Billy Graham and Richard Nixon

Oval Office Transcript from February 1, 1972
 

Excerpts from  a Chicago Tribune story

The Nixon-Graham remarks came during a 90-minute session after a prayer breakfast the men attended on Feb. 1, 1972.
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Haldeman's diaries noted the conversation. He wrote that there was discussion "of the terrible problem arising from the total Jewish domination of the media, and agreement that this was something that would have to be dealt with."

He continues, "Graham has the strong feeling that the Bible says there are satanic Jews and there's where our problem arises." No such comments about the Bible are found on the tape released Thursday but, because it contains several long deletions, it's believed such remarks were excised.

The lengthy chat opens with Graham praising Nixon's prayer breakfast remarks. "There were a lot of people in tears when you finished this morning and it's very moving. That's the best I've heard you at one of those breakfast things."

After offering Nixon tips on preparing himself for big speeches, as well as strategy for his re-election campaign, Graham notes that he has been invited to lunch with editors of Time magazine. "I was quite amazed since this is the first time I've heard from Time since [Time founder] Henry Luce died."

"You meet with all their editors, you better take your Jewish beanie," Haldeman says.

Graham laughs. "Is that right? I don't know any of them now."

Hollywood and the media

Nixon then broaches a subject about which "we can't talk about it publicly," namely Jewish influence in Hollywood and the media. He cites Paul Keyes, a political conservative who is executive producer of the NBC hit, "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In," as telling him that "11 of the 12 writers are Jewish."

"That right?" says Graham, prompting Nixon to claim that Life magazine, Newsweek, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and others, are "totally dominated by the Jews." He calls network TV anchors Howard K. Smith, David Brinkley and Walter Cronkite "front men who may not be of that persuasion," but that their writers are "95 percent Jewish."

Nixon demurs that this does not mean "that all the Jews are bad" but that most are left-wing radicals who want "peace at any price except where support for Israel is concerned. The best Jews are actually the Israeli Jews."

"That's right," agrees Graham, who later concurs with a Nixon assertion that a "powerful bloc" of Jews confronts Nixon in the media. "And they're the ones putting out the pornographic stuff," Graham adds.

Nixon contends that "every Democratic candidate will owe his election to Jewish people," but he won't.
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A deletion then follows with the next voice heard being that of Graham, who alludes to A.M. Rosenthal, managing editor of The New York Times.

"But I have to lean a little bit, you know. I go and see friend of Mr. Rosenthal at The New York Times, and people of that sort. And all, I don't mean all the Jews, but a lot of the Jews are great friends of mine. They swarm around me and are friendly to me. Because they know I am friendly to Israel and so forth. They don't know how I really feel about what they're doing to this country."

Nixon says, "You must not let them know."

The conversation turns to religious magazines, postal rates and Nixon's uncharitable thoughts on certain Cabinet members. Graham then leaves and, a few minutes later, Nixon tells Haldeman, "You know it was good we got this point about the Jews across."

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These excerpts are part of a larger news story found on page 8 of the March 1, 2002 edition of The Chicago Tribune. It is available on-line, where you can find it by typing in three search words, "Nixon", "Graham" and "anti-Semitism". You will also need to click the button that says "All dates (January 1985 to present)".

That search will bring up two articles: "Graham sorry for anti-Jewish comments; Mar 2, 2002; pg. 8 " and "Nixon, Graham anti-Semitism on tape; Mar 1, 2002; pg. 8".

Jesus said, "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." (Matthew 12:36.)

I cannot imagine the shock that Mr. Graham must have felt when he learned about his recorded comments several decades ago.  He is an elderly man with Parkinson's disease, having assiduously avoided political controversy. Among non-Christians and professing Christians, Billy Graham is probably the most widely respected Protestant of the twentieth century and now shortly before his death, he is forever tarred with the "anti-Semitic" brush. I have no doubt that Mr. Graham has no memory of ever having made those remarks, but here is this tape and his chiming in with Richard Nixon.

Undoubtedly, we have all said terrible things and long since forgotten them. I have. I tremble at Jesus' words.

Bob Vincent