1968 and beyond: The return of Richard Nixon

A brief review of his political career....

Congressman: 1946-1950, Senator: 1950-1952, Eisenhower’s Vice President: 1952-1960

Loses to JFK in close 1960 election: feels that JFK stole the election

Ran for Governor of California in 1962 and lost

Blamed “liberal media” for his loss, moves to NYC to become a corporate lawyer

“You won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore!”

The big comeback: 1968

Nixon promised to reunify the country and bring back “law and order” and bring “peace with honor” in the Vietnam War.

Nixon spoke to the "Silent Majority"--those Americans who were fed up with racial violence, crime, war, and protests.

Most Americans are people who “do not break the law... people who pay their taxes and go to work, who go to their churches... who love their country.”

Running mate: Maryland Gov. Spiro Agnew

“The Southern Strategy”

The other candidates in 1968

Democratic Party candidate: Hubert Humphrey

He eventually pledged to end American involvement in Vietnam

The chaos at the 1968 Chicago convention hurt his chances

George Wallace: American Independence Party

Former Governor of Alabama

Against radicalism, school integration, and college professors- i.e. "pointy-headed intellectual morons”

Running mate was retired General Curtis LeMay, who favored bombing Vietnam "back into the Stone Age”

The end result...

Nixon: 301 electoral votes, 43.4% of the popular vote

Humphrey: 191, 42.7%

Wallace: 46, 13.5%

Nixon: foreign affairs

Nixon’s right-hand man: Henry Kissinger

National Security Advisor, 1969-73

Secretary of State, 1973-77

Master of “realpolitik:”

Shooting at Kent State

On April 30, 1970 Nixon announced the invasion of Cambodia and the need to draft 150,000 more troops to expand the war. Protests erupted across the country.

May 4, 1970:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRE9vMBBe10

The Vietnam War Finally Ends

Vietnamization:

Nixon’s bombing continues through 1972; peace talks collapse in fall of 1972, followed by more bombings at Christmas

Paris Peace Accords signed: January 27, 1973

April 1975:

Nixon’s most important contribution: Detente

Nixon and China

Nixon officially recognizes the People’s Republic of China in 1970; stops calling it “Red China”

China admitted to UN in 1971

April, 1971: “ping pong diplomacy”

Nixon visits China for a week in February, 1972

In 1973, the two nations open offices in each other’s countries

Nixon’s strategy:

Nixon’s Visit to China

Nixon and the Soviet Union

Nixon: “There must be room in this world for two great nations with different systems to live together and work together.”

1st U.S. President to visit Moscow; May, 1972 to negotiate the First Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I)

Nixon and Latin America

U.S. works to destroy Chile’s elected socialist leader, Salvador Allende

Nixon secretly gave the CIA $10 million to fund opponents to Allende

Nixon cuts aid to Chile, blocks banks from lending money to them

New U.S. supported-military dictator General Augusto Pinochet overthrows government and kills Allende

Allende supporters were rounded up and detained in Santiago's National Stadium; over 1,000 executed.

The Middle East

Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO): hijackings, murder of 11 Israeli athletes at 1972 Munich Olympics

Yom Kippur War, October 6-25, 1973: Egypt and Syria attack Israel, invade Golan Heights and Sinai Peninsula

Arab states embargo oil to the U.S. and its allies from October 1973- March 1974

1972 Olympics

Nixon and domestic affairs

The political climate

Nixon: Republican

Democratically-controlled House and Senate

The Nixon Economy

Unemployment goes from 3.3 to 6.2% by 1971

Inflation exploded to 9% in 1973, 12% in 1974

Arab oil embargo against the U.S. in 1973 for their support for Israel led to quadrupling of prices, long gas lines, etc.

Nixon and the environmental movement

1st Earth Day: April 22, 1970

Influence on Congress, Nixon leads to action

New environmental laws: limit pesticide use, protect endangered species, regulate consumer product safety

Nixon’s other domestic accomplishments

Ended the draft in 1973

Appointed 4 Supreme Court justices

Signed Title IX:

26th Amendment:

Movements for change change direction

African American civil rights movement inspired new movements in the late 60s/early 70s, including:

Nixon’s war on militant protesters and his “enemies”

Nixon wanted to be unbeatable in 1972

Used the IRS to audit his opponents

FBI illegally wiretapped his opponents

Justice Dept and local police worked to destroy the Black Panthers

CIA illegally investigated thousands of Americans

“The Plumbers:”

Nixon’s Enemies List

“Anyone who opposes us, we’ll destroy. In fact, anyone who doesn’t support us, we’ll destroy.” -top Nixon aide

Enemies’ list: Bill Cosby, Paul Newman, Ralph Nader, John Lennon, Barbra Streisand, Ted Kennedy, Joe Namath!

Check out this list: http://www.colorado.edu/A

mStudies/lewis/film/enemies.htm

The Election of 1972

Nixon attacked “hippies” and radicals, attacked school desegregation to win Southern support

His successes in China and the Soviet Union won him wide support

3rd party candidate George Wallace was shot and paralyzed on May 15, 1972

Democratic candidate George McGovern supported decriminalization of marijuana, immediate withdrawal from Vietnam, $30 billion cut in defense spending

He was called the candidate of “abortion, acid, and amnesty.”

Nixon didn’t have to be worried in 1972…

Your final homework assignment:

Read the following slides about the scandal that defines the Nixon years, and led to his downfall and then watch this video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFID6Qkwh88.

Take notes using the video guide provided.

“I am not a crook”Nixon and the Watergate Scandal

CREEP

Nixon left nothing to chance in 1972!

Nixon creates the Committee to Re-elect the President (CREEP) to ensure his reelection

Attorney General John Mitchell resigns to become the chairman

CREEP raises $60 million illegally, $350,000 used for “dirty tricks”

CREEP creates “The Plumbers”

The “Plumbers” were created to stop leaks of information

First target of the plumbers: Daniel Ellsberg, the Defense Department analyst who leaked “The Pentagon Papers” to the press; the plumbers

The Plumbers broke into his psychiatrist’s office

A break-in at the Watergate

CREEP aide G. Gordon Liddy has an ambitious plan: break into Democratic National Headquarters, plant wiretaps, and copy documents; Mitchell approves of the plan.

Wiretaps ordered at Democratic National Committee office in Watergate Hotel on June 17, 1972; a security guard foils the break-in

White House cover-up begins immediately

Despite this event, Nixon wins 61% of popular vote and wins in Electoral College, 520-17

The cover-up

Nixon tells the CIA to stop the FBI from investigating the case

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of The Washington Post investigated the Watergate break-in, and found that two of the Watergate conspirators, E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy worked for CREEP

They write a series of articles about the illegal activities of CREEP; find that the burglars were paid “hush money,” discovered many other illegal activities

Their secret source: “Deep Throat”

The burglars go on trial

Early in 1973, the Watergate burglars went on trial before federal judge “Maximum John” Sirica; one of the defendants, John McCord, admits that the White House had lied about their involvement and had pressured the burglars to “plead guilty and remain silent.”

Revelations of the hearings

May-November, 1973: Senator Sam Ervin chairs televised special Senate investigation uncovers the president’s use of government agencies to harass his enemies, The White House’s role in the Watergate break-in, and illegal campaign contributions.

Special Counsel John Dean admits that there was a cover-up, and that President Nixon directed it.

White House aide Alexander Butterfield revealed that Nixon had installed a secret taping system in his office since 1971.

Other problems

Vice President Spiro Agnew pleads “no contest” to income-tax evasion and accepting bribes in October, 1973. He resigns as Vice President, is fined $10,000, and is given three years probation.

Nixon nominates Congressman Gerald Ford to replace him.

Nixon’s personal finances come under investigation in 1973 as well. He had paid $800 a year in income tax even though he had earned $200,000 each year.

$10 million in federal funds were spent on his personal real estate properties and his daughters’ homes. He later agreed to pay $400,000 in back taxes.

The tapes

Nixon refused to hand the tapes over to special prosecutor Archibald Cox. On October 12, the Court of Appeals rules that the tapes must be turned over.

On October 20, Nixon promised to offer summaries of the tapes and ordered special prosecutor Cox to stop trying to obtain the tapes. Nixon then ordered Attorney General Elliott Richardson to fire Cox. He refused to so, and resigned. Nixon then asked the Deputy Attorney General to fire Cox. He resigned as well. Robert Bork, the Solicitor General, eventually fired him. This turn of events was known as the “Saturday Night Massacre.”

The American people begin to call for impeachment.

The tapes (cont.)

Nixon released printed and edited transcripts of his tapes in April, 1974. They revealed that he and his men as petty, vulgar men, constantly scheming to “get their enemies.”

The phrase “expletive deleted” was used repeatedly in the transcripts. There were gaps in the tapes as well. Nixon refused still to actually turn over the tapes. On July 24, in US vs. Nixon, the Supreme Court ruled that he must.

Impeachment proceedings

July, 1974: House Judiciary Committee meets to decide on Articles of ImpeachmentThree articles of impeachment drafted1. Obstruction of justice for impeding the Watergate investigation2. Abuse of Presidential power for using government agencies to harass his enemies

3. Contempt of Congress for refusing to obey a congressional subpoena to release the tapes

The end

August 5, 1974: Nixon admits that he withheld evidence and turns over his tapes

Tapes reveal that Nixon ordered the cover-up of the break-in, obstructed justice, and lied about his role for over two years

August 9, 1974: Nixon resigns, Gerald Ford sworn in as President (first U.S. President that was not elected as President or Vice President)

A month later, Ford pardons Nixon

The end