Richard Nixon and the Rev. Billy Graham believed Jewish opposition to Christian evangelism efforts would foster antisemitism.

"Deep down in this country there is a lot of antisemitism. All this is going to do is stir it up," said the former president in a Feb. 21, 1973 phone conversation with Graham, a leading evangelist. The exchange was part of 150 hours of audio recordings released by the Nixon Presidential Library.

Graham responds that antisemitism in America is "right under the surface" and that Jewish criticism of a major evangelism effort would bring it "right to the top."

Nixon responds, "Antisemitism is stronger than we think. You know, it's unfortunate. But this has happened to the Jews. It happened in Spain, it happened in Germany, it's happening— and now it's going to happen in America if these people don't start behaving."

A little later in the 20-minute conversation, Nixon says that he wants to be "not only a friend of Israel and a friend of Jews in this country, but I have to turn back a terrible tide here if they don't get a hold of it themselves."

Nixon later states about Jews that "it may be they have a death wish. You know that's been the problem with our Jewish friends for centuries." (JTA)