Study Notes on The Nixon Presidency

The Nixon presidency raises significant questions about evaluating presidents based on their policies and legacies.
Historians often assess presidents by:
- Immediate impact of policies (foreign and domestic).
- Long-term legacies.
Nixon's legacy includes achievements as well as the Watergate scandal, which revealed his violations of law and failure to uphold the Constitution.
Discussion prompt: How would Nixon be ranked compared to other presidents studied?

Nixon's Victory: Results from various factors:
- Ambition:
- After defeat in 1960 (JFK) and a loss in the California governor's race, Nixon was largely forgotten in politics.
- His ambition led him to support Barry Goldwater in 1964, regaining visibility among Republican voters.
- Luck:
- 1968 was tumultuous due to numerous events:
  - The Tet Offensive diminished Lyndon Johnson's standing, leading him not to run.
  - Assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy.
  - The Democratic Party was fractured between pro-war and anti-war factions.
- Nixon secured the Republican nomination, promising law and order and peace with honor in Vietnam.
- Experience:
- Nixon's background as a Congressman and Vice President allowed him to adopt moderate positions and understand foreign policy intricately.

Nixon won with a narrow popular vote majority, although he easily secured the Electoral College due to a split in the Democratic votes:
- Many southern states voted for independent candidate George Wallace.
- Hubert Humphrey (Johnson's VP) represented the Democratic nomination.

Nixon's presidency can be divided into four main categories:
- Domestic Policies
- Vietnam War Policies
- Foreign Policies
- Watergate and Resignation

Nixon aimed to end the Vietnam War with the policy of achieving "peace with honor."
Key strategies included:
- Vietnamization: Gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops while training the South Vietnamese Army.
- Acknowledged that true victory in Vietnam required the South Vietnamese Army to succeed independently.
Simultaneously expanded military actions into Cambodia and Laos to disrupt Viet Cong and North Vietnamese supply lines.
Despite some short-term popularity from these strategies, the South Vietnamese government struggled against the Viet Cong/North Vietnamese forces.

Following intensive air campaigns (like the "Christmas Bombing" of 1972), peace negotiations gained traction, leading to:
- Signing of the Paris Peace Accords, stipulating:
- A ceasefire commencing at midnight on January 27, 1973.
- Complete withdrawal of U.S. troops within 60 days.
- Release of U.S. prisoners of war.
- Political framework allowing South Vietnamese elections.
After U.S. troop withdrawal in 1973, hostilities resumed, culminating in the fall of Saigon in April 1975, raising questions about the effectiveness of U.S. policies and Nixon's legacy in Vietnam.

Nixon's campaign promise focused on restoring law and order during a period of civil unrest, characterized by anti-war protests and race riots.
He embraced federal power to address lawlessness, as articulated by Richard Kleindienst (Deputy Attorney General):
- Enforcement of laws against draft evaders, radical students, deserters, civil disorder, organized crime, and street crimes.

Nixon sought to reverse many anti-poverty initiatives from the Great Society, which he viewed as corrupt.
Appointed Warren Burger as Chief Justice, who maintained many decisions made under Earl Warren's leadership.
Introduced "New Federalism," transferring authority and funding from the federal government to state and local entities.
Proposed the Family Assistance Plan to provide income support to low-income Americans, but it failed to pass through Congress.

The environmental concerns of the 1960s prompted Nixon to establish multiple acts and organizations aimed at addressing pollution:
- National Environmental Policy Act: Established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
- Clean Air Act: Regulated air emissions.
- Clean Water Act: Layed framework for regulating discharges of pollutants.
- Endangered Species Act: Aimed at protecting endangered species and their habitats.

Toward the end of Nixon's presidency, the U.S. faced severe economic troubles characterized by:
- Stagflation: A combination of high inflation and high unemployment.
Factors contributing to stagflation included:
- Increased government spending on the Vietnam War without tax increases, leading to inflation.
- OPEC's oil embargo in response to U.S. support for Israel, exacerbating inflation.
- Increased global competition leading to U.S. industry struggles and rising unemployment.
- Graduating Baby Boomers entering a shrinking job market, further elevating unemployment levels.

Nixon recognized the potential rise of China and deemed engagement in trade and dialogue as preferable over the policy of containment.
Notable achievements included:
- Nixon became the first U.S. President to recognize Communist China publicly.
- Strategic discussions initiated in 1971 included:
- Invitation to the U.S. ping pong team for a friendly match in China.
- Secret negotiations led by Henry Kissinger to foster trade relations.
This approach aimed to create a diplomatic divide between the USSR and China, mitigating potential threats to U.S. interests.

The improving Sino-U.S. relations motivated the USSR to seek détente with the United States.
Key events included:
- Nixon's visit to Moscow in May 1972, where he met with Premier Brezhnev.
- Signed the SALT I Treaty, which placed limitations on the production of specific types of nuclear missiles.
Nixon’s foreign policy success extended to attempts at mediating peace between Israel and Egypt during the Yom Kippur War in 1973, which ultimately led to the OPEC Oil Embargo against the U.S.