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This file contains:
Copy of a memo from Colson to Haldeman RE: previous memorandum. Handwritten notes on original added by unknown. 3 pgs. [Subject: Campaign] [Memo], 9/13/1971
From Haldeman to Colson RE: responses to Democratic attacks. 1 pg. [Subject: Campaign] [Memo], 9/9/1971
From Colson to Haldeman RE: column of journalist Kevin Phillips. Handwritten note added by unknown. 1 pg. [Subject: Domestic Policy] [Memo], 9/16/1971
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26145063
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WHSF: Contested, 7-14
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document
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1
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26145063
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document
title
WHSF: Contested, 7-14
description
This file contains:
Copy of a memo from Colson to Haldeman RE: previous memorandum. Handwritten notes on original added by unknown. 3 pgs. [Subject: Campaign] [Memo], 9/13/1971
From Haldeman to Colson RE: responses to Democratic attacks. 1 pg. [Subject: Campaign] [Memo], 9/9/1971
From Colson to Haldeman RE: column of journalist Kevin Phillips. Handwritten note added by unknown. 1 pg. [Subject: Domestic Policy] [Memo], 9/16/1971
citationUrl
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Richard M. Nixon's Returned Materials Collection
Contested Materials Files
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26145063
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Richard Nixon Presidential Library
Contested Materials Collection
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No Date
Subject
Document Type
Document Description
7
14
9/13/1971
Memo
Copy of a memo from Colson to Haldeman
RE: previous memorandum. Handwritten
notes on original added by unknown. 3 pgs.
7
14
9/9/1971
Campaign
Memo
From Haldeman to Colson RE: responses to
Democratic attacks. 1 pg.
7
14
9/16/1971
Domestic Policy
Memo
From Colson to Haldeman RE: column of
journalist Kevin Phillips. Handwritten note
added by unknown. 1 pg.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Page 1 of 1
file
9/28
DETERMINED TO BE AN
75
MARKING
THE WHITE HOUSE
ADMIL
E.U. 120
on 6-102
WASHINGTON
By EP
1-26-82
September 13, 1971
MEMORANDUM FOR:
H.R. HALDEMAN
FROM:
CHARLES COLSON
SUBJECT:
RE Your Memo of September 9
In response to your memo of the 9th regarding a "crew of hatchet
men" who will fire back automatically at our Democratic adver-
saries, I couldn't agree more that this is one of our major needs;
it has been a serious deficiency for some time.
As for specific replies to Muskie and Humphrey on their Labor
Day speeches, you should know that Dole did take them both on. We
got a pretty good wire service story out of it although nothing
appeared locally and there was no network coverage. In that
specific instance his speech was good enough to have been covered
more extensively than it was. Nofziger assured me that he would
have the speech out by noon in order to give the networks time to
interview Dole. In fact, the text was not delivered until 3:00 to the
galleries which was too late to inspire much network interest. More-
over I don't think Nofziger really tried to get the networks interested
in doing any interviews. (This is a separate problem. Nofziger
understandably doesn't like to be told what to do but unfortunately
even resists when we even suggest things to him.
Dole, Griffin, Brock, Taft, Goldwater and others were given speeches
by us to use. All of them toned them down so completely that they got
no news at all. One exception was Brock who left in some tough stuff
and did make a little bit of wire service coverage. But
again, nothing spectacular.
Clark MacGregor and I had a long talk about this problem on Friday.
He agrees completely that we must do something about it and is pro-
posing to organize a task force, which will meet regularly with Clark
and me to program this kind of ready response when the Democrats
attack. Clark said that he was waiting to hear from you about
2.
Presidential participation in one of the first meetings, but I have
urged him not to wait for that answer but to get going fast because
the need is immediate. I hope we will have something off and running
on this today.
A third problem is that we simply are not going to get equal coverage
with the Democratic contenders by simply relying upon Dole or even
our more articulate Senators or Congressmen. There is, as you well
know, the media problem: when Humphrey and Muskie attack us, that's
news. When our guys reply, it's back with the corset ads. Not only
do we have the media bias to contend with but it is a fact that a
Democratic Presidential candidate attacking the President is more
news than a Republican Senator defending the President and attacking
his colleagues.
This raises the broader policy/strategy question which I think we need
to focus on very seriously. We can use Dole for the day to day attacks
to the extent we can get him motivated and Nofziger to cooperate. We
can also use the Senators and Congressmen but we shouldn't expect
too much unless they are willing to do things professionally and even
then it is tough.
This, therefore, raises the question as to the use of the Vice President
and the Cabinet members occasionally for this kind of response to
partisan attacks. For example, I would like very much to use
Richardson to hit Muskie on his busing position. From time to time
Stans, Hodgson, Connally and others could be programmed to take on
the Democratic candidates and as a "big gun" from time to time the
Vice President could do it very effectively.
Obviously, I don't want to proceed in attempting to line up these kinds
of replies until we have really thought through the pros and cons and have
decided as a matter of basic strategy that we want to do it. Clearly
it is engaging the Administration early in a head-on contest with
potential Democratic contenders; we will be accused of being partisan
and we will be getting ourselves down to the level of the nit-pickers
and snipers. On the other hand I favor doing it at key opportunities
because it may be the most effective way for us to blunt the attacks
and perhaps discourage them in the future. If the decision is we
should do it, I will work on getting Cabinet members programmed
for appropriate times. We should all agree it should be the party
line and I will proceed then and see that it gets executed.
3.
As a side note I think Clark MacGregor now agrees that Jim Hogue
is really not up to the job of handling the Congressional reactions.
We had another very disappointing performance on Friday when Hogue
was simply not able to get the press secretaries to get releases out
in time. Hogue is handicapped in that he does not deal with the
principals. And I also don't think he is aggressive enough to really
push when we need something. He also has on some occasions
consulted with Nofziger and toned speeches down in advance before
he even delivers them to the congressmen and senators. As I say,
I think Clark is aware of this and told me that he planned to deal
with the problem very quickly.
Please give me your guidance on whether Administration officials
should start answering the critics directly head on. Please
4.0
consider the need to schedule the session with Nofziger As to the
rest, Clark and I will continue to fight the good fight al: hough as
I have indicated we are going to have difficulty getting I/S much
impact as we would like.
CC: Clark MacGregor
9,1971
3.
have vo 10 is we U.S.
anywhere
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HRH:kb
THE WHITE HOUSE
EYES ONLY
WASHINGTON
EYES ONLY
September 16, 1971
MEMORANDUM FOR:
H.R. HALDEMAN
FROM:
CHARLES COLSON
SUBJECT:
Kevin Phillips Column
A very good friend of mine in the press corps has warned me
that Kevin Phillips has a hatchet column that he has written about
me. It is apparently very negative which will, of course, initiate
me into the very select circle of White House staffers who have
been bludgeoned by Phillips. Curiously, I have never met Phillips
nor did he ever call me about the article.
Thus far it appears that his publisher will kill it (I do have one or
two friends somewhere). I have been reliably told who fed him the
information if you are ever interested.
- Mitchells Magrader
What is more disturbing is that my friend has told me that Phillips
had access to a secret memo that I wrote on April 6, 1970. It was
either read to him or given to him. Fortunately, as you will see,
it is (relatively speaking for me) a carefully written memo. What
scares hell out of me is that there are a lot of other memos around
here written by me, you and others that could blow us right out of
the water. If someone is going to the lengths they obviously are to
dredge up the old memo attached, who knows what else they might
let out? It is possible, perhaps even probable that one of the
addressees of this memo gave it to Phillips. Perhaps some
sleuthing should be done although I am very concerned that it
might cause Phillips to force his publisher to release the column.