Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 906-001
Date: Friday, April 27, 1973 at 7:50 AM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob")
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/906-001

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:05] Well, I'll tell you that way.
[0:08] Yeah.
[0:12] Well then, what's your reaction this morning?
[0:17] Uh, no different.
[0:19] Are you putting a great story back in there?
[0:22] Yeah, well, we'll see at the time.
[0:23] All right.
[0:24] It'll be interesting to see.
[0:27] President, do you have anything to say about last night?
[0:35] Because there was something, some mention of it on one of the television things.
[0:39] Out of the, usually the news and the service.
[0:46] And the Bureau obviously was in it a hell of a lot more than they talked about because they put out that little story.
[0:51] There was no discussion of what they were going to say at the time you were talking to me because what they had already said was in the paper.
[0:58] About the construction, the Bureau ordered a retrial.
[1:01] The grave was told that
[1:03] Not that he was ordered to destroy it, but that he was told that he should not see the light of day at that time.
[1:08] Well, I...
[1:08] The system that's what he was told to do, to stand with his son, to make sure he was safe.
[1:14] Well, I think that's consistent with what Dean said prior to that.
[1:19] It's a seven-year line.
[1:20] That's the kind of thing Dean would say.
[1:22] Now, this is terrible stuff that should never see the light of day.
[1:26] Which doesn't mean destroyable.
[1:28] That is what Dean meant.
[1:29] I honestly believe it wasn't.
[1:31] I have nothing to do with it.
[1:32] That's what Dean meant.
[1:34] That Dean, on that one, I have no reason to do anything on anything anymore.
[1:38] But Dean has Dean in there.
[1:39] Did he put out a statement on it?
[1:41] Apparently not.
[1:42] Well, he put out the story.
[1:44] No, but did he react to the story?
[1:47] Apparently not.
[1:49] The idea of destruction.
[1:50] But they've got the thing in it of the Earthman saying, you live across the river, there are the goddamn things in the river.
[2:00] And then there's that other story that is obviously also a neat story, that, you know, men on the 20th, and we all agreed to go down on the ship or something.
[2:13] What was that?
[2:14] I don't know.
[2:15] You married me in the 21st.
[2:16] I'm not questioning that.
[2:18] We all accepted it on the 21st, but I wondered if there was any discussion.
[2:21] I remember you said you should come in and talk to me, or somebody said you should come in and talk to me.
[2:27] Well, I think maybe there was a meeting on the 20th when we said that he should give you a complete bill on the thing.
[2:32] That's quite possible.
[2:33] Yeah.
[2:35] But I don't... and the agreement that we would all go to jail or something was never... Well, there's something to him.
[2:43] There's something he agreed to and he... We need to be able to reflect any more on his trump card and the retreat and the conversation about the benefit.
[2:54] No, I just don't have time.
[2:58] I don't think he has.
[2:58] I doubt that he has to jump right at us.
[3:02] I don't think he has to jump right at us.
[3:03] I don't think he has to jump right at us.
[3:04] I don't think he has to jump right at us.
[3:05] I don't think he has to jump right at us.
[3:06] I don't think he has to jump right at us.
[3:07] I don't think he has to jump right at us.
[3:08] I don't think he has to jump right at us.
[3:09] I don't think he has to jump right at us.
[3:10] I don't think he has to jump right at us.
[3:13] I don't think he has to jump right at us.
[3:15] I don't think he has to jump right at us.
[3:17] I don't think he has to jump right at us.
[3:18] I don't think he has to jump right at us.
[3:20] I don't think he has to jump right at us.
[3:21] I don't think he has to jump right at us.
[3:23] I don't think he has to jump right at us.
[3:25] I don't think he has to jump right at us.
[3:26] I don
[3:28] conversation.
[3:29] Discuss the problem.
[3:31] It did not end up in any way in the beginning that I said go out and get the money.
[3:38] No.
[3:38] Tell me if I'm wrong.
[3:39] No, you didn't.
[3:41] You discussed black people, right?
[3:42] You discussed what's wrong, right?
[3:46] Yeah.
[3:46] If it wouldn't have worked, we just couldn't continue down this road.
[3:51] There are still some that need to be diagnosed.
[3:57] Of course, we were considering the problem.
[4:00] No, not really.
[4:01] You were running out of strength.
[4:03] That's the way I look at it.
[4:06] Oh, that's true.
[4:07] You were running out of strength.
[4:09] Steve were.
[4:10] We're all in it.
[4:14] You're asking his recommendations.
[4:17] Do you recommend this?
[4:18] Do you recommend that?
[4:19] That turns out to be the trump card.
[4:23] I have the good fortune at least of having told the viewers.
[4:28] Which is good.
[4:30] Huh?
[4:31] Which is good.
[4:32] Yeah.
[4:33] And then, and then it feels, I guess curious to those who don't have any problem with it.
[4:38] It's about this recorder business.
[4:41] I mentioned that to Ron.
[4:44] Oh, correct.
[4:45] I have a recorder in a conversation in here.
[4:49] Yeah, that's it.
[4:55] Yeah.
[4:57] Obviously there's a possibility that it's so remote as to be really beyond.
[5:04] Both of we have one consideration.
[5:06] Both of we have one and it would be to put it on the journey to destruction.
[5:11] Yeah.
[5:11] I thought it would be, it would pose some problems, no question.
[5:19] But I think we could get, I can explain what you're trying to do.
[5:22] Move all the water to stop that being put out.
[5:25] And that's a hell of a load to take out of it.
[5:32] And, you know, he didn't come in for that purpose.
[5:34] That's why I don't think even...
[5:36] If he were capable of coming in here with a tape recorder to have a meeting with you and record it, that wouldn't have been the meeting he would have decided to do that in.
[5:45] Because that wasn't, that whole, his approach to that meeting was not, was not for that purpose.
[5:52] He intended to do the talking.
[5:53] He didn't expect you to do the talking.
[5:54] He had nothing, nothing to gain from, from being recorded.
[5:59] Was there other times when he might have had things he wanted to get my reaction?
[6:02] Some buzz or something, yeah.
[6:04] Uh-huh.
[6:06] But he wasn't working in that direction at that time.
[6:12] That's true.
[6:13] He just barely started to worry about himself at that point.
[6:16] It was the first glimmer of a, of a, that where he was beginning to, he might be in trouble.
[6:21] Can we ask a couple questions, sir?
[6:24] I'm going to go to a sound game.
[6:26] Hey, sorry.
[6:26] Did you do your, uh, is Henry going to be able to, uh, his question?
[6:31] Yeah.
[6:32] But he doesn't have to do it.
[6:34] But I asked him.
[6:37] I did a movie on grades, very important so that he doesn't have to
[7:04] You mean he can't object to see my making of the National Gallery?
[7:12] We haven't had it.
[7:12] I don't want to put felt in there.
[7:16] So I want to get my new man in.
[7:19] Yeah.
[7:19] Oh, Ruffalo.
[7:23] What about my green idea of calling it?
[7:24] Well, I'll call it at that.
[7:25] And, uh, what word is it?
[7:26] It's, uh... Charlie Ryan.
[7:27] Oh, Jesus.
[7:27] Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
[7:39] I don't know.
[7:41] If you do it, it might not be bad.
[7:47] If you get the political, Rodgers, or Bill Rodgers, that would be superb.
[7:54] That would be...