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 Patrick J. Buchanan to RN RE: Ideas and recommendations for campaign. 3 pgs. [Subject: Campaign] [Memo], 10/23/1972
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
26146955
label
WHSF: Contested, 52-32
core
doc
dtoType
document
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
26146955
sourceUrl
contentType
document
title
WHSF: Contested, 52-32
description
This file contains:
From Patrick J. Buchanan to RN RE: Ideas and recommendations for campaign. 3 pgs. [Subject: Campaign] [Memo], 10/23/1972
citationUrl
collections
Richard M. Nixon's Returned Materials Collection
Contested Materials Files
imageCount
1
hasImages
yes
source
import
hasTranscription
no
Source extras
naId
26146955
levelOfDescription
fileUnit
recordType
description
ocrSource
nara-archive
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
document
mediaId
55cd063476917b67
ocrText
Richard Nixon Presidential Library
Contested Materials Collection
Folder List
Box Number
Folder Number
Document Date
No Date
Subject
Document Type
Document Description
52
32
10/23/1972
Campaign
Memo
From Patrick J. Buchanan to RN RE: Ideas
and recommendations for campaign. 3pgs.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Page 1 of 1
DOCUMENT WITHDRAWAL RECORD [NIXON PROJECT]
DOCUMENT
DOCUMENT
NUMBER
TYPE
SUBJECT/TITLE OR CORRESPONDENTS
DATE
RESTRICTION
N-1.
memo
Price to Kehrli re: "POW vote Letter",
9/14/72
[DOC#341]
c (Nixon)
N-2
memo
Buchanan to RN re; the homestretch.
10/23/72
c(Nixon)
[DOC 342]
N-3
memo
Flanigan to RN re: .. CAB International
10/10/72
c(Nixon)
[DOC.#343]
Air cases
FILE GROUP TITLE
STAFF SECRETARY
BOX NUMBER
56
FOLDER TITLE
[material Staffed in October 1972] [#2]
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.
A
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G. Withdrawn and return private and personal material.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H. Withdrawn and returned non-historical material.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:
Staff Secretary
Box Number:
56
Folder:
[Material Staffed in October 1972] [#2]
Document
Disposition
341
Retain Open
342
Return
Private/Political
343
Retain Open
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
October 23, 1972
POLITICAL MEMORANDUM
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
FROM:
PATRICK J. BUCHANAN
Coming out of the backturn and into the homestretch - - two weeks to
go -- we are in an enviable position, some 25 points ahead by Harris.
This memorandum is essentially an argument against any policy of
pulling back on the accelerator and coasting home.
In 1968, at this point in time, Humphrey was pouring on the coal, making
his harshest attacks on RN, and the Democrats were returning to the fold
by the millions. The only way for us to prevent this is to keep the
McGovern negatives front and center -- before the Democrats.
Currently, RN is rated between 59 and 62 points by some national polls.
In my judgment, everything we get above 55 -- from 4 to 7 points, from
3 million to 5.5 million voters -- is less pro-Nixon than anti-McGovern.
This group of voters is the "softest" in the electorate; it has probably
voted Democratic all its life; it is anti-McGovern, not pro-RN; and it is
holding for us, just about solely because it is holding its nose over
George McGovern.
If McGovern can focus national debate and attention the last two weeks upon
the Watergate and our handling of the economy; and we fight it out the
final two weeks on those front -- he can diminish our margin appreciably.
Thus, I think we should in this week continue to go all out - - at the entire
surrogate level, below the President -- to keep before these Democrats
the reasons why they should vote against George McGovern.
IDEAS & RECOMMENDATIONS
1)
Made to order for us is the rising, and increasingly reported
squabble over who will take over the machinery of the Democratic Party.
This is the best political news since the Eagleton Affair. The battle for
the corpse of the Democratic Party -- two weeks before it has even passed
away -- is indeed good news. Strongly recommend that our Democrats
for Nixon move directly and publicly into the fray -- calling on fellow
Democrats to a) repudiate McGovern in November, and re-capture the
party from the radicals in December. If there is one thing to get the
-2-
McGovernites to focus away from RN and the campaign and onto other
matters -- it is the idea that the Democratic defectors and deserters
are going to take back over the party in December they took a walk on
in the fall.
We have a letter along these lines prepared for Connally -- we believe
it should be signed by as many Democrats for Nixon as possible, and
should make these two points only a) McGovern must be repudiated
by Democ rats in November, else he will control the party of Roosevelt,
etc., for years to come -- and b) after crushing McGovern at the polls
in November, let's take the party away from him and his radicals in
December.
A bitter internecine war over the future of the Democratic Party one
week before election -- can only benefit the unified Republican Party
and the President.
2)
Remembering that our "soft" vote from 55% to 60% is more
anti-McGovern than pro-Nixon -- this week we should continue our
anti-McGovern attacks by surrogates, and anti-McGovern ads on the
national media as well as the non-partisan pro-RN, presidential
material. We need both -- not simply one or the other. As stated many
times, a Democrat can believe RN is doing a good job, and feel no qualms
about voting for McGovern. But a Democrat who thinks McGovern is a
crazy, incompetent radical will not vote for McGovern even if he
thinks RN is a lousy Republican.
3)
In addition to Connally who has a strong appeal to some Democrats,
we need to re-surface and re-publicize the norther, ethnic, Catholic,
labor, blue collar types for RN -- publicly again. Why? So that their
types -- working class stiffs can be aware that voting for Nixon is not
betraying their party and their traditions because their leaders are
doing it openly. We need to broaden the Democrats for Nixon appeal
which is right now a heavy Connally for Nixon appeal.
4)
Perhaps the President himself should communicate with the
surrogates to urge them to keep on the pressure, and not let it off now.
Perhaps RN can be seen again with the Democrats for Nixon who have
national recognition, and are Northern -- as opposed to merely Southern
Conservative Democrats.
5)
The issues that should be focused upon in our attacks are those
issues appealing to Democratic defectors i. radicalism, loss of
jobs through weakening America's defense, welfare giveaways, amnesty
for deserters. We have prepared radio ads on exactly what bases in what
states will be shut down and exactly how many jobs will be lost perhaps
-3-
in the final Sunday of the campaign, we can go with full page ads in
major papers in swing states, headed up -- "If McGovern Wins, You
Lose, 11 and hitting hard the three or four negatives on McGovern in those
states, in terms of social issues -- and job losses and welfare costs.
6)
The President should remain in the Presidential level -- the
purpose being to give the partisan anti-McGovern Democrats, who are
probably not pro-Nixon, some reason for pulling the switch for their
old adversary.
7)
Our get-out-the-vote effort should really be going full-blast of
course, especially with any Republicans anywhere where RNis pulling
better than 95% of the vote -- but remembering this is not where the
swing votes are, and this is not where or to whom we should be directing
our anti-McGovern appeals.
8)
While Ehrlichman did a good job, my own view, is that it is a
serious mistake to attempt to defend our economic record when McGovern
attacks it. We only re-elevate the issue which is our weakest at best.
Our approach should be essentially a) McGovern has nothing good to
say about anybody and anything in this country; b) we have the highest
rate of growth and lowest rate of inflation in the Western World; and
c) McGovern's welfare boondoggle and $150 billion budget increase would
put half the nation on welfare, raise taxes for the working man, raise
prices for the working man -- and do for U.S. economy what General
Sherman did for the economy of Georgia.
Buchanan