Presidential Statement of the Day
By Richard Nixon, 1 May 1971:
This is not a police state. I have been to police states; I know what they are. I think that the best thing that could happen to some of the Congressmen and Senators and others who talk about police states is to take a trip–I mean a trip abroad, of course [laughter]–and when they go abroad, try a few police states.
This isn’t a police state and isn’t going to become one.
I should also point this out: Where were some of the critics in 1968 when there was Army surveillance of the Democratic National Committee–at the convention, I mean? We have stopped that.
This Administration is against any kind of repression, any kind of action that infringes on the right of privacy.