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This file contains:
Copy of a memo from Colson to Haldeman RE: an attached document chronicling a conversation between Colson and Bob Healy. Handwritten note added by unknown. 1 pg. [Subject: Campaign] [Memo], 6/14/1972
Record of a conversation between Colson and Bob Healy on McGovern, Kennedy, and the election of 1972. 3 pgs. [Subject: Campaign] [Other Document], 6/14/1972
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26144561
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WHSF: Contested, 3-39
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26144561
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WHSF: Contested, 3-39
description
This file contains:
Copy of a memo from Colson to Haldeman RE: an attached document chronicling a conversation between Colson and Bob Healy. Handwritten note added by unknown. 1 pg. [Subject: Campaign] [Memo], 6/14/1972
Record of a conversation between Colson and Bob Healy on McGovern, Kennedy, and the election of 1972. 3 pgs. [Subject: Campaign] [Other Document], 6/14/1972
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Richard M. Nixon's Returned Materials Collection
Contested Materials Files
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Richard Nixon Presidential Library
Contested Materials Collection
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No Date
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Document Type
Document Description
3
39
6/14/1972
Campaign
Memo
Copy of a memo from Colson to Haldeman
RE: an attached document chronicling a
conversation between Colson and Bob
Healy. Handwritten note added by unknown.
1 pg.
3
39
6/14/1972
Campaign
Other Document
Record of a conversation between Colson
and Bob Healy on McGovern, Kennedy, and
the election of 1972. 3 pgs.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Page 1 of 1
President's Folder
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
June 14, 1972
MEMORANDUM FOR:
H.R. HALDEMAN
FROM:
CHARLES COLSON
SUBJECT:
Attached Comments
The attached may be of interest to you. These are excerpts from
the phone conversation with Bob Healy of the Boston Globe who called
me to tell me of Marty Nolan's interview with Ted Kennedy.
Healy is a confirmed, old-line Massachusetts, Irish-Catholic,
Democrat. He is, from what some of my friends have told me of
late, very turned off on McGovern and apparently becoming in-
creasingly conservative. He is intimate with Kennedy.
When Channel 5 went under in Boston (which was a tragedy from our
standpoint), Healy called me to say that he would personally be forever
in our debt for not interfering in the Channel 5 case and that he admired
our restraint, honesty, etc. etc. I, of course, told him that we
wouldn't think of doing such a thing (the fact is that we weren't able
to). In any event, this apparently has won us an enormous amount
of credit with Healy, who by the way refused to run the impeachment
ad in the Boston Globe that the New York Times had run and he now
has a rebellion from 20 young insurgents on the Boston Globe staff.
I give you this background only SO you will understand that I think he
is passing on honest intelligence and he is a good source to us because
he is SO close to the Kennedys. I have known Healy for 20 years and
while we have never been political friends in any sense, my instincts
tell me that he is giving it to me straight. Therefore, I pass the
attached on to you for what it is worth.
Conversation with Bob Healy, June 14, 1972
H: Let me tell you the sequence of events. Marty Nolan talked with
Ted the day before and then overnight Ted called and said, "why don't
you fly up to New York with me, I might have something for you. 11 So,
it wasn't an off the wall thing.
C: You mean he put the story out deliberately?
H:. Yes. And I give you that background for your own information. The
point is that more relevent to this thing is the fact that he raised it; it's
not a hard thing. He says essentially that his position is pretty much the
same, but that nobody had offered him a Vice Presidential nomination so
at this time he doesn't think he should turn it down and if it might help the
ticket he would have to consider it.
Cs What you're really telling me is that he went out of his way to make
that point.
H: Yes. Now he did the same thing with me on the McGovern thing and
now reading between the lines, of course, is the possibility he is saying
two things. One, that no one can win that nomination without McGovern's
supporters. Now if there is a Stop McGovern movement, and if it is
successful, obviously you are going to need the McGovern people to
deliver that nomination to someone else.
C: Yes, so what he is really doing is getting himself in good with McGovern.
H: And #2, before California he gave me the piece about not endorsing
McGovern but "you know where my sympathies are, my sympathies are
with McGovern and that I don't think an endorsement by me of McGovern
would help. " So, eseentially what I'm saying is, he certainly is
positioning himself with the McGovern people in case there is a successful
movement to at least be friendly. I still don't think that it will work. I
really don't and I've looked at the McGovern people very carefully
for
instance, you know Jerry Grossman. Jesus, Jerry wouldn't take Kennedy.
I don't say he is the classic McGovern delegate, but he isn't unlike most
of them either. (NOTE: Grossman is Demo NAT Committee)
C; Well, I think the rebellion right in the Massachusetts delegation is
significant. That's the place where he would have real problems.
H: So I would kind of discount it anyway and I frankly think McGovern has
got the thing locked up.
2.
C: I do too, but what's the game? The question really is what game is
Teddy playing and why? I've either been a Kennedy watcher or in a
campaign against a Kennedy
H: I know, for a long time.
C:
for 20 years and I've usually been able to figure these things out.
H: The thing I said, he went out of his way to tell Marty last night that
McGovern has 1261 delegates and as Marty said, heprobably has a
better count than Gary Hart. He said they have very good counters,
as you know.
C: He also told another friend of mine that he didn't think anybody was
going to'beat Nixon this year and no reason to stick his own neck in that.
H: He told me that too and that's the only thing I don't figure in terms of
the Vice Presidential thing unless again, you do the penance, as they say,
as a Vice Presidential candidate.
C: That's the one rationale.
H: That makes sense.
C: That's the only conceivable rationale.
H: That you do the bit for the Party and then in '76 you have done it and
because you've done it Chappaquiddick fades away and that sort of thing.
I think that really makes some sense. I'll tell you frankly, knowing his
thinking and he's very frank with me, that's the only thing I can think of.
Maybe deep down in his mind there's a possibility that if there is a succes-
sful Stop McGovern movement, he becomes then the beneficiary of some of
those McGovern votes. Which I think he would if he said he was available
for the Vice Presidential nomination.
C: Which, Bob, would be important to him not just this year if he wanted
it,
H: Exactly. It would even be very important to him in '76, having done
the good thing. So I think he gets it either way following this course.
C: On the other hand, if he really wanted to be Vice President he would
just go to McGovern and say, look, George, we'll put this together.
3.
H: Oh, hey, McGovern told me out next to the pool in California that
that's who he wants, so there's no question about it being put together.
I mean, they could put it together tomorrow afternoon.
C: And that's all it would take.
H: That would be the ticket, because McGovern wants it and I think also
if it went that way, Kennedy could deliver up a lot of those votes for
McGovern that are needed.
C: Oh, sure.
H: Especially if they made a deal beforehand. I don't think there's any
question! Well, I wanted to bring you up to date.
C: I appreciate it. I also got your note this morning which I think is
great. I think I'll pass it around here.
H: Okay.
C: Great, thanks, Bob.