Mixin

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Mixin with Nixon

• Understanding the Presidency of Richard M. Nixon

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Richard Milhous Nixon

• 37th President
• 1968- 1974
• Former Vice Pres
• Republican
• Law and Order
• Resign 1974

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Beyond the ongoing turmoil of the Vietnam War,
the Nixon administration did enjoy some notable
success.
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Key Features of Nixons Politics and Domestic
Policies

• Nixon the Conservative

• Nixon the Liberal

• Believed the federal government was too large
• Enacted southern strategy to appeal to former
  segregationists
• Firm stand against crime and drug use

• Increased funding for programs such as food
  stamps and increased Social Security payments
• Took special interest in environmental issues
• Created a new organization to prevent
  work-related injuries and deaths

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The New Left

• Radical political movement of the 1960s and 70s
• Mostly comprised of college students
• Social activists
• Beliefs
• Anti- Draft
• Pro- Civil Rights
• Anti- Traditional values (family, complacency)
• Rebelled with sex, drugs, and rocknroll
• Opposed authority (Anti- Establishment)

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1968 Democratic Convention

• One of the most famous incidents in the anti-war
  movement was the police riot in Chicago during
  the1968 Democratic National Convention. Hundreds
  of thousands of people came to Chicago in August
  1968 to protest American intervention in Vietnam
  and the leaders of the Democratic Party who
  continued to prosecute the war.

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Richard Milhous Nixon

• Elected 1968-
• After the Democratic Disaster
• MLK killed- April 4,1968
• RFK killed- June 4,1968
• Dem. Convention Chicago Violence, Unrest
• Wallace (Independent) takes votes away
• Law and Order

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Nixon Issues?

• Anti-social
• Mean
• Vindictive
• Chip on his shoulder
• Not well liked
• Experienced
• Loyal

• Preferred advice from his staff not Cabinet
• Staff loyal to Him
• H. R. Haldeman Chief of Staff
• J. Ehrlichman- Attorney
• J Mitchell- Attorney Gen.
• H. Kissinger- NSA, State
• Kept him isolated
• Only hear good
• Berlin Wall

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Good President?

• What is the presidents job?
• What characteristics make a good president?

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Trouble in the Middle East

• Oil Embargo
• Several Arab nations imposed an oil embargo in
  reaction to the Yom Kippur War.
• They agreed not to ship oil to the United States
  and certain other countries who supported Israel.
• The Arab countries were a part of OPEC (the
  Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries).
• The United States was dependent on foreign
  sources for one third of its oil needs.
• The embargo caused serious problems throughout
  the U.S. economy.

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Shuttle Diplomacy

• Henry Kissinger tried to solve the crisis in the
  Middle East.
• He was unable to get all the parties to meet
  together to talk about solutions.
• Started what came to be called shuttle diplomacy
• Kissinger traveledshuttledfrom group to group
  trying to work out separate agreements.
• Eventually the fighting ended and the oil embargo
  was lifted.

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Slow Inflation (Nixon Domestic)

• Inflation- is when the cost of most goods
  increases faster than average wages do
• Deficit Spending spending more money in a year
  than the government receives
• OPEC Embargo Sent Inflation Up
• Gas .25 to .65 Unemployment 9

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Wage and Price Controls

• Nixon was worried about the high rates of
  inflation and unemployment.
• He announced a 90-day freeze of wages and prices
  in order to stop inflation from rising.
• The wage and price controls did work temporarily.

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Law and Order (Nixon Domestic)

• Silent Majority- Average American- was tired of
  protesters
• Protesters Drugs, crime, declining moral values
• Law and Order vs. Protesters Tension
• Kent State
• FBI and Justice Dept- target protest groups and
  leaders
• Elvis offers his help

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Southern Strategy (Nixon domestic)

• Slow down civil rights measures
• Hoped to increase support of Southern Whites
• Disregard African American voters
• Slow down integration
• Opposed Busing
• Cut funds to Civil Rights program- Housing
• Gave funds to schools still segregated

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New Federalism (Nixon Domestic)

• New Federalism- States get more money directly
  but have to fund their own social programs
• Cut back New Deal/ Great Society Social programs
• Welfare Welfare cheaters
• Reduce Government spending?
• Military expenditures increased 10

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Supreme Court (Nixon Domestic)

• Nixon appointed 4 judges
• Chief- Warren Burger- Moderate
• Harry Blackmun- Conservative
• Lewis Powell, Jr.- Conservative
• William Rehnquist- Conservative
• Shifted the court to the Conservative side
• Not friendly towards the Social Movements

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Nixons Foreign Policies with China and the
Soviet Union

• Nixon had great success with his foreign policy
  issues.
• Henry Kissinger was Nixons national security
  advisor and later secretary of state.
• Kissinger shaped much of Nixons foreign policy.
• Kissinger believed in the notion of
  realpolitikor basing foreign policies on
  realistic views of national interest rather than
  on broad rules or principles.

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Realpolitik (Nixon Foreign)

• Kissinger (Sec of State, NSA) idea that foreign
  policy should be not on moral principles but on
  maintaining strength
• To maintain/attain US superiority in world
• Establish military bases, and political
  connections throughout the world

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Vietnam War (Nixon Foreign)

• End of American involvement in Vietnam
• All US troops out by end of 1974
• South Vietnam falls to Commies in 1975

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Detente (Nixon Foreign)

• Relaxing the tension between USA and USSR, and
  USA and China (both evil Commie Countries)
• Kissinger's influence-
• They were commies- deal with it
• Played one against the other-
• Keep them guessing

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China (Nixon and Mao Zedong)

• 1949-1970 US act if China doesnt exist
• 25 of worlds Population - TOO Big to ignore
• China and USSR not on good terms
• Nixon- Recognizes China 1970 visits 1972
• Set up formal relations
• Ended its 21 year embargo on trade with China.
• This put USSR on edge, wondering?
• US and China now on speaking terms
• Part of Cold War Tension

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USSR (Russia) (Nixon and Brezhnev)

• Nixon visited USSR as well
• China now wondering
• Agreed to work together on space, trade and
  weapons
• SALT I (Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty) signed-
  Limited some Nukes
• No limit on warheads-actual bomb part
• Showed willingness to work w/ each other
• Cold War Tensions are reduced

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Nuclear Weapons (Nixon Foreign)

• SALT I Limits ICBM and SLBM (submarine)
• Shows govt concern for Nuclear threat
• Leads to change in Nuke technology
• Quantity is limited
• Size doesnt matter
• More powerful smaller warheads
• Leads to Salt II (1974) and more reductions

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New York Times begins publishing the Pentagon
Papers, 1971. Supreme Court rules that the
government cannot censor historical information
before it is published.
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Nixon authorized the creation of the Plumbers
investigating Unit.
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On June 17, 1972, five men working for the
Reelection of the President were caught
breaking into the Watergate Hotel and fixing some
bugs of the Room.
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The White House begins a cover-up.
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Seven Watergate defendants are indicted. CRP
(Committee to Reelect President) pays them hush
money, and little Is said about
Watergate. Washington Post accuses the White
House and CRP of political Spying and espionage.

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Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob
Woodward received a Pulitzer Prize for their
investigations about Watergate. Later, they wrote
a book on the subject entitled All the
Presidents Men.
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Nixon is reelected against George McGovern in
1972.
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The Senate Investigates

• May 1973- Televised public hearings on Watergate
• June 1973- John Dean spills his guts
• Former presidential assistant revealed the
  existence of a secret taping in the Presidents
  office

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• July 1973- Senate asks for Nixons tapes. Nixon
  refuses and the issues goes to court.
• Also, Vice President Spiro Agnew was forced to
  resign in 1973 due to tax evasion, bribery, and
  corruption.
• Nixon submitted a name to Congress to approve as
  the new vice president - Gerald Ford.
• Then came the Saturday Night Massacre (Oct. 20,
  1973), in which Archibald Cox, special prosecutor
  of the case who had issued a subpoena of the
  tapes, was fired and the Attorney General and
  Deputy General resigned because they didnt want
  to fire Cox.

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March 1974- Mitchell, Haldeman, Ehrichman, and
four Other aides are indicted. April 30, 1974
President releases edited transcripts of The
White House tapes. May 1974, Judge Sirica orders
the President to turn over Sixty-four disputed
tapes Nixon refuses.
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• On July 24, 1974, the Supreme Court ruled that
  Nixon had to give all tapes to Congress.
• Those than had already been given showed Nixon
  cursing and swearing.
• On August 5, 1974, Nixon finally released the
  three tapes that held the most damaging
  information
• On August 8 of the same year, he resigned,
  realizing that he would be convicted if
  impeached, and with resignation, at least he
  could still keep the privileges of a president.
• Lesson the Constitution works.

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• What was so wrong with what occurred?
• Unethical and illegal campaign practices
  including dirty tricks and the extortion of
  campaign contributions from interest groups and
  corporations.
• Illegal and wide ranging domestic security and
  intelligence gathering operations
• Other charges
• misuse of executive privileges
• the secret war against Cambodia
• Stonewalling
• refusal to cooperate with the Senate
• refusal to allow access to secret White House
  tapes, phone calls
• Firing the Special Prosecutor and accepting the
  resignation of the Attorney General and the
  Deputy A.G.

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Watergate I- The Crime

• June 1972- 5 are arrested breaking in
• Appears to be a robbery- but nothing stolen?
• Washington Post- Investigates
• April 1973- Nixon/Whitehouse no connection
• May 1973- Congressional Investigation
• June 1973- John Dean spills his guts

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Watergate II- Its all on tape!

• July 1973- Nixon has tapes?
• Aug 73-Nixon says you cant have them
• Oct 73 Nixon gives edited (cut) versions
• Jan 74- Executive Privilege?
• April 1974- Nixon give edited transcripts
• July 1974- Supreme Court orders all the tapes
• Aug 1974- Nixon delivers tapes
• Aug 9, 1974- Nixon resigns

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Watergate Significance

• President approved of crime-
• Break-in find out, info plant bugs, on Democrats
• Was to promote his re-election
• Illegal campaign funds used
• President involved in cover up obstruction
• Law and Order President?
• Revealed shady underside of politics
• What else dont we know about?
• Reinforces distrust of govt politicians