Lysis

In 1996 the once-secret Nixon tapes were released from the archives. They reveal, among other things, the deeply antisemitic, racist and homophobic obsessions of the 37th President of the United States.

13 May, 1971:

President Richard Nixon: „I don‘t want to see this country to go that way. You know what happened to the Greeks. Homosexuality destroyed them. Sure, Aristotle was a homo, we all know that, so was Socrates. […] Do you know what happened to the Romans? The last six Roman emperors were fags. […] You know what happened to the popes? It’s all right that popes were laying the nuns. That’s been going on for years — centuries. But when the popes, when the Catholic Church went to hell in — I don‘t know, three or four centuries ago — it was homosexual, and it had to be cleaned out. Now, that’s what happened to Britain; it happened earlier to France.“

[…]

President Richard Nixon: „We‘re going to [put] more of these little Negro bastards on the welfare rolls at $2,400 a family — let people like Pat Moynihan … believe in all that crap. But I don’t believe in it. Work, work — throw ‚em off the rolls. That’s the key. … I have the greatest affection for them [blacks], but I know they‘re not going to make it for 500 years. They aren‘t. You know it, too. The Mexicans are a different cup of tea. They have a heritage. At the present time they steal, they‘re dishonest, but they do have some concept of family life. They don‘t live like a bunch of dogs, which the Negroes do live like.“

[…]

President Richard Nixon: „You see: homosexuality, dope, immorality in general — these are the enemies of strong societies. That’s why the Communists and the left-wingers are pushing the stuff; they‘re trying to destroy us.“

[…]

President Richard Nixon: „The Bohemian Grove — which I attend, from time to time — it is the most faggy goddamned thing you could ever imagine, with that San Francisco crowd. I can‘t shake hands with anybody from San Francisco.“

26 May, 1971 :

President Richard Nixon observes: „You know, it’s a funny thing, every one of the bastards that are out for legalizing marijuana is Jewish. What the Christ is the matter with the Jews, Bob? What is the matter with them? I suppose it is because most of them are psychiatrists.“

July 5, 1971:

NIXON: Jewish families are close, but there’s this strange malignancy that seems to creep among them — radicalism. I can imagine how the fact that Ellsberg is in this must really tear a fella like Henry to pieces — or Garment. Just like the Rosenbergs and all that. It just has to kill them. I feel horrible about it.
ZIEGLER: Could make up an English name.
HALDEMAN: … Rosenstein could change his name. …
[general laughter]
ZIEGLER: It is right. It’s always an „Ellsberg.“
NIXON: Every one’s a Jew. Ellsberg’s a Jew. Halperin’s a Jew.
HALDEMAN: Gelb’s a Jew.
NIXON: But there are [unclear] — Hiss was not a Jew. Very interesting thing. So few of those who engage in espionage — are Negroes. … In fact, very few of them become Communists. If they do, they like, they get into Angela Davis — they‘re more the capitalist type. And they throw bombs and this and that. But the Negroes. — have you ever noticed? … Any Negro spies?
HALDEMAN: Not intellectual enough, not smart enough… not smart enough to be spies.
NIXON: The Jews — the Jews are, are born spies. You notice how many of them are just in up to their necks?
HALDEMAN: A basic deviousness.

13 Sep, 1971:

President Richard Nixon tells Bob Haldeman: „Now here’s the point, Bob. Please get the names of the Jews. You know, the big Jewish contributors to the Democrats. Could you please investigate some of the cocksuckers? That’s all.“

14 Sep, 1971:

President Richard Nixon resumes the previous day’s conversation with Bob Haldeman:

NIXON: What about the rich Jews? The IRS is full of Jews, Bob.
HALDEMAN: What we ought to do is get a zealot who dislikes those people.
NIXON: Go after them like a son of a bitch.