NIXON’S PRESIDENCY AND DOWNFALL

US History Standards:SSUSH25 The student will describe changes in

national politics since 1968. a. Describe President Richard M. Nixon’s opening of China, his resignation due to the Watergate scandal,

changing attitudes toward government, and the Presidency of Gerald Ford.

Nixon’s Persona

Richard Nixon was born in California to poor parents – as a result, he always felt like an outsider

Nixon was quiet, reserved, and often appeared uncomfortable with people – he seemed stiff and lacking a sense of humor

He had few close friends – he surrounded himself with his family

Richard Nixon

Nixon’s New Conservatism

When Nixon took office in 1969, he was determined to turn America in a more conservative direction

His goals were to decrease the size and influence of the federal government (he believed the Great Society gave the government too much power) and to give more freedom to local governments

Nixon’s attempt to dismantle many programs of the Great Society was unsuccessful

Energy Crisis

By the 1970s, the nations growth and reliance on energy created an energy crisis

War in the Middle East between Israel and the Arab nations of Egypt and Syria interrupted the flow of cheap oil that the US relied on

Higher oil prices worsened inflation – for example, gas that was once 25 cents a gallon became 65 cents a gallon

Consumers cut back on spending, leading to recession

Landing on the Moon

The culmination of President Kennedy’s space program occurred on July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon

TV viewers around the world witnessed the landing Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin spent 2 hours on the

moon collecting rock and soil samples, taking pictures, and setting up instruments to monitor conditions on the moon

Foreign Policy Triumphs Nixon had several successes in the area of foreign policy during his Presidency – the architect of these programs Nixon’s adviser for national security affairs, Henry Kissinger Nixon traveled to China in 1972 to pursue his policy of

détente which was aimed to ease Cold War tensions Three months after visiting Beijing, Nixon traveled to

Moscow for the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks the SALT I Treaty was signed – both the US and USSR

signed a five-year agreement to limit the number of ICBMs and submarine launched missiles

Break-in at the Watergate

Nixon was determined to win reelection in 1972

To help in that process, the paranoid Nixon developed an enemies list – prominent people who were seen as unsympathetic to the administration

In 1968, Nixon ordered wiretaps on several members of his staff, news reporters

Nixon’s reelection committee pulled pranks and spread rumors, but a serious incident occurred on June 17, 1972

Break-in at the Watergate Members of the President’s reelection committee, with the knowledge of former Attorney General John Mitchell, broke into the Democratic National Committee Headquarters at the Watergate apartment complex in Washington, DC The purpose of the break-in was to install wiretaps on

phones The 5 burglars were arrested and carried money that

could be linked to the Reelection Committee Nixon didn’t know about the break-in, but he asked

the CIA to try and persuade the FBI to discontinue the investigation

Watergate Complex

Watergate Scandal Nixon won the 1972 election,

but Watergate wouldn’t go away

2 young Washington Post reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, cracked the story

secret tapes recorded what happened in the Oval Office – Nixon did not want to release them

Nixon’s VP, Spiro Agnew, was accused of invading income taxes and accepting bribes – House Minority Leader Gerald Ford took his place

Top: Carl Bernstein (L) and Bob WoodwardBottom: Spiro Agnew

Watergate Scandal A grand jury convened in July 1974 to

prepare articles of impeachment on Nixon – the charges were obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and the refusal to obey Congress’ order to turn over the tapes

Nixon turned over the tapes on Aug. 5 – they had been edited but still proved Nixon’s involvement in the cover-up

3 days later, Nixon resigned before he could be impeached, the first Pres. to ever do so

Gerald Ford became President later that day, saying “Our long national nightmare is over”

Gerald Ford