be the Prime Minister, but just one of those strokes of luck that I happened to invite him as one of the people who didn't work because that didn't start with me.
And as Loftus has said, of course, he's a hell of a guy.
He's stable.
He's no charismatic guy.
But they don't need that.
I think this is what probability means now.
You have to understand, Mr. President, though, that if you put that in your head, that damn thing could go for the Congress of the Christian Democrats.
It's either late May.
It may be postponed to June now.
There's half a question on my mind that he'll last at least until the Congress and probably substantially after that.
On the other hand, he could fall the week after he gets back from here.
I mean, that's how tender that is.
The week after he gets back from here, probably not, but that gives him a shot in the arm.
But still, he'll build him up like hell.
Well, this is the thing that we've got to do.
And I think this May, Karen, I'm finally starting to make some noise.
You're not going to find it.
I don't want to make a terrible thing.
You know, he's gone by.
He's had it.
He's had it.
Well, this is one thing you have to be awfully careful of, because number one, you can't wish heaven, you know, league out.
Number two, uh, I've had some experiences over there myself, and I think that's a good way to do business with people.
Yeah.
Do you think that the highest caliber of other humans is going to watch your left pocket?
Sure, sure.
That's true, I think that is.
Look, you know the main thing that the Italians should realize is that they are known throughout the world for their economy.
But people think the Italians are bad at politics.
Now, for the people with the Roman background, the Romans, the great thing about the Romans,
was actually, their armies were good, and their economy was good, and they were great political leaders.
Now, God damn it, the Italians have got to get off their ass and start being a political force in the world.
We have way behind everybody and everything else in the nation.
Dusty, they've gone, you know, skyrocketed politically, and the bureaucracy there.
You know what, President, if you think the bureaucracy here is bad, and I think it's bad, and you think it's bad, over there, it is just awful.
Just completely awful.
It's just unbelievable.
But I think that because of the fact that I can't take my hat off, and we are in either of the residents of Watson, I'll go to my own room, and I'll read me.
And we'll just sit down quietly, and then I can go to my own room, or I'll go to my own room.
And the trouble has been that you've always had two or three prime ministers in the cabinet of the city prime minister.
Well, now that's just like you having defeated Charlie.
And he stayed around here as a super president.
What do you do under our administration?
I appreciate it all.
Oh, yes.
It was the last great time.
Good man.
Marvelous man.
Wonderful wife.
Geez.
But you still want me to raise it?
Yes.
I was going to say that if you'd like to...
Exactly.
$250.
Thank you.
All the females that got there, all the females invited them, my God, you better, you better hold on to that.
You'll do better by getting a proposal.
I'll tell you that.
Go ahead.
See, John won't be in business for himself.
The trouble with a proposal is he's in business for himself.
You only get the layman's.
I have nothing to earn, nothing to look for.
We're talking about the girls, John.
Girls.
Let's go.
The only reason I want you to talk to her is that she, not because of what she has been doing today, but because what you've done before in service.
You've got to be suspicious.
I just want to say, Mr. President, I'm going to be your man at the end of the day.
I don't have to take that.
My job is going to be a hell of a lot easier, by the way, Mr. President, because of what you have accomplished in the last three months in Vietnam and the world.
It's not an easy world.
This is the only way you know it can be done.
You mentioned that you heard the boil.
So did...
Uh, some people can't see that.
They have to wait until the boils break before they're going to... Well, when they saw it, when they see the deal, they just come back with their heads higher.
That's right.
That, Mr. President, I saw, even the Linden Islands, I saw a little delay, but I saw a few of them come off the ground.
uh, uh,
I was actually with the Royals in the state so far.
Sure.
I have found some decent guys over there.
You bet.
There are decent guys.
I think that...
Particularly your area, they're very good.
Some of the others are excellent.
Excellent.
Excellent.
Excellent.
I have a big conference.
Excellent.
I have to be there when I'm calling for you.
He was there.
I have to be there.
He was there.
You should get deeply involved, of course, in the whole European community stuff, you know.
That's a big deal.
And this is going to be the year of Europe, you know, everybody says.
And we're going to have to do a lot of work to let it all in.
Try to see that Europe doesn't get in a confrontation with the United States economically.
And if it does, it all helps in our racial situation.
That's why this is one of their situations.
And that's one thing that wasn't meant to do.
But Pete Peterson, you know, just having been there, I would hope that, as the ambassador, if I'm going to be a man, I'm going to try to do the best damn job, you know, matter of tradition.
And be sure that I get, you know, his report.
Peterson?
Yeah.
Have you been there?
He's been there, yeah.
You'll be informed very, very soon.
Mr. President, you know, it's only $50,000.
The fact that I'm going to stand out in the square of the world, you know, they find, you know, well, we're either going to look to a world where hopefully we're going to have some peace or we're not.
And then every time we go, we've got a chance to make a $50 million sale, someone says, well, there's a chance in a hundred, a chance in 10,000 that, you know, it might be used for something else.
Well, then we just are never going to produce enough jobs for American workers.
It's as simple as that.
By the way, talking about my work, I met with me about three or four weeks ago as one of my rounds of, you know, business I made together with Jason in the national land.
And very, very friendly business, by the way, and he wants to help me in every way he can.
I've, you know, had my relationship with him for close to years here, particularly with Bill and Grace, you know, his national presence, as you know.
And so we'll be working closely with him.
And the State Department encourages this.
Oh, sure.
That's right.
They feel that, you know, and they believe it will help foster free labor movements.
We also want the Americans.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Right.
And, you know, you unify, you know, it doesn't happen.
The Congressmen take the whole damn thing over.
And that's what me is concerned about, and I'm just, you know, very happy to have the chance to visit with you.
Uh, now, I'm glad that we could talk about that briefly.
Forgive me, sir.
A couple of things.
Well, I said Polish, but maybe, you know, something else, but...
I prefer Polish.
Yeah, I think Polish would be excellent.
Exactly.
You said you wouldn't want to have, like, a tent at the stream, or you wouldn't want to leave the whole thing off the hook.
No, no, no.
He's Polish.
Over there, recognized also as an outstanding individual, I think it would help our contacts there, and a man who would work directly under me, except that the public would not know about him.
That's right.
I got it.
And we'll do all we can to help you.
You get a morning press report, Mr. President, that I guess Dr. Cannon prepared for you.
Is there anything else that would be wrong?
Really?
How doesn't your ambassador's response like, I'm going to be in today, I'm going to be in today?
Why?
Because, you see, it will take you, it will take you, uh, 15 minutes, 20 minutes.
Oh, no, no, no, no, it'll take a little time to get it.
Oh, well, that's all right.
There we go.
I mean, what I meant is it'll take a couple of days.
All right, but...
I'd like to have it.
Perhaps, you know, we need to get a chance to read the New York Times or whatever else you might be able to get over there.
It's a long process.
That house was a bad, bad picture.
I just had a new summary from Colby.
I could send one to any of our other career people.
I mean, to our non-career people.
See, if you follow our standard career policy, we're trying to bring more.
I'll send one to you, and I'll send one to you.
Uh, yeah, that's...
The president, uh, you know, I'm going to need to get me in the shins, John.
Get your college shins in there.
Get them to work for us.
God bless them.
I love God.
And my fellow chief, I love God.
These have been denied where you know them.
The Hill Progresso has supported you, put you in Portland, New York, you know, Lock, Stock, and Farrell.
They've written two or three editorials that have not been too good.
Those of the publishing industry and others, I'd like to say, well, you know, where the hell is this, you know, apartment?
We already have a president doing it.
I find, you know, we're going to get a call to honorable action.
He's good, but he's not what he does.
He's not known in the overall community.
What I'm trying to promise you is, as Chief Executive of Massachusetts, I get screamed from now on.
Look, I'm going to give you some folks' names, give you some sliders' names, give you some... Until I finally say, all right, well, I don't give a good damn what you do, but one out of every five names that comes into this office for recommendation, for award, commission, whatever that is, I'm going to give that name.
That's only 20% of the pot.
100, you know, our people, uh, ethnics, uh, represent a lot more than 20%.
So they're fine.
We had a water fire.
At least one of them had to get out.
Bullish neighbors.
And neighbors.
And, uh, I'm letting you just kind of lay down the law, and then you have somebody that follows the truth.
Now, I'm not going to be around to praise and cry much.
I can't do much, but I'm trying to be reasonable with this.
So I just suggest to you, Mr. President, I've written this letter as a reminder on that order of questions.
I just think that that's all.
I put a little effort into it to make that important.
That is the participation of the Americans who are damn good, loyal Americans that want to be supported.
And if they saw a, now there's a commission, the food refinery council just appointed, there's this commission in front of the other commission.
You don't call the weight on food there.
They don't spend that much money on that.
I don't know why the hell it takes a little more time, but I've made a list of things, ethnic bands and what have you, for the boys to look at, but they just don't come out.
In fact, I have a young lawyer who worked for me, he has been my special assistant, he worked for me in my office, but we didn't do a box office.
He idolizes President Nixon.
I'd like to be on the commission.
No, but I'm just going to name them as one example.
But if we could give people, so that you see, if the staff rule, look, the boss is going to turn these damn things down, we'd have a commission of 12 to 15 people, not only a couple of, there ought to be a lady on it, there ought to be at least one or two athletes on it, so we'd have a composure of 12, but let's call it, you know, a boss...
Primarily.
And two or three of these marital women are black or Polish or Italian.
Slavs or whatever.
And it isn't going to happen, Mr. President, unless you just have something that's going to be on top of it for you, and then you just slam it down on top when it doesn't happen.
Okay, got it.
May I just give you, Mr. President, a final thought as...
I look not back so much, but I'd like to feel we've made tremendous progress with your leadership, and this is one of the things that disturbs me.
Your administration at the present has not received the credit that it shouldn't have received in the domestic field.
I say, especially in transportation, I want to maybe say, well, help me listen to the team secretary.
I say it with full recognition of the fact that there are other areas where I'm sure that other good work was done.
But I'm saying that where in hell can you look where you found two, not one, but two long-range plans adopted by the Congress that you submitted to Congress on my recommendation, both in the way it was supposed to be?
They just never, never got across, Mr. President, the tremendous progress that you made there.
They used it, but it broke through.
But the only thing that I see ahead for DOT, the environment to me, I think, has made new and made the administration the way I've tackled it a great many points.
I'm somewhat concerned that they may be down for it to some extent.
I just think that the last decision I made was that they wouldn't run this press release before it was primed in Tennessee.
Now, other boys got a little disturbed about it.
But overall, they knew damn well that I did what my conscience told me to do.
You examine everything and you finally say, look, there's got to be a better way to do this than what you've come up with.
Secondly is highway safety.
Mr. President, you can imagine the satisfaction it gives me to know that today, four years after I arrived here, there are probably 12,000 to 15,000 people living this year or will live this year because of what we've done.
A total of maybe 20,000 to 25,000 in a four-year period.
I would hope you would just stay out of this because the potential for saving lives, we're killing 54,000, 55,000.
We have two years in which we actually physically went down, not just the percentage per hundred million vehicle miles traveled, but the actual number of people killed was reduced.
And it can be further reduced.
It could be cut in half.
But it's going to take a tremendous amount of energy and somebody to really stay on top of it.
I think someone gave you, if I may say so, a little bit of a monster here on those airbags.
Those airbags, they're not perfect today, they're different.
But look, that first rib of paint that ran wasn't perfect.
The first bottle of beer wasn't perfect.
the GM for not putting airbags in cars, selling them on a fleet basis.
But, I mean, that's just one facet.
What I'm particularly interested in is how you say you're really giving attention to them and you'll find support, there's all kinds of organizations that are willing to support.
Railroads, my dear friend, I just can't say enough to you about the fact that you're going to have a nationalized railroad system in this country unless
uh we can for a cost of somewhere between six and eight hundred million dollars
do what it would take three to five billion dollars to do with highways, that is, carry five times as many people up as are being carried today between Boston and Washington on the trains, rather build two more 12-lane highways, which is what it would take to replace that.
And we would do it and get the money back through the formation of a corporation, something like, you know, the Amtrak thing, which I suggested to you.
And frankly, I think, you know, no matter what you hear, damn it, the thing is paying off now.
Some people, well, we still, you know, have a subsidy.
But the fact is, come on, we're making a service.
And our transportation, as you told the Congress, is a public as far as it goes.
And I would hope that, uh, that, uh, overall, I'm not talking about this money for the financial situation.
We almost had those bills through last year, unfortunately, because of some things that, uh, happened, which I'm going to, we just didn't quite get, uh, but, uh, it could be done this year.
And the public transportation is the same thing.
You just got to save public transportation.
Watch the budget, people, and you will prove the bit of knowledge from the general bonds.
But I hope, like Al, I hope Black River will fight for, you know, getting some of that dough out of that highway.
And I think it's going to be done this year.
Why is it going to be done this year?
I know what it is to be a chief executive.
I have been one almost all my life, except for the four years that I was the commissioner of public works at the Patent Office.
And I do this in these four years here.
You know the very first time we had to teach you how to be a captain, I had to announce our opponents.
You told us you wouldn't allow the members of the captain to run the show.
Now, John Wolfie is running this show, because I'm a durable guy.
You know, I can, and you know that once they, once they tell me, well, I have an opportunity to steal, and you know, I become that man.
But sometimes I pass this on to Steve, because I can steal a guy's good pocket if he has a seat for us to sit with, sure.
But, uh, I just feel that these fellows are human beings.
And I don't know how much easier it is to work through a staff.
I had my staff in Boston.
It was much easier to just call John Woodman or Joe Boswell, whatever it was, and say, John, call Secretary Russell over to Boston and help us with the football.
Can I just suggest that once in a while, you just pick up the telephone.
And I just say this to you as my friend, because I'm sure you must know at this time that my love for you is true.
I would have stayed with you for years.
I would have been proud to be with somebody.
It's not even a couple of days.
The crap I've had to take, you mentioned some language, but it wasn't the fact that I just feel that you, Mr. President, is what America needed right now.
And I just continue to say it in every way I can.
But I would hope that you would feel that these men that you selected are also human beings, and if they got a telephone call, you can't just, well, that telephone call you made to my son, if somebody wanted to get back, well, they can't come in here with us.
Great, I know.
I think you don't care.
You did.
Jeff, he took a 10-month leave from all that.
Great.
That's okay.
Thank you.
I think this could be the turning point in his career.
Jeff, you can travel around with me.
Uh, I get the driver's name and something, and then I promise to actually take a job sometime.
He talked about the possibility of getting into the therapy work.
I don't care what the hell it is.
Hey.
Something that he feels he's doing something that's right.
On his own.
And on his own.
Without his, you know, father having to push him or help him and, uh...
Uh, I just, uh, he, uh, he, uh, he, uh, he, uh, he, uh, he, uh,
And I've seen it happen.
I've had the movement around.
I think in retrospect, you know, when you ask me to take this time, you make the most of it.
I say today, Mr. President, get to do the right thing.
I think it is the wrong time.
Not today, tomorrow.
But think about it in the months ahead.
There's some moves around here because there are some people out on that hill that have been kicked around just as badly as the captain does.
And I know what I want to do with all this here before the captain does.
I mean, I have written evidence of what they said.
There were more than 50 people out in the field.
So I didn't want to say this blatantly.
I just hoped that perhaps once it went by, we might think about the possible changes.
And once in a while, that direct contact with that camera member who is thirsty for a little pat on the back, kick up the shits once in a while.
That's great.
Like, you know, once in a while, you keep doing this.
It's fine.
I mean, you've got to do this, as she said.
But once in a while, it caused me to say, hey, look, that board of congress was great.
How do we mitigate the wants?
Tell your board of congress congressional about what you want.
And it was very helpful to me.
You want both?
Well, in fact, I need all of them.
That's why I didn't call you after that.
But the fact is that you gave me some courage to say, look, say not the, am I happy here, but...
through the house on a 314, 314 to 16 basis.
So it's just been directed, Mr. President, and I want to assure you that Rome is not far away.
I wish you the best.
We, oh, they'll ask you.
They will ask you, John, for, as the weather icon, you tell them there's no plan to travel to Europe.
And nothing from us is certainly first or nothing, the first day of this year.
Possibility in the fall, but that's something else.
But be that as it may, they're not going to be wanting me to come because they're coming here.
But you understand, if I, we're in Great Britain, we'll go see the French.
But if we go to see the French, we have learned that you can't go to any country, that you can't go to any of the big, the big four, you know.
You can't go to London without going to Germany, to France, and you can't go to Italy without going to the others.
So, and that means that that's almost a two-week trip.
So you tell our friends there that there's nothing I'd like to do more, but I don't see two weeks in my schedule as a worksheet with the Congress attorney.
That doesn't mean we don't care about them, and so forth, but it just takes that much time.
You see, you go to Russia and China and help them do it, but you can't do it with Europe.
And they all have equal treatment, particularly the tentacles.
And they're very sensitive.
They're very sensitive.
You know, why is that?
I don't know.
Uh, timing-wise, I think it might be a good timing, too.
Sure.
I mean, the Congress would have helped me.
Right, right.
We'll see if there'll be a power or a...
I hope so.
Uh, and I certainly... You don't have those documents.
Well, they could take it over.
They do.
If they do, I blame you.
It's your fault.
It's your fault.
Here's your report.
That's just what I think.
Oh, yeah.
This is something we got.
I remember you said you had a car.
This is from Massachusetts.
This is from Massachusetts.
This is from Massachusetts.
This is from Massachusetts.
Well, I've had a speech last month.
Where's your tail?
Just look at the last line.
I mean, this is what you get.
Ah, only in America, isn't it?
This is what you did.
It represents to Americans, to the 10th century, and to a great many others that he says they will like God in all their lives.
But he says to you, don't you, don't like God.
Well, I realize he isn't like you, who aren't a leader in the Italian community.
Don't let our Italian friends overlook the whole theory that we think this young age.
It's all important.
It's Skelly's program.
He may be able to rebuild it.
God damn you.
It's no good.
You don't know how to treat us.
It's no good.
John will be a good fighter out there.
I think we've got two Johns up there.
I want you to tell our friends to get away.
that this frankly was a recognition of our whole attitude to that.
And Scali is our man, and he's there, and I told him that.
So we've always had a sort of an angle there, you know what I mean?
I mean, we had Lodge, and we had Bush, you know, they're all really, you know, what do you call the person?
He's a, Scali is a lost, lost, lost, lost.
What is the, let me see.
I mean, you don't have all of my goodies around here.
But, uh, let's see.
And then you need, you need some cupcakes.
We've got those.
You need a, uh, you need, you have a, you need an anchor.
You've got to get an anchor.
You've got to get something, really.
You're going to play golf.
Do you have one of those large glasses?
That's right.
You know, sometimes you use one of those.
That's right.
That's right.
That's right.
That's right.
But they're very nice.
You take them along.
Well, it's been a great idea.
You can give them to me.
Oh, you know, when you give them to me, I call them and I drink.
The president said this.
He said, well, drink it for a memento.
These are the things that he gives me.
I'm just talking to you.
I don't want to have to.
Okay.
I got a letter from the only today, and you can tell him that I, I thought I already, he'll get a reply.
I said some of this did not, this is all about some of my, uh, expressing concern with the police or something, but I told him I appreciate his constructive suggestions and so forth, but you can tell him that I have a very close relationship with him, and that I discussed the letter that I received when you were here.
Yeah, I don't, you don't need to discuss it because the Mid-East is a mess.
But the Italians are very interested in the Mid-East and all of them.
And we want them to play a role.
We want to hear from people.
Well, this is where I think they can play a role.
Sure.
In our Medicare and income.
One of these things that we feel that might impact the intermediaries, that might go right into reality.
You know, that I'm a little old.
Sure.
Hey, look, uh, you know, we just got your book to stand.
I don't know what the hell you suggest.
Notice how you keep your weight even though it's pizza.
149 pounds this morning.
Yeah, I know.
My wife gained five pounds in a day, and I lost one.
You look well.
I do the same thing.
Delighted.
My wife did.
Good luck.
Happy to be coming back.
Well, we're going to see you in April.
In April.
Yeah.
Thank you.