10/22/03 Richard M. Nixon By 1969 the United States of America had put a man on the moon, been involved in Vietnam for nearly five years, experienced death and tragedy at Kent State, and been involved in a social revolution. These turbulent times gave way to the assassinations of both John, and Bobby Kennedy and placed one man in the position to grab for power. This man was Richard M. Nixon, a far from successful California senator. The seven years that he spent in office were among the most tumultuous and trying times since the founding of our great nation. Although scandal ran rampant and America was in a near state of revolution, this one man held the nation delicately together while Americans everywhere vented their inward frustrations. The important question is not what Richard Nixon did wrong during his seven years, it becomes what did he do right? The presidency of Richard M. Nixon is greatly misunderstood by the American public. Richard M. Nixon or “Tricky Dick” as some may remember him has never been a very fond character to the American public. Just thinking about the 1970’s make many cringe. But Richard M. Nixon was not always felt with such enmity. Nixon as a young man was a brilliant student, graduating both from Whittier College, and Duke University law, with honors. Nixon practiced law for a brief time from 1940-41 until the United States entered World War Two. From 1942 until the end of the war, Nixon served as a Navy lieutenant in the Pacific theatre of operations. After leaving the service, Nixon promptly entered civil service as a representative of California. Another quick victory was awarded to him in 1950 for a senatorial seat in that state. Just two years later, Richard Nixon was chosen by Dwight D. Eisenhower to be his running mate in the 1952 presidential elections. Nixon was to serve as the Vice-president tackling many tough issues in the administration. After completing two terms as Vice-President, Richard M. Nixon was chosen to be the Republican Party’s nominee for the 1960 presidential elections. This election would take Richard Nixon out of politics for virtually the next decade. Although initially favored in the polls, Nixon agreed to debate playboy senator John F. Kennedy for the first time ever on national TV. During the debate, Nixon the cool and very experienced top man in Washington sweat furiously, looked very uncomfortable, and overall conveyed a lack of confidence toward his issues. This single debate may have cost Richard Nixon an early presidency in 1960. In the end J.F.K. scored a landslide victory and Nixon felt crushed. Never before had he been defeated in the political arena. The punches kept on coming when two years later, Nixon lost a Gubernatorial race in his home state of California. For the next five years Nixon remained a ghost lurking in the background of National politics until in 1968 he again won the Republican Party’s nomination for president. This time, through a combination of blows to the Democratic Party with the losses of R.F.K. and the distrust and animosity between the current administration and the American Public Richard Nixon won the presidential race in 1968. There were great prospects for Nixon coming into his presidency. A great upheaval was occurring on our own soil, the protests, SDS, social change were all occurring at the same time transforming the good old vision of America into Pandemonium. Nixon before most other people realized that the troops needed to be pulled out of Vietnam. He made a vow to the American people to take the American soldiers out of the equation in that war. This made him initially popular with the young Americans. For once, the younger members of American society were making headway and changes were being made that benefited them. The twenty-sixth amendment was signed by Richard Nixon making the legal voting age 18. The age was lowered down from 21 because, soldiers too young to vote were hypocritically dying in a war that they had no social power to fight. By 1969 however, Americans tempers were again flared because in a last ditch effort, the Nixon administration seemed to be escalating the war that they were supposed to be ending. By initiating attacks in both Laos, and Cambodia, the war epidemic seemed to be spreading. Protests broke out immediately and in one unfortunate incident, the national guard of Ohio fired on and killed four students at Kent State University. People in America were furious and felt betrayed by their commander in chief. While losing ground on the domestic front, Nixon was always gaining on his foreign policy and principles of reform in the government. Nixon’s foreign policies have shaped the world that we know today. His propensity for peace and cunning use of diplomacy greatly reduced tensions in the cold war. Under Nixon the START 1 and START 2 accords were signed and for the first time there was a document that limited nuclear weapons and virtually froze the great arms race of the cold war. Nixon also realized the importance of recognizing Red China on the national level. Until that point, the island of Taiwan had been representing China in the U.N. and global politics. By recognizing Red China, the communists felt less tension towards America, and America reciprocated by feeling out a more trusting relationship with the rest of the communist world. For the first time in nearly twenty years, it seemed as though war with the U.S.S.R. was not inevitable that the two countries could live in peace. Vietnam was a festering boil to America throughout the Sixty’s and Seventies. The horrors of war were felt by an entire generations. Pictures and live streams of footage were sent home daily depicting the vicious and overall hellish situation that the soldiers were facing there. Vietnam was an unwanted war the initial build up of troops was initiated thirteen years before by former president Eisenhower, the escalation of the conflict continued through all of the presidencies leading up to his, and it was up to Nixon to get us out by any means that he could. Initially leaders were fairly certain they could curb the communist threat, after a great victory in the Ia Drang valley, the United States committed even more support to South Vietnam. So after 4 years of fighting, Nixon was not about to abandon all hope of winning the war. After the Tet offensive of 1968, military leaders told the presidential administration that the North Vietnamese could be crushed and the war would be over. Eventually we found out that was not the case. The decision was made that America would simply retract from the war. Peace with honor it was called. Nixon was forced to somehow end a war that he hadn’t started. So, after much pressure, the North Vietnamese met with American diplomats to discuss a cease-fire. After negotiations fell through in 1972 Nixon once again escalated the conflict to put pressure on the Vietnamese to come back to the table. With the Christmas bombings of Hanoi in 1972 in all its devastation, the North Vietnamese came back to the table, and negotiated a ceasefire known as the Paris Accords. Nixon had achieved what his last three predecessors could not, peace in the indo-china peninsula. The war had cost about 55,000 American their lives and brought all kinds of social turmoil with it. Another almost seemingly contradicting contribution that Nixon made to American society was his belief in reform. During the Nixon presidency historic reforms were enacted. Counter to the views of a previous running mate George Wallace, Nixon aimed to establish equality for all, under his direction states were pushed to establish Affirmative Action policies so that the Blacks with newly emancipated freedoms would be able to quickly move up the social ladder. Nixon proceeded to restructure and polish the entire debt that America owed. These new restructurings put less pressure on taxes and the government. We now had the knowledge that the loans were consolidated could be paid back it would just take a little more time. Richard Nixon was the first president that believed that running a government with a deficit was alright. His ideology has evidently rubbed off on George W. Bush, because of the similar policies that they have enacted. Nixon had the first idea to establish tax cuts to revamp the stagnating economy of the 1960’s. Without Nixon’s former polices guiding the way, who knows what would have happened in the last recession that we went through. We might even say that Nixon saved us twice from another depression like that of the 1930’s. It is easy to see where Nixon went wrong in his presidency. Watergate and the oppressive scandal that followed it would lead Richard Nixon to become the first president ever to resign their post as Commander in Chief. The irony of the Richard Nixon story was that, his spying on the Democratic Party during the 1972 presidential campaign was unnecessary. He won by one of the largest margins in our history against both George McGovern, and George Wallace. The fact was the American people trusted and liked Nixon until exploits of his scandals unfolded. These scandals continue to tarnish his image long after his death, and until some understanding can be recognized they will continue to follow him long into the future. The contributions of Richard M. Nixon should not be forgotten however, he was an American at heart, perhaps insecure but he had good intentions for the American people. Nixon’s foreign policies have shaped the world as we know it today. We should honor him for finally following through and getting us out of Vietnam, and recognize that he was the leader that America needed during one of our most trying times. Richard Milhous Nixon was honored as an elder statesman late in life, the impression of this man seems as though it will continue to change throughout history; he died in 1994 after a long life of social service. Annotated Bibliography Berner, Larry. No Peace, No Honor, Nixon Kissinger and Betrayal in Vietnam. New York Free Press: 2001 Hamby, Alonzo L. Liberalism and its challengers: From FDR to Bush. 2nd edition Oxford Press: 1992 Matusow Allen J. Nixon’s economy, Booms, Busts, Dollars, and Votes. Lawerence Kansas. University Press Kansas: 1999 Nixon Richard M. Government policy in present recession, Tax cut rather than spending. Vital Speeches of the Day. New York: 2002 Reeves, Richard. President Nixon alone in the White House. New York. Simon and Shuster: 2001. Robinson James A. The American Presidents. Extracted on October 22nd 2003 www.grolier.com/presidents/ea/bios/37prixo.htm Small Melvin. The Presidency of Richard Nixon. University Press Kansas: 1999 Summers Anthony. The Arrogance of Power the secret world of Richard Nixon. New York Viking: 2000 Wicker Tom. Character above all extracted on October 22nd 2003 from www.pbs.org/newshour/character/essays/nixon.html