Nixon Colson Dorothy Hunt Dies Plane Crash December 9 1972

Richard Nixon talks to Charles Colson about political strategy, labor in the Republican coalition, the Democratic Party and the South, before Colson tells him the news that Dorothy Hunt, wife of Watergate burglar and CIA agent Howard Hunt, has just been killed in a plane crash.

Transcript is partly my own, and partly taken from John Dean's The Nixon Defense.

Audio file can be found here:
http://www.nixonlibrary.gov/forresearchers/find/tapes/tape157/157-026.mp3

Audio with transcript is on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soInHfSfVJE

Those interested in the references to Pete Brennan, Martin Durkin, and Robert McGlotten will find more information in the following:

Pete Brennan obituary:

http://www.nytimes.com/1996/10/04/nyregion/peter-brennan-78-union-head-and-nixon-s-labor-chief.html

Martin Durkin quits the EIsenhower administration:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19530911&id=OxwNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=k2oDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2240,3043657

Robert McGlotten quits:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1356&dat=19730419&id=k4VPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bgUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7080,4033465

DECEMBER 9, 1972, 12:22-12:58 P.M. CAMP DAVID PHONE

Richard Nixon speaks to Charles Colson about the Republican voter coalition and the death of Dorothy Hunt, wife of E. Howard Hunt, one of the Watergate burglars.

NIXON
Yeah?

OPERATOR
Mr. Colson, sir.

COLSON
Good morning, Mr. President.

NIXON
How's the Democratic Committee?

COLSON
Well...I haven't gotten a report on what's happened over there this morning. I'll get that-

NIXON
Are they voting today?

COLSON
Yes sir. As a matter of fact, they were supposed to have something by noon as to the situation. I'll check that and call you back. I'm sure I can get a reading right away.

NIXON
Do you think if they get [Robert] Strauss, that'll rehabilitate them?

COLSON
Well, it'll help them, but I don't think they're gonna get Strauss.

NIXON
Oh really? You still don't think so?

COLSON
I don't think so, sir, there's just too much...what you do is, you drive the McGovernites right out if they get Strauss.

NIXON
Are they claiming they'll get out?

COLSON
Yes sir. Yeah. Strauss would normally be the most effective guy they can get, but in view of the purge of the McGovernites, that it would probably blow up at them. We're gonna win the- [laughs], because they can't heal it. If they end up with Mitchell [George Mitchell], that's the best solution, because he's...he's a guy that can...

NIXON
I don't care how smart he is or anything, he's still not gonna...He's from Maine?

COLSON
He's from Maine, he's smart, but he's not a Strauss kind of a guy, who really is a powerful, strong, brilliant individual.

NIXON
He isn't going to pull the Southerners back in, though, is he?

COLSON
Strauss?

NIXON
No, no. Mitchell.

COLSON
Oh, Mitchell, hell no.

NIXON
It's the South that I'm concerned about. We've got to handle labor...I suppose Meany [George Meany, President of the AFL-CIO] will go for Mitchell, won't he?

COLSON
Yes, he will. But I don't believe Meany is gonna...getting an awful lot of reports-

NIXON
I don't think he's going to break it on us that hard, right?

COLSON
No, he sure isn't. God, he is doing everything but. Pete [Peter Brennan, Secretary of Labor] has hired one of his assistants [Robert McGlotten], and Meany was thrilled with it.

NIXON
Good.

COLSON
And they've been talking this week. Great relationship. The more important thing is, the relationship that Pete is getting, however, round the country.

NIXON
Schultz [Secretary of the Treasury George Schultz] is keeping very close to Meany, which is good.

COLSON
I must say to Schultz's great credit...he called me yesterday, and said, "Chuck, I wasn't sure about Brennan, I was afraid he wouldn't be able to do it. The more I've dealt with him, watched him operate, and gotten reactions, he's gonna be a hell of a good Secretary of Labor. You got a great man."

NIXON
Great.

COLSON
It was nice of George...and Brennan has gotten the damnedest press reaction, the damnedest fan mail.

NIXON
Is that right?

COLSON
He brought in letters to me saying, "We weren't really sure...we voted for Nixon, we weren't really sure, but now we are. He does believe in the working man, and he's-" You know, I think-

NIXON
You mean the idea- The appointment of a working man makes them think we're for the working man?

COLSON
That's nicely it.

NIXON
They talk about all the tokenism...we appoint blacks, and they don't think we're for blacks.

COLSON
No! Exactly!

NIXON
Mexicans...they don't think we're for Mexicans. But a working man, by golly, that is really something.

COLSON
Well, it's kinda locked it up. Pete's said he ran into a guy down at Florida, at the space shot. Young fellow.

NIXON
Pete went to the space shot?

COLSON
Yeah.

NIXON
Great.

COLSON
We're doing a lot of this.

NIXON
I hope he went on our plane.

COLSON
We gave him the treatment.

NIXON
He liked it?

COLSON
Yeah. Oh, he's very happy. We've brought him in, he's now part of the club. He feels at home with us. He feels at home with you, he feels at home with me. Course, Roger's here. We're not going to have the Durkin [Martin P. Durkin] problem. He went to the space shot, a young fellow came up to him, said, "I voted for Nixon, and I wasn't really sure - I'm a Democrat - but now I'm switching my registration. When a man like you can be made Secretary of Labor, that's the party I want to be in." It took very little evidence-

NIXON
Great.

COLSON
-boosted his spirits, because he really feels-

NIXON
Great.

COLSON
So, I really don't care who the hell they put in as the party chairman. The fundamental dichotomy here is, the fundamental cleavage in the Democratic Party is, with what you're doing to build the New Majority, and what I hope the hell you're doing...I think we're gonna keep them split...I'm awful bullish about what we can do in this country, in terms of the basic philosophies of people. They may not ever become Republicans, but they're Nixon's. Some way to perpetuate that. Great stuff.

COLSON
I just got a terribly tragic bit of news. That plane crash, Howard, Howard Hunt’s wife was on it, and it’s—

NIXON
His wife is dead?

COLSON
Yes, sir. She was killed in that plane crash in Chicago.

NIXON
Oh my god.

COLSON
It's a tragedy...I don't know the man...I don't know whether the man can survive it, with all he's gone through. She was an extraordinary woman, just extraordinary. I think, any judge, who has any compassion, will call that trial off. Any judge.

NIXON
You mean, call it off permanently? Not permanently.

COLSON
Well maybe, separate him out, or delay the trial, or something. Because she was a tower of strength to him. She was a rare, gifted woman. Multi-linguist. Brilliant. Lot of charm. But it sure is-

NIXON
They have children?

COLSON
Four children. Beautiful children. So, it's a tragedy. Devout Catholics, and that's it.

NIXON
God. He's Catholic?

COLSON
Probably saves him from committing suicide.

NIXON
Is he a Catholic?

COLSON
Yes sir. But that's life, I guess. A shocker. The numbers...I don't know what impact that'll have on the case, I'm sure it'll delay it. I can't see them taking it to trial next week.