Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
This file contains:
Record of a conversation between Colson and Al Sindlinger RE: breaking news on various campaign-related issues, particularly with regard to Russia and Vietnam. 4 pgs. [Subject: Campaign] [Other Document], 4/17/1972
Record of a conversation between Colson and Sindlinger RE: campaign polls. 1 pg. [Subject: Campaign] [Other Document], 4/17/1972
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
26144567
label
WHSF: Contested, 3-42
core
doc
dtoType
document
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
26144567
sourceUrl
contentType
document
title
WHSF: Contested, 3-42
description
This file contains:
Record of a conversation between Colson and Al Sindlinger RE: breaking news on various campaign-related issues, particularly with regard to Russia and Vietnam. 4 pgs. [Subject: Campaign] [Other Document], 4/17/1972
Record of a conversation between Colson and Sindlinger RE: campaign polls. 1 pg. [Subject: Campaign] [Other Document], 4/17/1972
citationUrl
collections
Richard M. Nixon's Returned Materials Collection
Contested Materials Files
imageCount
1
hasImages
yes
source
import
hasTranscription
no
Source extras
naId
26144567
levelOfDescription
fileUnit
recordType
description
ocrSource
nara-archive
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
document
mediaId
30185e84b87d0dbe
ocrText
Richard Nixon Presidential Library
Contested Materials Collection
Folder List
Box Number
Folder Number
Document Date
No Date
Subject
Document Type
Document Description
3
42
4/17/1972
Campaign
Other Document
Record of a conversation between Colson
and Al Sindlinger RE: breaking news on
various campaign-related issues, particularly
with regard to Russia and Vietnam. 4 pgs.
3
42
4/17/1972
Campaign
Other Document
Record of a conversation between Colson
and Sindlinger RE: campaign polls. 1 pg.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Page 1 of 1
Conversation with Al Sindlinger, April 17, 1972
S: Now, I've got this question I've been asking, it's been on for about 12
days now
did I tell you the questionnaire?
C: I haven't seen it, Al.
S: I should have sent it to you. The first question, "have you read or heard
anything on the radio or television lately about the fact that the war in Vietnam
has been stepped up?" And we're getting about 80% saying yes to it. "In
reference to the war in Vietnam, what is the most recent news that you recall
reading or hearing about And the daily headlines are played back for about
12-15 hours and.. last week we had about 50 guys that refused and then that
disappeared. Yesterday's interviewing, of course, was coming up on the
Russians. The Russians are finally admitting they are in Vietnam, these
comments are coming through and the hawks are coming out, I would say,
we've almost got 40% hawks now.
C: Is that right
S: They're coming out.
C: Are you getting that last night after the bombing?
S: Yes. "Let's get the goddamned thing over with", "What's Russia doing
in this ?" and also I'm picking up some reaction that Nixon should cancel his
Russian trip.
C: Jesus, that's fascinating. As this breaks, you know, we're going to want
to really play it.
S: Now, what's going through my mind now, is what am I going, what is he going
to do with it ? This is a fantastic setting.
C: Well, I think what we want to do with it Al is bring you down here and have
a press conference. I'd like to play this as a hell of a press thing. You could
make some national publicity out of this.
S: Well, now, remember I told you that I did the study on
's Prime
Minister ? Did I tell you about that?
C: I think you did.
2.
S: And we were getting this high response among females who said that
drugs is not our number one problem and they were talking about food prices
and this was run just before the Connally thing. Well, I want to put that
question back on. I can't put it on right now, but I want to put that back on
and I threw it on last night for a few KN interviews, I had it on when I was
monitoring and the food price thing I think has disappeared.
C: Isn't that marvelous.
S: That thing has disappeared and now they're talking about it is back as the
number one problem -- drugs -- but what is coming through here is that the
size of doves is not changing, that's just a straight through and we're getting
voluntary remarks "that stupid Muskie, what the hell is he talking about", "this
is not the time to talk like that this is the time to rally", he's reallyburying
himself. He's dead.
been
C: Have you/getting a lot of comments like that, Al?
S: Yes. And Mc Govern negative reactions. All of his support is in that 20%.
His solid support is there and the idea of cutting taxes and promising all this,
that's poppycock, let's get to the issues. The issue is inflation and getting the
war inVietnam over.
C: Well, those are the two we're working on. We're in the right posture there.
How soon could you get figures that would enable you to come and testify?
S: Well, I ought to have 3 or 4 days of the Russian attitude. Did I hear someplace
that there's a, the night session of the Foreign Relations Committee
C: No, it's this morning but it will be televised, retelevised tonight.
S: I think I ought to pick up some reactions to that. What do you think will
happen there ?
C: Well, they'll give Bill Rogers a working over, but he'll be good, he's great.
S: What's the movtive?
C: Oh, political. It's going to revitalize the war issue and get everybody mad
at the Administration. Ithink it's going to work just the other way. Because the
public figure will after 2 weeks of raiding the South, what in hell is wrong with
bombing them?
S: And that's exactly what we're getting. And as , the reaction is we're not
doing enough. We have a couple people mentioning the atomic bomb. This is
frightening.
3.
If
C: It doesn't frighten me, I'd be all for it. think it would end the goddamned thing.
S: It's pretty clear that Russia now is certainly admitting that they're there.
Now why would the Russians be so stupid
C: Well, because I think they figure they can't get away with not doing it, Al.
S: Forced into the problem.
C: How soon could you have a press conference down here if we were to arrange
it?
S: Well, now would that be good though?
C Hell, I think it would be terrific. Come down to Washington and say that you've
been polling, in addition to your economic polls you've been conducting polls on
the public's attitude onthe war and you find it very startling.
S: Wouldn't it be better if I arranged it myself rather than you?
C: Oh, we wouldn't,
what we would do is if you had
S: but
C: What we would do, A1, is if you set it up down here where you'll get twice
as much publicity as you could get in Swarthmore. Then we can tip off friends
in the networks and they'll come and cover it. You see, we can magnifiy
your publicity, like we did before.
S: Alright, that's the way to do it. What about
C: You'd set it up, we wouldn't set it up. You come down here, you announce
it in advance and then we tip off the people and that way we can assure that
you'll get a lot of national press.
S: Well, I think we ought to have about 3 or 4 more days on the Russian thing
C: Well, then let's shoot for Wednesday or Thursday, could you have your
data tabulated by then
S: Couldn't have it by Wednesday, I have a client meeting with Genesco in
Nashville tomorrow and I'd need Wednesday
could do it Thursday.
C: That would be beautiful, ideal. I'll tell you why. The American Society of
Newspaper Editors are here in Washington and they would read it locally and
you'd probably get some editorials out of it. See this kind of thing gets you
some good publicity because it gets thatname out in front of the public and
it would be carried, there's no queston about that
4.
S: Well, this is the most fantastic study.
C: I think we ought to do it. Let's shoot for Thursday. Why don't you keep
going, I'll keep in touch with you.
Conversation with Al Sindlinger, April 17, 1972
S: Sunday, interviewing and Jesus, Muskie and Humphrey have collapsed.
And Wallace and McGovern have shot way up and Wallace has got himself in
a box because he's now appealing to the doves who want taxes cut. Boy has
he got himself in a box.
C: Well, let's see, he doesn't care where his votes come from!
S: I know but that's not a very solid faith. But, on females Humphrey's down
to 7.2 and Muskie to 3.6, Wallace is up to 11. 7, Nixon is up to 38. 7 on the
first choice among males. Nixon's just lost a little no, it's 51. 2, he's up.
Humphrey's 6.1, Muskie's 4.3, Kennedy 3.7, Wallace 13. 5, McGovern 4.9.
C: How many interviews is that
S: It's about 600.
C: That's a pretty good sample. I wonder if you could tab those dove/hawk
questions.
S: That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to cross tab them.
C: That would be fascinating.
S: And the same thing is happening today from the interviews I've been listening
to.
C: The same thing on the hawk/dove, bombing?
S: Yep. So, this is will wreck Humphrey and Muskie.
C: That's putting them on the limb.
S: And this Wallace coming up, that's prettyinteresting.
C: The troube is these guys don't stay wrecked very long. That's the trouble.
S: Well, I think Muskie's done.
C: Well, it's going to be a hell of a ballgame. I'll be anxious to hear what you
get on that bombing results. And I'll send youup that list of people right away.
S: So I'm working on the date. But isn' that fascinating
C: I should say.
S: Just what a couple of days can do.
C: We want a couple days like this just before the election. I'll be back to you.