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Tapes: Nixon Called Reagan 'Strange'
Yahoo AP ^

Posted on 12/10/2003 11:15:18 AM PST by GulliverSwift

Tapes: Nixon Called Reagan 'Strange'
1 hour, 7 minutes ago

By JONATHAN D. SALANT, Associated Press Writer

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - President Nixon didn't think much of fellow Californian and Republican icon Ronald Reagan (news - web sites), calling him "strange" and not "pleasant to be around," newly released White House tapes show.

Talking politics with White House Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman at Camp David in August 1972, Nixon switched the conversation to two Republican governors, Reagan of California and Nelson Rockefeller of New York. Both men unsuccessfully sought the 1968 Republican presidential nomination that Nixon received.

"Reagan is not one that wears well," Nixon said.

"I know," Haldeman agreed.

"On a personal basis, Rockefeller is a pretty nice guy," Nixon said. "Reagan on a personal basis, is terrible. He just isn't pleasant to be around."

"No, he isn't," Haldeman said.

"Maybe he's different with others," Nixon said.

"No," Haldeman said.

"No, he's just an uncomfortable man to be around," Nixon said, "strange."

The conversations are part of the 240 hours of White House tape recordings from the Nixon administration released Wednesday by the National Archives. Covering July through October 1972, the tapes are the 10th batch of Nixon recordings, totaling 2,109 hours, that the Archives has released since 1980. In all, there are about 3,700 hours of Nixon White House tapes.

Nixon installed a secret taping system in the White House. Some of those tapes later showed a White House cover-up in connection with the 1972 break-in at Democratic National Committee (news - web sites) headquarters in the Watergate office building. The release of those tapes, which Nixon fought all the way to the Supreme Court, eventually led to his resignation in 1974 rather than face almost-certain impeachment and conviction.

The popular Reagan later served two terms as president. But like Nixon, Reagan had a scandal of his own, involving trading arms to Iran for hostages and illegally aiding anti-government forces in Nicaragua.

In 1980, Nixon told Parade magazine that he had several good talks with Reagan. "I think he values my foreign policy advice," the magazine quoted Nixon as saying. "I will be available for any assistance or advice."

Reagan had corresponded with Nixon for years. When Reagan was elected president, he sought Nixon's advice.

The disgraced former president offered some suggestions for Cabinet posts and a strategy for Reagan's first few months in office, urging him not to travel abroad for the first six months of his administration so he could concentrate on the economy rather than foreign policy. Nixon also pushed for his former chief of staff, Gen. Alexander Haig Jr., as Reagan's secretary of state.

Later, Nixon said Reagan's economic policies were unduly harsh and cautioned against giving him too much credit for winning the Cold War. "Communism would have collapsed anyway," he told Monica Crowley, a Nixon aide in his last years, according to her 1996 book, "Nixon Off the Record."


TOPICS: Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 30plusyearsago; ap; breakingnews; mediabias; nixon; nonstory; presidentnixon; presidentreagan; reagan; reaganbashing; richardnixon; ronaldreagan
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I like Nixon for attacking the media and for having Spiro the Dragon Agnew do the same, and for 'peace with honor' in Vietnam, but domestically he was a liberal Republican. One of his brainchilds was the EPA. It's like what liberals said about conservatives attacking Clinton. "Why do you attack Clinton when he's the most conservative Democrat in years?" And yet the liberals hated Nixon with all the hearts on their sleeve.

Haldeman was a yes man, as certainly can be showed in this very, very small snapshot. As far as strangeness goes, Haldeman said later, after it was all over, that Nixon was one of the strangest men he ever knew. Many people didn't know it, but every one of Nixon's speeches were memorized completely, which came in handy when he wanted to appear like he was making up things at the top of his head. (Which he actually had no ability at all, improvisation).

When Nixon would make some bizarre order to Haldeman, like one time when on a particularly rough landing of Air Force One at an airport, Nixon exclaimed, "That's it! Now more landing at airports!" Haldeman knew to just wait and eventually Nixon would just forget about his foolish order, as he certainly did in this case.

I can understand that Reagan made Nixon uncomfortable. Dick was uncomfortable around most people, especially those who liked to have fun.

1 posted on 12/10/2003 11:15:18 AM PST by GulliverSwift
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To: GulliverSwift
Nixon calling Reagan "strange" is a little like Zsa Zsa Gabor calling Diana Ross "ostentatious."
2 posted on 12/10/2003 11:17:58 AM PST by wizardoz ("Now we know what the "F" stands for in John F. Kerry." -stands2reason)
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To: GulliverSwift
"Nixon calls Reagan strange." . . . uhhh OK. Tricky Dick was off his meds.

Nixon is second only to LBJ in the creation of the modern welfare state and our hyper-regulatory environment. I don't want to speak ill of the dead, but can't he just go away?
3 posted on 12/10/2003 11:19:33 AM PST by Maynerd
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To: GulliverSwift
Nixon also trusted John Dean.
4 posted on 12/10/2003 11:21:38 AM PST by Spok
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To: wizardoz
My father looked, talked and acted like Reagan. Dad attended college with Dick Nixon. Dad said "Tricky Dick" was NOT pleasant to be around. Go figure....
5 posted on 12/10/2003 11:22:46 AM PST by mfulstone
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To: Spok
Doesn't he know a potential mealymouth when he sees one?
6 posted on 12/10/2003 11:23:40 AM PST by GulliverSwift (Howard Dean is the Joker's insane twin brother.)
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This is such a "non-story" - it was an initial-type meeting. I can't even count how many "first impressions" I've had that were way off base.....
7 posted on 12/10/2003 11:24:43 AM PST by koba37
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To: GulliverSwift
Nixon and Halderman aren't exactly in a position to call anyone 'unpleasant.'
8 posted on 12/10/2003 11:26:56 AM PST by Petronski (Living life in a minor key.)
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To: koba37
The thing about these tapes is that they take years to listen to. That's because they took years to make, obviously. And when listening to them, you have to go back again and again in order to transcribe it and make sense out of strange sounds.

This is a very selective exchange they've chosen hear. There are probably other exchanges where he's speaking positively of Reagan, and then negative somewhere else, and then positive, and so on........

9 posted on 12/10/2003 11:27:25 AM PST by GulliverSwift (Howard Dean is the Joker's insane twin brother.)
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To: GulliverSwift
Nixon Called Reagan 'Strange'

Pot, meet Kettle.
10 posted on 12/10/2003 11:31:13 AM PST by Belial
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To: GulliverSwift
Suddenly the media think Nixon wasn't such a bad guy after all.
11 posted on 12/10/2003 11:36:16 AM PST by skeeter (Fac ut vivas)
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To: GulliverSwift
Do you get the feeling they're trying to get all of the negative quotes they can find out in the nexus files so they can use them when it's time to write Reagan's obit?

Pinz
12 posted on 12/10/2003 11:38:42 AM PST by pinz-n-needlez
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To: GulliverSwift
I'm glad this was posted.

Well, crap on Nixon.

Nixon's policies? Increased government regulation, increased taxes and detente with the Soviets.

CLEARLY anti-Reagan.

13 posted on 12/10/2003 11:38:49 AM PST by gipper81
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To: GulliverSwift
The popular Reagan later served two terms as president. Like Nixon, Reagan had a scandal of his own, involving trading arms to Iran for hostages and illegally aiding anti-government forces in Nicaragua.

If I recall correctly, weren't some or most of the missile electronics modified/damaged so as to make the missiles largely worthless?
14 posted on 12/10/2003 11:42:10 AM PST by adam_az
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To: GulliverSwift
Salant must have had writer's block this week so he figured he could get on the "The Reagans" miniseries bandwagon.

The sad part is he missed that wagon by about 2 weeks.


15 posted on 12/10/2003 11:43:03 AM PST by hattend
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To: skeeter
The real comedy will be if a liberal tries to use something Nixon said as a means to bash Reagan.
16 posted on 12/10/2003 11:43:16 AM PST by squidly
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Comment #17 Removed by Moderator

To: pinz-n-needlez
released Wednesday by the National Archives.

Well, they're government bureacrats, and liberals they are. Probably memebers of the federal workers union. They can at any moment release whatever they want from their files. Now that the Reagan movie's come out, they thought this one would be good to release.

18 posted on 12/10/2003 11:44:16 AM PST by GulliverSwift (Howard Dean is the Joker's insane twin brother.)
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To: adam_az
The media was just lusting after a scandal. After their extreme excitment over Watergate, all liberal reporters were antsy for a scandal. Ford was the first to have to deal with reporters lusting after scandal news, with countless made-up scandals to worry about, such as the CIA media obsession. Reagan said the media was "trying to create another Watergate," and they tried but didn't ultimately get the result they wanted (resignation or impeachment)

Iran-contra ultimately arose out of differing opinions of foreign policy. The demoncrat-controlled Congress differed from the Whtie House. When Congress tries to micromanage the complex, ever-changing world of foreign policy, only disaster occurs. By the time something gets out of committee, it's probably not even timely anymore.

19 posted on 12/10/2003 11:49:47 AM PST by GulliverSwift (Howard Dean is the Joker's insane twin brother.)
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To: GulliverSwift
illegally aiding anti-government forces in Nicaragua
Translation:
In opposition to an unconstitutional usurpation of powers by the US Congress --- which illegally constrained the President of the United States from assisting freedom fighters battling for survival against a ruthless communist dictatorship --- Reagan gave them needed assistance. In the process, he thwarted the spread of communism throughout Central America.

(Just to keep the record straight.)

20 posted on 12/10/2003 11:56:03 AM PST by samtheman
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