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From St. Johns to Rose Mary Woods RE: Watrgate and George Muphy. 4 pgs. [Subject: Domestic Policy] [Letter], no date
From St. Johns to Rose Mary Woods RE: RN and press. 4 pgs. [Subject: Domestic Policy] [Letter], no date
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WHSF: Contested, 50-65
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This file contains:
From St. Johns to Rose Mary Woods RE: Watrgate and George Muphy. 4 pgs. [Subject: Domestic Policy] [Letter], no date
From St. Johns to Rose Mary Woods RE: RN and press. 4 pgs. [Subject: Domestic Policy] [Letter], no date
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Contested Materials Files
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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
50
65
Domestic Policy
Letter
From St. Johns to Rose Mary Woods RE:
Watrgate and George Muphy. 4pgs.
50
65
>
Domestic Policy
Letter
From St. Johns to Rose Mary Woods RE:
RN and press. 4pgs.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Page 1 of 1
DOCUMENT WITHDRAWAL RECORD [NIXON PROJECT]
DOCUMENT
DOCUMENT
NUMBER
TYPE
SUBJECT/TITLE OR CORRESPONDENTS
DATE
RESTRICTION
N-1
letter
St. Johns to RMW re Watergate É Gerge
n.d.
C(Nixon)
[DOC 91]
murphy
N-2
letter
St. Johns to RMW re RN The Pless
"Tuesday"
C(Nixon)
[DOC 92]
FILE GROUP TITLE
BOX NUMBER
PPF
40
FOLDER TITLE
5 5 [10]7]
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G. Withdrawn and return private and personal material.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H. Withdrawn and returned non-historical material.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 Personal Files
Box Number:
40
Folder:
S [1 of 7]
Document
Disposition
91
Return Private/Personal
92
Return Private/Personal
must
Rogard
Dear Dear Rose;
I miss you. I wish we were somehow situated so that I saw you oftener.
This is partly my thanks for all you did to make my grandson George's
visit to Washington a success. at heartened and inspired him, and George
can share it with his many young groups. Talking last week to a convention
of hundreds of Sunday School superintendants and teachers from F lorida,
New York, I llinois etc etc. I stressed that I thought we ought to begin
a better selling job on the advenrture, Joy, excitement and glory of
the GOOD side of life. What our great statesmen, scientists and leaders
in every field have believed and declared even if they had lapses. Some-
thing about G. Washington beside that smug dumb story about the Cherry
Tree. To be in The White House, to speak with the Presid. nt of the United
States is a rock under their feet and I think it' S good that it happens
to a number of the younger men like George
This week I spoke at the Ebell Club, biggest turnout they' ve had. "obody
present under 109, still they are all socially prominent and wealthy old
laides with prestige and influence. As I did at the Jewish C ommunity
ᶜenter in Kansas City recently I used the story of Dempsey' S definition
of a Champion. Hₑ said two things they all had and must have. To be
able to do the big thing THEN, in Madison Square Garden at 10.15 that
Tuesday evening, above all to be able to get up off the floor when you
can' to I remind d them that Richard Nixon had been on the floor, had
lost a champi9nship fight. But we all saw him get up , have the guts
to chall nge again, train, work, believe and pray to win the next one--
which very few men have ever done in all history. I said this makes him
2
a real champxion, and as the days get tougher and we are really faced
with our own part in this battle it is great to remember that Nixon
IS a champion and therefore can do it NOW at the required hour. In
both instances I got standing ovations.
George was moved greatly by church at t e White House--and that moves me
to enclose a sermon by my own minister Dr. Fletcher Harding. Howard
Strickling, for many years head of MGM public relations and a number of
journalists etc go to Dr Harding. Hₑ has the Community Church in Encino,
San Fernando Valley, an indepandent church, which is growing as fast as
many are going down 11--churches I mean. He packs two Sunday services
and his Youth groups are outstanding. Much leadership which I use in my
anti-drug fight. Thousands of copies of this particular sermon were sent
out by request and I never saw an audience or congregation more stirred
and inspired. I thought it a sermon that could well be delivered in
The White House S you perhaps know, the Metaphyiscal Movement as it's
sometimes called has millions of followers The Unity Daily Word has
an incredible subscription, Dr Ernest ilson is the most popular minister
in Kansas City. Dr. Harding is a fine speaker and has done a lot of TV
and college work.
There is one political matter I'd like to mention
you' ve got a real real tough one in George Murphy and he seems intent
on making it tougher. "I don' t propose to make a big issue of this" he
says-when caught taking a yearly salary from a political leader to the
very far right'. Maybe he doesn't, but I assure you his enemies do.
NOT on conflict of interests, but on as I say bein paid a yearly
salary by one of the best known far-right conservative active political
bosses in the country That' S almost as stupid as remark as another they
3
are readying to repeat "I can' t withdraw I need the money" and this they
seem to confirm--his saying it, I mean.
I' ve known George Murphy a good many years. Probably The President has
feelings of loyalty for old friendship, BUT if I put down here how many
of us it took to keep Murphy from fouling the whole thing up he might not
feel so strongly.
His opponents are sharpening every knife, and I think they feel that
maybe in young Tunney they have a real candidate in the Kennedy class.
I feel strongly that I shouldn' t beasked to vote for such lousy candidates
as Mₐₓ Raffety and George Murphy but I will swallow my pride and fear
and stay with Murphy- but if he wants to get elected he had better come
down off his high horse and get to his constituents. I know Reagan
now thinks he can elect anybody to anything but I' m not sure The 18
year old vote will kill even Reagan off that' S for sure. Anyhow what I
really want to say is that somebody who knows ought to watch Murphy and
his campaign closely so he doesn't do The President any harm. I will
shut up and support Murphy because I judge the Presient would rather
have him than any Democrat, but I do think Murphy is in serious trouble
and need stronger tactics and leadership .He' S got to get some of the
liberal Republican vote--and even a few Democrats and the Frawley thing
has hurt him in those areas very badly. A S a Tunney man said to me this
morning" Murphy wasn' t being paid by Fraeley to tell Technicollor what to
do, he was being paid by Frawley so Frawley could tell Murphhy what to do."
I mam makinga mid W est week or so in April--a very fine schedule be at
the School of J ournalism at Missouri for 2 days and then I hope to settle
4
down tomy new book. But maybe you' 11 get out here this summer I'd love
to see the San C lemnete place I used to ride horseback out of there
Do let me know anything I can do and meantime AV do let S all remember
1. Murphcy is an actor. In the end----2. There is still a woman's
vote not what it used to be, but still there. I'm speaking to their big
opening meeting the Republican "omen in A pril and Sybil Brand is
giving me a luncheon to speak
I send my most affectiOnate regards and prayers to President Nixon
and as always my love to you--
Adela
Tuesday
Dear Rose;
I'm sorry you feel as you do, but that of course is your decision.
Even granting your misinterpretation and misunderstanding of what I said,
for many years I have given Mr. Nixon loyalty, devotion, hard work, time
and any knowledge I had of public relations and any press contacts I had.
In defeat as well as victory. At a time when defeat had seemed final, if
you will recall I spent a lot of time and thought on helping him to some
profitable and constructive activity. I don't believe one mistake again
to give it your way of looking at it should be held in such enormous
proportion.
In t e first place, it wasn't te fault of The Press that Mr. Anderson
had a story to break As far as I as a newspaperman am concerned, I feel
that Mr. Nixon's whole operation connected with Watergate was a matter
of bad judgment, of poor press relations, of lack of foresight, of what
to me in that bracket seemed stupidity. He has not always been brilliant
in his handling of matters for The Press and not even you can convince me
that he has or that he has a genius about his relations to same You blame
The Press but I continue you say that Freedom of The Press is the first
of all freedoms, without it you have no others, and he gave me the Medal
for 50 years devoted to the belief and work that without a truly free and
informed Press a Democracy is impossible. I believe this. And my first
responsibility always is to that Press.
If you will recall when he was vice-president I spent a lot of time
trying to help him with his press relations. And I think I did.
You have forgotten or didn't notice that after the words which so bitterly
offended you I did speak for some time of the fine inner conviction which
2
have often handicapped him in his relations to The Press. I do not for one
moment believe what you said on the telephone that The Press is out to
get him etc BUT try as I believe he has, he has never been at ease
with them nor made the friends he could have done had he been. It is not
the desire of The Press to be at odds with The President. We were never at
odds with Mr. Roosevelt, for instance. But he made us his friends.
I have spent a great deal of my time in the past years defending Mr. Nixon
from my friends in The Press. I have even in the past year gone around the
country making talks on both TV and to clubs etc--and always I have made
it a point to say something good about The President. On an overall
basis I think I have done as much for him as he has for me. Over the years.
You will do me t e justice to recall that I was speaking as a reporter to a
reporter on the show you saw. I was asked as a reporter what I thought of
the Watergate occasion and whether or not I though Jack Anderson had done
the right thing. I did thing so---I still do. The Free Press is the guardian
of the rights of the people. The Free Press means that Jack Anderson must
do what he did and as a reporter looking at it 1 would have had to judge
exactly as I said. IF the Presid nt of the United States in his positon to
know and see had looked at this all this time then do nothing ither he
was part of some of it or his people were, OR he is too stupid to see it.
I'm sorry I'm sorry that it's that way but that S the way it is.
Also, you might remember how long and how hard I with others worked
to get rid of Haldeman! Beginning way back in San Francisco. Allen Drury
speaks of that we all do. Yet no attention was paid to us and the Presi-
d nt got into a mess that shook the country's confidence and that hurts.
3
Dear Dear Rose, I know this last year must have resembled a long and
terrible nightmare to you. And that you have been right in the midst of
it. With at all times your true d votion to Richard Nixon. I know that since
you trust him and believe in him many things must have seemed to you
complete injustice which to others were subject for thought and investigatic
tion. I have said many times in many places that nothing could ever make me
believe Richard Nixon would or ciuld be dishonest about money. But
I
have been forced to say this by what was going on.I always said it. But I
was unhappy that it needed to be said.
I'm sorry, Rose. But in the matter of Watergate I think what I said on t at
show. Either he had part in --which I hotly denied I could think or he
was stupid, and I think he was stupid in handling it with The Press. I
wrote to him from San Diego when I was down there speaking for the national
Kiwanis meeting long before the papers got hot saying " Clear some time and
tell everything you know about Watergate." Anyone could see what was
coming--anyene in The Press. Any good press secretary such as Steve
Early or Kenndy's four or five men McCarthy, O'Dennell etc. Dave Powers
with Sandy Vanocur and others good working newspapermen to back them
up. Who has Presid nt Nixon had? People who hate The press, who think it is
unjust etc. had Bebby, who wa.: a true genius at handling The press.
I wrote you the other day before our unhappy phone call asking who was
handling The Press for The President- and this chiefly because I had had
many newspaper and TV men ask me. WHY doesn't he have somebody we can
work with? Even if as you assume they are antagonistic- they shou;d be
even more carefully told the truth.
4
With things as t ey are he should have 3 or 4 GOOD first class press men
around him. Watching seeing ahead
Mr. Roosevelt used to call us in
ad have long talks about what the Press reaction would be. So if you have
read Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye you know Jack Kannedy did.
Apress conference should have been called immediately about The Tapes.
OFF THE RECORD which Roosevelt and Kennedy and Johnson used constantly--
The Press should have been told ALL about them. Even under the oath of
OFF THE RECORD in The White House, some of them played. It was in the
handling so inept and absurd - that The Tapes became magnified.
Oh Rose I love The President and have since he was a young congressman
fighting Hiss. I suffer under the bad, stupid, utterly dangerous and
unfakr to himself and the public way of handling The Press which he has
fallen into. Years ago when he was Vice President I wrote him " Make at
least three or four close trustworthy friends in The Press to whom you can
talk off the record about anything that comes up and get good sound press
advice."
I am aorry Rose that you felt me disloyal. I think the disloyalty may have
begun on the other side. Why weren't we trusted--consulted--and been able
to advise The President of the United States on matters so dangerous as
Watergate
whether it sounds like it or not this is with my love always--
Adela