Nixon & Martin on Vietnam Veterans and Prisoners of War

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I'm sorry?

I'm President Tony Martin.

Well, how are you?

I'm back.

How are you?

I'm the president of this city.

I've got so many dreams down there.

I have hearts.

All the good guys.

That's not what we're here for, so we get it.

We get it from the flags.

That's right.

That's what we're here for.

Well, so are you.

You don't know how happy you've made all this out of them.

My wife says to me, guys, that this is a real thing.

My wife's brother, who sits at home, says, she said, oh, there's no time for that.

My mother's birthday was on the 7th.

Oh, really?

Well, I just want you to know how grateful we have been for your help through the years.

Well, going way back 20 years.

I'm grateful and I always remember who were there.

I'll take that about a big three minutes ago when you had that big question.

That was in Australia.

It was six years ago more than that.

But the good thing was when we got home,

Washington is a strange place.

They say 18 million people visit Washington.

But they only come in to visit the places they don't stay.

They don't come much for the on-campus activities.

And the local people, the embassies have their own activities.

It's a place where they go to homes.

That's true.

I saw George yesterday.

I went to lunch at the Republic.

Yeah?

Yeah.

George Parker.

George Parker?

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Oh, I see.

You're coming?

Oh, yeah.

Oh, yes.

That's a great call.

Yes.

And then in the end, I said, what did you do to your head, George?

You had all that black on.

He said, well, I guess I must have given the priest one money to use it.

It was ash.

Where's the ash?

Did they put the ash?

Oh, yeah.

They marked the people up.

I said, what happened?

Did you fall down?

And let me see.

But he was in a good mood.

He's always up.

Always up.

He's a great man.

Great people.

You and Ronnie were so nice to him.

He's still out there with that big Irish smile.

I wanted to tell you one other thing.

That as long and even long after you

in some, another republic, that I'm, I've always been the one side of the fence.

I don't switch.

I don't live.

And also that everybody is so proud of what happened over in Bristol.

It was a war.

Aren't they great?

It's such a thrill.

People start to wear American flags again.

Damn right.

They try.

I should have had mine, but I got my bra on stock, so I'm finding one of them.

My bra on stock, so I brought it with me.

And people know I don't repeat the problems.

And I think after they've been in prison all that time, that shows where you've got the paper, right?

So I pulled my stock, because it drives me crazy.

They don't believe it.

You know, one of our guys is saying, after all...

If the communists couldn't brainwash it in 70 years, their escort officers couldn't brainwash it in three hours.

That's right.

I heard a radio thing where they all got together on the plane singing the Lord's Prayer.

It's just a realization of something that didn't think could ever happen.

And the other thing is that

The whole town was so enlightened, the whole show business about this thing, that if there was a big show, you know, Charlton Heston would have come and played.

They would do a thing.

But not only were the prisoners of war, but for all of them, there are veterans in hospitals today.

And I'm in a group, we all in a group, because remember the age of these people, the prisoners of war.

Most of them are in their 50s.

They're not rock and rollers.

They're from our generation.

So you can start with the 22-year-old sergeants and the Prince of Tennis and it goes on up to the colonels who are the 27th people.

But those men should not be forgotten.

And I think that shows should be put together and be done to go to all the veterans' hospitals all over the country called Lest We Forget.

Do you like that?

I like it very much.

And remember also that 2 1⁄2 of them have been served in the Army.

That's right.

We never did honor our veterans in this war.

Is that right?

We did.

Yes.

The prisoners of war that became the Cyclades were the ones who gave them thanks, the wives and all the precious, but we have forgotten those poor guys.

Right.

You know, Senator, there may be a little feeling that

The others may feel that they're left out, but I don't.

And I don't want them to feel that way.

Do you?

No.

We've thought about it, and we've got to say, I would say that a group to go and make it a thing, lest we forget, to make it a higera all the time, to go to some and entertain quite all of the veterans' hospitals and bring big shows around, not only to the prison, but for them, so that they won't feel that, because they are prisoners of war.

That's right.

I believe I have a busy schedule and I just was proud to be here.

Well, I've seen you on the road.

We'll see you again.

I'm going to California for a fair.

I've got to go out and see you out there.

On the 31st, they're giving a party for...

board, you know, only there's, yes, yes, there's over a year old, seven of them in this house.

Oh, he's retired.

He's certainly not well.

I thought everybody would say, well, he should receive that.

He should.

They will.

He already had it right on the nose.

He's also on the phone for us.

I told him on the phone, I said, look, here, I said, he was sorry.

I said, I'm not feeling right.

Well, I can't come to Washington.

Well, I made me come out of there.

And they set up this party.

And I said, figure what I'll do.

I said to him, I said, weren't those people that I was agreeing with?

He said, yes.

No, I had to speak for all of the writers, he said.

That's what I'm saying.

No, I had to speak.

Listen, I'm all over the country.

Yeah, I have a corner.

I've been to Pittsburgh and Cleveland and Chicago.

And I feel these things out.

How do you say it, though, Jake?

You're a golfer.

No, I walk out.

How do you wear?

I'm going to walk from here right along the way down to Duke Street.

on those years and i love to walk and i walk and i walk and also on every day

And you know, I had a wonderful chat.

I did it from the morning.

And he said, one time I was talking to the private rooms.

And there's a room that nobody really knows where you meditate.

And they're reconstructing the old room.

where they had the, where they had the Supreme Court used to sit in session at the same place, and re-digging the second floor, you know, that, where they, you know, they, you know, just wonderful.

You, you, you, you had the White House.

Oh, I love you, Blue.

Oh, my, I got somebody lovely to take a picture of me sitting in that one chair with, right behind me is the Jefferson Memorial.

Get her the heart protection.

Oh, that's true.

This is, this is a fever.

I think she has depended.

Yes, she has depended.

That's all you have to be committed to.

That's it.

Listen to me.

You've given us happiness, and you've given us your word, and you've done a great, great job, and even those who weren't turned, you're waiting on the game.

All right.

Listen to me.

Yes, and I will run the company well.

Yes, sir.

Thank you.

I do hear, I swear, I will oppose you.

Yes, sir.

That's why we're here.

That's right.

I got work to do.

Thanks so much.

Take me to the last one.

Sit any time.

Any time.

Sit, we'll dance, and I'll sing for you.

Great.

All right.

That'd be a good act.

I think it's a good act.

Marvel shot off slow.

I saw this in a little room.

So it was better.

Thank you very much.

Nixon & Martin on Vietnam Veterans and Prisoners of War

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on March 8, 1973

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