Nearly thirty-five years after his resigning the presidency in disgrace, Americans are still fascinated by the deeds and enigmatic personality of Richard Nixon (1913-1994)..
His life truly mirrors the rise and fall of a character in a Greek tragedy. Unable to accept scholarships from Harvard and Yale in 1930 due to his family being left impecunious by the throes of the Great Depression, Nixon had to settle for entrance into Whittier College near home. As a result of his efforts at becoming a model student and intrepid debater, he earned a fully-funded scholarship to Duke University Law School. While a law student, he maintained a strict, self-imposed study regimen and refused to date until graduation.
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After joining a law firm in California upon graduation, marrying and serving with distinction in World War II as a Lieutenant Commander in the US Navy, he began a long and controversial political career by winning a US congressional seat in 1946. After only two terms, the up-and-coming politician, who was a key figure in the House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), rose to national prominence for his crusade to root out alleged communist sympathizers in government. On a high tide of American nationalism, Nixon was elected to the US Senate in 1950 and became Vice-President to Dwight Eisenhower from 1953-61.
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In 1960, Nixon narrowly lost the presidential election to Harvard-educated John F. Kennedy. It was his first defeat, and Nixon would remain bitter about the loss for years to come. Notably, his resentment at losing to a family member of the East Coast establishment revealed a deep-seated insecurity about his pedigree. A second failure followed in being defeated in the California gubernatorial campaign of 1962. Facing the press after learning the disappointing result, a frustrated Nixon famously exclaimed, 'This is my last press conference...You won't have Dick Nixon to kick around anymore.' Rather than accept criticism or blame for his own limitations and failures, Nixon was disposed to savaging others for his misfortunes.
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In 1968, Nixon ran for president again, and he won by 6/10ths of a percentage point over Hubert Humphrey. Over the next four years, Nixon made preparations for withdrawal from Vietnam, instituted wage and price controls effectively to control inflation, founded the Environmental Protection Agency, opened relations with Communist China and ushered in detente with the Soviet Union. It was an impressive record of achievement, and the American people rewarded him with a second term in a landslide victory in November 1972. Then, everything, including Nixon, began to unravel.
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A year before his re-election, Nixon directed a select group of individuals ('The Plumbers') to break into the office of Daniel Ellsberg in order to find information that would discredit his reputation. Ellsberg, who worked for the RAND Corporation and participated in a secret study - authorized by previous Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara - assisted in writing a true account of American operations in Vietnam. Subsequently dubbed 'The Pentagon Papers', the manuscript contradicted the official government line that the US was 'winning' in Vietnam and offered a bleak assessment for its endgame. When Ellsberg leaked the contents of the papers to the New York Times out of conscience, the nation was stunned, and the revelation fueled the already shrill campaign of anti-war activists. Had Nixon been lying about the course of the war? Nixon was furious at the leak and ordered retaliation with 'The Plumbers'.
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Although certain to win re-election, Nixon ordered a team from his 'Committee to Re-elect the President' (CREEP) to break into the Democratic National Headquarters in Washington DC to gather information on the campaign strategy of his rival. At the Watergate Complex, the burglars were caught and arrested. Through patient and methodical reporting, reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of The Washington Post connected the five men to the White House.
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While calling for an investigation into the matter publicly, Nixon privately asked the FBI suspend further inquiry and had the conspirators bribed to maintain their silence with a considerable amount of 'hush money'. In the end, Congress subpoenaed Nixon's collection of White House audio tapes and launched an impeachment proceeding on the basis of his own incriminating words. Rather than become the first president to be removed from office, Nixon resigned on 9 August 1974. He was later pardoned by President Gerald Ford.
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From his resignation until his death twenty years later in 1994, Nixon is thought by nearly all Americans to have never apologized for his egregious abuses of power. After viewing the recent film Nixon/Frost, the former executive editor of The Washington Post, Ben Bradlee, was irate over the depiction of Nixon uttering apologetic words for his actions to BBC interviewer David Frost. According to Bradlee, Nixon never admitted any wrongdoing. This, however, is not entirely correct.
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In the immediate years after his departure from office, Nixon became bored with private life. As an extroverted introvert, he still craved the limelight despite falling from grace. When Chairman Mao, old, infirm and near death, granted him a visit in February 1976, Nixon was elated. He could bask in his signature foreign policy success and appear on the world stage once again.
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Two years later, Nixon accepted an invitation to visit and speak at the one of the most renowned universities in the world. At Oxford University, Nixon made his way to the Oxford Union. Founded in 1823, it had seen the likes of 19th century Prime Minister William Gladstone, Robert Kennedy, and Malcolm X over its long and distinguished history. Nixon entered the chamber to a packed house, and a large crowd outside could be heard angrily shouting 'No More Nixons!' over and over. After speaking briefly, Nixon entertained questions from a young and somewhat intimidated audience. The entire scene was awkward and a bit uncomfortable. Then, the ice was broken with a jaw-dropping admission from the ex-president. In fielding a Watergate-related question, Nixon inelegantly blurted out, 'I screwed up, and I paid the price.' After a moment of stunned silence, the audience burst into applause at the sudden act of contrition. Nixon, a vain man who had been too proud to confess to any error, seemed a bit surprised by his own statement and flashed a sincere grin at the applause rendered for his roundabout apology.
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Unfortunately, Nixon did not have the character to make a similar admission on American soil. According to the late historian Stephen Ambrose, the American people would have forgiven him if he had made a public apology during his presidency or thereafter, but it was not to be.
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The debate on the character, presidential achievements and conduct of Richard Nixon will continue for years in both academic and non-academic circles. Regardless of his colossal failures as a person and a president, history must note that Richard Nixon managed to take responsibility for his shameful actions for at least one hour before his final day.
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J Roquen