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Nixon’s Presidency

Nixon’s Presidency. Ch. 25, Sec. 1, 2, 3. Born to poor family in CA. Lost Presidency to JFK in 1960. Lost race for CA governor in 1962. 1968-elected to presidency. Stiff, remote, not much humor to Nixon. Few friends outside of family. Willing to do whatever it took to beat enemies.

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Nixon’s Presidency

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  1. Nixon’s Presidency Ch. 25, Sec. 1, 2, 3

  2. Born to poor family in CA. • Lost Presidency to JFK in 1960. • Lost race for CA governor in 1962. • 1968-elected to presidency. • Stiff, remote, not much humor to Nixon. • Few friends outside of family. • Willing to do whatever it took to beat enemies. • As President, created close circle of advisers. • H.R. Haldemann-Chief of Staff. • John Erlichman-Chief domestic adviser. • John Mitchell-Attorney General, close adviser. • Henry Kissinger-Secretary of State, closest adviser.

  3. Haldemann Erlichman

  4. Mitchell Kissinger

  5. Domestic Policies • Economy shaky due to war spending. • Inflation doubled prices 1965-68. • Began deficit spending to stimulate economy. • Spending more than gov’t takes in. • 1973 war between Israel &Egypt, Syria. • US supported Israel. • Organization of Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC) started embargo (ban) on shipping oil to US. • Oil prices flew up, increasing inflation; consumers cut back spending, causing recession.

  6. Nixon worked to cut back LBJ’s Great Society. • Began “New Federalism”-policy that made states assume greater cost of social programs. • Gave federal $$ to states to spend as they needed. • Nixon saw little reason to work on civil rights. • Few black citizens ever voted for him, not worth losing southern support. • Created “Southern Strategy”-try to win over white southern democrats. • Eased desegregation requirements. • Opposed forced busing of students. • Busing white students to black schools, vice-versa.

  7. Nixon had criticized Supreme Court as being too soft on crime, too liberal. • During his term, 4 of 9 judges retired or died. • Named Warren Burger as new Chief Justice (moderate). • Showing Southern Strategy, appointed 3 southerners: Harry Blackman, William Rehnquist, Lewis F. Powell. • All 4 helped make Court more conservative.

  8. Blackmon Burger

  9. Powell Rehnquist

  10. Throughout LBJ’s term, space program continued, following JFK’s promise to put men on moon. • July 20, 1969-Lunar Lander Eagle touched down on moon carrying Neil Armstrong & Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin. • Armstrong became first man to set foot on moon’s surface. • Third crewman, Michael Collins, aboard Command Module Columbia orbiting moon. • Eagle stayed on moon for 21.5 hours. • When they returned to Earth, all three seen as heroes.

  11. Foreign Policies • Nixon & Kissinger very effective in foreign policy. • Kissinger followed realpolitik, or realistic politics. • Make decisions based on maintaining strength, not on moral principles. • Both were very effective at using media to shape public opinion. • Together, Nixon & Kissinger were able to end Vietnam, along with many other successes.

  12. Created détente, or relaxing tensions between US & USSR. • Opened talks with USSR that led to trade, scientific exchanges, arms treaties. • Nixon opened communication with People’s Republic of China (Communist China) for first time. • Ambassadors met, travel restrictions lifted, US Ping-Pong Team visited (ping-pong diplomacy), trade embargo lifted. • 1972-Nixon became first President to visit China. • Saw communication with China as way to put pressure on USSR. • USSR didn’t want alliance b/t US & China.

  13. Nixon also visited USSR, met with Premier Leonid Brezhnev. • Signed Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I) while in Moscow. • Treaty froze ICBMs and sub-launched ballistic missiles at 1972 levels-no more could be made. • Prohibited development of antiballistic missile systems. • No limits on conventional weapons. • US continued developing better bombers, subs, new warheads that would deploy multiple nukes at once (MIRVs).

  14. Watergate • Nixon felt as if he had enemies on all sides. • Led to “enemies list” of people he felt opposed to him. • Politicians, reporters, celebrities; would often ne subject to tax investigations. • Nixon also used wiretaps to listen in on his staff, reporter’s phones; some legal, some not. • Nixon hated leaks to press from his staff. • Created group called the Plumbers to stop leaks. • Would try to find dirt on leakers to punish/hurt them for leaks.

  15. 1972-Nixon ran for reelection. • Created Committee to Re-elect the President to fund race. • Used lots of dirty tricks. • Wrote fake letter about leading Democrat candidate Edmund Muskie, released it to newspapers. • Made fun of French Canadians in New Hampshire, alleged Muskie’s wife was alcoholic. • Muskie wept in front of cameras, hurting election chances. • Sent hecklers to Democratic meetings, sent spies to join opposing campaigns.

  16. CREEP & Plumbers planned to wiretap phones at Democratic National Committee headquarters at Watergate Hotel & Office Complex. • First break-in attempt failed. • Second attempt led to arrest of 5 men involved. • Carried money that could be tied to CREEP, thus to Nixon. • FBI began investigation, Nixon ordered CIA to try and stop FBI. • Nixon not involved in break-in, but he led the coverup. • Events came to be known as Watergate Scandal. • For months after election, public was unaware of events.

  17. Plumbers bribed men involved to keep them quiet, coached them on what to say in court. • 1973-Watergate trial held-all pled or found guilty, given long sentences to try & get them to talk. • Reporters Woodward & Bernstein began to follow trail to White House. • Feb, 1973-Senate investigation of Watergate began. • Some Watergate burglars, reporters helped. • Testimony came out showing Nixon’s involvement in coverup. • Nixon had Oval Office, phones bugged, testimony revealed this.

  18. To protect himself, Nixon ordered special prosecutor to investigate Watergate. • Prosecutor asked for secret White House tapes, Nixon refused. • Prosecutor insisted, Nixon fired him. • Prosecutor firing led to series of resignations, firings known as Saturday Night Massacre. • Nixon eventually released edited tapes. • VP Spiro Agnew forced to resign due to tax fraud, taking bribes, Nixon named Gerald Ford as new VP.

  19. 1974-Congress began hearings to see if Nixon would be impeached. • Charge him with misconduct while in office. • Nixon impeached on charges of: • Obstruction of justice, abuse of power, refusal to obey congressional order. • Congress would then vote to remove Nixon from office; removal seemed probable. • August 8, 1974-Nixon announced on tv that he would resign Presidency at noon, August 9. • Nixon returned to CA, Gerald Ford sworn in as President.

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