379–10

Conversation No. 379-10

Date: November 1, 1972
Time: 9:26 am - 9:59 am
Location: Executive Office Building

The President met with Patrick J. Buchanan.

1972 election campaign
-Time remaining until election
-Opposition’s actions
-Exploitation
-The President's conversation with Charles W. Colson
-Demonstrators in Boston
-1960 election
-Reason for defeat
-Texas Congressman Bruce R. Alger
-Participants
-Number
-Use of obscenities
-Boston Globe coverage
-Handling
-The President's forthcoming trip to Rhode Island
-Brown University
-Busing issue
-Thelma C. (“Pat”) Nixon
-Democrats
-Louise Day Hicks
-Possible telephone calls
-Tricia Nixon Cox
-Wisconsin
-Julia Nixon Eisenhower
-Possible telephone calls
-Demands of McGovern
-Insults to Mrs. Nixon
-Use of obscenities against Tricia Nixon Cox and Julie Nixon
Eisenhower
 -5-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-08)

Conversation No. 379-10 (cont’d)

-Responsibility
-Condemnation
-Violence
-San Francisco, Phoenix, Republican National Convention
-McGovern's response
-Double standard
-Ronald L. Ziegler
-Repudiation
-The President’s trip to Liberty Island, New York, September 26, 1972
-The President’s appearance at Westchester-Nassau rally, October 23, 1972
-Organization
-Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
-First Family
-The President’s campaign
-Compared to McGovern’s
-Press relations
-Double standard
-Lack of questioning of conduct
-Free speech issue
-Violence, use of obscenities
-Repudiation
-Demands of McGovern
-Wires
-McGovern campaign
-Tone
-Possible statement from administration
-Ziegler
-John B. Connally
-Media coverage
-Boston newspapers
-Effect on McGovern
-Democrats
-Demonstrators
-McGovern supporters
-Physical appearance and behavior
-Democratic National Convention
-Smears against the President
-R. Sargent Shriver
-The President’s previous campaigns
-Focus on record
 -6-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-08)

Conversation No. 379-10 (cont’d)

-Helen Gahagan Douglas
-Agnew statements
-1968
-“Fat Jap” comment, “Polack “remark, “Soft on communism”
charge
-Apologies
-Compared with Shriver
-McGovern
-Press relations
-Double standard
-Demonstrators
-Editorials
-Mary McGrory
-Response
-Editors
-White House
-Op-ed article
-Unknown publisher [Post-Review?]
-The President
-Compared to Abraham Lincoln
-Agnew


*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

-Counter attack
-Nicholos P. Thimmesch
-Public statement, mailing
-Honest spokesman
-Kevin P. Phillips
-[Unintelligible name]
-Jeffrey Hart
-Barry M. Goldwater
-1964 election
-McGovern’s troubles
-Establishment press hypocrisy
-Blaming McGovern
-Public repudiation of their ideas
-Withdrawal from Vietnam
 -7-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-08)

Conversation No. 379-10 (cont’d)

-New lifestyles
-Marijuana
-Permissiveness
-Welfare
-Busing
-Public repudiation

[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************


-New York Times
-Washington Post
-Times
-Newsweek
-Networks

Press relations
-1970 campaign
-Press assessments
-Problems
-Television
-Successes despite obstacles
-Recession
-Minority party
-Rewriting history
-The President's plans
-Suppression
-Denial of access
-New York Times
-Washington Post
-Time
-Newsweek
-Networks
-Self -defense
-Access for friends
-Garnett D. (“Jack”) Horner
-Intelligence
-Washington Star
-Jerry Greene
 -8-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-08)

Conversation No. 379-10 (cont’d)

-New York
-Chicago Tribun
-Los Angeles Times
-“Georgetown set”

1972 campaign
-Polls
-1964 election
-Goldwater
-Gallup and Harris


*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

-Outcome
-Percentages
-State issues
-Massachusetts
-Michigan
-Wisconsin
-Massachusetts
-New York
-Polls
-Number of votes

Press relations
-Left-wing opinion makers
-Liberal establishment
-Support for McGovern
-The President’s counterattacks
-Fear of the President
-Reasons
-Repudiation of ideas

1972 campaign
-McGovern
-Washington Post
-Canada
-Elections
 -9-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-08)

Conversation No. 379-10 (cont’d)

-Conservative Party
-James B. (“Scotty”) Reston
-Left
-Pierre E. Trudeau
-Willy Brandt
-Trudeau
-Polls
-Press
-Regrettable statements
-Vietnam
-Charles W. Colson
-Willard Edwards
-Clark R. Mollenhoff
-Cultivation of the President’s supporters
-McGovern’s troubles
-Blaming McGovern
-Repudiation of the press’ views
-Blaming Thomas F. Eagleton
-Management, style versus views
-Liberal attacks
-Reasons
-Repudiation of views
-Vietnam withdrawal
-Busing
-Marijuana
-Permissiveness
-Welfare
-Networks
-Attacks on administration
-Columbia Broadcasting system [CBS]
-Impact on polls
-Voter turnout
-Analogy with football game
-Atlanta Falcons versus San Francisco Forty-Niners
-Empty bleachers
-Campaign excitement
-McGovern
-1964 election
-1968 election
-Goldwater, Lyndon B. Johnson
 -10-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-08)

Conversation No. 379-10 (cont’d)

-The President, Hubert H. Humphrey
-McGovern
-“Wave of the future”
-Constituency
-Youths, Blacks
-Democratic Party
-Liberal movement
-Decline
-1968 election
-George C. Wallace
-Busing
-New York
-Canarsie
-Ethnics
-Blacks
-The President’s position

[End of segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************


Amnesty
-The President's policies
-Rationale
-Forgiveness
-Analogy to prison sentence
-McGovern

Vietnam War
-Settlement agreement
-Likelihood
-Ziegler's statement, October 31, 1972
-Tone
-Effect on right
-McGovern
-Diversion of attention
-1972 election
-The President’s forthcoming radio and television speech, “Look to the Future”
-1972 election
-Imposition of Communist government on South Vietnam
 -11-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-08)

Conversation No. 379-10 (cont’d)

-1968 settlement
-Collapse
-Tone
-Likelihood
-1972 election
-Concessions to North Vietnamese
-US public opinion


*****************************************************************
[Begin segment reviewed under deed of gift]

1972 campaign
-Theodore H. (“Teddy) White
-Possible conversation with Buchanan
-Conversation with the President
-Watergate
-John D. Ehrlichman
-Press Statements
-Buchanan’s role
-Eastern establishment
-Decline
-Lack of morality and honesty
-Double standard
-Attack on McGovern
-Repudiation of views
-Agnew
-Role of government
-Timing
-Busing issue
-Left issue
-Busing issue
-Agnew
-Attacks on McGovern
-Demonstrators
-Demands on McGovern
-Apology

[End segment reviewed under deed of gift]
*****************************************************************
 -12-

NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Mar.-08)

Conversation No. 379-10 (cont’d)



Buchanan left at 9:59 am.