Scratch Woodrow Wilson’s name from the Business College at Princeton.
Racist, ya know!
Seems like every day now we learn a founder or stalwart of the democrat party is now regarded as some sort of foul fellow.
Let’s see who is left?
FDR jailed Japanese Americans and Harry Truman regularly used the N and K words in referring to blacks and Jews.
Where will it all end?
President Nixon
Hello?
White House Operator
Governor [Ronald W.] Reagan, Mr. President.
President Nixon
Hello?
White House Operator
There you are.
President Nixon
Hello?
Ronald W. Reagan
Mr. President?
President Nixon
Hope I didn’t get you out of bed.
Reagan
No, I’m [laughs]—
President Nixon
It’s eight—
Reagan
I’m up, although I’m still trying to sleep on Oriental time, and it’s not working very well.
President Nixon
—8:15, yeah. I—you know, you called last night, and I’d gone to bed and [laughs] so I said I [Reagan acknowledges] . . . that’s all right.
Reagan
We took a chance, and we—
President Nixon
No, no, that’s all right. I’m usually up till around then, but I . . . I must have gone off. Well, that was a bad vote, wasn’t it?
Reagan
Well, I want to tell you, we—
President Nixon
We worked our tails off, I must say. I think—
Reagan
I know. I was just sick.
President Nixon
Fifty-four to 59. I’m telling you, I just finished a meeting with [Spiro T.] Ted Agnew. He’s back from [unclear] and from Greece and Turkey, and both of whom we got, incidentally. We didn’t get Iran, though, damn it. You know, you figure there’s the Shah, we’ve done all the things for him, but . . .
Reagan
Yeah.
President Nixon
And these African countries, they’re the ones that, I must say, were disappointing.
Reagan
Well, Mr. President, the reason I called was . . . I know it is not easy to give a suggestion or advice to the president of the United States, but I just feel that . . . I feel so strongly that we can’t . . . and with—in view of ’72, we can’t just sit and take this and continue as if nothing had happened. And I had a suggestion [President Nixon acknowledges] for an action, that I’d like to be so presumptuous as to suggest. My every instinct says, get the hell out of that [President Nixon laughs and acknowledges] kangaroo court and let it sink. But I know that’s very—that would be extremely difficult and not the thing to do. But it has occurred to me that the United States—I just—the people I just know are—first of all, they don’t like the U.N. to begin with.
President Nixon
That’s right.
Reagan
And it seemed to me that if you brought Mr. [George H. W.] Bush back to Washington to let them sweat for about 24 hours as to what you were thinking of, and then if you went on television to the people of the United States and said that Mr. Bush was going back to the U.N. to participate in debate and discussions, to present our views, and so forth, but he would not participate in any votes. That the United States would not vote, and would not be bound by the votes of the U.N., because it is a debating society—you don’t have to say that, but it is [President Nixon acknowledges] a debating society—and so we’d be there, our presence would be there, but we would just not participate in their votes. I think it would put those bums in the perspective they belong.
President Nixon
[laughing] It sure would. Yeah.
Reagan
I think it would make a hell of a campaign issue.
President Nixon
Hmm.
Reagan
Because I am positive that the people of the United States are thoroughly disgusted, and I think that this would put any candidate from the other side—the constant question would come to him in any such campaign [President Nixon acknowledges], “What would you do now?” And if he was stupid enough to open his mouth and say, “Oh, hell, you know, we’d go right back to operating as usual,” I think he’d be hung out to dry.
President Nixon
Hmm. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Well, we’ve been trying to think here about what reaction would be. The . . . I must say that the congressional action may be very interesting on the appropriations side.
Reagan
Well, you see, Mr. President, then if they did what they threatened to do, they would simply be confirming your action. [President Nixon acknowledges throughout.] They’d be making the budget meet that new position of the United States in the U.N. reducing our importance. The other way, if we do nothing and they take that action, it’s a rebuff.
President Nixon
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. . . . Yeah. . . . Well, let me give some thought to the whole thing. I’m—it’s a tough one as you’re well aware, it’s a—we got some fish to fry on India–Pakistan; we’re trying to avoid a war there, and the U.N. may have to play some damn role there. The—[laughs] because we don’t want to get involved—
Reagan
No.
President Nixon
—let me say, in that miserable place. It’s a . . . but . . . we will—let me give some thought to this whole thing. As you know, I have been thinking about it, and I’ve talked this morning with two or three people about it, . . . what the legal problems are, and so forth.
Reagan
Well, I just [President Nixon acknowledges] felt I had to make this suggestion.
President Nixon
I know, I know, I appreciate it.
Reagan
[Unclear] last night and the night after that announcement came on, one commentator called me.
President Nixon
Yeah?
Reagan
He told me that the—and I told him, I said, “Well, I just think it confirms the moral bankruptcy of the organization, [President Nixon laughs] the U.N.” [President Nixon acknowledges throughout.] And he told me the phone was ringing off the wall. And he said, with people that are just enraged. Now, here’s the last of the Big Four. Here’s a . . . the old boy, we had a wonderful audience with him while we were there.
President Nixon
Yeah, yeah.
Reagan
[Unclear] an hour.
President Nixon
What a remarkable man.
Reagan
Yes, and—
President Nixon
You must have really enjoyed—he’s such an amazing man.
Reagan
Yes, he is.
President Nixon
He’s darn near—how old is he now? Eighty . . . ?
Reagan
He’s in his eighties.
President Nixon
I know, but you’d never know it.
Reagan
No, no, sharp as a tack. [President Nixon acknowledges.] And he—and with the Madame translating.
President Nixon
You’re—as you are quite aware, of course, this has nothing to do—this action does not affect at all our Defense Treaty and all that.
Reagan
No, I—
President Nixon
I mean, we’re—and he knows that. He also knows what we did. As a matter of fact, I made telephone calls to the [laughs]—to four capitals on this thing myself.
Reagan
Yeah.
President Nixon
Got two of them, and two to abstain. I should—they should have gotten the other two, but that’s about all.
Reagan
Well, I was putting in [President Nixon acknowledges] pitches along the way. And last night, I tell you, to watch that thing on television as I did—
President Nixon
Yeah.
Reagan
—to see those . . . those monkeys from those African countries [President Nixon laughs]—damn them, they’re still uncomfortable wearing shoes.
President Nixon
[Laughs loudly.] Well, and then they—the tail wags the dog there, doesn’t it?
Reagan
Yeah.
President Nixon
The tail wags the dog. [Reagan acknowledges.] Yeah.Reagan
I . . . I—please give some thought to this. I think [President Nixon acknowledges throughout] it would be very dramatic, and I think if the United States just continues business as usual in the U.N. with this, I think . . . I just think our people are going to be terribly disappointed, and I think here’s a chance for Uncle Sam to just slap their wrists. We’re there, we can express our views in debate, but it’s just not important enough for us to vote on any issues. It’s bound to—[unclear] naturally, if we do that, we’re not bound by the votes.
President Nixon
Yeah, I get it. Mm-hmm.
Reagan
Well, I just—
President Nixon
Well, I—
Reagan
—I couldn’t sleep all [President Nixon acknowledges] last night. I had to—
President Nixon
Yeah, well, I’m telling you, I had a [laughs]—it was a hard night here. A hard night here. We were on the phone right up to the last minute.
Reagan
Yeah.
President Nixon
Yeah. Well, let me . . . let me give some thought to the thing, and I’ll keep you posted on the—on what our strategy is. You know, we can do some things that are quite effective in many areas here. Incidentally, we’re cert—we’re going to remember every—all of our friends that stood with us on this. Incidentally, among them—among whom were the Japanese.
Reagan
Yes.
President Nixon
They were great.
Reagan
Oh, I know.
President Nixon
The Japanese were great, the—
Reagan
They were great when I was there.
President Nixon
And—
Reagan
I was asked a question in Japan [President Nixon acknowledges throughout] by the press, and I—“What if this went wrong?” And I said, “Well”—that was where I first used the expression, I said, “I would consider it an act of immoral political expediency by the United Nations.”
President Nixon
Yeah. Moral bankruptcy’s a good term. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And a hell of a precedent, you know, if you can throw out a nation by simple majority, next they might throw out Portugal or South Africa.
Reagan
Yeah.
President Nixon
Hmm. [Slight chuckle.] Or Ghana, who knows?
Reagan
That’s why I think they need a jolt.
President Nixon
Well, let me get at it and—when are you—when did you get back?
Reagan
We got back Saturday morning.
President Nixon
Saturday morning. But you had a good trip?
Reagan
Oh, yes.
President Nixon
Yeah, I got reports on it and—
Reagan
Very good, and I’m—
President Nixon
And it’s—
Reagan
—look forward to telling you. It was a—
President Nixon
—an exciting part of the world. Yeah.
Reagan
Yes.
President Nixon
Yeah. Vietnam and everything.
Reagan
Yeah.
President Nixon
And it’s going well there, isn’t it?
Reagan
It seemed to be, yes.
President Nixon
Yeah. The casualties this week were six, so there—we got it [slight chuckle] wound down.
Reagan
Yeah. Well . . . well, I shall leave you to your troubles. I know the press is going to be waiting for me. I’m going to . . . I know I’ll have to answer, and I’m going to continue along the same tone that [President Nixon acknowledges] as far as I’m concerned, the . . .
President Nixon
Well, you might indicate that the—for example, that you feel that this greatly weakens the support for the United Nations in the United States. That the . . . that it’ll have repercussions in the Congress and, you know, that sort of thing is—will reverberate around.
Reagan
Yeah. As a matter of fact, I, before I left—I don’t know what the hell is United Nations Week or when it is. I signed that proclamation—
President Nixon
Did you?
Reagan
—for U.N. Week and I’m going to go over and if it still isn’t over, if it—if we haven’t had it yet—
President Nixon
Revoke it?
Reagan
—I’m going to withdraw the proclamation.
President Nixon
[laughing heartily] OK. Yeah. I bet you—I don’t know whether—I probably signed it, too, but I didn’t go to anything, I can assure you.
Reagan
Oh, I didn’t [slight chuckle], either.
President Nixon
Well, there are all sorts of dinners, you know.
Reagan
Yeah. Oh, out here [Earl] Warren made a speech at one the other night.
President Nixon
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Reagan
It was a load of crap. [President Nixon acknowledges throughout.] The old man—I wish to hell he [unclear]—
President Nixon
Oh, incidentally, I want—I think you should know, on another subject, that we’ve got two terrific nominees for the Supreme Court. They’re tough, strong, conservative, and they are just squealing like hell. This—well, you know, we, as you know, we ran Mildred [L.] Lillie by you and [chuckles] we have in mind [William French] Smith for another one. But these two, you can bank on. Our liberal friends—[Lewis F.] Powell [Jr.] of Virginia is just a great fellow and [William H.] Rehnquist is probably the—is probably as strong a young guy—well, he’s not too damn young, he’s 47—but probably he’ll be the strongest man on the Court.
Reagan
Oh, good. My heart was, of course, set on Smith. I [President Nixon acknowledges]—out here. He’s a hell of a guy.
President Nixon
Well, let me say, he’s at the right age and he is right up there on consideration. Our problem was that we had to take one southerner. It was Powell. And I couldn’t take two corporation lawyers.
Reagan
Yeah.
President Nixon
You see the problem?
Reagan
Yeah.
President Nixon
He’s a corporation lawyer and the other is. But Smith, you know, has got a terrific record: chairman of the [California] Board of Regents, and so forth. And as [John N.] Mitchell will tell you, he was right in it and one of those other guys . . . what the heck? They can’t live forever.
Reagan
[laughing] No.
President Nixon
[laughing] Who knows?
Reagan
[laughing] No.
President Nixon
Let’s hope the good guys live longer.
Reagan
Yes.
President Nixon
Well, give my best to Nancy [D. Reagan], and I’ll be back in touch with you about this.
Reagan
All right.
President Nixon
OK.
Reagan
OK.
President Nixon
Fine.
Reagan
Bye.