finally finished the nixon lecture

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+- Nixon opposed to Vietnam War. Promised to alleviate public fear about
+  leaders. But he made the biggest scandal since Andrew Johnson in 1898.
+  First president to resign
+Vowed to "restore law and order," but 5 top aides convicted.
+- In the end, brought together the American people, but not intentional.
+
+How did the political environment of the late 1960s influence Nixon's
+election strategy and domestic policy?
+What were Nixon's strategies in the Vietnam War?
+How did the Watergate Scandal unfold? What were its consequences?
+
+1968: The Year of Fracture
+- A traumatic year in a traumatic decade
+- James Earl Grey, thief and white racist, assassinates Dr. King.
+    - Riots erupted. Many black people died in those riots.
+- That night, Robert Kennedy stands on the bed of a flatbed truck:
+    "Those of you who are black can be filled with hatred, a desire for
+    revenge...Or we can make an effort, as Dr King said, to understand
+    and fill ourselves with love" (anti-division, anti-violence)
+- Bobby Kennedy appeared at a hotel to celebrate his senatorial victory
+    - Pledged to end division and violence
+    - Jordanian Arab shot at Kennedy eight times over Kennedy's support
+      of Israel, killing him at 42.
+- The assassinations "framed the 60s" and killed a wealth of idealism
+- Made many people lose hope of democracy
+    - Some turn to radicalism
+    - Others drop out of society
+
+The Chicago Riots of 1968
+- Protestors beaten by Chicago police
+- Fragments Democratic party
+The Election of 1968
+- Nixon, and the Republicans, claimed to be spokesmen for Middle America
+    - Appealed to "silent majority" of working and middle-class
+      Americans with contempt of the protestors
+        - "those who are not guilty of the crime that plagues the land"
+    - Promised to end the war
+- George Wallace, running on independent ticket
+    - Against "little Pinkos" (communists). White supremacist
+    - Appealed forcefully to white working class voters' disgust with
+      civil rights protests, antiwar protests, growing federal welfare
+    - Savage wit
+    - The American public will realize "there are a lot of rednecks in
+      this country"
+    - Gained appeal outside of his native South.
+    - He hoped to deny either other candidate a majority and make the
+      House decide.
+- Nixon
+    - Willing to do anything to win, including violating the law to tell
+      South Vietnamese people to stall negotiations because Nixon
+      promised to provide better terms.
+    - Pres Johnson's last-minute attempt to end the war was sabotaged by
+      Nixon.
+        - Johnson was furious and called Nixon a traitor
+            - "Of all Nixon's actions, this was the most reprehensible
+              for he chose winning an election over ending a war."
+        - But he didn't have enough proof to tell the public
+- Hubert Humphrey was the Dem running candidate
+- Nixon got a 1% popular vote margin, large victory of electoral college
+    - He gets California, weird.
+    - OH and NJ, traditional dem strongholds went to Nixon.
+    - More Southern whites vote republican than democrat.
+    - Deep South (AL, LA, AK, GA, MS) vote for Wallace.
+
+Nixon said he wanted to unify the country, but said he was a polarizing
+figure.
+- His key to reelection was having a good Southern Strategy to win over
+  white Southerners angered by the Civil Rights movement and gov.
+  programs that helped black people.
+    - Waves of businesses moved to the South because of poor pro-worker
+      legislation.
+        - Business growth was 7x greater than NY or PA, for ex.
+    - Merl Haggard, country singer, sings song to this group: they hated
+      antiwar protestors, civil rights demonstrators.
+    - Kevin Phillips argued that the key to Southern majority was
+      capturing the Sun Belt (evangelical protestants, suspicious of
+      "liberal elites")
+        - Advised Nixon to veer rightward and capture Wallace's racist
+          groups
+        - The avoidance of mandatory school busing (he "played the race
+          card")
+            - SC appointments to fit this
+            - The media focused on growing white backlash.
+                - Urban ethnic whites were angry at black people "taking
+                  their jobs"
+            - High levels of division: conservatives saw feminism, civil
+              rights as assualts on traditional values.
+        - "Ascendancy through polarization"
+            - Nixon carried every Southern state. "Greatest political
+              realignment since Franklin in 1932"
+            - Brought together Country Club Republicans with poor whites
+              who were always voting for segregationist Dems.
+
+Nixon and the War
+- Nixon and Henry Kissinger develop a plan for a NWO to pursue peaceful
+  coexistence with Sovs and Chinese
+    - Want sercecy
+    - Bypass Congress and State Dept to pursue peace.
+    - By 1969 realized there is no way to win the war
+        - Sought "peace with honor"
+        - Honor = uphold credibility of US alliances 
+        - Peace was long and coming
+        - Wanted to begin negotiations to end the war
+    - The "Mad Man" Strategy
+        - Wanted Viet Minh and Viet Cong to believe he was obsessed with
+          ending communism, including use of nuclear weapons.
+            - Wanted them to fear the total annihilation of Vietnam.
+        - Improve relations with Russian and Chinese -> prevent them
+          from joining the war.
+    - New Cold War policy: Détente
+        - Cooperation and accomodation
+        - Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT)
+        - In 1969, announced Vietnamization: equip Southern Vietnamese
+          to take over in combat
+            - Increased bombing while doing this to buy time
+    - Secret bombing campaign from Cambodia
+        - Still, Hanoi did not flinch
+        - 4x the tonnage dropped on Japan.
+        - US military incursion in Cambodia to "clear hidden military
+          Communist bases"
+            - Cambodia was neutral, but Nixon didn't care
+    - Ohio National Guard shoots Kent State bystanders, because antiwar
+      protestors were throwing rocks; investigation concludes
+      unwarranted. Many of Kissinger's aides resigned in protest.
+        - Widespread demonstrations against Nixon at 300 colleges
+        - Nixon Doctrine: America cannot and will not concede all the
+          plans, design all the programs, and take on all the defense of
+          free nations of the world.
+            - Supported proxy warfare: weapons and funds
+            - Pursued partnerships with Comm. countries
+                - Ex: US recognized PRC.
+                - Kssinger said Nixon took "leave of reality"
+                - Infuriated Japan and Taiwan. UN expelled Taiwan.
+    - Democratic predecessors could not get this same breakthrough w/
+      PRC and Sovs for being called "soft on communism."
+    - Negotiation on SALT I had been going on since 1962.
+    - US sold much of wheat crop to Soviets at a favorable price.
+- Kissinger continued private meetings with North Vietnamese in France
+    - He announced that peace was at hand.
+        - To win votes for Nixon's reelection.
+    - Peace talks broke off in December, so Nixon bombed two largest
+      cities in North Vietnam. (Christmas Bombings)
+        - Also put explosive underwater mines in Hai Phong Harbor
+        - Paris Peace Accords was a carefully disguised surrender by the
+          US. Kissinger and Nixon claimed the North Viets altered stance
+- In 1973, North Vietnamese released US PoWs and the last troops left on
+  the same day.
+    - In a few weeks, the war resumed. Communists gained the upper hand.
+        - Congress denied South Vietnam's request for support
+- The war divided the Baby Boomers
+    - Deeply eroded respect for the military
+        - Youth regarded military service as corrupting and dishonorable
+
+The Wategrate Scandal
+- Nixon deliberately subverted his Democratic opponents' chances at
+  reelection, even though he had a virtual landslide guarantee because
+  of his own paranoia. So strong it paralleled
+- 5 burglars previously associated with Committee to Re-Elect the
+  President (CREEP) broke into DNC headquarters to infiltrate it. The
+  conspiracy unraveled after he was successfully reelected.
+    - Bob Woodward, reporter on Metropolitan Desk of Washington Post was
+      told by his editor to check on the Watergate break-in. Bernstein.
+        - Discovered the "Plumbers" had expensive cameras and electronic
+          equipment + $2300 in cash. Well-dressed, false names.
+        - All were heavily involved in CIA anti-Castro activities.
+        - Large political sum, laundered through a Mexican bank, funded
+          the robbery.
+        - White House Aides working with the re-election knew about the
+          break-in and the bugging of Watergate, including John
+          Mitchell, Attorney General.
+        - Nixon declared that John Dean, WH Counsel, discovered that no
+          one in the staff or administration was involved. (Cover-up)
+- The secret source, called "Deep Throat" in their subsequent book, is
+  Mark Felt, 2nd-in-command at FBI.
+    - Systematically pointed Woodward and Bernstein to the full breadth
+      of the scandal: illegal fundraising, subversion of opposition
+      political candidates, WH "plumbers" to break-in and wiretap
+      enemies, use of IRS to discredit foes, and counter-intelligence.
+      Watergate was the tip of the iceberg.
+"Dirty tricks" were paid for with IRS funds.
+- HR Haldeman, WH chief of staff.
+Accused Dems of sexual indiscretions and infiltrated campaign staff.
+- G Gordon Liddy entrapped Dems into many bad things.
+    - Mastermind behind Watergate, authorized by AG. "Plumbers" = WH
+      investigations group. Created in 1971 to destroy Nixon's enemies
+
+Daniel Ellsberg and The Pentagon Papers
+- Former aide to Henry Kissinger
+- Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers, a Defense Department official
+    - Revealed that intelligence agencies lied to the public about the
+      war
+    - Only about events up to 1965, but Nixon argued their release would
+      prolong the war and hurt nat. sec. Supreme Court ruled against.
+    - Pres launched a crusade to destroy Ellsberg.
+
+- Nixon tried to divert attention from crimes on Jun 20 in a plot with
+  his aides. "Crush the Inquiry by telling the deputy CIA director that
+  the FBI investigation would compromise 'sensitive CIA ops.'"
+    - Actually worked temproraily
+        - But various officials continued to leak to Woodward and
+          Bernstein, "smelling a set-up"
+
+James McCord presented the Judge on the case with a letter.
+    - It alleged that "high-level gov officials had committed perjury
+      during the investigation" and "pressure was applied to
+      force...participants to keep their silence" and "various
+      participants...were never identified."
+    - John Dean, WH Counsel, whose fake investigation was cited by
+      Nixon, started talking to prosecutors and negotiating for immunity
+    - Former AG John Mitchell admitted meeting with conspirators and
+      other officials found themselves caught in lies.
+- Senators Sam Ervin and Howard Baker helped lead the investigation.
+- WH aide Alexander Butterfield announced that Nixon had installed a
+  sophisticated tape system in WH to record all words the pres. said.
+    - Drama continues to unfold and Nixon digs himself deeper and deeper
+        - Archibald Cox, Special Prosecutor, appointed by Nixon to
+          investigate Watergate. Both the prosecutor and the senate
+          inquiry subpoenaed tapes
+            - Nixon pleaded Executive Privilege, willing to give them
+              transcripts but not the tapes. Archibald Cox refused and
+              petitioned the courts to order Nixon to turn it over
+              because it was a criminal org. Nixon wanted to fire Cox
+              so fired the AG and his deputy who refused, finally using
+              Solicitor General to fire him. "Saturday Night Massacre"
+- The replacement eventually had enough info to indict the Pres, but
+  didn't do so because he believed sitting presidents weren't subject to
+  indictment.
+    - Congressional resolutions to impeach (which didn't pass until
+      Jul 1974) began after the firing of Cox. Some tapes Nixon handed
+      over were erased.
+        - It turns out Nixon approved hush money payments for the WH
+          burglars to prevent them from confessing their crimes and
+          their relation to CREEP.
+            - Felony obstruction of justice.
+
+Jul 1974: Impeachment proceeds with a Dem majority in the House passing
+articles of impeachment. House Judiciary Committee demands tapes from
+Nixon.
+- Nixon ultimately releases the tapes that document his crimes.
+    - On 1974 Aug 8, Nixon resigns. Gerald Ford sworn in
+        - "Our long national nightmare is over"