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The appointment of Connally to replace David Kennedy as secretary of the
Treasury was concluded during the first week of December 1970. But it could
not be announced without causing an upheaval among the Texas Republicans
until something had been done for lame duck George. On December 7, Nixon
retainer H.R. Haldeman was writing memos to himself in the White House. The
first was: "Connally set." Then came: "Have to do something for Bush right
away." Could Bush become the director of NASA? How about the Small Business
Administration? Or the Republican National Committee? Or then again, he
might like to be White House congressional liaison, or perhaps
undersecretary of commerce. As one account puts it, "since no job
immediately came to mind, Bush was assured that he would come to the White
House as a top presidential adviser on something or other, until another
fitting job opened up."
Bush was called to the White House on December 9, 1970 to meet with Nixon
and talk about a post as assistant to the President "with a wide range of
unspecified general responsibilities," according to a White House memo
initialed by H.R. Haldeman. Bush accepted such a post at one point in his
haggling with the Nixon White House. But Bush also sought the U.N. job,
arguing that there "was a dirth [sic] of Nixon advocacy in New York City
and the general New York area that he could fill that need in the New York
social circles he would be moving in as ambassador. / Note #4 Nix on's U.N.
ambassador had been Charles Yost, a Democrat who was now leaving. But the
White House had already offered that job to Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who
had accepted.
But then Moynihan decided that he did not want the U.N. ambassador post
after all, and, with a sigh of relief, the White House offered it to Bush.
Bush's appointment was announced on December 11, Connally's on December 14.
/ Note #5 In offering the post to Bush, Haldeman had been brutally frank,
telling him that the job, although of cabinet rank, would have no power
attached to it. Bush, stressed Haldeman, would be taking orders directly
from Kissinger. Bush says he replied, "even if somebody who took the job
didn't understand that, Henry Kissinger would give him a twenty-four hour
crash course on the subject." / Note #6
Nixon told his cabinet and the Republican congressional leadership on
December 14, 1970 what had been in the works for some time: that Connally
was "coming not only as a Democrat but as Secretary of the Treasury for the
next two full years." Even more humiliating for Bush wasthe fact that our
hero had been on the receiving end of Connally's assistance. As Nixon told
the cabinet: "Connally said he wouldn't take it until George Bush got
whatever he was entitled to. I don't know why George wanted the U.N.
appointment, but he wanted it so he got it." Only this precondition from
Connally, by implication, had finally prompted Nixon to take care of poor
George. Nixon turned to Senator Tower, who was in the meeting: "This is
hard for you. I am for every Republican running. We need John Tower back in
1972." Tower replied: "I'm a pragmatic man. John Connally is
philosophically attuned to you. He is articulate and persuasive. I for one
will defend him against those in our own party who may not like him." /
Note #7
There is evidence that Nixon considered Connally to be a possible successor
in the presidency. Connally's approach to the international monetary crisis
then unfolding was that "all foreigners are out to screw us and it's our
job to screw them first," as he told C. Fred Bergsten of Kissinger's
National Security Council staff. Nixon's bumbling management of the
international monetary crisis was one of the reasons why he was Watergated,
and Big Jawn was certainly seen by the financiers as a big part of the
problem. Bush was humiliated in this episode, but that is nothing compared
to what later happened to both Connally and Nixon. Connally would be
indicted while Bush was in Beijing, and later he would face the further
humilation of personal bankruptcy. In the view of James Reston, Jr.,
"George Bush was to maintain a smoldering, visceral dislike of Connally,
one that lasted well into the 1980s." / Note #8 As others discovered during
the Gulf war, Bush is vindictive.
Confirmed by the Senate
Bush appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his pro
forma and perfunctory confirmation hearings on February 8, 1971. It was a
free ride. Many of the Senators had known Prescott Bush, and several were
still Prescott's friends. Acting like friends of the family, they gave Bush
friendly advice with a tone that was congratulatory and warm, and avoided
any tough questions. Stuart Symington warned Bush that he would have to
deal with the "duality of authority" between his nominal boss, Secretary of
State William Rogers, and his real boss, NSC chief Kissinger. There was [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]