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Lot 142
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Nixon dictaphone recordings, unheard 1st generation, more than 18 minutes, with handwritten notes by future President Richard Nixon
Nixon dictaphone recordings, unheard 1st generation, more than 18 minutes, with handwritten notes by future President Richard Nixon
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Description:

Nixon Richard

Collection of eight recordings made by Vice President Richard Nixon on flexi disc for conservative columnist Ralph de Toledano, an associate editor of “Newsweek,” who was writing Nixon’s biography, “Nixon.” Fine condition.

First Edition of “Nixon” is present (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1956). Inscribed by the author on the front free-endpaper “For Barney Nover / greetings! / Ralph de Toledano.” Barnet “Barney” Nover (1899-1973) was a columnist and editorial writer for the “Washington Post” from 1936-1947, specializing in foreign affairs. He was the Washington bureau chief of the “Denver Post” from 1947 until his retirement in 1971. With dust jacket, minor flaws, not price clipped, 188p, 5.5” x 8.25”. Very Good condition.

These eight records were made as dictated memos for his secretary to type up and send to Ralph de Toledano. Each 7”-diameter, one-sided flexi disc is made of a thin, flexible red vinyl sheet with a molded-in spiral stylus groove to be played on a normal phonograph. Five are imprinted “Edison Safety Disc,” three “Edison Diamond Disc.” Each bears the company’s “Thomas A Edison” umbrella trademark signature.

There are five original envelopes, 7.25” x 7.25”, four numbered in pencil by Nixon “1” “2” “3” “4”. Envelope 1 has a notation by his secretary “RN memo to de Toledano / Dec. 30, 1955.” The unnumbered envelope has a secretarial notation “Ralph de toledano / Record #4 / 11-15-55” with “1,2,3,4” in ink. Envelope 2 has, on verso, a penciled doodle by Nixon with the notation “piano at parties” in his hand.

The subjects covered by Nixon in the eight recordings total a little over 2 hours. They include: Recording #1. 1946 Voorhis campaign. Joe McCarthy tactics. 15 minutes 30 seconds. Recording #2. Taft-Hartley. Marshall Plan. College record. Public speaking. 13m 54s. Recording #3. Favorite political figures Woodrow Wilson. Music. Communists. Heckling. 13m 46s. Recording #4. Heckling. Goodwill Trips. 1950 Senate campaign. Changed flat tire. Eisenhower’s support. Why Democrats dislike me. 12m 08s. Recording #5. Hiss case Washington Post threat. Best friends. Irish Quakers. Never tardy in school. Never missed a speech because of illness. Two younger brothers died. Excellence in scholarship- high school - law school. President of the Student Body in HS. 19m 26s. Recording #6. Why he went to Duke. Freedom of criticism and speech. J. Edgar Hoover. Wife Pat’s religion. World War II military career. Nixon’s Snack Shack – hamburgers. 16m 51s.

Recording #7. Keeping in touch with men in his World War II detachment. 1946 campaign finances. CIO officers controlled by Communists. Tom Jenkins voting for Marshall Plan. Earl Warren not supporting Nixon’s role in anti-Communist activities. Korean War & Truman. 15m 19s. Recording #8. Earl Warren’s refusal to endorse Nixon over Voorhis. Editorial supporting Nixon for VP before 1952 RNC. Truman in 1948. 1946 & 1950 polls had Nixon losing. “One of my closest friends was Negro.” Dropping Nixon from the ticket in 1952. Checkers speech was corn, Fala speech was cute. Stevenson’s Fund. Not taking honorariums as VP. Indo-China. 14m 57s.

A complete transcript of the eight Nixon recordings is present, a total of 14,036 words! At times, Nixon references a hyphenated number. For example, in Nixon Recording 7, “Five-nineteen - As I told you on the phone, I would prefer it if the Tom Jenkins anecdote not be used as a quote from me. I would carry it somewhat like this - Members of the Herter Committee unanimously give credit to Nixon for one vote for the Marshall Plan which otherwise would - which they had considered completely lost.” In Chapter Five of “Nixon,” on page 61, de Toledano writes, “Members of the Herter Committee unanimously give Nixon credit for one Marshall Plan vote they had not expected. Congressman Tom Jenkins of Ohio…” De Toledano then tells the Tom Jenkins anecdote which Nixon told him on this recording.

Just a few excerpts spoken by Nixon, just 164 of 14,036 words: “[Joe] McCarthy’s intentions appeared to me to be right, but his tactics were frankly so stupid at times that he eventually did our case more harm than good … I think there has been a tendency to paint me as being a – quote – anti-intellectual – end quote and then to make the next obvious assumption that I have no intellectual background … It might be interesting to point out that I have never had any formal training in public speaking … It may be helpful to emphasize the fact that I take a rather liberal position with regard to the handling of the communist problem … I came out strongly for the teaching of communism in schools … I actually received an appointment to the FBI in 1938 but that because of a cut …the new agents they intended to add that year were not put on … Hoover, at least for this reason considers me to be quote one of his boys end quote, a designation which I am very proud to bear…”

Journalist and author Ralph de Toledano (1916-2007) joined “Newsweek” in 1948. He first met then Congressman Richard Nixon when he was assigned to cover the trial of Alger Hiss who was accused of perjury related to charges that Hiss was a Soviet spy. De Toledano took the side of Whittaker Chambers, a “Time” magazine editor who was Hiss’s main accuser. He co-wrote a partisan book about the case, “Seeds of Treason.” Later, in 1950, when de Toledano was covering Nixon’s campaign for the Senate, Nixon routinely introduced him as an author of “Seeds of Treason” and had him speak to the crowds. De Toledano co-hosted the television talk show, “Our Secret Weapon: The Truth,” from 1950-1951. From its founding in 1955, he was a regular contributor to the conservative magazine, “National Review,” founded by William F. Buckley in 1955, later serving as its editor. De Toledano’s obituary in “The Washington Post” was titled “Ralph de Toledano, 90; Ardent Conservative.”

There are topics Nixon discusses that were not used by de Toledano in his book, and a few phrases didn't even make it to what was sent to de Toledano, as Nixon would tell his secretary to "strike that" after saying it or just repeat it in different words.


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