When Joseph T. Sneed was dean of the Duke University School of Law school, he gave Chief Domestic Policy Adviser John D. Ehrlichman∇ a picture of Richard Nixon∇ taken when the President was a young law student at Duke. When Ehrlichman gave the picture to the President, the two discussed Sneed's political future.
[00:22:05]
John Ehrlichman: It’s the dean. He’s named Sneed. He’s a very classy Republican.
President Nixon: Well, I’m—incidentally, a fellow that Lon Fuller recommended for the [Supreme] Court.
Ehrlichman: Yeah.
President Nixon: Says he’s that good.
Ehrlichman: Yeah. Well, I talked to him about busing and a lot of things, and he thinks straight.
President Nixon: Keep him in mind.
Ehrlichman: Yep. He’s—
President Nixon: How old is he?
Ehrlichman: I would guess about 52, something of that kind.
President Nixon: [Unclear.]
Ehrlichman: His wife was with him and she looks about that age.
President Nixon: What is his background, law school or whatever it is?
Ehrlichman: I’m not sure where he went to law school. He’s been teaching at Stanford for about eight or ten years. I don’t know where he was before that. I mean, that’s how I got an introduction to him. [Unclear.] But he asked to come in.
President Nixon: He is a classy guy, huh?
Ehrlichman: I think he is.
President Nixon: Good.
Ehrlichman: He’s got a funny muscle spasm, his head [unclear] over to one side, but very bright, very obviously quite conservative, a good Republican. He’s been active in Republican politics in California.
President Nixon: How the hell did he [unclear]?
Ehrlichman: I don’t know how that happened, but—
President Nixon: God Almighty. You know, you have to wonder how any [unclear].
Ehrlichman: [Unclear.] Apparently he’s been pretty busy in California state politics, because he knew all the players.
President Nixon: Let’s remember him, sort of keep him in mind, you know? You never know what—assistant attorney general, deputy attorney general. He’s that kind of fellow.
Ehrlichman: He says you’re most welcome at the law school any time you wanted to come down.
President Nixon: [laughing] It’s about the only place they’ll let me on.
Ehrlichman laughs.