LBJ Doesnt Seek Re-election, Tumultuous 1968 leads to Nixon Presidency

LBJ does not seek re-election

Vietnam War
Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, LBJ all tried to prevent Ho Chi Minhs Communists from taking over the whole of Vietnam Started with advisers, with Truman Eisenhower established an anti-Communist South Vietnamese state
JFK and LBJ had given ever-increasing aid

1965- LBJ sends US ground troops

US Reaction to Vietnam
In the 1960s, a growing unrest of war
Counter-culture, hippies, protests by students

Why?
Fighting a way that the US was not involved in Fighting a losing battle (Tet Offensive)

1968- Year of Turmoil (Reasons why LBJ does not seek re-election)
Tet Offensive
North Vietnamese attack and take over of Saigon (SV capital)- shown by US media

Assassination of MLK Jr
Culminate in heightened racial tensions

Assassination of Bobby Kennedy (RFK)

Culminate in heightened tensions between rich and poor; use of violence as form of protest

Democratic National Convention Riots and Police Riots

Demonstrated the tensions between students, politicians, and Middle America

Miss America Pageant and Feminists

Demonstrated the tensions between feminists and traditionalists

LBJ Speech

When the strongest nation in the world can be tied down for four years in the war in Vietnam with no end in sight, when the nation with the greatest tradition of respect for the law is plagued by random lawlessness, when the nation that has been a symbol of human liberty is torn apart by racial strife, when the President of the United States cannot travel either at home or abroad without fear of hostile demonstration, then it is time America had new leadership.- Nixon, 1968, campaign speech

Enter Nixon!

Richard Milhous Nixon

Born in Yorba Linda, California Came from a lower class family

Younger brother died from meningitis Mom leaves for three years to care for her brother Incredibly hard work and clever, was accepted at Yale but too expensive
Went to Whittier College and then to Duke

Father Frank, often beat Nixon Hannah, mother, was a Quaker and very reserved

Worked as a lawyer, businessman and a naval officer in WWII

Admired for his honesty (irony)

 Representative (1946-1950)

Nixon Political Career

I had to win. Thats the thing you dont understand. The important things is to win. Part of HUAC Senator (1950-1953)
Vice-President to Eisenhower (1953-1961)

Publicly suggested that his Democrat rival had Communist sympathies

Called his opponent Helen Douglas a Pink Lady, who was pink right down to her underwear Checkers Speech Give me a week and Im sure that I can come up with one- Ike re: Nixon as VP By the narrowest of margins

Lost to JFK in 1960

1962 lost the Governorship of California

Barring a miracle, Richard Nixon can never hope to be elected to any political office again.

Nixon and the Checkers Speech

Critics claimed that Nixon had kept a secret fund to pay his election expenses and for his private use Nixon makes a speech, which helps boost his image, addressing the allegations

Silent Majority, Nixon speaks

for another voice a quiet voice It is the voice of the great majority of Americans, the forgotten Americans, the non-shouters, the non-demonstrators those who do not break the law, people pay their taxes and go to work, who send their kids to school, who go to their churches people who love this country [and] cry out that is enough, lets get some new leadership.

Nixon and the Silent Majority

Republican, but Moderate
Very anti-Communist Did not want to dismantle the federal government safety net that previous Democrat presidents had set up to help poor, sick and elderly

Nixon Notecard
In groups (of whatever size), create a Nixon notecard of domestic and foreign policies:
Each of your headings are underline in the Nixon packet

Leave three lines on the domestic side for Watergate (we will fill in together on Monday)

Nixon and Watergate

Watergate Questions?
1. 2. 3. 4. Who/what are the plumbers? What is CREEP? What option did you choose? What happens? What does Nixon choose?

Watergate- Timeline
1971- Nixon installs improved recording system in the White House 6/13/1971: The Pentagon Papers is released to the New York Times; Nixon creates the plumbers 6/7/1972: 5 men arrested for breaking and entering the Democratic National Committee; members of CREEP (Committee to Re-Elect the President) 11/1972: Nixon wins in a historic landslide victory for reelection 5/1973: Senate Watergate Committee begins nationally televised hearings

Watergate: Timeline
7/1973: Nixon refuses to turn over White House tapes 10/1973: V.P Spiro Agnew resigns due to charges of tax evasion while he was Gov. of MD; Gerald Ford replaces 4/1974: 40 hours of tapes released, including the smoking gun tape, where Nixon and Haldeman discuss using the CIA to disrupt the FBIs investigation of the Watergate break-in 8/1974: Nixon announces his resignation in the face of impeachment charges; Ford takes office

Watergate: Background
June 17th, 1972, men arrested for breaking into the DNC HQ in the Watergate complex
Newspapers report it as a third-rate burglary Actually was members of CREEP planting surveillance systems

Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward connected the burglars to CREEP

All the Presidents Men

Has Nixon done anything wrong yet?

Nixon and Watergate

Nixon had no prior knowledge to planning break-in
Nixon didnt need to spy on opposition; had a 30-point lead

Has Nixon done anything wrong yet? Nixons fault then becomes his attempt to cover it up
Given the multiple investigations of the scandalit would have been suicidal to lie. The problem was that as the events were unfolding I was never able to get the whole truth. Richard Nixon, In the Arena

The Tapes
Irony
Nixon installed the recording system so that he could dictate how the future would view him Was obsessed with his image; didnt trust the press

Was asked to release the tapes to the prosecutors

Nixon and White House release typed transcripts of the tapes, with [expletive deleted] sprinkled throughout

Smoking gun tape

Ordered his aides to demand the CIA to stop the FBI from continuing its investigation After this, faced impeachment from the House: obstructing justice; abuse of power, unconstitutionally defied congressional demands for evidence

18 1/2 minute gap

Not sure what was on it- or how it was deleted

Saturday Night Massacre

Nixon argued that executive privilege gave him the right to withhold the tapes. Investigators rejected Nixons claim of executive privilege and Special Prosecutor Cox and the Senate Watergate committee issued subpoenas demanding the tapes.

In response, Nixon executed the so-called Saturday night massacre.

Nixon directed attorney general Elliot Richardson to fire Cox. He refused and quit. Nixon then ordered Richardsons assistant to fire Cox. He refused and resigned. Finally, the third-ranking official in the Justice Department fired Cox.

The presidents actions shocked the

public.

Nixon Resigns
On August 8th, 1974, Nixon gives a short speech on t.v. announcing he would resign the presidency at noon the following day To this day the only President to resign
He would have been impeached if not

The Pardon
Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon from any illegal acts in office
55% disagreed Fords decision Led to Nixon being innocent of any involvement in Watergate One of the most painful decisions in my life