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Edward KocheEdward Koche
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Session:         Page of 617

Q:

Incidentally, did you ever have any direct dealings with Nelson Rockefeller?

Koch:

Oh, yes. (laughs) Sure. When Wagner, Sr. was considering running for mayor -- can't figure out anymore whether this is ‘69 or ‘73; I think it must be ‘73, early ‘73, but I'm not even sure anymore; this was when Rockefeller wanted him to run and Alex Rose wanted to draft Wagner to run... Bob Price was a very good friend of mine, still is, and he's a big wheel in the Republican party, and at that point he was working for Rockefeller in some capacity, too. I like Bob Wagner, and I had said to Price: “I wish that Wagner would run. I would support him. And one day I get a call from Price saying he'd like me to come up and see the governor, Rockefeller. This would be at 55th Street head- quarters in the brownstone. I went up there, and in the room was Rockefeller, Jim Cannon, who is Rockefeller's right-hand man and is also his right-hand man down in Washington today -- I like him, Price and me. Price says to the governor, “Ed has said, Governor, that he would come out and support Wagner.” And Rockefeller said, “Oh, that's wonderful. That's really good. That would be so helpful. Let's have a press conference this afternoon at four.”

So I said, “No, you've got this all wrong, Governor. I will come out for Wagner when Wagner comes out for himself. I'm





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