NixonNixon

Profile: Richard Millhouse Nixon– 1913: Born in California– Reputation as brilliant scholar & lawyer– WWII: Navy Lieutenant in Pacific– > war: elected to HoR; HUAC Committee– 1950: elected to Senate– Helped McCarthy w/ anti-Communist

investigations – 1952: VP candidate w/ Ike; 1953-1961 VP– 1960: Republican candidate, lost to JFK– 1968: Elected President promising to exit

Vietnam– 1972: Re-elected– 1973-74: Watergate controversy– 1974: Resigned office to avoid being

impeached– 1994: Died

Nixon as a person

• Very crafty…used the media to propel his political future but….

• The media ended up crucifying him over Watergate

• He always resented the elite and he personality reflected that (Hiss)

• The “checkers” speech– He appealed to the heart strings of America by

justifying potential corruption with campaign finances by accepting the donation of a dog

– Around $18,000• Used smear tactics to get into Congress

– Attacked opponents based on communist ties….led to HUAC

– His role in the Alger Hiss case made him famous– Helped to propel his career

• Lived in poverty…led to his desire to curtail poverty in America

What did Nixon Do?• Focused on foreign affairs

– Opened China– Reduced nukes w/ USSR– Reduced tensions in Middle East

• Promised exit from Vietnam– ‘Peace with dignity’; exited Vietnam (1973)– Ended draft

• Important advances on social issues– More blacks in college, voting, in politics– Annoyed Congress by saying, ‘I’ve

always thought this country could run itself domestically without a president.’

• Economic policies confused– Inflation reduced but unemployment high

• Nixon cut taxes– Republican presidents almost always do

this– Unfortunately, this fueled inflation

Domestic Agenda Continued..• Titled “New Federalism”

– Focused on restructuring the bureaucracy by funneling money to the states

– Believed that the states could spend the money better

• 26th amendment • 70% of black children were

segregated in the south– Offered state committees to

desegregate-17% by 1970• EPA 1970 and the National Air Quality

Standards Act• Revenue sharing and Family

Assistance Program• Civil Rights Legislation for women

– Equal Rights Amendment– Federal Task Force on Women’s

Rights• Civil Rights Legislation• Kent State, 1970

The Epic of Watergate• Rocked the USA in early 1970s• Single greatest threat to Constitution

ever• Started small and snowballed

– Phase 1: CREEP– Phase 2: Did Nixon know?– Phase 3: Battle for the tapes– Phase 4: The end

Phase 1: CREEP suspected• 17 June 1972: Five ‘burglars’ arrested in

Democratic Party HQ in Watergate Hotel– Not stealing, but planting bugging devices– One was former CIA agent– All linked to Committee for the Re-election of the

President (CREEP)

• FBI investigates CREEP– Massive campaign to spy on Nixon’s opponents– CREEP raised $60 million for re-election by

pressuring companies w/ gov’t contracts– John Mitchell, CREEP director, used ‘dirty tricks’

to discredit Democrats– Two Washington Post reporters, Carl

Bernstein & Bob Woodward, pursued own investigation

– Nixon denied he or close advisors were involved

• Nov. 1972: Nixon won landslide election– Nixon thought Watergate was behind him– He was wrong

The beginning of President Nixon’s 2nd inaugural address, just as the Vietnam War was ending

Phase 2: Did Nixon Know?• January 1973:

– Watergate burglars on trial– All found guilty– One claimed White House involved

• Nixon reacts:– Denied allegation– Appointed Archibald Cox as special

Watergate prosecutor

• Senate investigates:– May-Nov. 1973: Senator Sam Cox led

televised independent Senate investigation

– Clear that senior White House officials involved

– Three of Nixon’s advisors resigned– One, John Dean, claimed he discusses

burglary at least 35 times w/ Nixon– Nixon denied any involvement, fired Dean

Phase 3: Battle for the Tapes• Nixon’s tapes

– Senate Investigation revealed Nixon recorded all conversations in oval office since 1971

– Senate & Cox wanted tapes– Nixon refused, citing “presidential privilege”

• 20 October 1973: “Saturday Night Massacre”– Nixon ordered Attorney General to fire Cox– AG refused, then resigned under pressure– New AG fired Cox– New special investigator, Leon Jaworski,

also demanded tapes– Nixon released some tapes, but 18 ½

crucial minutes had been “accidentally” erased

• April 1974: Battle over tapes continued– Nixon released 1200 heavily edited pages– Jaworski appealed to SC

Phase 4: The End• SC ordered tapes turned over

– Revealed Nixon involved in initial campaign– Revealed Nixon repeatedly tried to cover up

• 27 July 1974:– House Judiciary Committee voted to impeach

Nixon for obstruction of justice– 66% of Americans in favor of impeachment

• 8 August:– Nixon resigned to avoid impeachment– As civilian, Nixon could have been tried as

criminal, but Jaworski didn’t prosecute– President Ford pardoned him– 31 of Nixon’s officials went to prison

The Aftermath

• Congress passed laws due to scandal– Privacy Act (1974): Americans can inspect gov’t files on

them– Budget Act (1974): President has to account for all $$$

spent (Nixon believed to have spent millions of gov’t money on personal properties & evaded $400,000 of taxes)

– Election Campaign Act: Limited campaign contributions; eliminated foreign donations

• Scandal utterly destroyed Nixon’s rep– Called “Tricky Dick”, achievements forgotten

• Watergate’s deeper damage– Undermined America’s confidence in gov’t– Was Nixon exception or rule of political system?– Press turned from hiding info (JFK) to seeking scandal– Confidence & idealism of 60s replaced w/ cynicism and

doubt

Activity: What Watergate’s impact on Americans? • Study these three cartoons., Which do you think

makes the following points?– Nixon is a liar– America is in crisis– Don ‘t trust politicians

• You are planning a newspaper feature on the impact of Watergate. You can include just one of the cartoons. Which will you choose and why? 50 words

Focus Task: Verdicts on Nixon• Two flew over the cuckoo’s nest

– Work in pairs– You and your partner are both inmates in

an insane asylum– One of you can only remember good

things about people– The other can only remember bad things– One day the two of you see a newspaper

headline of Nixon’s resignation– The skeptic turns and says, “Well, it’s

about time! Tricky Dick sure was a crook!”

– The optimist replies, “How can you say that, after all of the good he has done!

– Write 12 additional lines of dialogue using facts from your notes