This document provides background information on Richard Nixon's life and political career. It discusses Nixon growing up in a Quaker family in California, his early political successes, role in the House Un-American Activities Committee, campaigns for vice president and president. It outlines key events of Nixon's presidency, including the Watergate scandal, his involvement in covering it up, and eventual resignation in 1974. The document provides context for understanding Nixon beyond just the Watergate president.

1. PO 397
Fall 2016

3. Instructions:
On a scratch sheet of paper, write down
anything and everything that comes to mind
relating to the name:
RICHARD NIXON
In groups, discuss your thoughts.

4.  Discuss Nixon as more than just “theWatergate president”
 Nixon was political legend; impacted U.S. politics for 50 years
 Think about people, places, and events that affected Nixon
and made him political figure that he was

7.  Brought up in Quaker household
 No alcohol, dancing, swearing
 Nixon and brothers named after
English Kings (Richard I)
 Family eventually moved to
Whittier, CA
Nixon as an infant—looking toward the site of his
future presidential library and museum.

9.  President of his eighth-grade class
 Found success as debater in high
school
 “Remember, speaking is
conversation…don’t shout at people.
Talk to them. Converse with them.”
 Lost election for student body
president in high school
 Graduated fromWhittier High
(#3 out of 207)
Nixon served as the “General Manager” in Whittier High’s
student government during his tenure.

11.  Had tuition scholarship to Harvard
 Began his own literary society after
being snubbed by wealthy peers
 Honed his debating skills
 Received full scholarship to attend
Duke University for law school
Richard Nixon (#23) on the
Whittier College football team.

12. Nixon kept his academic scholarship,
was inducted into Order of the Coif,
and graduated third in his class.
A law
student—
and future
president:
Nixon
with the
other
members
of his 1937
law school
cohort.

14. Lieutenant Commander
Richard Nixon

17. JERRYVOORHIS RICHARD NIXON

18. During the
campaign,
Nixon charged
thatVoorhis
was a
Communist
sympathizer.
Nixon defeated
Voorhis and
entered
Congress the
following year.

19. Whittaker
Chambers
Alger
Hiss
Nixon and Congressional
colleagues reviewing
HUAC documents.

21. RICHARD NIXON HELEN GAHAGAN DOUGLAS

22. Nixon alleged that Douglas’ voting record
mirrored that of a NewYork Congressman (who
some suspected of being a Communist)—using
“guilt by association“ to win this election.

24.  Spoke out against threat of global communism
 Maintained friendly relationship—and distance—from divisive
Senator Joseph McCarthy
 CriticizedTruman’s handling of KoreanWar

25.  Nixon had a political fund which reimbursed him for expenses
 This is NOT illegal, but opened him (and GOP) up to corruption
and conflict of interest allegations before Election Day
 Eisenhower considered dropping him from ticket
 Nixon delivers address heard by 60 million Americans

26.  GOP leadership recommended
Nixon asVP running mate
 Nixon’s good qualities:
 Youth (39 years old)
▪ Eisenhower was 62
 Anti-Communist
 Political base in California
 Eisenhower left Nixon to be the
“attack dog” for the campaign

29. Nixon was an activist
Vice President during
Eisenhower’s two terms,
possessing a similar level of
authority as modern-day
office-holders including
Al Gore, Dick Cheney
and currentVP Joe Biden.

31. VICE PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (D-MA)

33.  Kennedy: Eisenhower and GOP made US fall behind Soviets
 Would “get America moving again”
 Nixon: Continue “peace and prosperity” of Eisenhower
 Kennedy too young and inexperienced to be trusted with presidency
during ColdWar
 What modern-day election does this sound like?

35. What’s the big problem with this idea?

36. KENNEDY’SVP:
SENATOR LYNDON BAINES JOHNSON (D-TX)
NIXON’SVP:
UN AMBASSADOR
HENRYCABOT LODGE, JR.

38. Nixon and Kennedy participated in four widely
popular national televised debates—
where the differences between the candidates
were clearly on display.

40. 1957: Soviets launching Sputnik into space. 1960: U-2 Spy Plane incident

42. In his victory, Kennedy
told Americans, “…the
next four years will be
difficult…a supreme
national effort will be
needed to move this
country safely through
the 1960s”
By decade’s end,
Kennedy would be
assassinated, Johnson’s
presidency would
divide the nation…
…and Nixon
would be in the
White House
himself.

44. Nixon on the
1962 campaign trail
Nixon and
opponent Pat
Brown before
an official
debate.
Nixon lost to Brown by
more than five
percentage points—
the defeat was widely
believed to be Nixon’s
political death.

46.  Became “Nixon 2.0” in terms of media relations
 Promised “peace with honor” in endingVietnamWar
 Attempted to sabotage Paris PeaceTalks w/ SouthVietnam

49. This map indicates all targets
bombed in Cambodia (in red)
from 1965-1973

50. KENT STATE SHOOTINGS, 1970 THE HUSTON PLAN
 Domestic burglary
 Illegal electronic surveillance
 Opening mail of so-called “radicals”
 Expanded surveillance of college students
 First of many “White House Horrors”

51. CREEP H.R. “BOB” HALDEMAN

54.  White House cited national security concerns as rationale
 In United States v. NewYorkTimes, the Supreme Court ruled:
 NewYorkTimes did NOT act improperly
 Rejected White House’s national security argument

55. Egil “Bud” Krogh Daniel Ellsberg
The
“Plumbers’
were
unsuccessful
in finding
anything
incriminating
on Ellsberg.
However,
the biggest
“White
House
Horror”
was still to
come…

58. Phone lines inside the DNC office had been wiretapped during this period.

59. James McCord was the
security coordinator for
the Committee for the
Re-Election of the
President (CREEP).

61. This group was tasked with “stopping the leaks” of information while also engaging
in bugging and other operations against those on Nixon’s famous “Enemies List.”

62. Nixon’s own statement in a press
conference during this time:
“I can say categorically that…no one in
theWhite House staff, no one in this
Administration, presently employed,
was involved in this very bizarre
incident.”
Nixon’s Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler

64. Despite these allegations, Nixon’s
campaign was never seriously
jeopardized, and the president was
re-elected in one of the biggest
landslides in political history.

66. The media coverage provided
by various outlets significantly
increased the publicity and
political significance
of Watergate.
The mysterious
“DeepThroat’ was
revealed to be
W. Mark Felt,
then-Deputy
Director
of the FBI.

69. H.R. Haldeman
Chief of Staff
John Ehrlichman
Domestic Adviser
John W. Dean
White House Counsel
Eliot Richardson
Attorney General
Archibald Cox
Special Prosecutor

71. In February 1973,
the Senate voted to
establish a committee
to investigateWatergate.
A major revelation
in the hearings came
with the discovery
of the White House
taping system.
White House staffer
Alexander Butterfield
revealed the tapes.
Cox immediately
subpoenaed the tapes.
Nixon refused to
turn them over, citing
executive privilege.
Sen. Sam Ervin (D-NC)
served as chair.

73. House Minority LeaderGerald Ford (R-MI) takes
the Oath of Office as the newVice President.
Nixon looks on.
Robert Bork (top) and
Spiro Agnew (bottom)

75.  Presence of Nixon’s profanity/vulgarity divided advisers
 Decided to release edited version
 Initial positive reaction for public speech addressing issue
 Media and public increasingly called for resignation or impeachment

77. The Court ruled unanimously that Nixon’s claims
of executive privilege over the tapes were void.
Nixon eventually turned over
the tapes to Jaworski.

79.  Dean calledWatergate, a “cancer on the presidency.”
 Determined Nixon’s exact involvement inWatergate
 On the “Watergate Seven:” “They have to be paid…”

80.  Nixon’s personal secretary, Rose
Mary Woods, claimed to have
accidentally erased the tape.
 Led to the “Rose Mary Stretch”
 Subsequent forensic analysis
determined tape erased in several
segments.

84. Sens. Hugh Scott (R-PA), Barry Goldwater (R-AZ),
and Rep. John Rhodes (R-AZ) talk with the press
after meeting with Nixon in the Oval Office.
“Therefore,
I shall resign the
Presidency
effective at noon
tomorrow.
Vice President
Ford will be
sworn in as
President at
that hour
in this office.”

85. Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974.
Ford took the presidential oath the same day.

87.  President has sole authority to
accept or deny pardon petitions
 Many pardons controversial
 Presidents may grant pardon at
any time while in office
 A pardon can be rejected, and
acceptance carries an admission
of guilt

88. Ford’s pardon likely led to his eventual loss
to Jimmy Carter in the 1976 Election.

90. Presidents Ford, Reagan, Nixon, and
George H.W. Bush and their wives gather
to celebrate the Nixon Library dedication in 1990.