Richard Nixon

Nixon Doctrine

Policy that the United States would honor its existing defense commitments, but in the future other countries would have to fight their own wars without support of American troops.

Detente

Relaxation of tensions between the United States and its two major Communist rivals, the Soviet Union and China

Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty

two agreements signed in 1972 and 1979 between the United States and USSR limiting the number of offensive nuclear missiles

OPEC

an organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the production and sale of petroleum

Leonid Brezhnev

Soviet statesman who became president of the Soviet Union (1906-1982)

Le Duc Tho

Vietnamese diplomat who negotiated with Henry Kissinger to end the war in Vietnam (1911-1990)

Henry Kissinger

The main negotiator of the peace treaty with the North Vietnamese; secretary of state during Nixon's presidency (1970s).

My Lai

location of a massacre of hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese civilians by American soldiers during the Vietnam War

Paris Accords

1973 peace agreement between the United States, South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the Vietcong that effectively ended the Vietnam War.

War Powers Act

Notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops; had to gain congress' approval to stay longer than 90 days; designed to curtail President's power

Oil Embargo

Economic crisis of 1973 that occurred when OPEC nations refused to export oil to Western nations. Ensuing economic crisis plagued Gerald Ford's time in office.

Salvador Allende

Socialist politician elected president of Chile in 1970 and overthrown by the military in 1973. He died during the military attack. (p. 856)

Vietnamization

President Richard Nixons strategy for ending U.S involvement in the vietnam war, involving a gradual withdrawl of American troops and replacement of them with South Vietnamese forces

Pentagon Papers

A 7,000-page top-secret United States government report on the history of the internal planning and policy-making process within the government itself concerning the Vietnam War.

Realpolitik

realistic politics based on the needs of the state

Augusto Pinochet

Chilean military leader who in a coup deposed a democratically elected socialist president created one party rule dictatorship. Supported by Nixon administration.

Spiro Agnew

Nixon's first vice-president. Resigned and pleaded "no contest" to charges of tax evasion on payments made to him when he was governor of Maryland.

Gerald Ford

1974-1977, Republican, first non elected president and VP, he pardoned Nixon

1973 October War

Syria and Egypt attacked Israel. Israel succeeded in defending itself, but the war was costly for all sides. Nixon responded with aid to Israel, prompting the Oil Embargo.

Christmas Bombings

Popular term for President Nixon's December 18, 1972, saturation bombings of Hanoi and Haiphong, the two largest cities in North Vietnam.

New Economic Policy (NEP)

Introduced in 1971; included wage-price freezes, tax cuts, suspension of the gold standard, and import taxes

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Established in 1970 to ensure workplace safety

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Established in 1970 to protect human health and our environment; monitoring and reducing air/water pollution, overseeing hazardous waste disposal and recycling.

Clean Air Act

(1970) set emission standards for cars and limits for release of air pollutants

Clean Water Act

(1972) set maximum permissible amounts of water pollutants that can be discharged into waterways; aims to make surface waters swimmable and fishable

Endangered Species Act

(1973) identifies threatened and endangered species in the U.S., and puts their protection ahead of economic considerations

Safe Drinking Water Act

(1974) set maximum contaminant levels for pollutants in drinking water that may have adverse effects on human health

Family Assistance Program (FAP)

Proposed welfare reform by replacing traditional welfare systems with a negative income tax; failed to pass

Pentagon Papers

A 7,000-page top-secret United States government report on the history of the internal planning and policy-making process within the government itself concerning the Vietnam War.

The Plumbers

Name given to the special investigations committee established in 1971 to stop the leaking of confidential information to the public and press.

CREEP

Richard Nixon's committee found to have been engaged in a "dirty tricks" campaign against the Democrats in 1972.

Silent Majority

Term used by President Nixon to describe Americans who opposed the counterculture

Kent State University

An Ohio university where National Guardsmen opened fire on students protesting the Vietnam War on May 4, 1970, wounding nine and killing four

New Federalism

attempts by presidents Nixon and Reagan to return power to the states through block grants