Nixon: ‘Go After’ Jewish Contributors

Newly released tapes show President Nixon pushed for tax audits of wealthy Jewish contributors to his Democratic rivals, the San Francisco Examiner reported in today’s editions.

The Examiner said the revelation was contained in more than 200 hours of recently released Nixon White House tapes.

Nixon, who resigned in 1974 after being implicated in a cover-up of a break-in at Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate Building, had a hidden system installed to record his conversations.

The conversations took place in September 1971, when Nixon was worried about his reelection prospects, the Examiner said in a copyright story.

In a Sept. 8, 1971, meeting with domestic policy chief John D. Ehrlichman, the Examiner quoted Nixon as saying: “John, we have the power. Are we using it now to investigate contributors to [defeated 1968 Democratic candidate] Hubert Humphrey, contributors to [then-Democratic presidential contender Edmund] Muskie--the Jews, you know, that are stealing in every direction?

“Are we going after their tax returns? . . . I can only hope that we are, frankly, doing a little persecuting,” he said.

Five days later, during a meeting with Chief of Staff H.R. “Bob” Haldeman, Nixon said: “Now here’s the point, Bob, please get me the names of the Jews. You know, the big Jewish contributors to the Democrats,” he said.

Nixon expressed anger that the Internal Revenue Service was “going after Billy Graham tooth and nail.” Graham, a famous evangelical preacher, was a close friend of Nixon’s.

A day later, meeting with Haldeman and political aide Charles W. Colson, Nixon is quoted as asking: “What about the rich Jews? The IRS is full of Jews, Bob.” Later, he added: “Go after ‘em like a son of a bitch!”