Nixon Page #17

NIXON:

Sh*t, the press doesn't care about the

facts. Cronkite's sticking it to me.

It's their first big hit on Richard

Nixon.

ZIEGLER:

The governor says they were rioting.

EHRLICHMAN:

The governor's full of sh*t. Most of

them were changing classes.

NIXON:

Oh, I suppose you would've just let

them take over. These aren't

fraternity pranks, John. It's

anarchy. A revolution!

EHRLICHMAN:

I don't know if I'd go that far, sir.

NIXON:

Why not?

EHRLICHMAN:

Is the war worth it? Is it worth a

one-term presidency? Because I think

right now that's what we're looking

at.

NIXON:

I will not go down as the first

American president to lose a war!

Going into Cambodia, bombing Hanoi,

bombing Laos -- it buys us time so we

can get out and give the South

Vietnamese a fighting chance.

KISSINGER:

Exactly, sir. That is your historical

contribution:
to lead boldly in an era

of limits.

NIXON:

(drinks)

No one understands! -- even my own

men. What do you think the Communists

respond to? Honesty, liberal guilt,

soul-wringing crap, fathers on TV

crying? Hell no! I understand the

Communist mind, I've studied it for

thirty years. They grasp

"realpolitik" better than any of us,

right, Henry?

Henry nods.

NIXON (CONT'D)

We gotta make 'em think we're just as

tough as they are -- that Nixon's a

mad bomber, he might do anything! I

played a lot of poker in World War II

(Haldeman and Ehrlichman know the

story), and I won big, and let me tell

you this -- unpredictability is our

best asset. That redneck Johnson left

me with a shitty hand and I'm

bluffing. I've got to play the hawk

in Vietnam and the dove in China.

And if we keep our heads, we can win

this thing.

ZIEGLER:

What? Win Vietnam, sir?

ALL:

No ...

NIXON:

No! But what we can do with Vietnam,

Ron, is drive a stake through the

heart of the Communist alliance!

Henry's already getting strong signals

from the Chinese. They hate the Viets

more than the Russians, and they're

worried about a unified Vietnam. The

Russians hate the Chinese and are

supporting the Viets, you understand?

If we stick it out in Vietnam ...

we'll end up negotiating separately

with both the Chinese and the Soviets.

And we'll get better deals than we

ever dreamed of from both ...

Kissinger nods.

NIXON (CONT'D)

That's triangular diplomacy,

gentlemen.

KISSINGER:

Exactly, yes, Mr. President. That is

my contention.

NIXON:

That's what geopolitics is about --

the whole world linked by self

interest ... You tell me, Ron, how the

hell I can explain that on television

to a bunch of simple-minded reporters

and weeping f***ing mothers!

ZIEGLER:

But what am I telling the press about

Kent State?

NIXON:

Tell 'em what you like; they'll never

understand it anyway.

EHRLICHMAN:

Excuse me ... Are you talking about

recognizing China, Mr. President?

That would cost us our strongest

support.

NIXON:

No ... I can do this because I've

spent my whole career building anti

Communist credentials.

HALDEMAN:

If Johnson or Kennedy tried it, they'd

have crucified them, and rightfully

so!

MITCHELL:

It's damned risky, Mr. President. Why

don't we wait till the second term?

NIXON:

(repeats)

This will get me a second term. Damn

it, without risk, there's no heroism.

There's no history. I, Nixon, was

born to do this.

KISSINGER:

Mr. President, this cannot be

breathed! Especially to our secretary

of state -- that cretin Rogers ... The

Chinese would never trust us again.

The only way, I emphasize only way, to

pull this off is in secret.

NIXON:

(cackles)

This is a major coup, gentlemen -- our

own State Department doesn't even

know. And if it leaks out of here

tonight ...

A pause. He eyes them. Discomfort.

HALDEMAN:

Well, one way or the other, Kent State

is not good. We have to get out in

front of this thing. The PR is going

to murder us.

NIXON:

Money. Follow the money.

HALDEMAN:

Sir?

NIXON:

These kids are being manipulated by

the Communists. Like Chambers and

Hiss.

MITCHELL:

(smoking his pipe)

This isn't '48, Dick. They'll never

buy it.

NIXON:

(angry)

How do you know that, John? Did we

try? Are we just giving up like the

rest of 'em? What's Hoover found, for

God's sake?

HALDEMAN:

Well, he called the other day, sir.

He asked for President Harding.

Laughter around the table.

KISSINGER:

He's an idiot ...

HALDEMAN:

Seriously, sir, he's gotta go ...

NIXON:

We can't touch Hoover --

EHRLICHMAN:

I thought the gloves were off.

NIXON:

-- as long as he's got secret files on

everybody. I don't want 'em used

against us.

(frustrated)

What about the CIA? Helms's done

nothing for us. I want to see him.

HALDEMAN:

Done.

MITCHELL:

With Hiss, Mr. President, you had the

microfilm, you had the lie. With the

students, we got no proof.

NIXON:

The soldiers were provoked. The

students started it, for Christ's

sake!

EHRLICHMAN:

Sir, there's dead American kids here.

Let's say we don't apologize for Kent

State, but maybe we could have a

national prayer day ...

HALDEMAN:

... never complain, never explain,

John ...

NIXON:

(yells)

I tell you, the soldiers were

provoked. Now stop this pussyfooting

around.

(irritated)

Dead kids! How the hell did we ever

give the Democrats a weapon like this?

(then)

I mean, if Cambodia doesn't work,

we'll bomb Hanoi if we have to.

They all look at him. He is resolute.

NIXON (CONT'D)

That's right! And if necessary, I'll

drop the big one.

KISSINGER:

We have to entertain the possibility

...

Nixon looks down at his steak. It is oozing blood. Too

much blood -- something is very wrong. He shoots back,

momentarily terrified.

NIXON:

Goddamn it! Who the hell cooked this

steak?

(yells)

Manolo, there's blood all over my

plate.

NIXON throws down his knife and fork and walks off.

EXT. POTOMAC RIVER - YACHT SEQUOIA - NIGHT (LATER)

NIXON is on the bow, alone, watching the city slip by.

MITCHELL slides up beside him, offering him a freshened

drink.

MITCHELL:

You all right?

NIXON:

My brother Harold was about the same

age as those kids, John. Tuberculosis

got him.

MITCHELL:

It wasn't your fault. The soldiers

were just kids, too. They panicked.

NIXON:

They were throwing rocks, John, just

rocks. They don't think I feel ...

but I feel too much sometimes. I just

can't let a whole policy get dominated

by our sentimentality.

MITCHELL:

You're doing the right thing, Dick ...

don't let 'em shake you.

NIXON:

It broke my heart when Harold died.

MITCHELL:

That was a long time ago.

Nixon looks out at the water.

NIXON:

I think that's when it starts. When

you're a kid. The laughs and snubs

and slights you get because you're

poor or Irish or Jewish or just ugly.

But if you're intelligent, and your

anger is deep enough and strong

enough, you learn you can change these

attitudes by excellence, gut

performance, while those who have

everything are sitting on their fat

butts ...

(then)

But then when you get to the top, you

find you can't stop playing the game

the way you've always played it

because it's a part of you like an arm

or a leg. So you're lean and mean and

you continue to walk the edge of the

precipice, because over the years

you've become fascinated by how close

you can get without falling ... I

wonder, John, I wonder ...

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