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    "title": "WHSF: Contested, 3-56",
    "description": "This file contains:\n\nFrom Buchanan to Haldeman and the Attorney General RE: political notes from a meeting of the \"Manhattan Twelve.\" 3 pgs. [Subject: Campaign] [Memo], 12/3/1971\n\nFrom Colson to Buchanan RE: focusing on conservatives going into the election season. 1 pg. [Subject: Campaign] [Memo], 12/29/1971\n\nFrom Buchanan to Colson RE: happenings involving Ashbrook. 1 pg. [Subject: White House Staff] [Memo], 12/14/1971",
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        "Richard M. Nixon's Returned Materials Collection",
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    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/95/1445/26144595/content/presidential-libraries/nixon/RN-RET/2546065/Contested-Box-3/Contested-03-56.pdf",
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    "ocrText": "Richard Nixon Presidential Library\nContested Materials Collection\nFolder List\nBox Number\nFolder Number\nDocument Date\nNo Date\nSubject\nDocument Type\nDocument Description\n3\n56\n12/3/1971\nCampaign\nMemo\nFrom Buchanan to Haldeman and the\nAttorney General RE: political notes from a\nmeeting of the \"Manhattan Twelve.\" 3 pgs.\n3\n56\n12/29/1971\nCampaign\nMemo\nFrom Colson to Buchanan RE: focusing on\nconservatives going into the election season.\n1 pg.\n3\n56\n12/14/1971\nWhite House Staff\nMemo\nFrom Buchanan to Colson RE: happenings\ninvolving Ashbrook. 1 pg.\nMonday, October 25, 2010\nPage 1 of 1\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nDecember 3, 1971\nDETERMINED TO BE AN\nADMINISTRATIVE MARKING\nCONFIDENTIAL / IMMEDIATE\nE.O.\nBy ylu Date\nMEMORANDUM TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL\nH. R. HALDEMAN\nFROM:\nPATRICK J. BUCHANAN\nThe Manhattan Twelve gathered again Wednesday. From the White\nHouse point of view, the convocation was the least constructive to date.\nThey were nct dissatisfied with the Administration (Colson, Buchanan)\nresponse to their list of \"demands;\" they were outraged. For some.\nthe meeting served as a catharsis, a point of final departure from the\nNixon Administration. My friend, Bill Rusher, the most hawkist, leader\nof the group and designated spokesman, would tell me nothing other than\nthey were heading off, and \"you are welcome to join us.\" Rusher, as\ninc will soine time ago, made a personal commument to sever any\nremaining ties with the Administration, if Taiwan were expelled. By\nwritten memorandum, Rusher has urged upon the twelve the case for\nthe defeat of Richard Nixon \"at all costs\" as they put it even if it\ncarries with it the certainty of electing Teddy Kennedy. His memorandum,\nwhich argues the case that this is the last best hope for conservatives, is\nreportedly witty and well-written but badly argued. Have been unable\nas stated, to lay hands upon a copy, so that I could write a rebuttal for\nthe next meeting.\nThe Twelve have maintained an utterly close-mouthed attitude about\nboth proceedings and decisions. From outside sources, however, have\nlearned the following.\n1) A number of options are being explored; they run from an open\nchallenge to the President in the New Hampshire, Florida and California\nprimaries to a Third Party effort in the General election. My source\nindicates that they have already made contact with Bill Loeb of the\nUnion-Leader; their political man, Jerry Harkins, has explored the\npossibility of running a primary candidate against the President.\n2) Some of them are now so anti-Nixon that they cannot, under conceivable\ncircumstances, be brought back into the fold. Among the twelve and\ntheir other colleagues assembled, the following are the anti-Nixon hawks:\nDETERMINED TO BE AN\nADMINISTRATIVE MARKING\n-2-\nE.O. 12065, Section 6/102\nBy\nNARS, Dat\nWilliam Rusher (Publisher, NR)\nM. Stanton Evans (Indianapolis Trib Ed Page Editor; ACU Chief)\nJames Burnham (Columnist, NR)\nFrank Myer (Vice Chairman, N. Y. Conservative Party)\nRon Docksai (YAF Chairman)\nNeil McCaffrey (Conservative Book Club)\nJerry Harkins (Political Operative -- Crane's Campaign Manager)\nJohn Jones (ACU Exec -- was not present Wednesday)\n3) In the middle, those perhaps amenable to an accommodation, but\nstill disenchanged, are Dan Mahoney of the N. Y. Conservative Party,\nand Jeff Bell, Editor of ACU publication. Anthony Harrigan was not\npresent; don't know where he stands.\n4) Doves include the Human Events people, Allan Ryskind and Tom\nWinter, and William F. Buckley, Jr. (Apparently, Bill regaled the\ngathering with his wit; his political recommendations, however, were\nthemselves the subject of some humor. My guess is that since Bill is\nsuch an\nspirit.\n= hit uncomfortable being yoken in\nharness in a twenty-mule team whose direction he alone cannot possibly\ncontrol.)\n5) The YAF leaders are reportedly anxious to make a go against the\nPresident, both to show their youth turn-out to the media and for\norganizational and other purposes.\n6) The elements upon which any challenge to the President would be\nraised would include the editors and writers here involved, their publica-\ntions, the New York Conservative Party, the Michigan Conservative Party,\nthe United Republicans of California, Phyllis Schlafly and her women\nsupporters, and the ACU organizations that seem to be popping up, in\nNew Jersey and elsewhere.\n7) My source indicates that they have covert support within the Republican\nParty in the Congress; and that there is no problem for a money standpoint.\nA number of traditional GOP moneymen, whose names I could not acquire,\nare said to be willing to fund the effort, when it goes.\n8) F. Clifton White was not present at this meeting.\n9) Am unable to determine just who they would focus upon as a candidate,\nshould they decide to go either in the primaries or the General. Got a\nsoft not a hard -- impression that Reagan is privately concerned about\nDETERMINED TO BE AN\nADMINESTRATIVE MARK ING\n-3-\nE.O. 12065, Section 6-102\nBy\nNARS, Date\ntrends within the Administration, There was no negative word with\nregard to Jim Buckley (whose defense man, Bill Schneider) was present --\nbut there is a feeling among them that Senator Goldwater did his job in\n1964 and could not be expected or counted upon to support them now.\n10) The major issues which concern them, despite the laundry list are\na) Defense and b) FAP. One source indicated that if there were some\nway we could indicate something positive from the Defense Budget, that\nmight help create some dissent from the prevailing view within the ranks.\nThey are cognizant, however, that the Budget is not presented until after\nthe filing deadline for New Hampshire is passed.\n11) From comments from those who refuse to talk, one gets the\nimpression that they are readying. some media-making event in the near\nfuture. Don't know what it is or what form it will take -- but something\nnice I am sure.\nBUCHANAN ASSESSMENT: This seems a fairly serious problem. Right\nnow, we could win without these conservatives and their train; but right\nnow; is Schober J. 1972. So long as they continued meeting and\ntalking, there was no great problem. But, should they \"get it all together\"\nand announce something rather exciting, then their efforts would take on\na new momentum of their own. A National Conservative Party in the\nGeneral election, if the threat is to be taken seriously, could be a\nproblem (There was talk further of canalizing efforts and running a\nconservative candidate only in those states where it would be sure to\ncost the President the state.)\nWhile the possibility exists, it would be an error to write these fellows\noff as bluffers or talkers without follow-through. Currently, they resemble\na milling herd of cattle, making considerable noise and doing little harm;\nbut if they start moving off together in one direction -- picking up every\nstray anti-Nixon conservative in the country -- they could be difficult to\nstop.\nMy hope had been that something like Child Development-OEO could be\nbrought down here for a Presidential veto, with a tough message, which\nmight then cause at least some of them to say, wait a minute, the returns\naren't all in. But that does not now seem in the cards, as the House is to\ndo the honors.\nAny event, will keep on top of this; the ACU board is meeting Sunday;\nperhaps something may come out of that.\nBuchanan\nEYES ONLY\nDecember 29, 1971\nMEMORANDUM FOR:\nPAT BUCHANAN\nFRO M:\nCHUCK COLSON\nIn talking with the Attorney General last night, he expressed\nthe view that we must make a major effort now to \"care and\nfeed\" the conservatives. He believes that we must do it\nregardless of Ashbrook's decision today. He thinks we have\nsubstantively neglected our own constituency and that it's\nvery important that we, over the next year, strengthen and\nhold on to the conservative vote or regain it as the case\nmay be. He has asked for a detailed plan of those things that\nwe might consider doing. I told him that cosmetics would not\ndo the trick and he agreed.\nI think you and I should both give very careful thought to this and\nput together a memo jointly for the AG. If he approves, I think\nit can be sold to the President.\nCould you put some thoughts down ? Obviously our strategy\nwith respect to FAP is a key item, but I am sure you can c ome\nup with a number of others. If you could put together a draft\nyou and I could then collaborate on completing it. He would like\nto see something next week.\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nDecember 14, 1971\nconsumition file\nMEMOR ANDUM TO:\nCHUCK COLSON\nFROM:\nPAT BUCHANAN\nMax Friedersdorf called to say that Ashbrook may be\nthrown into a district with Wayne Hayes; the issue is\nnot settled yet; which could put him in a bad way; finally,\nthat he apparently just got a divorce from his wife of\nsome twenty years -- which might well mean the guy must\nsee his world falling in around him. These are factors\nwe should be aware of.\nPat"
}