President Nixon
Catherine Cain: Chapter 40
Election of Nixon
Election of 1968
Republican- Nixon- WON
Democrat- Hubert H. Humphrey
American Independent- George C. Wallace
Issues of the Day: Vietnam War, Civil Rights, Assassinations (Robert Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King)
Nixon won w/ 301 electoral votes and 31, 710, 470 popular votes
Humphrey lost with 191 electoral votes & 30, 898,055 popular votes
Election of 1972
Republican- Nixon - WON
VP- Gerald Ford
Democrat- George McGovern (senator)
Campaign- Pulling out Vietnam 90 days
Nixon won by a HUGE majority- 520 electoral votes & 46,740,323 popular votes
Issues of the Day: Vietnam War, International Relations (Detente with USSR, Visit to China), Watergate
Vice-Presidential Succession: Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974, and was replaced by Vice-President Gerald R. Ford
Vietnam War
Nixon's US foreign policy: "Vietnamization," -
W/ draw 540,000 U.S. troops South Vietnam over extended period
South Vietnamese-- W/ US $$$$, weapons, training, & advice, --> gradually take over the war.
Nixon Doctrine
US honor existing defense commitments BUT in future-- Asians & others fight own wars w/ o support of large #s of US troops
November 3, 1969--- Nixon delivered TV speech to "silent majority,"-- who presumably supported war; he hoped to gain supporters
Cambodia
April 29, 1970-- Nixon widened war he ordered US forces to join w/ South Vietnamese @ neutral Cambodia (to clean out enemy)
US fell into turmoil protests turn violent
June 29, 1970-- Nixon w/ drew troops from Cambodia
Even though bitterness between "hawks" & "doves" increased
Secret Bombing of Cambodia
US public discovered that secret bombing raids on N Vietnamese forces in Cambodia taken place since March of 1969
--> public question trust of gov--Nixon end bombing-- June 1973.
Cambodia-- soon taken over by dictator Pol Pot- (who l8r committed genocide of ^ 2 million people in a few years)
War Powers Act
November 1973-- Congress passed
requiring president report all commitments of U.S. troops to foreign exchanges w/ in 48 hours
A new feeling of "New Isolationism" that discouraged U.S. troops in other countries began to take hold, yet Nixon stood strong
Policy of détente
Nixon's Détente w/ Beijing (Peking) & Moscow
2 communist powers-- USSR & China: clashing interpretations of Marxism
Nixon saw tension to ----> US opportunity play off one against other & to enlist aid of both pressuring North Vietnam into peace
Dr. Henry A. Kissinger reinforced Nixon
1969- Kissinger begun meeting secretly w/ n Vietnamese officials in Paris to negotiate end to war in Vietnam
1972--Nixon visit to China & paved way for improved relations between them & US
May 1972-- Nixon traveled to Moscow
Nixon's visits --> an era of détente, or relaxed tensions between the USSR & China
- Great Grain Deal of 1972 -- 3-year arrangement which US agreed sell the USSR @ least $750 million worth of wheat, corn, & other cereals
Watergate, Nixon's impeachment, & resignation
Watergate
June 17, 1972--- 5 men working for Republican Committee for Re-election of President caught breaking into Watergate Hotel & bugging rooms
--> great scandal where many members of president's administration resigned
Hearings occurred---
headed by Senator Sam Erving.
John Dean III testified of all corruption, illegal activities, & scandal
Conversations involving watergate scandal discovered on tapes
Nixon refused given them --> congress
Although denied participation in scandal
1973--- VP Spiro Agnew forced to resign due to tax evasion
In accordance with the newly-passed 25th Amendment (1967), Nixon submitted to Congress, for approval as the new vice president, Gerald Ford
October 20, 1973 ("Saturday Night Massacre") --- Archibald Cox ( prosecutor of case who issued subpoena of tapes) fired
Both attorney general & deputy general resigned bc they did not want to fire Cox
Timeline End of Nixon as a President
July 24, 1974-- Supreme Court ruled Nixon submit all tapes to Congress
July 1974-- House approved 1st article of impeachment 4 obstruction of justice
August 5, 1974-- Nixon released 3 tapes held most damaging information-same 3 tapes that had been "missing."
August 8, 1974- Nixon resigned--> (realized would be convicted if impeached- wanted to keep privileges of a president)