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From Charles Colson to H.R. Haldeman. RE: Latest Harris Poll. 2 pgs. [Subject: Campaign] [Memo], 12/1/1970
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WHSF: Contested, 49-52
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WHSF: Contested, 49-52
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This file contains:
From Charles Colson to H.R. Haldeman. RE: Latest Harris Poll. 2 pgs. [Subject: Campaign] [Memo], 12/1/1970
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Richard M. Nixon's Returned Materials Collection
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Richard Nixon Presidential Library
Contested Materials Collection
Folder List
Box Number
Folder Number
Document Date
No Date
Subject
Document Type
Document Description
49
52
12/1/1970
Campaign
Memo
From Charles Colson to H.R. Haldeman.
RE: Latest Harris Poll. 2pgs.
Monday, June 04, 2012
Page 1 of 1
DOCUMENT WITHDRAWAL RECORD [NIXON PROJECT]
DOCUMENT
DOCUMENT
NUMBER
TYPE
SUBJECT/TITLE OR CORRESPONDENTS
DATE
RESTRICTION
N-1
Memo
Colson to Holdeman, re:
12/1/70
C
[DOC. 1 132]
lotest Havis poll
[attached to cover page,
"Stalin spoke highly of
the n.d.J
N-2
news
P.4 " "Indochina: marvin
n.d.
C
[DOC the 133)
survey
Kalb, on CBS, started the
results "
[attached to cover memo,
John Brown to The file,
12/11/703
FILE GROUP TITLE
BOX NUMBER
POF
32
FOLDER TITLE
news Summaries - December 1970
RESTRICTION CODES
A. Release would violate a Federal statute or Agency Policy.
E. Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
B. National security classified information.
financial information.
C. Pending or approved claim that release would violate an individual's
F. Release would disclose investigatory information compiled for law
rights.
enforcement purposes.
D. Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy
G. Withdrawn and return private and personal material.
or a libel of a living person.
H. Withdrawn and returned non-historical material.
NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION
NA FORM 1421 (4-85)
Presidential Materials Review Board
Review on Contested Documents
Collection:
President's Office Files
Box Number:
32
Folder:
News Summaries - December 1970
Document
Disposition
132
Return Private/Political
133
Retain Close Invasion of Privacy
DETERMINED TO BE AN
ADMINISTRATIVE MARKING
E.O. 12065. Section 6-102
By
AHT
NARS, Date 3/28/80
CONFIDENTIAL
December 1, 1970
MEMORANDUM FOR H.R. HALDEMAN
The President asked me yesterday to talk to Dan Lufkin regarding the
latest Harris Poll. I did so. Lufkin talked to Harris, which doesn't
help with this one but keeps some pressure on for the future.
I am convinced that Harris will jab us everytime he can; it is some-
what significant that in yesterday's poll on the impact of the Presi-
dent's campaigning, Harris did not publish a positive/negative break-
down. For the first time he printed all four categories of response.
This is one of the promises, you may remember, that we extracted
from him.
Following my conversation with Lufkin, and at his request, I called
Harris directly last evening. He gave me a very interesting analysis
of the poll.
Kennedy, Humphrey and Lindsay all run strong with certain groups,
badly with others. For example, Kennedy does poorly with older
voters, Humphrey badly with younger voters. Lindsay does well in
the suburbs, Kennedy does not. Kennedy runs very badly in the south
and border states, Humphrey not 80 bad. Kennedy does well with the
Catholics. In short, each of the three arouse strong support in certain
areas but strong animosity in others.
V hat distinguishes Muskie - and what causes him to run stronger -
is that he does not have the areas of opposition that the other potential
candidates do. In addition to holding the Democratic strength, he also
picks up Republican and Independent votes in the higher income brackets
which the other candidates do not.
Muskie, while he benefits from not having the liabilities of the other
candidates, also inspires no enthusiasm. The underlying poll data
(interviewee impressions) show that his support is very soft. Harris
describes it as "passable;" he is an accommodating candidate, no one
is really excited about him either way.
From this Harris concludes that when the infighting begins Muskie's
soft support will not hold up (Harris gave me some gratuitous political
advice to the effect that we should continue to push Muskie to the left).
-2-
Harris further concludes that in any two-way race no candidate against
the President could get more than 45-46% of the vote, except Muskie
at this time but Harris does not believe that Muskie's support will
continue at this level.
Harris is doing another analysis which will be released next week.
It shows the President doing as well today as he did in 1968 with
virtually every group and with each geographical area except in the
middle west where the President's support is badly off from the 1968
levels.
Harris believes that the mid-west has been particularly affected by a
recessionary psychology, farmer discontent and the GM strike. He
regards this as a special situation" and concludes that because of
the basic Republicanism of the mid-west, we will be able to recover
our support there.
The point of his analysis which he says he will make publicly (I will
believe it when he does) is that the President is W Very good shape
when his present support is compared to his 1968 performance except
in the mid-west where he believes that the damage will be repaired.
Charles W. Colson