Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 915-016
Date: Thursday, May 10, 1973 at 12:15 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Taylor, Gene; Short, Dewey J.; Timmons, William E.
Recording device: Oval Office
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/915-016

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 Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:03] Good to see you.
[0:04] Good to see you.
[0:06] Good to see you.
[0:08] Good to see you.
[0:40] Not yours.
[1:10] He's a great man.
[1:12] We could use him today.
[1:14] We should.
[1:14] Everybody could use him.
[1:16] That's right.
[1:17] We tried that once, didn't we?
[1:20] We did.
[1:20] Five, six, five, four, three, two, one.
[1:22] That would be wonderful.
[1:24] He needs to go take a look at the case with the silver.
[1:28] He's got the silver and so on.
[1:38] things happen.
[1:40] We got a great program.
[1:43] We're going to do some good things for this country.
[1:47] I was on the phone last weekend and I spoke to you for a conference.
[1:52] I came out to the three television cameras and they wanted to get in on Watergate.
[1:56] I said, what about Watergate?
[1:57] I said, I didn't have anything to do with it.
[2:01] They said, well, what do you think about recovery?
[2:03] I said, this administration will be judged on balance.
[2:07] So I said,
[2:09] When the whole perspective was looked at, we had 550,000 people in Vietnam.
[2:13] They had an oppressive war.
[2:15] Crime was increasing nine times as fast as the population.
[2:20] And I said, today, the president's at war at home.
[2:23] The war is ended.
[2:24] The draft is ended.
[2:25] For the first time in 30 years, young men aren't looking at the draft.
[2:29] And the economy is good.
[2:31] There hasn't been a college campus under siege in a few years.
[2:34] There's streets in Audubon Park.
[2:35] So when you look at the whole picture of Watergate, it doesn't look very big, does it?
[2:38] And you know the draft?
[2:39] No, guess it doesn't.
[2:40] But that's what we need in town.
[2:41] What do you think, Joey?
[2:44] Way to talk it.
[2:44] One of the best professors I ever had at Houston.
[2:49] People repeat over and over, see life steadily and see it whole.
[2:54] You can't judge a man's life and career by fragrance.
[2:58] You've got to see it in its totality, which is very cruel.
[3:05] The common rattle that all the young men think, I think that's the way they'll judge.
[3:13] And it's always darkest before the dawn.
[3:16] You've survived it.
[3:18] Well, I didn't get here, but I'm running from it.
[3:21] That's right.
[3:22] That's right.
[3:23] They like that.
[3:24] I know how they think you are, but there's one thing.
[3:28] I'm not open enough to give advice.
[3:30] I'm still too young to follow it.
[3:31] Advice is easily given and so damn hard to follow that I don't volunteer it.
[3:38] But we've all been terribly upset and distressed, but we're not going to panic over
[3:47] A lot of well-intentioned people do silly things.
[3:50] That's right.
[3:52] I always thought with it.
[3:54] That's right.
[3:55] Yes.
[3:55] But what do you do?
[3:56] There were people that were ours.
[3:57] They were your friends.
[3:58] You trusted.
[3:58] They were trustworthy to you.
[3:59] They weren't dependent on you.
[4:00] That is to the one who said that man often loses a friend according to an enemy.
[4:05] I think there's a lot of truth in that statement.
[4:08] But I still believe in the Mozart philosophy that I can take care of my enemies if God would take care of my friend.
[4:17] Well, Mr. President, of all the messages I've received, I haven't had one critical piece of mail in Watergate.
[4:23] Everybody says, stand behind the president.
[4:24] This is the truth.
[4:25] This is the truth.
[4:27] You know, this is, they're not people that, well, you've got to make sure you get those that haven't been.
[4:31] You know, my television show, the speech of a week ago, sort of, you've got to be honest with me.
[4:36] how many headquarters were bombed
[4:59] You know what they did to our convention?
[5:01] You don't believe me?
[5:02] Sure, I was there.
[5:03] I was there.
[5:04] You said I knew what they did to it.
[5:07] That's what I said.
[5:09] I had a great day yesterday.
[5:11] They bugged the Speaker of the House, and they bugged the President of the Senate, whoever bugged me yesterday.
[5:31] Thank you, Mr. President.
[5:35] I always get something.
[5:41] This thing is just, I bet you, my new cup.
[5:45] Come with me back to this.
[5:48] You keep your chin up.
[5:50] We're ready to leave.
[5:53] We're ready to leave.
[6:16] Thank you.
[6:16] Thank you.