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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"
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