NIXON TAPES: Ronald Reagan & Nam Blockade (John Mitchell)

024-045
May 9, 1972
White House Telephone

President Richard Nixon talks with his Attorney General John Mitchell about the speech Nixon gave the previous night announcing a new bombing campaign in North Vietnam and the mining and blockade of Haiphong Harbor. They discuss the possibility that the new American military offensive will destroy the prospect of an upcoming summit with the Soviets. They also discuss California Governor Ronald Reagan and his planned trip to Europe. (NARA censors beeped out the ending of the conversation as "personal.")

(Photo: Vice President Spiro Agnew, California Governor Ronald Reagan, President Richard Nixon, and Attorney General John Mitchell, January 1971.)

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• President
• Richard
• Nixon
• Vietnam
• War
• speech
• Bombing
• blockade
• Ronald
• Reagan
• Soviet
• summit
• USSR
• John
• Mitchell
• Bebe
• Rebozo

[thebig1]

Kennedy was a good man who truely wanted what was best for america as did Nixon. The difference was Kennedy had the media hide his past and Nixon had the media out to destroy him.

[thebig1]

Kennedy wasn't liberal on social issues. You mistake his brothers Bobby and Teddy...they were the social liberals. JFK today would be considered a conservative eventhough back in the 60's he was a moderate-right thinker.

[raelraven2]

@thebig1 Bobby Kennedy's politics on "social issues" were less liberal than you indicate. He ran in 1968 on a platform that included a heavy dose of law-and-order in response to the riots, and consistently advocated replacing "the indignity of the dole" with the "dignity of a job." One interesting fact--RFK won precincts in Indiana that voted for Wallace in 1964 and 1972. Although their views on racial issues were far apart, their views on law-and-order and welfare were fairly close.

[bl0ke]

@BBCater If Reagan was so smart why did he fall for Nixon's ploy and then also add Bush as his running mate if the establishment Republicans were just using Bush to control Reagan?

You say they couldn't control Reagan, but here is Nixon sending him to Europe and you acknowledge that Republicans named his running mate essentially to supplant and control him again.

Looks like Reagan was just a puppet. And Republicans thought he was dumb and treated him as such.

[BBCater]

@bl0ke WRONG! Did you even HEAR what Nixon said in this tape? He said "we'll have more time to work in California" (with Reagan being gone on vacation).They FEARED Reagan.

In fact, the Republican power-base was so scared of Reagan that they BEGGED him to choose Bush as a running mate. They couldn't control Reagan, so they supplanted THEIR puppet.

You really need to drop your liberal programming and learn something, or - at the very least - learn to pay attention for more than 10 seconds.

[pat442389]

@thebig1 disagree JFK was for Civil Rights and would be against corporations running the economy and the politicians. he was for unions, but against corrupt unions and their leaders (hoffa) he was the last real president who worked for the american people, not the elite and richest 5% who ruin millions of ppls lives. he was for a minimum wage, social security, against the vietnam and the cold war. he was a true democrat. bobby was more liberal but he and the country changed a lot from 63'-68'

[FRSFreeStatePlus]

Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan were never fans of each other 

[bl0ke]

I love how behind closed doors none of the Republicans had any respect for Reagan. He was such a puppet.

[Derby14]

Sending Reagan to fart around in Europe...that's funny.

[FRSFreeState]

Its no secret that Dick Nixon and Ron Reagan didn't like each other 

[2taggs2]

Nixon always seeks approval from people - and boasts about himself all the time, too.

[CounterCultureLives]

As far as Obama is concerned?? I'm disappointed as well. The Repugnantcans had vowed to ensure his failure, and the price paid by the American people be damned. While Obama inherited a nation already plagued by mismanagement, he campaigned on the premise that "business as usual" was not a solution; since then, it's been "business as usual.

As for the GOP?? What would you think of a Sarah Palin / Dan Quayle GOP ticket in 2012?? ;o)