The Presidency and Downfall of Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon vs John f Kennedy: Richard Nixon ran against John f Kennedy in the presidential election of $1960$ .
The Influence of Television: An incredibly important element of this campaign was the first-ever televised presidential debate. Nixon lost out on this front because television allowed used for the first time.
Image Disparity: Against the charismatic, young, and attractive JFK, Richard Nixon did not look as good on screen.
The Result and Its Impact: * John f Kennedy ultimately won the presidential election of $1960$ . * The loss dealt a devastating and huge political blow to Nixon. * This loss would lead to future deceit and paranoia in Nixon's political career. * Despite this loss, Nixon was not out of politics for good.

National Context: * The country was in the midst of a struggle with decreasing support for US involvement in Vietnam. * LBJ (Lyndon B. Johnson) made the decision not to run for president again.
Nixon's Return: Richard Nixon captured the Republican nomination in $1968$ .
Key Voter Demographics: * The Silent Majority: This group became increasingly important. Nixon defined them as the "nonshouters"—people who had not been protesting against the Vietnam War. * Composition: These were mainly blue-collar workers and southern whites. * The Dixiecrats: Nixon was able to woo the Dixiecrats of the South. Traditionally Democrats, they held more conservative viewpoints.
Law and Order: Due to the turbulence of the $1960$ s, many Americans wanted "law and order," which was a central theme for Nixon.
Election Outcome: * Nixon narrowly won the election against Democrat Hubert Humphrey. * He captured a significant amount of Republican votes in the South. * This marked the beginning of Republican control in the South, a trend that persists to this day.

New Federalism: Upon taking office, Nixon's domestic policy focused on what he termed "new federalism."
Primary Focus Areas: The two main pillars of this policy were the environment and crime.
Key Administrative Accomplishments: * OSHA: Created the Occupational Health and Safety Administration to protect workers. * EPA: Created the Environmental Protection Agency to protect the environment. * DEA: Created the Drug Enforcement Agency to control drug trafficking, which had become rampant.

Mixed Record: Nixon's track record regarding civil rights was described as "tricky."
Supported Policies: He supported affirmative action and Title $IX$ .
Opposition to Busing: Nixon was against the policy of school busing. This program involved busing minority students into all-white schools to provide them with the opportunity for a better education.

Economic Context: Like other presidents in the $1970$ s, the economy struggled under Nixon.
Nixon's Interventions: * He ended the gold standard. * He implemented a $90$ day freeze on prices and wages to help the economy.
Outcome: Despite these measures, economic troubles persisted.

Diplomatic Strategy: Nixon was unique in his belief in opening talks with certain communist nations.
Relations with China: One of his first major diplomatic moves was a visit to communist China. This officially opened communications and trade between China and The United States.
Relations with the Soviet Union: In $1972$ , Nixon became the first Cold War era president to visit the Soviet Union.
SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty): The treaty was designed to limit the creation of additional nuclear warheads.
Detente: Following SALT, a new policy began called "detente," which refers to the cooling down of the relationship between The Soviet Union and The United States.

The Incident: On $06/17/1972$ , police responded to a break-in at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) located at the Watergate Hotel.
Individuals Involved: * Four individuals were found to be involved in Cuban CIA activities. * One individual was the security chief for CREEP (Committee to Reelect the President).
The Investigation: Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward began to unravel the conspiracy.
Coconspirators Identified: * Howard Hunt: A former CIA officer. * g Gordon Liddy: A former FBI officer. * Both men worked closely with CREEP.
White House Response: Nixon and his office initially refused to comment, characterizing the event as a "third rate burglary attempt."
Deep Throat: Bernstein and Woodward received information from an anonymous source they nicknamed "Deep Throat."

Testimony: During a congressional investigation, several of Nixon's aides testified regarding his involvement in the Watergate break-in.
The Oval Office Tapes: It was revealed that Nixon had been secretly taping every conversation held within the Oval Office.
Executive Privilege: Nixon's lawyers argued that his "executive privilege" allowed him to keep the recordings private.
The Saturday Night Massacre: * Occurred on $10/20/1973$ . * Nixon ordered the firing of special prosecutor Archibald Cox when Cox refused to stop demanding the tapes. * Several other Justice Department officials resigned in protest of this order.

Supreme Court Ruling: In July, the Supreme Court ruled that Nixon was required to turn over the secret tapes.
Impeachment: The House of Representatives voted to impeach Nixon on charges of obstruction of justice.
Tampered Evidence: Investigators discovered that an $18$ minute long segment of one of the tapes had been erased.
The Cover-Up: Investigators obtained other previously recorded tapes that indisputably proved Nixon was involved in a cover-up.
Resignation: Faced with the near certainty of being forced from office, Richard Nixon resigned.
The Pardon: Following the resignation which stunned the public, Nixon's vice president, Gerald Ford, pardoned him.
Legacy: While historians generally rate Nixon as an effective president, it was his political paranoia that ultimately led to his downfall.