Nixon and the Jews

The Nixon Presidential Library has just released 150 more hours of recorded Oval Office conversations featuring Tricky Dick’s musings on, among other things, good-looking Republic women, punishing political opponents and the Jewish diaspora. During a 1973 telephone conversation with Billy Graham (yes, that Billy Graham) he says: Anti-Semitism is stronger than we think. You know, […]

The Nixon Presidential Library has just released 150 more hours of recorded Oval Office conversations featuring Tricky Dick’s musings on, among other things, good-looking Republic women, punishing political opponents and the Jewish diaspora.

During a 1973 telephone conversation with Billy Graham (yes, that Billy Graham) he says:

Anti-Semitism is stronger than we think. You know, it’s unfortunate. But this has happened to the Jews. It happened in Spain, it happened in Germany, it’s happening – and now it’s going to happen in America if these people don’t start behaving. … It may be they have a death wish. You know that’s been the problem with our Jewish friends for centuries.


UPDATE: USA Today has a story on Billy Graham’s own quizzical comments on Jews here.

And Cathy Lynn Grossman parses Graham’s use of the phrase “synagogue of Satan” here.

As the article notes:” An earlier release of tapes in 2002 shocked fans of Graham, who is heard agreeing with Nixon as the president rails against liberal Jews’ political activism and media clout. Graham tells Nixon how Jews befriend him but adds, “They don’t know how I really feel about what they’re doing to this country.”

Here’s the NYT article about the tapes.

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