THE 1970S – POLITICSEssential Question – What was the major impact of the Nixon Presidency and the new Republican influences?

POPULAR DEPICTION OF NIXON

TWO AMERICAS• United States transitions from

rebellious 1960s to mainstream 1970s• American flag decals adorn cars

• Law-and-order leaders elected to curb violence in large cities

• Middle Americans fueled push towards rightward drift• Coined by Joseph Kraft in 1967• “State of mind, a morality, a construct

of values and prejudices and a complex of fears” – Time magazine

• Sources of Middle American discontent• Unresolved Vietnam War• Race riots and rebellious student

protestors• Rising inflation

TWO AMERICAS

• Dichotomy of thought led to conflict about solutions to issues• Wanted peace in Vietnam, but did

not want to accept defeat• Believed African Americans should

have quality education, but not at expense of their own children

• Diverse group; divided by:• Sex – Women less emphatic on

Vietnam• Education – More education =

more tolerant on race• Geography – Southerners harsher

on racial attitudes

• They all shared a longing for stability• “Or, at least, the illusion of

stability” - Newsweek

NIXON’S POLITICS TO MIDDLE AMERICA

• Nixon’s political strategy – attract support of Middle Americans• New majority – Republicans and

angry ex-Democrats• Believed race riots and Vietnam

would be Republican equivalent to Great Depression and WW II

• Reached out to “constituency of uneducated people”• Democrats had used economy to

gain loyalty from working class• Nixon argued that modern

Democrats out of touch with common person

• Tried to court those who sided with George Wallace and his antiestablishment populism

NIXON PRESIDENCY

• Early on, Nixon adopt more progressive approach• Had to work with Congress

controlled by Democrats• Raised Social Security benefits• Increased federal funds to public

housing• Expanded Job Corps• Steady increases of funds for

Medicare and Medicaid

• Family Assistance Plan – Guaranteed minimum income of $1600 per family• Dies in Senate• Shows Nixon was willing to

innovate domestically

NIXON PRESIDENCY

• Nixon believed administration’s success hinged on diffusing Vietnam

• Promised that U.S. would have “peace with honor” – end conflict without defeat

• “Madman Theory”• Intimidate North Vietnamese• Raise stakes by threatening

expanded war• “I want the North Vietnamese to

believe I’ve reached the point where I might do anything to stop the war.” – Richard Nixon

HENRY KISSINGER

• Nixon relies heavily on Henry Kissinger – National Security Advisor• Born in Germany 1923• Immigrated to U.S. in 1938• Attended Harvard – Ph.D in

government

• Had similar worldview as Nixon• Desired power; perchance for

secrecy• Concentrated all decision making

between the both of them• Became Nixon’s secretary of state

• Realpolitik – Philosophy of international affairs held by Nixon• Countries relied on power, not moral

ideals, make decisions• Act on their own best interest, not on

others’ best interest

ENDING VIETNAM INVOLVEMENT

• Nixon believed Vietnam was two-front war• Actual combat in Vietnam• Anti-war movement in U.S.

• Antiwar movement in disarray• Demonized by Middle America• Splintered into rival factions• Demoralized by Republican victory• 52% of Americans opposed

peaceful demonstrations• 82% believed student protestors

should be expelled from school

• Nixon’s Vietnamization Policy• Reduce the amount of combat

troops• Train South Vietnamese to fight for

themselves

ENDING VIETNAM INVOLVEMENT

• June 1969 – Nixon announces withdrawal of 25,000 troops• Combat losses dropped to lowest

level since conflict began

• December 1969 – Nixon announces new draft lottery system; eliminates inequities of older system

• 1973 – Troop withdrawals lead to end of draft and creates all-volunteer army

• As troops leave, Nixon increases bombing campaign against North Vietnam• “Operation Menu” – Secret

bombing missions against supply routes and bases in neighboring Cambodia

ENDING VIETNAM INVOLVEMENT

• “Operation Menu” mission code names – Breakfast, Lunch, Snack, Dinner, Dessert, Supper

• B-52 bombers dropped bombs for 15 months

• Bombings were ineffective in intimidating North Vietnamese

• South Vietnamese were not able to regain conquered lands from North• Nixon warned Ho Chi Minh of

“great consequences” if they did not withdraw

• Operation Duck Hook – intensive bombing of North Vietnamese population and military targets

THE “SILENT MAJORITY”

• Nixon tries to re-direct anger against Vietnam towards anti-war movement• Called it “a brotherhood of the

misguided, mistaken, well-meaning, and malevolent”

• 3 November 1969 – Addressed the nation about Vietnamization• Declared that national policy would

not be dictated by “vocal minority” trying to impose its views “by mounting demonstrations in the street”

• Called for support from “the great silent majority”

• Reiterated that North Vietnam could not “defeat or humiliate the U.S.. Only Americans can do that.”

THE “SILENT MAJORITY”

• Poll showed that almost 75% of public considered themselves as part of the “silent majority”• 65% believed that protests were

“giving aid and comfort to the Communists.”

• Many white, middle-class Americans believed minority of violent youth, militant blacks, and intellectuals had a stranglehold on political debate• Disregarded mainstream beliefs

• Majority disapproved of war, but disliked protestors even more• Middle Americans views antiwar

movement as elitist attack on troop support

• Establishes Nixon as antiestablishment leader – fighting against liberal elite

END OF THE CONFLICT

• Nixon tried to invade Cambodia to deter North Vietnam

• Campaign in Cambodia is generally a failure, causing antiwar movement to become renewed

• Caused Congress to submit legislation repealing the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

• Protests in colleges lead to violent reactions from law enforcement• Kent State (OH) – National Guard

fired at protestors• Jackson State (MS) – Two black

students killed, 11 injured when police fired indiscriminately into dormitory

PENTAGON PAPERS AND 1970 ELECTIONS

• June 1971 – New York Times publishes The Pentagon Papers• Secret Defense department study on

decision making on Vietnam before 1967

• Leaked by Daniel Ellsberg• Showed that Kennedy and Johnson

misled public about decisions in Vietnam

• Nixon tries to block, but Supreme Court rules in favor of New York Times, citing 1st Amendment• Causes renewal of antiwar protests

• Nixon tries to gain seats in Congress in the 1970 election• Uses “silent majority” rhetoric• Democrats gained 9 House seats

and 11 governorships

PEACE WITH HONOR

• Poor showing in 1970 elections made Vietnam the priority of Nixon

• Following an invasion from North Vietnam, Nixon launches “Operation Linebacker”• Use airstrikes to repel North

Vietnamese forces• Risked Soviet intervention, but

Soviets game mild protests• Most Americans agreed with strong

response

• Invasion and “Linebacker” caused both sides to negotiations• Between Kissinger and Le Duc Tho of

North Vietnam• Sticking point was North Vietnamese

soldiers staying in South and South’s President Nguyen Van Thieu’s removal

• 18 December 1972 – Operation Linebacker II was launched• Targeted military bases, but school and

hospitals became collateral damage• Americans lost 15 B-52 bombers and

98 Airmen

• Bombing caused North Vietnam return to negotiations• Thieu would still not allow North

Vietnamese troops in South Vietnam• Nixon warned Thieu not to reject

agreement

• 27 January 1973 – Paris Peace Accords officially ended U.S. involvement in Vietnam• Months later, North Vietnam continued

to invade South• April 1975 – Saigon falls to North• Congress opts not to intervene

DÉTENTE

• Nixon and Kissinger chooses to swap military superiority for economic competition

• Détente – easing hostilities between two nations• Felt it would lessen threat of nuclear

war

• Began efforts in China – playing off of tensions between Beijing and Moscow

• Nixon offers China access to technology, goods, and food

• February 1972 – Nixon makes a diplomatic trip to China• Becomes first sitting U.S. President

to visit China• Began thawing cold relations

between two countries

DÉTENTE

• Soviets wanted to pursue accommodations with U.S. after China visit• Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT)

– focused nuclear policy from superiority to sufficiency

• Breakthrough agreement to thaw relations between Moscow and Washington

• U.S. still competed with Soviets to maintain power globally• Nixon wanted to maintain balance of

power in U.S.’s favor• Supplied arms to repressive regimes

in order to keep Communists from coming to power

• Included Iran, the Philippines, and South Africa, Israel

• Asked CIA to intervene in possible Communist hotspots

NIXON ECONOMY

• Nixon tried to expand conservative economic practices throughout the U.S.• Embraced monetarism – Money

supply tied to rising inflation• If less money supply, then lower

inflation• Slowed economic growth, but

inflation still rose

• Nixon adopts Keynesian economic theory• If government spending increases,

the economy would jumpstart• Increased money supply and

spending• Short-term, GDP grew while

unemployment decreases

ELECTION OF 1972

• Democrats select Senator George McGovern (SD) – outspoken anit-war advocate• Called for immediate withdrawal of

troops, amnesty to “draft-dodgers”

• George Wallace was going to run, but an assassination attempt would keep him from running• Nixon would inherit Wallace’s

supporters

• Nixon wins handily in the election• 520 Electoral votes to 17• One-third of Democrats voted for

Nixon

• Democrats gained 2 Senate seats while Republicans only gained 12 House seats• Congress still controlled by

Democrats

WATERGATE

• 17 June 1972 – Security foils break-in at Democratic Party National Headquarters at the Watergate Hotel

• Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein investigate the burglaries• Gained information from

confidential informant “Deep Throat”

• Later identified as Mark Felt – Second in command in FBI

• Burglaries connected to Nixon’s Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP)?• February 1973 – Congress created

a committee to further investigate the Watergate burglary

WATERGATE

• June 25 – White House Counsel John Dean implicates Nixon’s involvement in Watergate

• Nixon installs secret taping system “for posterity” in White House• Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox

asks courts to order Nixon to release tapes – Nixon refuses

• Nixon releases some and names new special prosecutor

• Maintains innocence – “I am not a crook”

• Spiro Agnew pleads guilty of tax evasion and removed from office• House minority leader Gerald Ford

appointed as new Vice-President

WATERGATE

• Surrendered tapes include 18 ½ minute lapse in conversation• Secretary Rosemary Woods took

responsibility, saying she deleted the conversations by accident

• Further investigation showed conversation deleted manually

• 24 July 1974 – Nixon mandated to surrender all tapes• Showed that Nixon impeded FBI

investigation of Watergate• Paid $460,000 in hush money to

Watergate burglars

• 8 August 1974 – Nixon resigns• Gerald Ford becomes President