Nixon tapes: Ruthless, cynical, profane

Posted: Tuesday, December 02, 2008 1:39 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: White House

From NBC’s John Rutherford
Richard Nixon's reputation takes a fresh pounding every time the National Archives releases another batch of audio tapes from his presidency, and today's opening of nearly 200 hours of Nixon White House recordings is no exception.

Again and again, Nixon comes across as ruthless, cynical and profane in conversations with staff members.

Here are some examples, both previously released and from today's new batch. (The last two are new today.):
-- On July 1, 1971, Nixon instructs Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman to have someone break into the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.:

"I can't have a high-minded lawyer ... I want a son-of-a-b----. I want someone just as tough as I am. ... We're up against an enemy, a conspiracy that will use any means. We are going to use any means... . Get it done. I want it done. I want the Brookings Institution cleaned out and have it cleaned out in a way that has somebody else take the blame."

-- On April 4, 1972, Nixon discusses the press with Haldeman:

NIXON: “Return the calls to those poor dumb bastards ... who I know are our friends. Now do it ... We made the same mistake [Dwight] Eisenhower made, but not as bad as Eisenhower made, because he sucked the Times too much ... G-d damn it, don't talk to them for a while. Will you enforce that now?'
HALDEMAN: "I'll try."

-- On May 18, 1972, Nixon talks to Henry Kissinger about the National Security Adviser's meeting with Ivy League college presidents regarding the war in Vietnam:

NIXON: "The Ivy League presidents? Why, I'll never let those sons-of-b------ in the White House again. Never, never, never. They're finished. The Ivy League schools are finished ... Henry, I would never have had them in. Don't do that again ... They came out against us when it was tough ... Don't ever go to an Ivy League school again, ever. Never, never, never."

-- On Nov. 14, 1972, Nixon talks with his aide Charles Colson about his landslide re-election victory over Democrat George McGovern:

NIXON: "What in the hell did you think of McGovern's statement on the election? Wasn't that the sour grapes crap again?”
COLSON: “Well, it's unbelievable, the arrogance of the guy ... God, what a bad man. Just awfully glad we got him buried and put away for good. I think he is.”
NIXON: “Oh, he's buried. He's buried."

-- On Dec. 9, 1972, Nixon talks to Colson about the appointment of building trades union leader Peter Brennan as secretary of labor:

NIXON: "The idea, they finally think the appointment of a working man makes them think we're for the working man.”
COLSON: “That's precisely it.”
NIXON: “They talk about all the tokenism. We appoint blacks, and they don't think we're for blacks. Mexicans. They don't think we're for Mexicans. But a working man, by golly, that is really something."

Today's release was the 12th of Nixon White House tapes since 1980. Approximately 2,217 hours of tape recordings are now available to the public.

*** UPDATE *** For more, including a collection of videos, and a Nixon quiz, click here.

*** UPDATE 2 *** To clarify, the newly released released examples today are from November 1972 and December 1972. The other examples were released earlier.

EMAIL THIS

Comments

lol, I wonder how many people in w. va even know the meaning of inane and assinine.

Mark, Chicago, IL (Sent Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:04 PM)

Nixon signed the AK Claims Act, the Clean Air Act, talked about over-population, talked with "Red China," talked detente...he was actually a fairly centrist, moderate republican, the sort that the republican party banishes these days. Too bad that his paranoia and willingness to break the law led to his diminished stature.

CK, Rock Springs, WY (Sent Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:04 PM)

First of all, Nixon did not 'get caught on tape.' He created and saved those tapes (except for the missing 18 minutes he blamed on Rosemary Woods).

Secondly, sex, marital or cheating does not kill people. Get over it! Get your priorities straight. Bill Clinton's infidelity is/was between his wife and him. His lying about said sex was a reflex, stupid perhaps but again not a national security issue.

Personally I believe history will show Bush II as a not necessarily bad man but an insecure fellow who followed Cheney's stroking and manipulations and as a result will be seen as responsible for the loss of thousands of lives.

Just remember ... Nixon put the taping devices in the White House. Nixon was not 'caught', he was so egotisical that he wanted all of his conversations taped.

HippieMoe, Green Bay, WI (Sent Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:05 PM)

THERE WAS A COMMENT ABOUT CLINTON HERE...UH IF WE HAVE TO WASH THE SATINS OFF THE CARPET...WHEN IS BUSH GOING TO WASH THE BLOOD OFF HIS HANDS.... JUST A THOUGHT... THIS IS OLD NEWS...nixon resigned....in DISGRACE!

west seattle Todd (Sent Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:05 PM)

What do do you expect from a Republican rat raised in a sewage gutter?

Fidelis (Sent Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:06 PM)

I find it sad that people keep on about Bush. There is no evidence that Bush had done anything wrong. People just assume like the whole thing about him lieing about the war and the information against Sadam H. It does not seem to get through to you people that he got his information from the CIA just like Tony Blair and the President of Jordan who also said that he had WMD. So you need to prove that this current administration did anything wrong. Also with the FAnnie mae and Freddie Mac. Bush did warn congress about the problems several years ago with these loans. It is on tape. Quit blaming Bush for your problems. YOu all are obcessed.

M. Hepburn (Sent Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:07 PM)

Somebody please explain to me how Republicans can support deregulation of energy, deregulation of Wall Street, Cutting of taxes for the rich and limitting lawsuits against corporations could EVER be construed as for the working man. Anyone who believes this must have consumed the whole pitcher of Kool-Aid. Being from Texas I recognize bovine excrement when I hear it.

Kris, San Diego, Ca. (Sent Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:10 PM)

No excuse for the behavior....but, Nixon was just a man....warts and all. Sort of like the rest of us....don't you think? Odd that some still think they are perfect.....or nearly so anyway. Gosh it must be nice to be soooo good. And what say about Bush 43......if he did nothing else.....U S A hasn't been attacked in 7 years.....Hmmmmmm....of course he had nothing to do with it.....do you think? Do YOU think?

Roger...Riverside....California (Sent Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:10 PM)

The lies gwb used to get ue into Ira are no different thant the lies used to get us into Vietnam. Just different content is all. Worries of communist spread.

Hemi Jimmy, Humansville, MO (Sent Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:11 PM)

I was born in Wheeling and I cringe when I see the comments of people like JimboBillyBob. Beverly of Chicago is OK, so don't put her down. At least she knows what has happened over the past 8 years. Hard to avoid the lunacy of Dubya and his sidekick Dick, partcularly when we will spend several trillion to resurrect our economy from the damage they have done. Not to forget the 4,500 plus U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq and the tens of thousands who will be crippled for the rest of their lives.

Tim (Sent Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:12 PM)

If the American journalist would have fought for the truth, exercised tenacity and courage against the Bush Administration, the American public may have been forced to think differently. Instead, the Media behaved like lap dogs and sold out the public, their profession and let democracy go down the drain.

SidroWestVirginia

George T. Sidiropolis (Sent Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:12 PM)

Seems we re still creating more saliva re: Bill and
Monica s trysts than Monica did performing them .I m
in favor of more sex in the White House compound and
less screwing of the general public .Cigars have more uses than just being a good smoke .Wish Nixon s only
deviant behavior had been a few b.j. s

harold nichols,mercersburg , pa. (Sent Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:13 PM)

What's amazing is that President Elect Obama is coming into the office of POTUS with as much dirt as Nixon accumulated over his entire time in office. President Elect Obama was the least vetted person ever to run for high office in the U.S. and the DNC used any means to win.

There will be a day when much will come out about the "dirty tricks" used in the 2008 Election for POTUS carried out by the Democrat Party and the PE Obama Campaign (including all the illegal campaign contributions, ACORN, and voter fraud to name just a few).

At the time of his re-election not very many people saw through Nixon because they only wanted to see the illusion of the man; (I remember this fact vividly because I was there as a young college student and I saw Nixon for the very flawed man that he was). Unfortunately, mass delusion of the majority of the electorate in the 2008 POTUS Election created similar results, election of the “Naked Emperor” for President.

CarlyinNJ (Sent Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:14 PM)

Tim, Bowie, MD (Sent Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:14 PM)

The leftist commentators try to smear Nixon,when nothing in the transcripts proves that he was anything but...a normal person,using the classics,f-word,s.o.b etc...

There is really nothing there to bring against Nixon.

nickgr (Sent Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:15 PM)

Please! I'd take Nixon ANY DAY over that idiot we have in the White House now. At least Watergate wasn't a way of sending our soldiers to get killed in two wars that we have no business being in...and all because Bush had a vendetta against Saddam Hussein and had to finish the job that his Daddy didn't. Barack Obama's inauguration can't come soon enough!

Jeff, Shaker Heights, OH (Sent Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:16 PM)

As odious as Nixon was he looks like a Mother Teresa compared to George W. Bush.

The Man from Nantucket (Sent Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:16 PM)

Watched Nixon live as a young adult and became completely disillusioned.I haven't been able to stomach blatant bullshit spewed by our Commander and Chief as of Nixon's terms. I've just started listening & watching presidential elect news conferences and addresses.(Missed Carter, apologies for lumping Carter in this group). Need for straightening the USA in matters of economics, security, health care, self-sufficiency, education and peace are surely bi-partisan. Focus forward Americans. Support our Commander and Chief whether he's your choice or not so we can deal effectively in these challenging times.

kwitcherbellyachin (Sent Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:18 PM)

I am don't follow any party lines. I vote my conscience regardless, but consider this ; I was a child when Nixon was in office, but I rememeber it being a very difficult time for America. The war in Vietnam was terrible (My father was a marine 67-69, 1st division, He's dead by the way when I was a baby), the economy was trashed and Nixon SAVED the economy by having the courage to go against everything everyone believed and took the US off the gold standard. If it wasn't for that one decision, the booming economy of the 80's & 90's would NEVER have happened because America was broke and would have remained so for a very long time. I don't care what the man's faults were, he saved the economy and he got us out of Vietnam and no president has been as bold (in a positive way) since.

David, Atlanta, Georgia (Sent Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:18 PM)

Ahhhhhhhh, yes! You kool-aid drinkers are all the same. We will see how long your "one" keeps us safe. Even his v-p warned us that within six months we will be attacked. At least GWB kept us safe. You dems have destroyed the economy, and to think that there is nothing wrong with the POTUS to have sexual misconduct in the oval office is horrendous! Slick Willy will go down in history as much worse than GWB or any other, that is until the grate "one" gets in and finishes of destroying our country.

Drink the Kool-Aid (Sent Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:18 PM)

This makes me interesting to hear W's tapes. They'll be released in, what, thirty years? Can hardly wait. I can't wait to hear them planning the war in Iraq using a map taped to a dart board.

"So Colin, who's next? Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Vermont...?"

"Actually sir, Vermont is part of the United States."

"Nobodies perfect" *thunk* "Iraq it is!"

Now this is funny!!!! And probably true........

Susan Charlotte NC (Sent Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:20 PM)

To JimboBillyBob: Did you mean Marcus in Chicago? If so, I totally agree with you. Comparing Clinton and Nixon is absurd! Clinton did so much for this country both in the US and abroad.
W. Goin

Please expound on that comment. Many died in the world as Clinton stood by and did nothing, except lie and get caught riding dirty with Monica. Little cigar, toot toot and Billy Joe to go on the flo. Blue Dress don't lie, but I do.

Marcus, Chicago (Sent Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:20 PM)

<< Previous

SEND A COMMENT

PLEASE READ: All comments must be approved before appearing in the thread; time and space constraints prevent all comments from appearing. We will only approve comments that are directly related to the blog, use appropriate language and are not attacking the comments of others.

Message (please, no HTML tags. Web addresses will be hyperlinked):

Your name, city and state (John Doe, Seattle, Wash.):

Your e-mail address (jdoe@msnbc.com):

Your website (it's okay if you don't have one):

Remember me? (We'll keep it private) Remember me?

TRACKBACKS

Trackbacks are links to weblogs that reference this post. Like comments, trackbacks do not appear until approved by us. The trackback URL for this post is: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/trackback.aspx?PostID=1695418