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:
From Haldeman to Harry Dent RE: thought on the previous night's GOP Dinner and a meeting between several Republican Governors and RN. 2 pgs. [Subject: Campaign] [Memo], 3/12/1970
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
26144783
label
WHSF: Contested, 5-30
core
doc
dtoType
document
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
26144783
sourceUrl
contentType
document
title
WHSF: Contested, 5-30
description
This file contains:
From Haldeman to Harry Dent RE: thought on the previous night's GOP Dinner and a meeting between several Republican Governors and RN. 2 pgs. [Subject: Campaign] [Memo], 3/12/1970
citationUrl
collections
Richard M. Nixon's Returned Materials Collection
Contested Materials Files
imageCount
1
hasImages
yes
source
import
hasTranscription
no
Source extras
naId
26144783
levelOfDescription
fileUnit
recordType
description
ocrSource
nara-archive
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
document
mediaId
6204f3f616ea3534
ocrText
Richard Nixon Presidential Library
Contested Materials Collection
Folder List
Box Number
Folder Number
Document Date
No Date
Subject
Document Type
Document Description
5
30
3/12/1970
Campaign
Memo
Memo from Haldeman to Harry Dent RE:
thought on the previous night's GOP Dinner
and a meeting between several Republican
Governors and RN. 2 pgs.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Page 1 of 1
MEMORANDUM
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
CONFIDENTIAL
DETERMINED TO BE AN
ADMINISTRATIVE MARKING
March 12, 1970
E.O. 12065, Section 6-102
By
cRmf NARS, Date 6/15/81
MEMORANDUM FOR: MR. DENT
Some quick thoughts while they are still fresh in my mind regarding
the GOP Dinner last night.
It was my very strong feeling, and I find, in doing considerable
checking about, that it's shared by everyone who was there with
whom I've been in contact, that overall the program was an
absolute disaster except for the President, who managed to salvage
it to a fairly substantial degree.
All of the remarks delivered by each of the preliminary speakers were
badly written. Not one of them did an adequate job of building any
kind of enthusiasm. They all devoted their efforts to kicking the
Democrats while they were down, instead of taking a positive and
enthusiastic approach to the President and the present Administration.
No one had the perspicacity, consideration or politeness to build up
the great accomplishment of Pat Nixon on her recent national tour;
they simply said "
and, of course, you all know the First Lady. "
These people have got to be made someday, somehow to realize that
they are missing the opportunity to build our pluses, and that running
around kicking the Democrats is the last way we are going to
accomplish anything. The strong, positive points to make about the
Administration were, to a minor degree, covered by Hugh Scott and
Jerry Ford and the Vice President. As I recall, they were totally
overlooked by Tower and Wilson, and no one in the whole group, in-
cluding Rog Morton, really generated any enthusiasm or uplift for the
people that had been there.
Another consideration
a great number of the people in the audience
were Democrats; and yet, we spent our time kicking Democrats in a
very ungracious, undignified, and unbecoming manner. This is hardly
file
-2-
going to endear us to a member of the Democratic Party who paid
$1, 000 into the Republican coffers, thinking he was doing it to
provide a better government for America.
The totally graceless and highly embarrassing fiasco of Bob Wilson's
presentation of the Footdragger Award reached an all-time low for
this type of thing.
One very highly placed and perceptive observer commented that,
"You'd think we were the defeated Party, 11 after the dinner.
In a meeting today with the President, several Republican Governors
made the point that he alone had saved the day last night and that by
talking in a positive way to all of the people. not to the 24 per cent
who think they are Republicans
and they urged him to continue
always to speak to all the people, and not as a Republican. This is
excellent advice for the President, and our Republican leaders have
got to realize that it is. Also, it would be excellent advice for them
as National leaders. If they expect to become Majority leaders and
Speakers, etc., they have got to start acting like them.
All of the above probably serves no useful purpose. Let me say, how-
ever, that last night was the last occasion of that -political or
otherwise--that's going to be attended by the President and left to its own
devices. From now on, it has got to be clearly understood, before the
President is committed to such an appearance, that we have total
control over the form and content of the entire program of the evening.
The President was degraded by this operation last night, and we, as
his staff, have the obligation to see that this never happens again.
The way to do it is to say that the President will not attend such a
function unless and until the entire program, the contents of all of
the speakers' speeches, etc., have been submitted to us for review.
We have got to start looking at ways to pump enthusiasm, excitement,
interest, and all of the ingredients of a good political rally into dinners
of this sort, or else we should just quit having them, which is probably
the best idea of all. Believe me, all of this is not simply my view;
you will find, with a little checking, that it is very widely shared.
H. HIDEM HALDEMAN
cc: Mr. Chapin
Mr. Chotiner