Richard Milhous Nixon

Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a representative and senator from California, and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under Dwight D. Eisenhower.Sony VAIO VPCS11V9E Battery

Nixon was born in Yorba Linda, California. After completing his undergraduate work at Whittier College, he graduated from Duke University School of Law in 1937 and returned to California to practice law. He and his wife, Pat Nixon, moved to Washington to work for the federal government in 1942. Sony VAIO VPCS11V9E/B Battery

He subsequently joined the United States Navy, serving in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. Nixon was elected to the House of Representatives in 1946and to the Senate in 1950. His pursuit of the Hiss Case established his reputation as a leading anti-communist, and elevated him to national prominence.Sony VAIO VPCS11X9E/B Battery

He was the running mate of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Republican Party presidential nominee in the 1952 election, the first of five national nominations he received from his party, a record he shares with Franklin Roosevelt. Nixon served for eight years as vice president, traveling extensively and undertaking major assignments from Eisenhower.Sony VAIO VPCS123FGB Battery

Nixon waged an unsuccessful presidential campaign in 1960, narrowly losing to John F. Kennedy, and lost a race forGovernor of California in 1962. Following these defeats, he announced his withdrawal from political life. However, in 1968 he ran again for the presidency and was elected.Sony VAIO VPCS125EC Battery

American involvement in Vietnam was widely unpopular; although Nixon initially escalated the war there, he subsequently moved to end US involvement, completely withdrawing American forces by 1973. Nixon's ground-breaking visit to the People's Republic of China in 1972 opened diplomatic relations between the two nations,Sony VAIO VPCS128EC Battery

and he initiated détente and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with the Soviet Union the same year. In domestic policy, his administration generally sought to transfer power from Washington to the states. In an attempt to slow inflation, Nixon imposed wage and price controls.Sony VAIO VPCS129GC Battery

He enforced desegregation of Southern schools and established the Environmental Protection Agency. Though he presided over Apollo 11, the culmination of the project to land a person on the moon, he scaled back manned space exploration. He was reelected by a landslide in 1972.Sony VAIO VPCS12C7E/B Battery

Nixon's second term was marked by crisis: 1973 saw an Arab oil embargo as a result of U.S. support for Israel in the Yom Kippur War and a continuing series of revelations about the Watergate scandal, which began as a break-in at a Washington office. Sony VAIO VPCS12L9E/B Battery

The scandal escalated despite efforts by the Nixon administration to cover it up, costing Nixon much of his political support, and on August 9, 1974, he resigned in the face of almost certain impeachment and removal from office. After his resignation, he was controversially issued a pardon by his successor, Gerald Ford. Sony VAIO VPCS12V9E/B Battery

In retirement, Nixon's work as an elder statesman—authoring several books and undertaking many foreign trips—helped to rehabilitate his image. He suffered a debilitating stroke on April 18, 1994, and died four days later at the age of 81.Sony VAIO VPCY115FGS Battery

Nixon remains a source of considerable interest as historians struggle to resolve the enigma of a president of great ability who left office in disgrace, yet reinvented himself as an elder statesman.

Early life

Nixon was born to Francis A. Nixon and Hannah Milhous Nixon on January 9, 1913, in a house his father built in Yorba Linda, California.Sony VAIO VPCY115FX/BI Battery

His mother was a Quaker (his father converted from Methodism after his marriage), and his upbringing was marked by conservative Quaker observances of the time, such as refraining from alcohol, dancing, and swearing. Nixon had four brothers: Harold (1909–33), Donald (1914–87), Arthur (1918–25), and Edward (born 1930).Sony VAIO VPCY115FXBI Battery

Four of the five Nixon boys were named after kings who had ruled in historical or legendary England; Richard was named after Richard the Lionheart.

Nixon's early life was marked by hardship, and he later quoted a saying of Eisenhower to describe his boyhood: "We were poor, but the glory of it was, we didn't know it."Sony VAIO VPCY118EC Battery

The Nixon family ranch failed in 1922, and the family moved to Whittier, California. In an area with many Quakers, Frank Nixon opened a grocery store and gas station. Richard's younger brother Arthur died in 1925 after a short illness. At the age of twelve, Richard was found to have a spot on his lung, and with a family history of tuberculosis, he was forbidden to play sports.Sony VAIO VPCY118GX/BI Battery

Eventually, the spot was found to be scar tissue from an early bout of pneumonia. Young Richard attended East Whittier Elementary School, where he was president of his eighth-grade class.

Frank and Hannah Nixon believed that attendance at Whittier High School had caused Richard's older brother Harold to live a dissolute lifestyle before the older boy fell ill of tuberculosis (he died of the disease in 1933). Sony VAIO VPCY119FJ/S Battery

Instead, they sent Richard to the larger Fullerton High School. He received excellent grades, even though he had to ride a school bus for an hour each way during his freshman year—later, he lived with an aunt in Fullerton during the week. He played junior varsity football, and rarely missed a practice, even though he was rarely used in games.Sony VAIO VPCY11AFJ Battery

He had greater success as a debater, winning a number of championships and taking his only formal tutelage in public speaking from Fullerton's Head of English, H. Lynn Sheller. Nixon later remembered Sheller's words, "Remember, speaking is conversation ... don't shout at people. Talk to them. Converse with them."Sony VAIO VPCY11AGJ Battery

Nixon stated that he tried to use the conversational tone as much as possible.

Nixon's parents permitted him to transfer to Whittier High School for his junior year, beginning in September 1928. At Whittier High, Nixon suffered his first electoral defeat, for student body president.Sony VAIO VPCY11AHJ Battery

He generally rose at 4 a.m., to drive the family truck into Los Angeles and purchase vegetables at the market. He then drove to the store to wash and display them, before going to school. Harold had been diagnosed with tuberculosis the previous year;Sony VAIO VPCY11M1E/S Battery

when Hannah Nixon took him to Arizona in the hopes of improving his health, the demands on Richard increased, causing him to give up football. Nevertheless Nixon graduated from Whittier High third in his class of 207 students.

Nixon was offered a tuition grant to attend Harvard University, but Harold's continued illness and the need for Hannah Nixon to care for him meant Richard was needed at the store.Sony VAIO VPCY11S1E Battery

He stayed in his hometown and attended Whittier College, his expenses there covered by a bequest from his maternal grandfather. Instead of fraternities and sororities, Whittier had literary societies. Nixon was snubbed by the only one for men, the Franklins—many members of the Franklins were from prominent families; Nixon was not.Sony VAIO VPCY11V9E/S Battery

He responded by helping to found a new society, the Orthogonians. In addition to the society, schoolwork, and work at the store, Nixon found time for a large number of extracurricular activities, becoming a champion debater and gaining a reputation as a hard worker.Sony VAIO VPCY218EC/BI Battery

In 1933, he became engaged to Ola Florence Welch, daughter of the Whittier police chief; the two broke up in 1935.

Nixon received a full scholarship to Duke University School of Law in 1934. The law school was new and sought to attract top students by offering scholarships.Sony VAIO VPCY218EC/G Battery

It paid high salaries to its professors, many of whom had national or international reputations. The number of scholarships was greatly reduced for second and third year students, forcing recipients into intense competition. Nixon kept his scholarship, was elected president of the Duke Bar Association and graduated third in his class in June 1937.Sony VAIO VPCY218EC/L Battery

He later spoke about the influence of his alma mater: "I always remember that whatever I have done in the past or may do in the future, Duke University is responsible in one way or another".

Early career, marriage and war service

After graduating from Duke, Nixon's first career aspiration was to join the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Sony VAIO VPCY218EC/P Battery

He never received a response to his application and learned years later that he had been successful, but his appointment was canceled due to budget cuts. Instead, he returned to California and was admitted to the bar in 1937. He began practicing with the law firm Wingert and Bewley in Whittier, Sony VAIO VPCY21S1E/L Battery

working on commercial litigation for local petroleum companies and other corporate matters, as well as on wills. In later years, Nixon proudly stated that he was the only modern president to work as a practicing attorney. Nixon was reluctant to work on divorce cases, disliking frank sexual talk from women.Sony VAIO VPCY21S1E/P Battery

In 1938, he opened up his own branch of Wingert and Bewley in La Habra, California, and became a full partner in the firm the following year.

In January 1938, Nixon was cast in the Whittier Community Players production of The Dark Tower. There he played opposite a high school teacher named Thelma "Pat" Ryan.Sony VAIO VPCY21S1E/SI Battery

Nixon described it in his memoirs as "a case of love at first sight" —for Nixon only, as Pat Ryan turned down the young lawyer several times before agreeing to date him. Once they began their courtship, Ryan was reluctant to marry Nixon; the relationship stretched two years before she agreed to his proposal. Sony VAIO VPCZ110 Battery

They wed at a small ceremony on June 21, 1940. After a honeymoon in Mexico, the Nixons began their married life in Whittier. They had two children, Tricia (born 1946) and Julie (born 1948).

In January 1942, the couple moved to Washington, D.C., where Nixon took a job at the Office of Price Administration.Sony VAIO VPCZ110GB/BI Battery

In his political campaigns, Nixon would suggest that this was his response toPearl Harbor, but he had sought the position throughout the latter part of 1941. Both Nixon and his wife believed he was limiting his prospects by remaining in Whittier. He was assigned to the tire rationing division, where he was tasked with replying to correspondence.Sony VAIO VPCZ112GD/S Battery

He did not enjoy the role, and four months later, applied to join the United States Navy. As a birthright Quaker, he could have claimed exemption from the draft, and deferments were routinely granted for those in government service. His application was successful, and he was inducted into the Navy in August 1942.Sony VAIO VPCZ112GX/S Battery

Nixon completed Officers Candidate School and was commissioned as an ensign in October 1942. His first post was as aide to the commander of the Ottumwa Naval Air Station in Iowa. Seeking more excitement, he requested sea duty, and was reassigned as the naval passenger control officer for the South Pacific Combat Air Transport Command,Sony VAIO VPCZ114GX/S Battery

supporting the logistics of operations in the South West Pacific theater.After requesting more challenging duties, he was given command of cargo handling units. Nixon earned two service stars and a citation of commendation, although he saw no actual combat. Sony VAIO VPCZ115 Battery

Upon his return to the US, Nixon was appointed the administrative officer of the Alameda Naval Air Station in California. In January 1945, he was transferred to the Bureau of Aeronautics office in Philadelphia to help negotiate the termination of war contracts, and received another letter of commendation for his work there.Sony VAIO VPCZ115FC/B Battery

Nixon was transferred to other offices to work on contracts, and finally to Baltimore. In October 1945, he was promoted to lieutenant commander. He resigned his commission on New Year's Day 1946.Sony VGP-BPS13A/S Battery

Congressional career

In 1945, Republicans in California's 12th congressional district, Sony VAIO VPCZ115FC/S Battery

frustrated by their inability to defeat Democratic Congressman Jerry Voorhis, sought a consensus candidate who would run a strong campaign against him. They formed a "Committee of 100" to decide on a candidate, hoping to avoid internal dissensions which had led to Voorhis victories. Sony VAIO VPCZ116 Battery

After the committee failed to attract higher-profile candidates, Herman Perry, Whittier's Bank of America branch manager, suggested Nixon, a family friend with whom he had served on the Whittier College Board of Trustees before the war. Perry wrote to Nixon in Baltimore. Sony VAIO VPCZ116GX/S Battery

After a night of excited talk between the Nixons, the naval officer responded to Perry with enthusiasm. Nixon flew to California and was selected by the committee. When he left the Navy at the start of 1946, Nixon and his wife returned to Whittier, where Nixon began a year of intensive campaigning.Sony VAIO VPCZ117 Battery

He contended that Voorhis had been ineffective as a congressman and appealed to anti-communist fears by suggesting that Voorhis's endorsement by a group linked to communists meant that Voorhis must have radical views.[45] Nixon won the election, receiving 65,586 votes to Voorhis' 49,994.Sony VAIO VPCZ117FC/B Battery

In Congress, Nixon supported the Taft–Hartley Act of 1947 and served on the Education and Labor Committee. He was part of the Herter Committee, which went to Europe to report on the need for US foreign aid. Nixon was the youngest member of the committee, and the only Westerner.Sony VAIO VPCZ118 Battery

Advocacy by Herter Committee members, including Nixon, led to congressional passage of the Marshall Plan.

Nixon first gained national attention in 1948 when his investigation, as a member of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), broke the Alger Hiss spy case. Sony VAIO VPCZ118GC/B Battery

While many doubted Whittaker Chambers' allegations that Hiss, a former State Department official, had been a Soviet spy, Nixon believed them to be true. He discovered that Chambers saved microfilm reproductions of incriminating documents by hiding the film in a pumpkin.Sony VAIO VPCZ118GX/S Battery

Hiss was convicted of perjury in 1950 for denying under oath he had passed documents to Chambers.In 1948, Nixon successfully cross-filed as a candidate in his district, winning both major party primaries, and was comfortably reelected. Sony VAIO VPCZ119 Battery

In 1949, Nixon began to consider running for the United States Senate against the Democratic incumbent, Sheridan Downey,and entered the race in November of that year. Downey, faced with a bitter primary battle with Representative Helen Gahagan Douglas, announced his retirement in March 1950.Sony VAIO VPCZ119FJ/S Battery

Nixon and Douglas won the primary elections and engaged in a contentious campaign in which the ongoing Korean War was a major issue. Nixon tried to focus attention on Douglas' liberal voting record. As part of that effort, a "Pink Sheet" was distributed by the Nixon campaign suggesting that, Sony VAIO VPCZ119GC/X Battery

as Douglas' voting record was similar to that of New York Congressman Vito Marcantonio (believed by some to be a communist), their political views must be nearly identical. Nixon won the election by almost twenty percentage points. Sony VGP-BPS13AS Battery

In the Senate, Nixon took a prominent position in opposing the spread of global communism, traveling frequently and speaking out against "the threat".Sony VAIO VPCZ119L Battery

He maintained friendly relations with his fellow anti-communist, the controversial Wisconsin senator, Joseph McCarthy, but was careful to keep some distance between himself and McCarthy's allegations. Nixon also criticized President Harry S. Truman's handling of the Korean War.Sony VAIO VPCZ119R/B Battery

He supported statehood for Alaska and Hawaii, voted in favor of civil rights for minorities, and supported federal disaster relief for India and Yugoslavia.He voted against price controls and other monetary restrictions, benefits for illegal immigrants, and public power.Sony VAIO VPCZ119R/S Battery

1952 campaign; vice president

General Dwight D. Eisenhower was nominated for president by the Republicans in 1952. He had no strong preference for a vice presidential candidate, and Republican officeholders and party officials met in a "smoke-filled room" and recommended Nixon to the general, who agreed to the senator's selection.Sony VAIO VPCZ11AFJ Battery

Nixon's youth (he was then 39), stance against communism, and his political base in California—one of the largest states—were all seen as vote-winners by the leaders. Among the candidates considered along with Nixon were Ohio Senator Robert Taft, New Jersey Governor Alfred Driscoll and Illinois SenatorEverett Dirksen.Sony VAIO VPCZ11AGJ Battery

On the campaign trail, Eisenhower spoke to his plans for the country, leaving the negative campaigning to his running mate.

In mid-September, the media reported that Nixon had a political fund, maintained by his backers, which reimbursed him for political expenses. Such a fund was not illegal, but it exposed Nixon to allegations of possible conflict of interest. Sony VAIO VPCZ11AVJ Battery

With pressure building for Eisenhower to demand Nixon's resignation from the ticket, the senator went on television to deliver an address to the nation on September 23, 1952. The address, later termed the Checkers speech, was heard by about 60 million Americans—including the largest television audience up to that point.Sony VAIO VPCZ11CGX/X Battery

Nixon emotionally defended himself, stating that the fund was not secret, nor had donors received special favors. He painted himself as a man of modest means (his wife had no mink coat; instead she wore a "respectable Republican cloth coat") and a patriot.Sony VAIO VPCZ11DGX/SJ Battery

The speech obtained its popular name as Nixon stated that he would not return one gift his family had received: "a little cocker spaniel dog ... sent all the way from Texas. And our little girl—Tricia, the 6-year-old—named it Checkers." The speech was a masterstroke of rhetoric and prompted a huge public outpouring of support for Nixon.Sony VAIO VPCZ11FHX/XQ Battery

He was retained on the ticket, which was victorious in the November election.

Eisenhower had pledged to give Nixon responsibilities during his term as vice president which would enable him to be effective from the start as a successor. Sony VAIO VPCZ11V9R/B Battery

Nixon attended Cabinet and National Security Council meetings, and chaired them when Eisenhower was absent. A 1953 tour of the Far East succeeded in increasing local goodwill toward the United States and prompted Nixon to appreciate the potential of the region as an industrial center. He visited Saigon andHanoi in French Indochina.Sony VAIO VPCZ11X9E/B Battery

On his return to the United States at the end of 1953, Nixon increased the amount of time he devoted to foreign relations.

Biographer Irwin Gellman, who chronicled Nixon's congressional years, said of his vice presidency:Sony VAIO VPCZ11Z9E/B Battery

Eisenhower radically altered the role of his running mate by presenting him with critical assignments in both foreign and domestic affairs once he assumed his office. The vice president welcomed the president's initiatives and worked energetically to accomplish White House objectives. Sony VAIO VPCZ125GX/S Battery

Because of the collaboration between these two leaders, Nixon deserves the title of the first modern vice president.

Despite intense campaigning by Nixon, who reprised his strong attacks on the Democrats, the Republicans lost control of both houses of Congress in the 1954 elections. Sony VAIO VPCZ127FC Battery

These losses caused Nixon to contemplate leaving politics once he served out his term. On September 24, 1955, President Eisenhower suffered a heart attack; his condition was initially believed to be life-threatening. Eisenhower was unable to perform his duties for six weeks. Sony VAIO VPCZ128GC Battery

The 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution had not yet been proposed, and the Vice President had no formal power to act. During this time, however, Nixon acted in Eisenhower's stead, presiding over Cabinet meetings and ensuring that aides and Cabinet officers did not seek power.Sony VAIO VPCZ12M9E/B Battery

According to Nixon biographer Stephen Ambrose, Nixon "earned the high praise he received for his conduct during the crisis ... he made no attempt to seize power".

His spirits buoyed, Nixon desired a second term, but some of Eisenhower's aides sought to displace the vice president. Sony VAIO VPCZ13M9E/B Battery

In a December 1955 meeting, Eisenhower proposed to Nixon that, to give him administrative experience before a 1960 presidential run, Nixon not run for reelection, but instead become a Cabinet officer in a second Eisenhower administration. Nixon believed that such an action would destroy his political career. Sony VAIO VPCZ13V9E/X Battery

When Eisenhower announced his reelection bid in February 1956, he hedged as to his running mate, stating that it was improper to address that until he was renominated. Although no Republican was opposing Eisenhower, Nixon received a substantial number of write-in votes against the President in the 1956 New Hampshire primary election.Sony VAIO VPCZ13Z9E/X Battery

In late April, the President announced that Nixon would again be his running mate. Eisenhower and Nixon were comfortably reelected in the November 1956 election.

In the spring of 1957, Nixon undertook another major foreign trip, this time to Africa.Sony VAIO VPCZZZHJ Battery

On his return, he helped shepherd the Civil Rights Act of 1957 through Congress. The bill was weakened in the Senate, and civil rights leaders were divided over whether Eisenhower should sign it. Nixon advised the President to sign the bill, which he did.Sony VAIO VPZ117 Battery

Eisenhower suffered a mild stroke in November 1957, and Nixon gave a press conference, assuring the nation that the Cabinet was functioning well as a team during Eisenhower's brief illness.

On April 27, 1958, Richard and Pat Nixon embarked on a goodwill tour of South America. Sony VAIO VPZ118 Battery

In Montevideo, Uruguay, Nixon made an impromptu visit to a college campus, where he took questions from students on US foreign policy. The trip was uneventful until the Nixon party reached Lima, Peru, where he was met with student demonstrations.Sony VAIO VPZ119 Battery

Nixon went to the campus and got out of his car to confront the students, and stayed until forced back by a volley of thrown objects. At his hotel, Nixon faced another mob, and one demonstrator spat on him. In Caracas, both Nixon and his wife were spat on by anti-American demonstrators, and their limousine was attacked by a pipe-wielding mob.Sony VPCM11M1E/B Battery

According to Ambrose, Nixon's courageous conduct "caused even some of his bitterest enemies to give him some grudging respect".

In July 1959, President Eisenhower sent Nixon to the Soviet Union for the opening of the American National Exhibition in Moscow.Sony VPCM11M1E/W Battery

On July 24, while touring the exhibits with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, the two stopped at a model of an American kitchen and engaged in an impromptu exchange about the merits of capitalism versus communism that became known as the "Kitchen Debate".Sony VPCM12M1E/L Battery

1960 and 1962 elections; wilderness years

In 1960, Nixon launched his first campaign for President of the United States. He faced little opposition in the Republican primaries and chose former Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.as his running mate.Sony VPCM12M1E/P Battery

His Democratic opponent was John F. Kennedy, and the race remained close for the duration.Nixon campaigned on his experience, but Kennedy called for new blood and claimed the Eisenhower–Nixon administration had allowed the Soviet Union to overtake the US in ballistic missiles (the "missile gap").Sony VPCM12M1E/W Battery

A new political medium was introduced in the campaign: televised presidential debates. In the first of four such debates, Nixon appeared pale, with a five o'clock shadow, in contrast to the photogenic Kennedy. Sony VGP-BPS13B/B Battery

Nixon's performance in the debate was perceived to be mediocre in the visual medium of television, though many people listening on the radio thought that Nixon had won.Sony VPCM13M1E/L Battery

Nixon lost the election narrowly, with Kennedy ahead by only 120,000 votes (0.2 percent) in the popular vote.

There were charges of vote fraud in Texas and Illinois, both states won by Kennedy; Sony VPCM13M1E/P Battery

Nixon refused however to consider contesting the election, feeling a lengthy election contest would diminish the United States in the eyes of the world, and the uncertainty would hurt US interests. At the end of his term of office as vice president in January 1961,Sony VPCM13M1E/W Battery

Nixon and his family returned to California, where he practiced law and wrote a bestselling book, Six Crises, which included coverage of the Hiss case, Eisenhower's heart attack, and the Fund Crisis, which had been resolved by the Checkers speech. Sony VAIO VGN-SR11M Battery

Local and national Republican leaders encouraged Nixon to challenge incumbent Pat Brown for Governor of California in the 1962 election.Despite initial reluctance, Nixon entered the race. The campaign was clouded by public suspicion that Nixon viewed the office as a stepping-stone for another presidential run,Sony VAIO VGN-SR11MR Battery

some opposition from the far-right of the party, and his own lack of interest in being California's governor. Nixon hoped that a successful run would confirm him in his status as the nation's leading Republican, and ensure he remained a major player in national politics.Sony VAIO VGN-SR140D Battery

Instead, he lost to Brown by nearly 300,000 votes, and the defeat was widely believed to be the end of his political career. In an impromptu concession speech the morning after the election, Nixon blamed the media for favoring his opponent, saying, "You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference".Sony VAIO VGN-SR140D/B Battery

The California defeat was highlighted in the November 11, 1962, episode of ABC's Howard K. Smith: News and Comment entitled "The Political Obituary of Richard M. Nixon". Alger Hiss appeared on the program, and many members of the public complained that it was unseemly to allow a convicted felon air time to attack a former vice president. Sony VAIO VGN-SR140D/P Battery

The furor drove Smith and his program from the air, and public sympathy for Nixon grew.

The Nixon family traveled to Europe in 1963, where Nixon gave press conferences and met with leaders of the countries he visited.Sony VAIO VGN-SR140D/S Battery

The family moved to New York City, where Nixon became a senior partner in the leading law firm Nixon, Mudge, Rose, Guthrie & Alexander. Nixon had pledged, when announcing his California campaign, not to run for president in 1964; Sony VGP-BPS13B/Q Battery

even if he had not, he believed it would be difficult to defeat Kennedy, or after his assassination, Kennedy's successor Lyndon Johnson.Sony VAIO VGN-SR140E Battery

In 1964, he supported Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater for the Republican nomination for president; when Goldwater was successful in gaining the nomination, Nixon was selected to introduce the candidate to the convention. Although he thought Goldwater unlikely to win, Nixon campaigned for him loyally. Sony VAIO VGN-SR140E/B Battery

The election was a disaster for the Republicans; Goldwater's landslide loss to Johnson was matched by heavy losses for the party in Congress and among state governors.

Nixon was one of the few leading Republicans not blamed for the disastrous results, and he sought to build on that in the 1966 congressional elections.Sony VAIO VGN-SR140E/P Battery

He campaigned for many Republicans seeking to regain seats lost in the Johnson landslide and received credit for helping the Republicans make major gains in the midterm election.

1968 presidential electio

At the end of 1967, Nixon told his family he planned to run for president a second time. Sony VAIO VGN-SR140E/S Battery

Although Pat Nixon did not always enjoy public life (for example, she had been embarrassed by the need to reveal how little the family owned in the Checkers speech), she was supportive of her husband's ambitions. Nixon believed that with the Democrats torn over the issue of the Vietnam War, Sony VAIO VGN-SR140N/S Battery

a Republican had a good chance of winning, although he expected the election to be as close as in 1960.

One of the most tumultuous primary election seasons ever began as the Tet Offensive was launched, followed by the withdrawal of President Johnson as a candidate after doing unexpectedly poorly in the New Hampshire primary; Sony VAIO VGN-SR165E/B Battery

it concluded with the assassination of one of the Democratic candidates, SenatorRobert F. Kennedy just moments after his victory in the California primary. On the Republican side, Nixon's main opposition was Michigan Governor George Romney, though New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller and California Governor Ronald Reagan each hoped to be nominated in a brokered convention.Sony VAIO VGN-SR165E/P Battery

Nixon secured the nomination on the first ballot.He selected Maryland Governor Spiro Agnew as his running mate, a choice which Nixon believed would unite the party, appealing to both Northern moderates and Southerners disaffected with the Democrats.Sony VAIO VGN-SR165E/S Battery

Nixon's Democratic opponent in the general election was Vice President Hubert Humphrey, who was nominated at a convention marked by violent protests. Throughout the campaign, Nixon portrayed himself as a figure of stability during a period of national unrest and upheaval.Sony VAIO VGN-SR190EBJ Battery

He appealed to what he called the "silent majority" of socially conservative Americans who disliked the hippie counterculture and the anti-war demonstrators. Agnew became an increasingly vocal critic of these groups, solidifying Nixon's position with the right.Sony VAIO VGN-SR190EBQ Battery

Nixon waged a prominent television advertising campaign, meeting with supporters in front of cameras. He stressed that the crime rate was too high, and attacked what he perceived as a surrender by the Democrats of the United States' nuclear superiority.Sony VAIO VGN-SR190EEJ/C Battery

Nixon promised "peace with honor" in the Vietnam War and proclaimed that "new leadership will end the war and win the peace in the Pacific". He did not release specifics of how he hoped to end the war, resulting in media intimations that he must have a "secret plan". His slogan of "Nixon's the One" proved to be effective.Sony VAIO VGN-SR190NAB Battery

In a three-way race between Nixon, Humphrey, and independent candidate Alabama Governor George Wallace, Nixon defeated Humphrey by nearly 500,000 votes (seven-tenths of a percentage point), with 301 electoral votes to 191 for Humphrey and 46 for Wallace.Sony VAIO VGN-SR190NBB Battery

In his victory speech, Nixon pledged that his administration would try to bring the divided nation together. Nixon said: "I have received a very gracious message from the Vice President, congratulating me for winning the election. I congratulated him for his gallant and courageous fight against great odds. Sony VAIO VGN-SR190NDB Battery

I also told him that I know exactly how he felt. I know how it feels to lose a close one."

Presidency (1969–74)

Nixon was inaugurated as president on January 20, 1969, sworn in by his onetime political rival, Chief Justice Earl Warren. Sony VAIO VGN-SR190NEB Battery

Pat Nixon held the family Bibles open at Isaiah 2:4, which reads, "They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks." In his inaugural address, which received almost uniformly positive reviews, Nixon remarked that "the greatest honor history can bestow is the title of peacemaker" —a phrase that would later be placed on his gravestone.Sony VAIO VGN-SR190NGB Battery

He spoke about turning partisan politics into a new age of unity:

In these difficult years, America has suffered from a fever of words; from inflated rhetoric that promises more than it can deliver;Sony VAIO VGN-SR190PAB Battery

from angry rhetoric that fans discontents into hatreds; from bombastic rhetoric that postures instead of persuading. We cannot learn from one another until we stop shouting at one another, until we speak quietly enough so that our words can be heard as well as our voices.Sony VAIO VGN-SR190PCB Battery

China

Nixon laid the groundwork for his overture to China even before he became president, writing in Foreign Affairs a year before his election: "There is no place on this small planet for a billion of its potentially most able people to live in angry isolation."Sony VAIO VGN-SR190PFB Battery

Assisting him in this venture was his National Security Advisor and future Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, with whom the President worked closely, bypassing Cabinet officials. With relations between the Soviet Union and China at a nadir—border clashes between the two took place during Nixon's first year in office—Nixon sent private word to the Chinese that he desired closer relations.Sony VAIO VGN-SR19VN Battery

A breakthrough came in early 1971, when Chairman Mao invited a team of American table tennis players to visit China and play against top Chinese players. Nixon followed up by sending Kissinger to China for clandestine meetings with Chinese officials.Sony VAIO VGN-SR19VN Battery

On July 15, 1971, it was simultaneously announced by Beijing and by Nixon (on television and radio) that the President would visit China the following February. The announcements astounded the world. The secrecy allowed both sets of leaders time to prepare the political climate in their countries for the contact.Sony VAIO VGN-SR19VRN Battery

In February 1972, Nixon and his wife traveled to China. Kissinger briefed Nixon for over 40 hours in preparation. Upon touching down, the President and First Lady emerged from Air Force One and greeted Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai. Nixon made a point of shaking Zhou's hand, Sony VAIO VGN-SR19XN Battery

something which then-Secretary of State John Foster Dulles had refused to do in 1954 when the two met in Geneva. Over 100 television journalists accompanied the president. On Nixon's orders, television was strongly favored over printed publications, as Nixon felt that the medium would capture the visit much better than print. Sony VAIO VGN-SR19XN Battery

It also gave him the opportunity to snub the print journalists he despised.

Nixon and Kissinger met for an hour with Mao and Zhou at Mao's official private residence, where they discussed a range of issues.Sony VAIO VGN-SR210J/S Battery

Mao later told his doctor that he had been impressed by Nixon, whom he considered forthright, unlike the leftists and the Soviets. He also said he was suspicious of Kissinger, though the National Security Advisor referred to their meeting as his "encounter with history".Sony VAIO VGN-SR21M/S Battery

A formal banquet welcoming the presidential party was given that evening in the Great Hall of the People. The following day, Nixon met with Zhou; the joint communique following this meeting recognized Taiwan as a part of China, and looked forward to a peaceful solution to the problem of reunification.Sony VAIO VGN-SR21RM/H Battery

When not in meetings, Nixon toured architectural wonders including the Forbidden City, Ming Tombs, and the Great Wall. Americans received their first glimpse into Chinese life through the cameras which accompanied Pat Nixon, who toured the city of Beijing and visited communes, schools, factories, and hospitals.Sony VAIO VGN-SR21RM/S Battery

The visit ushered in a new era of Sino-American relations. Fearing the possibility of a Sino-American alliance, the Soviet Union yielded to pressure fordétente with the United States.

Vietnam War

When Nixon took office, about 300 American soldiers were dying each week in Vietnam, and the war was broadly unpopular in the United States, with violent protests against the war ongoing. Sony VAIO VGN-SR220J/B Battery

The Johnson administration had agreed to suspend bombing in exchange for negotiations without preconditions, but this agreement never fully took force. Nixon sought some arrangement which would permit American forces to withdraw, while leaving South Vietnam secure against attack.Sony VAIO VGN-SR220J/H Battery

Nixon approved a secret bombing campaign of North Vietnamese positions in Cambodia in March 1969 (code-named Operation Menu) to destroy what was believed to be the headquarters of the Viet Cong. In mid-1969, Nixon began efforts to negotiate peace with the North Vietnamese, sending a personal letter to North Vietnamese leaders, and peace talks began in Paris. Sony VAIO VGN-SR240J/B Battery

Initial talks, however, did not result in an agreement. In July 1969, Nixon visitedSouth Vietnam, where he met with his US military commanders and President Nguyen Van Thieu. Amid protests at home demanding an immediate pullout, he implemented a strategy of replacing American troops with Vietnamese troops, known as "Vietnamization".Sony VAIO VGN-SR240N/B Battery

He soon instituted phased US troop withdrawals but authorized incursions into Laos, in part to interrupt the Ho Chi Minh trail, used to supply North Vietnamese forces, that passed through Laos and Cambodia. Nixon's campaign promise to curb the war, contrasted with the escalated bombing, led to claims that Nixon had a "credibility gap" on the issue.Sony VAIO VGN-SR290JTH Battery

In 1971, excerpts from the "Pentagon Papers", which had been leaked by Daniel Ellsberg, were published by The New York Timesand The Washington Post. When news of the leak first appeared, Nixon was inclined to do nothing; the Papers, a history of United States' involvement in Vietnam, Sony VAIO VGN-SR290JTJ Battery

mostly concerned the lies of prior administrations and contained few real revelations. He was persuaded by Kissinger that the papers were more harmful than they appeared, and the President tried to prevent publication. The Supreme Court eventually ruled for the newspapers. Sony VAIO VGN-SR290JTQ Battery

As US troop withdrawals continued, conscription was reduced and in 1973 ended; the armed forces became all-volunteer. After years of fighting, the Paris Peace Accords were signed at the beginning of 1973. The agreement implemented a cease fire and allowed for the withdrawal of remaining American troops; Sony VAIO VGN-SR290JVB/C Battery

however, it did not require the 160,000 North Vietnam Army regulars located in the South to withdraw. Once American combat support ended, there was a brief truce, before fighting broke out again, this time without American combat involvement. North Vietnam conquered South Vietnam in 1975.Sony VAIO VGN-SR290JVH/C Battery

Latin American policy

Nixon had been a firm supporter of Kennedy in the 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion and 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis; on taking office he stepped up covert operations against Cuba and its president, Fidel Castro. He maintained close relations with the Cuban-American exile community through his friend, Bebe Rebozo, who often suggested ways of irritating Castro. Sony VAIO VGN-SR290NTB Battery

These activities concerned the Soviets and Cubans, who feared Nixon might attack Cuba in violation of the understanding between Kennedy and Khrushchev which had ended the missile crisis. In August 1970, the Soviets asked Nixon to reaffirm the agreement. Despite his hard line against Castro, Nixon agreed. Sony VAIO VGN-SR29VN/S Battery

The process—which began in secret, but quickly leaked—had not been completed when the US deduced that the Soviets were expanding their base at the Cuban port of Cienfuegos in October 1970. A minor confrontation ensued, which was concluded with an understanding that the Soviets would not use Cienfuegos for submarines bearing ballistic missiles. Sony VAIO VGN-SR29XN/S Battery

The final round of diplomatic notes, reaffirming the 1962 accord, were exchanged in November.

The election of Marxist candidate Salvador Allende as President of Chile in September 1970 led Nixon to order that Allende not be allowed to take office.Sony VAIO VGN-SR2RVN/S Battery

Edward Korry, US Ambassador to Chile, told Nixon that he saw no alternative to Allende, and Nixon ruled out American intervention, though remained willing to assist opponents of Allende who might come forward. With the Chilean armed forces in disarray following the assassination of the Army leader, General René Schneider, Allende took office.Sony VAIO VGN-SR390NAB Battery

The military regrouped under General Augusto Pinochet, who overthrew Allende in 1973. During the coup, the deposed president died under disputed circumstances, concerning which there have been allegations of American involvement.Sony VAIO VGN-SR390NAH Battery

Soviet Union

Nixon used the improving international environment to address the topic of nuclear peace. Following the announcement of his visit to China, the Nixon administration concluded negotiations for the president to visit the Soviet Union. Sony VAIO VGN-SR41M/P Battery

The president and first lady arrived in Moscow on May 22, 1972 and met with Leonid Brezhnev, the General Secretary of the Communist Party; Alexei Kosygin, theChairman of the Council of Ministers; and Nikolai Podgorny, the head of state, among other leading Soviet officials.Sony VAIO VGN-SR41M/S Battery

Nixon engaged in intense negotiations with Brezhnev. Out of the summit came agreements for increased trade and two landmark arms control treaties: SALT I, the first comprehensive limitation pact signed by the two superpowers, and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which banned the development of systems designed to intercept incoming missiles. Sony VAIO VGN-SR49VN/H Battery

Nixon and Brezhnev proclaimed a new era of "peaceful coexistence A banquet was held that evening at the Kremlin.

Seeking to foster better relations with the United States, both China and the Soviet Union cut back on their diplomatic support for North Vietnam and advised Hanoi to come to terms militarily.Sony VAIO VGN-SR51B/P Battery

Nixon later described his strategy:

I had long believed that an indispensable element of any successful peace initiative in Vietnam was to enlist, if possible, the help of the Soviets and the Chinese. Sony VAIO VGN-SR51B/S Battery

Though rapprochement with China and détente with the Soviet Union were ends in themselves, I also considered them possible means to hasten the end of the war. At worst, Hanoi was bound to feel less confident if Washington was dealing with Moscow and Beijing.Sony VAIO VGN-SR51MF Battery

At best, if the two major Communist powers decided that they had bigger fish to fry, Hanoi would be pressured into negotiating a settlement we could accept.

Having made considerable progress over the previous two years in US-Soviet relations, Nixon embarked on a second trip to the Soviet Union in 1974.Sony VAIO VGN-SR51MF/P Battery

He arrived in Moscow on June 27 to a welcome ceremony, cheering crowds, and a state dinner at the Grand Kremlin Palace that evening. Nixon and Brezhnev met in Yalta, where they discussed a proposed mutual defense pact, détente, and MIRVs. Sony VAIO VGN-SR51MF/S Battery

While he considered proposing a comprehensive test-ban treaty, Nixon felt he would not have time as president to complete it. There were no significant breakthroughs in these negotiations.

Middle Eastern policy

As part of the Nixon Doctrine that the US would avoid direct combat assistance to allies where possible, Sony VAIO VGN-SR51MF/W Battery

instead giving them assistance to defend themselves, the US greatly increased arms sales to the Middle East—particularly Israel, Iran and Saudi Arabia—during the Nixon administration. The Nixon administration strongly supported Israel, an American ally in the Middle East but the support was not unconditional. Sony VAIO VGN-SR51MR Battery

Nixon believed that Israel should make peace with its Arab neighbors and that the United States should encourage it. The president believed that—except during the Suez Crisis—the US had failed to intervene with Israel, and should use the leverage of the large US military aid to Israel to urge the parties to the negotiating table. Sony VAIO VGN-SR59VG Battery

However, the Arab-Israeli conflict was not a major focus of Nixon's attention during his first term—for one thing, he felt that no matter what he did, American Jews would oppose his reelection.

When an Arab coalition led by Egypt and Syria attacked in October 1973, beginning the Yom Kippur War, Israel suffered initial losses. Sony VAIO VGN-SR59VG/H Battery

The US took no action for several days, until Nixon ordered an airlift to Israel, taking personal responsibility for any response by Arab nations. Nixon cut through inter-departmental squabbles and bureaucracy to initiate an airlift of American arms. By the time the US and Soviet Union negotiated a truce, Israel had penetrated deep into enemy territory. Sony VAIO VGN-SR70B/S Battery

The war resulted in the 1973 oil crisis, in which Arab nations refused to sell crude oil to the US in retaliation for its support of Israel. The embargo caused gasoline shortages and rationing in the United States in late 1973, and was eventually ended by the oil-producing nations as peace took hold.Sony VAIO VGN-SR72B/P Battery

Kissinger played a major role in the settlement, and was also able to reestablish US relations with Egypt for the first time since 1967; Nixon made one of his final international visits as president there in June 1974. Sony VGP-BPS13B/S Battery

Economy

At the time Nixon took office in 1969, inflation was at 4.7 percent—its highest rate since the Korean War. Sony VAIO VGN-SR72B/S Battery

A number of expensive social programs had been enacted under Johnson, which, together with the Vietnam War costs, were causing large budget deficits. There was little unemployment, but interest rates were at their highest in a century. Nixon's major economic goal was to reduce inflation; the most obvious means of doing so was to end the war.Sony VAIO VGN-SR73JB/S Battery

This could not be accomplished overnight, and the US economy continued to struggle through 1970, contributing to a lackluster Republican performance in the midterm congressional elections (Democrats controlled both Houses of Congress throughout Nixon's presidency).Sony VAIO VGN-SR74FB/S Battery

According to political economist Nigel Bowles in his 2011 study of Nixon's economic policies, the new president did little to alter Johnson's policies through the first year of his presidency.

Nixon was far more interested in foreign affairs than domestic policies, but believed that voters tend to focus on their own financial condition, and that economic conditions were a threat to his reelection.Sony VAIO VGN-SR90FS Battery

As part of his "New Federalism" views, he proposed grants to the states, but these proposals were for the most part lost in the congressional budget process. However, Nixon gained political credit for advocating them. In 1970, Congress had granted the President the power to impose wage and price freezes, Sony VAIO VGN-SR90NS Battery

though the Democratic majorities, knowing Nixon had opposed such controls through his career, did not expect Nixon to actually use the authority. With inflation unresolved by August 1971, and an election year looming, Nixon convened a summit of his economic advisers at Camp David. Sony VAIO VGN-SR90S Battery

He then announced temporary wage and price controls, allowed the dollar to float against other currencies, and ended the convertibility of the dollar into gold. Bowles points out, "by identifying himself with a policy whose purpose was inflation's defeat, Nixon made it difficult for Democratic opponents ... to criticize him.Sony VAIO VGN-SR90US Battery

His opponents could offer no alternative policy that was either plausible or believable since the one they favored was one they had designed but which the president had appropriated for himself." Nixon's policies dampened inflation through 1972, although their aftereffects contributed to inflation during his second term and into the Ford administration.Sony VAIO VGN-SR91NS Battery

After he won reelection, Nixon found inflation returning.He reimposed price controls in June 1973. The price controls became unpopular with the public and businesspeople, who saw powerful labor unions as preferable to the price board bureaucracy.Sony VAIO VGN-SR91PS Battery

The controls produced food shortages, as meat disappeared from grocery stores and farmers drowned chickens rather than sell them at a loss.Despite the failure to control inflation, controls were slowly ended, and on April 30, 1974, their statutory authorization lapsed.Sony VAIO VGN-SR91S Battery

Governmental initiatives and organization

Nixon advocated a "New Federalism", which would devolve power to state and local elected officials, though Congress was hostile to these ideas and enacted few of them. He eliminated the Cabinet-level United States Post Office Department, which in 1971 became the government-run United States Postal Service.Sony VAIO VGN-SR91US Battery

Nixon was a late convert to the conservation movement. Environmental policy had not been a significant issue in the 1968 election; the candidates were rarely asked for their views on the subject. He saw that the first Earth Day in April 1970 presaged a wave of voter interest on the subject, and sought to use that to his benefit;Sony VAIO VGN-SR92NS Battery

in June he announced the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Nixon broke new ground by discussing environment policy in his State of the Union speech; other initiatives supported by Nixon included the Clean Air Act of 1970 and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA);Sony VAIO VGN-SR92PS Battery

the National Environmental Policy Act required environmental impact statements for many Federal projects. Nixon vetoed the Clean Water Act of 1972—objecting not to the policy goals of the legislation but to the amount of money to be spent on them, which he deemed excessive. Sony VAIO VGN-SR92S Battery

After Congress overrode his veto, Nixon impounded the funds he deemed unjustifiable.

US space program

After a nearly decade-long national effort, the United States won the race to land astronauts on the moon on July 20, 1969, with the flight of Apollo 11. Sony VAIO VGN-SR92US Battery

Nixon spoke with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin during their moonwalk. He called the conversation "the most historic phone call ever made from the White House". Nixon, however, was unwilling to keep funding for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at the high level seen through the 1960s as NASA prepared to send men to the moon. Sony VAIO VGN-SR93DS Battery

NASA Administrator Thomas O. Paine drew up ambitious plans for the establishment of a permanent base on the moon by the end of the 1970s and the launch of a manned expedition to Mars as early as 1981. Nixon, however, rejected both proposals. Sony VAIO VGN-SR93JS Battery

On May 24, 1972, Nixon approved a five-year cooperative program between NASA and the Soviet space program, culminating in the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project, a joint mission of an American Apollo and a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft in 1975.Sony VAIO VGN-SR93PS Battery

Civil rights

The Nixon years witnessed the first large-scale integration of public schools in the South. Nixon sought a middle way between the segregationist Wallace and liberal Democrats, whose support of integration was alienating some Southern whites.Sony VAIO VGN-SR93YS Battery

Hopeful of doing well in the South in 1972, he sought to dispose of desegregation as a political issue before then. Soon after his inauguration, he appointed Vice President Agnew to lead a task force, which worked with local leaders—both white and black—to determine how to integrate local schools. Sony VAIO VGN-SR94FS Battery

Agnew had little interest in the work, and most of it was done by Labor Secretary George Shultz. Federal aid was available, and a meeting with President Nixon was a possible reward for compliant committees. By September 1970, fewer than ten percent of black children were attending segregated schools. Sony VAIO VGN-SR94GS Battery

By 1971, however, tensions over desegregation surfaced in Northern cities, with angry protests over the busing of children to schools outside their neighborhood to achieve racial balance. Nixon opposed busing personally but did not subvert court orders requiring its use.Sony VAIO VGN-SR94HS Battery

In addition to desegregating public schools, Nixon implemented the Philadelphia Plan in 1970—the first significant federal affirmative action program. He also endorsed the Equal Rights Amendmentafter it passed both houses of Congress in 1972 and went to the states for ratification.Sony VAIO VGN-SR94VS Battery

Nixon had campaigned as an ERA supporter in 1968, though feminists criticized him for doing little to help the ERA or their cause after his election, though he appointed more women to administration positions than Lyndon Johnson had. Sony VAIO VGN-NS10E/S Battery

1972 presidential campaign

Nixon believed his rise to power had peaked at a moment of political realignment. The Democratic "Solid South" had long been a frustration to Republican ambitions. Goldwater had won several Southern states by opposing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 but had alienated more moderate Southerners. Sony VAIO VGN-NS10J/S Battery

Nixon's efforts to gain Southern support in 1968 were diluted by Wallace's candidacy. Through his first term, he pursued a Southern Strategy with policies, such as his desegregation plans, that would be broadly acceptable among Southern whites, encouraging them to realign with the Republicans in the aftermath of the Civil Rights era.Sony VAIO VGN-NS10L/S Battery

He nominated two Southern conservatives, Clement Haynsworth and G. Harrold Carswell to the Supreme Court, but neither was confirmed by the Senate.

Nixon entered his name on the New Hampshire primary ballot on January 5, 1972, effectively announcing his candidacy for reelection.Sony VAIO VGN-NS110E/L Battery

Virtually assured the Republican nomination, the President had initially expected his Democratic opponent to be Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy (brother of the late president), but he was largely removed from contention after the 1969 Chappaquiddick incident.Sony VAIO VGN-NS110E/S Battery

Instead, Maine Senator Edmund Muskie became the front runner, with South Dakota Senator George McGovern in a close second place.

On June 10, McGovern won the California primary and secured the Democratic nomination.Sony VAIO VGN-NS110E/W Battery

The following month, Nixon was renominated at the 1972 Republican National Convention. He dismissed the Democratic platform as cowardly and divisive.McGovern intended to sharply reduce defense spending and supported amnesty for draft evaders as well as abortion rights. Sony VAIO VGN-NS115N/S Battery

With some of his supporters believed to be in favor of drug legalization, McGovern was perceived as standing for "amnesty, abortion and acid". McGovern was also damaged by his vacillating support for his original running mate,Thomas Eagleton, dumped from the ticket following revelations that he had received treatment for depression.Sony VAIO VGN-NS11J/S Battery

Nixon was ahead in most polls for the entire election cycle, and was reelected on November 7, 1972 in one of the largest landslide election victories in American history. He defeated McGovern with over 60 percent of the popular vote, losing only in Massachusetts and the District of Columbia.Sony VAIO VGN-NS130E/L Battery

Watergate

The term Watergate has come to encompass an array of clandestine and often illegal activities undertaken by members of the Nixon administration. Those activities included "dirty tricks" such as bugging the offices of political opponents and people of whom Nixon or his officials were suspicious. Sony VAIO VGN-NS130E/S Battery

Nixon and his close aides ordered harassment of activist groups and political figures, using the FBI, CIA, and the Internal Revenue Service. The activities became known after five men were caught breaking into Democratic party headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. on June 17, 1972. Sony VAIO VGN-NS130E/W Battery

The Washington Post picked up on the story; reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward relied on an informant known as "Deep Throat"—later revealed to beMark Felt, associate director at the FBI—to link the men to the Nixon administration. Nixon downplayed the scandal as mere politics, calling news articles biased and misleading. Sony VAIO VGN-NS140E/L Battery

As a series of revelations made it clear that Nixon aides had committed crimes in attempts to sabotage the Democrats and others, senior aides such as White House Counsel John Dean and Chief of Staff H. R. Haldeman faced prosecution.

In July 1973, White House aide Alexander Butterfield testified that Nixon had a secret taping system that recorded his conversations and phone calls in the Oval Office. Sony VAIO VGN-NS140E/S Battery

These tapes were subpoenaed by Watergate Special Counsel Archibald Cox. Nixon refused to release them, citing executive privilege. With the White House and Cox at loggerheads, Nixon had Cox fired in October in the "Saturday Night Massacre"; he was replaced by Leon Jaworski. Sony VAIO VGN-NS140E/W Battery

In November, Nixon's lawyers revealed that an audio tape of conversations, held in the White House on June 20, 1972, featured an unexplained 18½ minute gap. Rose Mary Woods, the President's personal secretary, claimed responsibility for the gap, alleging that she had accidentally wiped the section while transcribing the tape,Sony VAIO VGN-NS190J/L Battery

though her tale was widely mocked. The gap, while not conclusive proof of wrongdoing by the President, cast doubt on Nixon's statement that he had been unaware of the cover-up

Though Nixon lost much popular support, even from his own party, he rejected accusations of wrongdoing and vowed to stay in office.Sony VAIO VGN-NS190J/S Battery

He insisted that he had made mistakes, but had no prior knowledge of the burglary, did not break any laws, and did not learn of the cover-up until early 1973. On October 10, 1973, Vice President Agnew resigned amid allegations—unrelated to Watergate—of bribery, tax evasion and money laundering from his tenure as Maryland's governor. Sony VAIO VGN-NS190J/W Battery

Nixon chose Gerald Ford, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, to replace Agnew.

On November 17, 1973, during a televised question and answer session with the press, Nixon said,

People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook. I've earned everything I've got.Sony VAIO VGN-NS235J/L Battery

The legal battle over the tapes continued through early 1974, and in April 1974 Nixon announced the release of 1,200 pages of transcripts of White House conversations between him and his aides. The House Judiciary Committee, opened impeachment hearings against the President on May 9, 1974, which were televised on the major networks.Sony VAIO VGN-NS235J/P Battery

These hearings culminated in votes for articles of impeachment, the first being 27–11 in favor on July 27, 1974 on obstruction of justice. On July 24, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the full tapes, not just selected transcripts must be released.Sony VAIO VGN-NS235J/S Battery

Even with support diminished by the continuing series of revelations, Nixon hoped to win through. However, one of the new tapes, recorded soon after the break-in, demonstrated that Nixon had been told of the White House connection to the Watergate burglaries soon after they took place, and had approved plans to thwart the investigation. Sony VAIO VGN-NS235J/W Battery

In a statement accompanying the release of the "Smoking Gun Tape" on August 5, 1974, Nixon accepted blame for misleading the country about when he had been told of the truth behind the Watergate break-in, stating that he had a lapse of memory.Sony VAIO VGN-NS240E/L Battery

He met with Republican congressional leaders soon after, and was told he faced certain impeachment in the House and had, at most, 15 senators prepared to vote for his acquittal—far fewer than the 34 he needed to avoid removal from office.Sony VAIO VGN-NS290J/L Battery

Resignation

In light of his loss of political support and the near certainty of impeachment, Nixon resigned the office of the presidency on August 9, 1974, after addressing the nation on television the previous evening. The resignation speech was delivered from the Oval Office and was carried live on radio and television.Sony VAIO VGN-NS290J/S Battery

Nixon stated that he was resigning for the good of the country and asked the nation to support the new president, Gerald Ford. Nixon went on to review the accomplishments of his presidency, especially in foreign policy.He defended his record as president, and stated:Sony VAIO VGN-NS50B/L Battery

Sometimes I have succeeded and sometimes I have failed, but always I have taken heart from what Theodore Roosevelt once said aboutthe man in the arena, "whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again because there is not effort without error and shortcoming,Sony VAIO VGN-NS50B/W Battery

but who does actually strive to do the deed, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumphs of high achievements and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly".Sony VAIO VGN-NS51B/L Battery

Pardon and illness

Following his resignation, the Nixons returned to their home La Casa Pacifica in San Clemente, California. According to Aitken, after his resignation, "Nixon was a soul in torment". Congress had funded Nixon's transition costs, including some salary expenses, though reducing the appropriation from $850,000 to $200,000.Sony VAIO VGN-NS51B/P Battery

With some of his staff still with him, Nixon was at his desk by 7 a.m.—with little to do.His former press secretary, Ron Ziegler, sat with him alone for hours each day.

Nixon's resignation had not put an end to the desire among many to see him punished. Sony VAIO VGN-NS51B/W Battery

The Ford White House considered a pardon of Nixon, though it would be unpopular in the country. Nixon, contacted by Ford emissaries, was initially reluctant to accept the pardon, but then agreed to do so. Ford, however, insisted on a statement of contrition;Sony VAIO VGN-NS52JB/L Battery

Nixon felt he had not committed any crimes and should not have to issue such a document. The former president eventually agreed, and on September 8, 1974, Ford granted him a "full, free, and absolute pardon". This ended any possibility of an indictment. Nixon then released a statement:Sony VAIO VGN-NS52JB/P Battery

I was wrong in not acting more decisively and more forthrightly in dealing with Watergate, particularly when it reached the stage of judicial proceedings and grew from a political scandal into a national tragedy. No words can describe the depth of my regret and pain at the anguish my mistakes over Watergate have caused the nation and the presidency,Sony VAIO VGN-NS52JB/W Battery

a nation I so deeply love, and an institution I so greatly respect.

In October 1974, Nixon fell ill with phlebitis. Told by his doctors that he could either be operated on or die, a reluctant Nixon chose surgery and, while hospitalized, was visited by President Ford.Sony VAIO VGN-NS70B/W Battery

Nixon was under subpoena for the trial of three of his former aides—Dean, Haldeman, and John Ehrlichman—and The Washington Post, disbelieving his illness, printed a cartoon showing Nixon with a cast on the "wrong foot". Judge John Sirica excused Nixon's presence despite the defendants' objections.Sony VAIO VGN-NS71B/W Battery

Congress instructed Ford to retain Nixon's presidential papers—beginning a legal battle over the documents which would last three decades, and would eventually be won by the former president and his estate. While Nixon was in hospital, the 1974 midterm elections took place, Sony VAIO VGN-NS72JB/W Battery

in which Watergate and the pardon were factors which contributed to the Republican loss of 43 seats in the House and three in the Senate.

Return to public life

In December 1974, Nixon began planning his comeback despite the considerable ill-will against him in the country. He wrote in his diary, referring to himself and Pat,Sony VAIO VGN-NS90HS Battery

So be it. We will see it through. We've had tough times before and we can take the tougher ones that we will have to go through now. That is perhaps what we were made for—to be able to take punishment beyond what anyone in this office has had before particularly after leaving office. This is a test of character and we must not fail the test. Sony VAIO VGN-NS92JS Battery

By early 1975, Nixon's health was improving. He maintained an office in a Coast Guard station 300 yards from his home, at first taking a golf cart and later walking the route each day; he mainly worked on his memoirs. He had hoped to wait before writing his memoirs; Sony VAIO VGN-NS92XS Battery

the fact that his assets were being eaten away by expenses and lawyer fees compelled him to begin work quickly. He was handicapped in this work by the end of his transition allowance in February, which compelled him to part with much of his staff, including Ziegler.Sony VAIO VGN-NW21EF/S Battery

In August of that year, he met with British talk-show host and producer David Frost, who paid him $600,000 for a series of sit-down interviews. They began on the topic of foreign policy, recounting the leaders he had known, but the most remembered section of the interviews was that on Watergate. Sony VAIO VGN-NW21JF Battery

Nixon admitted that he had "let down the country" and that "I brought myself down. I gave them a sword and they stuck it in. And they twisted it with relish. And, I guess, if I'd been in their position, I'd have done the same thing." The interviews garnered 45–50 million viewers—becoming the most-watched program of their kind in television history.Sony VAIO VGN-NW21MF Battery

The interviews helped improve Nixon's financial position—at one point in early 1975 he had only $500 in the bank—as did the sale of his Key Biscayne property to a trust set up by wealthy Nixon friends such as Bebe Rebozo. In February 1976, Nixon visited China at the personal invitation of Mao. Sony VAIO VGN-NW21MF/W Battery

Nixon had wanted to return to China, but chose to wait until after Ford's own visit in 1975. Nixon remained neutral in the 1976 primary battle between Ford and Reagan—won by Ford in a close fight at the convention in Kansas City, at which Nixon (who had been nominated by five of the last six conventions) was not mentioned once. Sony VAIO VGN-NW21ZF Battery

Ford lost narrowly in the general election to Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter, which led to suggestions that Ford would have been elected, had he not pardoned Nixon. Nixon biographer Black points out that had no pardon been issued, it was likely that Nixon would have been on trial in November 1976, causing a loss by a much greater margin.Sony VAIO VGN-NW31EF/W Battery

The Carter administration had little use for Nixon, and blocked his planned trip to Australia, causing the government of Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser to withhold an official invitation.

In early 1978, Nixon went to the United Kingdom. He was shunned by American diplomats and by most ministers of the James Callaghan government.Sony VAIO VGN-NW31JF Battery

He was welcomed, however, by the Leader of the Opposition, Margaret Thatcher, as well as by former prime ministers Lord Home and Sir Harold Wilson, though two other former prime ministers, Harold Macmillan and Edward Heath declined to meet with him. Nixon addressed the Oxford Union regarding Watergate:Sony VAIO VGN-NW320F/B Battery

Some people say I didn't handle it properly and they're right. I screwed it up. Mea culpa. But let's get on to my achievements. You'll be here in the year 2000 and we'll see how I'm regarded then. Sony VGP-BPS13Q Battery

Author and elder statesman

In 1978, Nixon published his memoirs, RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon, the first of ten books he was to author in his retirement.Sony VAIO VGN-NW320F/TC Battery

The book was a bestseller, and attracted a generally positive critical response. Nixon journeyed to the White House in 1979, invited by Carter for the state dinner for Chinese Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping. Carter had not wanted to invite Nixon, but Deng had stated he would visit Nixon in California if the former president was not invited. Sony VAIO VGN-NW35E Battery

Nixon had a private meeting with Deng, and visited Beijing again in mid-1979.

In early 1980, the Nixons moved into a New York City townhouse, purchased after being rejected by two Manhattan co-ops. When the former Shah of Iran died in Egypt in July 1980, Nixon defied the State Department, which intended to send no US representative, by attending the funeral. Sony VAIO VGN-NW380F/S Battery

Though Nixon had no official credentials, as a former president, he was seen as the American presence at its former ally's funeral. Nixon supported Ronald Reagan for president in 1980, making television appearances portraying himself as, in biographer Stephen Ambrose's words, "the senior statesman above the fray".Sony VAIO VGN-NW380F/T Battery

He wrote guest articles for many publications both during the campaign and after Reagan's victory. After 18 months in the New York City townhouse, Nixon and his wife moved to Saddle River, New Jersey in 1981.

Throughout the 1980s, Nixon maintained an arduous schedule of speaking engagements and writing, traveled, and met with many foreign leaders, especially those of Third World countries. Sony VAIO VGN-NW50JB Battery

He joined former Presidents Ford and Carter as representatives of the United States at the funeral of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.[186] On a trip to the Middle East, Nixon made his views known regarding Saudi Arabia and Libya, which attracted significant US media attention; The Washington Post ran stories on Nixon's "rehabilitation".Sony VAIO VGN-NW51FB/N Battery

Nixon journeyed to the Soviet Union in 1986 and on his return sent President Reagan a lengthy memorandum containing foreign policy suggestions and his personal impressions of Mikhail Gorbachev. Following this trip, Nixon was ranked in a Gallop poll as one of the ten most admired men in the world.Sony VAIO VGN-NW51FB/W Battery

In 1986, Nixon addressed a convention of newspaper publishers, impressing his audience with his tour d'horizon of the world. Author Elizabeth Drew wrote that "even when he was wrong, Nixon still showed that he knew a great deal and had a capacious memory as well as the capacity to speak with apparent authority,Sony VAIO VGN-NW70JB Battery

enough to impress people who had little regard for him in earlier times".Newsweek ran a story on "Nixon's comeback" with the headline "He's back".

On July 19, 1990, the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace in Yorba Linda, California opened as a private institution, with the Nixons in attendance. Sony VAIO VGN-NW71FB/N Battery

They were joined by a large crowd of people, including Presidents Ford, Reagan, and George H. W. Bush, as well as their wives, Betty, Nancy, andBarbara.In January 1991, the former president founded the Nixon Center, a Washington policy think tank and conference center.Sony VAIO VGN-NW71FB/W Battery

Pat Nixon died on June 22, 1993 of emphysema and lung cancer. Her funeral services were held on the grounds of the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace. Richard Nixon was distraught during the interment. Inside the building, he delivered a moving tribute to her.Sony VAIO VGN-NW91FS Battery

Death and funeral

Nixon suffered a severe stroke at 5:45 p.m. on April 18, 1994, while preparing to eat dinner in his Park Ridge, New Jersey home. It was determined that a blood clot resulting from his heart condition had formed in his upper heart, then broken off and traveled to his brain. Sony VAIO VGN-NW91GS Battery

He was taken to New York Hospital–Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan, initially alert, but unable to speak or to move his right arm or leg. Damage to the brain caused swelling (cerebral edema) and Nixon slipped into a deep coma. On April 22, 1994, he died at 9:08 p.m. with his daughters at his bedside. He was 81.Sony VAIO VGN-NW91VS Battery

Nixon's funeral took place on April 27, 1994—the first for an American president since that of Lyndon B. Johnson in 1973, over which Nixon had presided. Held at the Nixon Library, eulogists included then-President Bill Clinton,Sony VGP-BPS13S Battery

former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole, California Governor Pete Wilson, and the Reverend Billy Graham.Sony VGP-BPL10 Battery

Also in attendance were former Presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H. W. Bush and their wives.

Richard Nixon rests beside his wife Pat in the grounds of the Nixon Library. He was survived by his two daughters, Tricia and Julie, and four grandchildren.Sony VGP-BPS10 Battery

In keeping with his wishes, his funeral was not a full state funeral, though his body did lie in repose in the Nixon Library lobby from April 26 to the morning of the funeral services. Mourners waited in line up to eight hours in chilly, wet weather to pay their respects.Sony VGP-BPS10/S Battery

At its peak, the line to pass by Nixon's casket was three miles long and an estimated 42,000 people waited.

John F. Stacks of Time magazine said of Nixon shortly after his death, "an outsize energy and determination drove him on to recover and rebuild after every self-created disaster that he faced. Sony VGP-BPS10A/B Battery

To reclaim a respected place in American public life after his resignation, he kept traveling and thinking and talking to the world's leaders ... And by the time Bill Clinton came to the White House [in 1993], Nixon had virtually cemented his role as an elder statesman. Sony VGP-BPS10B Battery

Clinton, whose wife served on the staff of the committee that voted to impeach Nixon, met openly with him and regularly sought his advice."Tom Wicker of The New York Times noted that Nixon was equalled only by Franklin Roosevelt in being five times nominated on a major party ticket, and stated that "Richard Nixon's jowly, Sony VGP-BPS10A Battery

beard-shadowed face, the ski-jump nose and the widow's peak, the arms upstretched in the V-sign, had been so often pictured and caricatured, his presence had become such a familiar one in the land, he had been so often in the heat of controversy, that it was hard to realize the nation really would not 'have Nixon to kick around anymore'."Sony VGP-BPL8 Battery

Ambrose said of the reaction to Nixon's death, "To everyone's amazement, except his, he's our beloved elder statesman."

Upon Nixon's death, almost all of the news coverage mentioned Watergate, but for the most part, the coverage was favorable to the former president. Sony VGP-BPL8A Battery

The Dallas Morning News stated, "History ultimately should show that despite his flaws, he was one of our most farsighted chief executives." This offended some; columnist Russell Baker complained of "a group conspiracy to grant him absolution".Cartoonist Jeff Koterba of the Omaha World-Herald depicted History before a blank canvas,Sony VGP-BPL8B Battery

his subject Nixon, as America looks on eagerly. The artist urges his audience to sit down; the work will take some time to complete, as "this portrait is a little more complicated than most".

Legacy

James MacGregor Burns observed of Nixon, "How can one evaluate such an idiosyncratic President, so brilliant and so morally lacking?"Sony VGP-BPS8 Battery

Nixon's biographers disagree on how he will be perceived by history. According to Ambrose, "Nixon wanted to be judged by what he accomplished. What he will be remembered for is the nightmare he put the country through in his second term and for his resignation."Sony VGP-BPS8A Battery

Irwin Gellman, who chronicled Nixon's congressional career, suggests that "he was remarkable among his congressional peers, a success story in a troubled era, one who steered a sensible anti-Communist course against the excess of McCarthy". Aitken feels that "Nixon, both as a man and as a statesman, Sony VGP-BPS8B Battery

has been excessively maligned for his faults and inadequately recognised for his virtues. Yet even in a spirit of historical revisionism, no simple verdict is possible."

Nixon's Southern Strategy is credited by some historians as causing the South to become a Republican stronghold, though others deem economic factors more important to the change.Sony VGP-BPL9 Battery

Throughout his career, he was instrumental in moving the party away from the control of isolationists and as a congressman was a persuasive advocate of containing Soviet communism. According to Nixon's biographer, Herbert Parmet, "his role was to steer the Republican party along a middle course,Sony VGP-BPS9 Battery

somewhere between the competitive impulses of the Rockefellers, the Goldwaters, and the Reagans".

Nixon is given credit for his stance on domestic affairs, which resulted in environmental and regulatory legislation being passed and enforced. Sony VGP-BPS9/B Battery

Historian Paul Charles Milazzo, in his 2011 paper on Nixon and the environment, points to Nixon's establishment of the EPA and enforcement of legislation such as the 1973 Endangered Species Act, and states that, "though unsought and unacknowledged, Richard Nixon's environmental legacy was secure."Sony VGP-BPS9/S Battery

Nixon saw his policies regarding Vietnam, China, and the Soviets as key to his place in history. George McGovern, Nixon's onetime opponent, commented in 1983, "President Nixon probably had a more practical approach to the two superpowers, China and the Soviet Union, than any other president since World War II ... Sony VGP-BPS9A Battery

I think, with the exception of his inexcusable continuation of the war in Vietnam, Nixon really will get high marks in history." However, political scientist Jussi M. Hanhimäki sees Nixon's diplomacy as merely a continuation of the Cold War policy of containment, using diplomatic means rather than military.Sony VGP-BPS9A/B Battery

Historian Keith W. Olson opines that Nixon leaves a negative legacy: a fundamental mistrust of government, which, Olson believes, has its roots in Vietnam and Watergate. During theimpeachment of Bill Clinton in 1998, both sides tried to use Nixon and Watergate to their advantage. Sony VGP-BPS9A/S Battery

Republicans suggested that Clinton's misconduct was comparable to Nixon's, while Democrats contended that Nixon's actions were far more serious those of the incumbent. Another legacy, for a time, was a decrease in the power of the presidency as Congress passed restrictive legislation in the wake of Watergate.Sony VGP-BPS9B Battery

Olson, however suggests that grants of power to George W. Bush in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks have restored the president's power.

Personality and public image

Nixon's career was frequently dogged by his persona, and the public perception of it.Sony VGP-BPL21 Battery

Editorial cartoonists and comedians often exaggerated his appearance and mannerisms, to the point where the line between the human and the caricature version of him became increasingly blurred. He was often portrayed with unshaven jowls, slumped shoulders, and a furrowed, sweaty brow.Sony VGP-BPS21 Battery

Nixon had a complex personality, both very secretive and awkward, yet strikingly reflective about himself. He was inclined to distance himself from people and was formal in all aspects, always wearing a coat and tie even when home alone. Nixon biographer Conrad Black described him as being "driven" though also "uneasy with himself in some ways".Sony VGP-BPS21/S Battery

According to Black, Nixon "thought that he was doomed to be traduced, double-crossed, unjustly harassed, misunderstood, underappreciated, and subjected to the trials of Job, but that by the application of his mighty will, tenacity, and diligence he would ultimately prevail".Sony VGP-BPS21A Battery

Biographer Elizabeth Drew summarized Nixon as a "smart, talented man, but most peculiar and haunted of presidents".In his account of the Nixon presidency, author Richard Reeves described Nixon as "a strange man of uncomfortable shyness, who functioned best alone with his thoughts".Sony VGP-BPS21A/B Battery

Nixon's presidency was doomed by his personality, Reeves argues: "He assumed the worst in people, and he brought out the worst in them ... He clung to the idea of being 'tough'. He thought that was what had brought him to the edge of greatness. But that was what betrayed him. He could not open himself to other men and he could not open himself to greatness."Sony VGP-BPS21B Battery

In October 1999, a volume of 1971 White House audio tapes was released which contained multiple statements by Nixon deemed derogatory toward Jews. In one conversation with H. R. Haldeman, Nixon said that Washington was "full of Jews" and that "most Jews are disloyal," making exceptions for some of his top aides.Sony VGP-BPL13 Battery

He then added, "But, Bob, generally speaking, you can't trust the bastards. They turn on you. Am I wrong or right?" Elsewhere on the 1971 recordings Nixon denies being anti-Semitic, saying, "If anybody who's been in this chair ever had reason to be anti-Semitic, I did ... And I'm not, you know what I mean?"Sony VGP-BPS13 Battery

Nixon believed that it was necessary for him, as he advanced in his political career and became president, to maintain a distance between himself and other people. Even Bebe Rebozo, by some accounts his closest friend, did not call him by his first name. Nixon said of this belief, Sony VGP-BPS13/B Battery

"That's just the way I am. Some people are different. Some people think it's good therapy to sit with a close friend and, you know, just spill your guts ... [to] reveal their inner psyche—whether they were breast-fed, or bottle-fed. Not me. No way."Sony VGP-BPS13/S Battery

When told that most Americans, even at the end of his career, did not feel they knew him, Nixon replied, "Yeah, it's true. And it's not necessary for them to know."Sony VGP-BPS13/S Battery,Sony VGP-BPS13A/B Battery