Nixon Tapes Reveal Anti-Semitic Remarks

Nixon: "That's a shame."

Colson: "Shedding a lot of tears for CBS."

In another part of a tape, Colson gives Nixon a long briefing on the early results and says it's gonna be "one hell of a landslide."

Colson discusses a rising star in G.O.P. Maine politics named Bill Cohen, who later became a senator and Secretary of Defense: "...bright young Jewish fellow," Colson observes.

Nixon, always able to look on the dark side, says no matter how well he does his critics will carp that he failed to win the House and Senate for Republicans: "...that's the way they will piss on us."

David Eisenhower, Nixon's son-in-law, gives him an early update on election returns.

"Damn," the president exclaims when he hears that Louis Nunn is losing the Kentucky Senate race.

Nixon says he wants to win in Illinois by a larger margin than Republican Sen. Charles Percy, who was never a Nixon favorite.

Nixon Calls GOP Senator a "Jackass"

In a different taped conversation between Nixon and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger on election night 1972, Nixon tells Kissinger that Republicans have lost some Senate races because some incumbents were too old and because one of them, former Senator Jack Miller from Iowa, was a "jackass."

Talking with Colson again at another point, Nixon worries that the public relations effort to defend him in his second term is going to be even weaker than it already was.

"We may end up exactly where we used to be which was goddamned poor, with Kissinger never doing anything on the P.R. side," Nixon says on the tape.

Then Nixon complains, "Why doesn't the (Republican) National Committee do something, why doesn't the leader do something."

"They don't have the clout," responds Colson.

"They not only don't have the clout, they don't have the desire," Nixon says.

Nixon Calls McGovern "a Prick"

Several hours after the election, after 1:00am, when vote totals are known, Henry Kissinger calls Nixon to congratulate him on the landslide victory: "It's an extraordinary tribute," he said.

Nixon says he got every state except Massachusetts and maybe Minnesota, and he says expects to win that one, too. Nixon did.

Then they go after the loser, George McGovern:

Nixon: "You know this fellow, to the last, was a prick. Did you see his concession statement?"

Kissinger: "Oh, cut it out."

Nixon: "He was very gracious in the beginning."

Nixon says speechwriter Ray Price urged him to send McGovern a message that he looks forward to working with him and his supporters for peace in the years ahead.

Nixon: "And I just said hell no, I'm not gonna send him that sort of wire. Don't you agree?"

Kissinger: "Absolutely…. He was ungenerous, petulant, unworthy."

Nixon: "As you probably know, I responded in a very decent way to him."

Kissinger: "I thought it was a great statement."

Former Vice President Hubert Humphrey, who lost to Nixon in '68, calls at 1:30am to congratulate him.