Tapes: Nixon Called Reagan 'Strange'

Yahoo AP ^

[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."

[visitor]

I am currently re-reading Nixon's last book "Beyond Peace" published in 1994, the year of his death. It's interesting because of his views pre-9/11, but more importantly the last part of the book is remarkable ...rto

[pinz-n-needlez]

Are we entering an all anti-Reagan all the time interval, leading up to his birthday in February, do you think?

I guess you're right, liberal federal bureaucrats is most likely redundant... and repetitious. lol

Pinz

[gathersnomoss]

Nixon Called Reagan 'Strange'

No, Clinton was strange.

[Democratshavenobrains]

The Left just pretends to respect a past Republican president so they can use him to bash a current one. By 2030, the Dems will be saying George W. Bush thought the current Republican in office was weird.

[ZULU]

??????????

The draft age was 18 back to Civil War times at least. The voting age was 21 back to the time of the Constitution's beginning.

I think the idea was one had to serve in the military to earn the full rights of citizenship. This concept went back as far as the Spartans and Ancient Romans.

[Palladin]

Hmmmm...I wonder what Reagan said about Nixon...

[chudogg]

The weapons came from Israel, you can say that we gave them the weapons only to give to Iran, but we give such an abundance of Money and weapons to Israel anyways that that would not be necessary. The Weapons did not go to the Terrorists, they were light anti-tank missiles that went to Iran. Iran had connections with Hizbollah and was able to release the hostages. We sold the weapons to Iran to prevent a Iraqi victory in the Iraq/Iran war, Iraq was a Soviet Client state with aims of conquering the entire middle east.

These transactions were legal.

There is no evidence to suggest that Oliver North was actively engaging in drug running operations. During the investigation, notebooks and recorded messages of Oliver North suggest that North came under information that certian elements of the Contras were engaging in drug smuggling, and did not pass the information to the DEA.

This could be construed as failing to report a crime, or an acommplice after the fact, but to put it into context, Oliver North was try to save the world from Communism, if you forgot.

If the actions taken were so illegal, why did the critics hide behind the Boland Ammedment, which only stipulates funding from the U.S. treasury?

the "Hist Report" brings up no link about Iran Contra or Oliver North on Google. Perhaps you have a link?

[samtheman]

The Hollywood Facist Left mourn the loss of power of Daniel Ortega and his gang of thugs.

[BikerNYC]

I think the law was changed because the Supreme Court held that you could not draft a citizen without giving him the right to vote for those who were sending him to war. Not an unreasonable proposition, IMHO.

[monkey]

I didn't think so either, but apparently he did. This site describes it as half-hearted.