Chapter 39
“The Stalemated Seventies”
End of the Economic Boom
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After the flurry of economic growth in the
1950s and 1960s, the U.S. economy stagnated
in the 1970s.
The entire decade of the 1970s did not witness
a productivity advance equivalent to even one
year’s progress in the preceding two decades.
At the new rate, it would take five hundred
more years to bring about another doubling of
the average worker’s standard of living.
Why the Decline?
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Increase presence of women and teenagers in the workforce.
Declining investment in new machinery
The heavy cost of compliance with government-imposed
safety and health regulations.
The shift of the American economy from manufacturing to
services, where productivity gains were allegedly more difficult
to achieve and measure.
Former President Lyndon B. Johnson’s spending on the
Vietnam War and on his Great Society programs.
Both military spending and welfare spending are inherently
inflationary in the absence of offsetting tax collections because
they put dollars in people’s hands without adding to the supply
of goods that those dollars can buy.
Nixon’s Vietnamization of the War
(Nixon Doctrine)
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Nixon called for “Vietnamization” in which 540,000
American troops would be pulled out of Vietnam.
The South Vietnamese would then gradually take over.
On November 3, 1969 Nixon delivered a dramatic televised
appeal to the great “silent majority,” who presumably
supported the war.
Criticized the “effete corps of impudent snobs” and the
Nattering nabobs of negativism” with demanded quick
withdrawal from Vietnam
The war was fought generally by the least privileged
Americans, since college students and critically skilled civilians
were exempt, and there were also reports of dissension in the
army.
My Lai Massacre
• A unit of Charlie
Company 1st Battalion
20th Infantry slaughter
between200 and 500
unarmed villagers in the
hamlet of My Lai. Led by
Lieutenant William
Calley, the platoon is
ordered to enter the
village firing.
My Lai Massacre
Photo taken by Army photographer Ronald L. Haeberle on March
16th, 1968 in the aftermath of the My Lai massacre showing mostly
women and children dead on a road.
Cambodianizing the Vietnam War
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North Vietnamese had been using Cambodia
as a springboard for funneling troops and
arms, and on April 29, 1970, Nixon ordered
U.S. troops to invade Cambodia to stop this.
Nixon never consulted Congress.
Hysteria in U.S Because of Invasion
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Much uproar was caused, as riots occurred at Kent State
University and at Jackson State College.
The Cambodian incident even more split the “hawks” and the
“doves”
The U.S. Senate repealed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, and in
1971, the 26th Amendment, lowering the voting age to
eighteen, was also passed
In June 1971, The New York Times published a top-secret
Pentagon study of America’s involvement of the Vietnam
War—papers that had been leaked by Daniel Ellsberg, former
Pentagon official—which exposed the deceit used by the
Kennedy and Johnson administrations.
•1970: Kent State Riot
Mary Ann Vecchio gestures and screams as she kneels by the body of a
student lying face down on the campus of Kent State University, Kent, Ohio,
on May 4, 1970. Four students died and nine others were wounded during
student protests against the Vietnam War when National Guardsman opened
fire.
1970 Kent State Riot
Jackson State Riot
Bullets and blood on a
dorm Floor at Jackson
State
Pentagon Papers
• They found that the U.S.
government had continually
resisted full disclosure of
increasing military
involvement in Southeast
Asia—air strikes over Laos,
raids along the coast of
North Vietnam, and
offensive actions by U.S.
marines had taken place long
before the American public
was informed.
Daniel Ellsberg
• In 1971, Ellsberg precipitated a
national uproar when he released
the Pentagon Papers, the U.S.
military's account of activities in
Vietnam, to The New York Times. A
Vietnam veteran and a senior
research associate at the
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology's Center for
International Studies, Ellsberg
helped to compile the Pentagon
Papers while working in the
Defense Department. Initially, he
supported the war effort, but later
turned against it. His release of the
Pentagon Papers succeeded in
eroding public support for the war
2004 Harvard Square Library
Nixon’s Détente with Beijing
(Peking) and Moscow
• China and the Soviet Union were clashing over their
own interpretations of Marxism, and Nixon seized this
as a chance for the U.S. to relax tensions.
• Sent national security adviser Dr. Henry A. Kissinger to
China to encourage better relations
• Nixon became the first president to visit China – he
knew this would upset USSR (“China Card”)
• Promoted good relations with USSR
– Grain deal
– Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
– SALT – Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
Nixon and China
President Richard Nixon (in fur-collared
coat) gestures as he walks along the
Great Wall during a 1972 tour of China.
Pat Nixon, Secretary of State William P.
Rogers, and China's Vice-Premier Li
Hsien-nien are among others in the
party. (The Bettmann Archive)
Nixon and the Supreme Court
• The decisions of Chief Justice Earl Warren were
liberal and reflected its deep concern for the
individual, no matter how lowly.
• The liberalness of the Supreme Court frustrated
Nixon.
• Warren led the court into a series of decisions
that drastically affected sexual freedom, the
rights of criminals, the practice of religion, and
civil rights
Griswold v. Connecticut
• (1965) Court struck down a
state law that banned the use
of contraceptives, even by
married couples, but creating
a “right to privacy.”
Estelle Griswold & Cornelia Jahncke,
Planned Parenthood League,
Connecticut
Coddling Criminals
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Gideon v. Wainwright - (1963)Court said that all
criminals were entitled to legal counsel, even if
they were too poor to afford it.
Escobedo and Miranda Cases - two cases in which
the Supreme Court ruled that the accused
could now remain silent.
Other Cases
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New York Times v. Sullivan (1964) – The Court ruled
unanimously that public figures could sue for libel only if they
could prove that “malice” had motivated their defamers.
Engle v. Vitale (1962) and School District of Abington
Township v. Schempp - led to the Court ruling against
required prayers and having the Bible in public schools, basing
the judgment on the First Amendment, which separated
church and state
Warren Burger
• President Nixon appointed Burger,
an active Republican, Chief Justice
of the US Supreme Court in 1969.
Although Burger's court was more
conservative than the previous
Warren Court, it was judicially
active. Two of the most famous
and controversial decisions of the
Burger Court were the Roe v.
Wade abortion decision and the
University of California v. Bakke
affirmative action decision. In
1986, Burger resigned from his
post and became head of the US
Bicentennial Commission.
Liberalness of Nixon
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Expanded Medicare and Medicaid
Boosted Aid to Families with Dependent Children
Implemented Supplemental Security Income (SSI) which gave
generous benefits to the indigent aged, blind and disabled.
Improved Social Security
Philadelphia Plan – Start of affirmative action
Created Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Created Occupational health and Safety Administration
(OSHA)
Clean Air Act of 1970 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973
both aimed to protect and preserve the environment and made
notable progress.
Election of 1972
• Republicans – Richard Nixon
– Candidacy given a boost by Kissinger’s announcement that “peace was at
had in Vietnam”
• Democrats – George McGovern
– promised to end the war within 90 days after the election and also
appealed to teens and women
**Huge landslide victory for Nixon.
**540 to 17 in electoral college
Landslide Victories
• 1920 - the greatest percentage point margin in
the popular vote (Harding 60.3% to Cox
34.1%).1936 - the greatest electoral votes
difference between winner and opponent
(Roosevelt 523 to Landon 8).
• 1964 - the highest percentage for winner
(Lyndon Johnson 61.1%).
• 1984 - the highest number of electoral votes
(Reagan 525).
Shaky “Peace” in Vietnam
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Nixon then ordered a
bombing rampage that
eventually drove the
North Vietnamese to
the bargaining table to
agree to a cease-fire,
which occurred on
January 23, 1973.
America’s way out of
Vietnam
• On a scorching hot day in 1964, Lt. Everett Alvarez was shot down over
Vietnam. He was sent to the Hanoi Hilton and would not know freedom
again for almost nine years, earning the dubious honor of being the longest
prisoner of war in Vietnam. Battling personal demons both in the Hilton and
back home, Alvarez nevertheless overcame his obstacles, earning the respect
of his fellow soldiers and becoming a true Legend. Photo Courtesy: Everett
Alvarez
Everett Alvarez Jr.
Gilligan’s Island
Good Times
All in the Family
Watergate
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On June 17, 1972, five men working for the
Republican Committee for the Re-election of the
President were caught breaking into the Watergate
Hotel and fixing some bugs of the room.
Provoked the improper of illegal use of the FBI and
the CIA
Hearings proceeded, headed by Senator Sam Erving,
and John Dean III testified about all the corruption,
illegal activities, and scandal that took place.
Watergate Hotel
The break-in on June 17, 1972, at the Watergate
office and apartment complex in Washington,
D.C., led to the downfall of United States
President Richard Nixon (1969-1974). Four
Cubans and a member of the Committee to
Reelect the President were arrested here
burglarizing the national headquarters of the
Democratic Party. Archive Photos
Deep Throat
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Deep Throat is the name that was given to a
secret source who leaked information about
the involvement of U.S. President Richard
Nixon's administration in the events that
came to be known as the Watergate scandal.
"Deep Throat" was an important source for
Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward
and Carl Bernstein, who together wrote a
series of articles on the scandal that played a
decisive role in exposing the misdeeds of the
Nixon administration. The scandal would
eventually lead to the resignation of
President Nixon
In 2005,when Mark Felt admitted to Vanity
Fair magazine that he was "Deep Throat," a
source of Washington Post stories about the
Watergate scandal that led to President
Nixon's resignation, years of speculation
were put to rest.
The Great Tape Controversy
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For historical purposes Nixon recorded everything
that went on in the White House. He refused to give
up the tapes which could have proved his guilt or
innocense.
Vice President Spiro Agnew was forced to resign in
1973 due to tax evasion.
“Saturday Night Massacre” (Oct. 20, 1973 - 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
didn’t want to fire Cox.
“I am Not a Crook”
• On November 17, 1973,
Nixon gave a televised press
conference urging Americans
to put Watergate behind
them, saying, "In my years of
public life … I welcome this
kind of examination, because
people have got to know
whether or not their
president's a crook. Well, I'm
not a crook. I've earned
everything I've got. "
The Unmaking of a President
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On July 24, 1974, the Supreme Court ruled
that Nixon had to give all tapes to Congress.
Late in July 1974, the House approved its first
article of impeachment for obstruction of the
administration of justice.
On August 5, 1974, Nixon finally released the
three tapes that held the most damaging
information—the same three tapes that had
been “missing.”
Nixon’s Resignation
• On August 8, 1974,
Nixon became the first
U.S. president to resign
Gerald Ford
• Vice President Gerald
Ford is sworn in as
president on August 9,
1974.
The Arab Oil Embargo and the
Energy Crisis
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An oil embargo which strictly limited oil in the
U.S. was enforced by OPEC after the U.S.
backed Israel in its war against Syria and
Egypt,
OPEC lifted the embargo in 1974, and then
quadrupled the price of oil.
“I Can’t Drive 55”
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A speed limit of 55
MPH was imposed,
and the oil pipeline in
Alaska was approved in
1974 despite
environmentalists’
cries, and other types
of energy were
pursued.
• The “Energy Crisis” of
1973-74 began when
OPEC, the Organization
of Petroleum Exporting
Countries, instituted an
oil embargo that reduced
the amount of oil
provided to the United
States. This embargo
resulted in long lines at
gas stations and higher
prices for gasoline.
The First Un-elected President
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Gerald Ford was the
first un-elected
president ever, since
his name had been
submitted by Nixon as
a VP candidate.
In July 1975, Ford
signed the Helsinki
accords, which
recognized Soviet
boundaries.
Defeat in Vietnam
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Disastrously for Ford, South Vietnam fell in
1975, and American troops had to be
evacuated, the last on April 29, 1975, thus
ending the Vietnam War.
Embarrassment for Ford and the U.S.
Evacuation of Vietnam
Mobs of Vietnamesee scale the wall of
the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, trying to
get to the helicopter pickup zone on
April 29, 1975.
Neal Ulevich / AP
The last Huey out of Saigon,
Vietnam War
1976 Election
• Republicans – Gerald
Ford
• Democrats – Jimmy
Carter
– “I will never lie to you.”
** Jimmy Carter barely
squeezed by Gerald Ford
297 to 240.
Jimmy Carter
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Carter was a champion for human rights, and in
Rhodesia, and South Africa, he stood up for black
rights and privileges.
Shining moment for Carter Administration was at
Camp David when he brokered and agreement
between Israel and Egypt.
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Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Menochim Begin of Isreal
Carter also pledged to return the Panama Canal to
Panama by the year 2000 and resumed full diplomatic
relations with China in 1979
Jimmy Carter
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The Democrats reclaimed the
White House in the 1976 election.
The Governor from Georgia
defeated Gerald Ford, who had
become President on August 9,
1974, upon the resignation of
President Nixon. The oath of
office was taken on the Bible used
in the first inauguration by George
Washington; it was administered by
Chief Justice Warren Burger on the
East Front of the Capitol. The new
President and his family surprised
the spectators by walking from the
Capitol to the White House after
the ceremony.
Camp David Accords
• The U.S. presidential retreat at
Camp David, Maryland, was the
setting for a historic moment in
September 1978. With the help of
U.S. President Jimmy Carter,
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat
and Israeli Prime Minister
Menachem Begin reached
agreements that would end a 30year state of war between their
countries. Carter (center), Sadat
(left), and Begin (right) are shown
here at the White House ceremony
marking the Camp David Accords.
(Jimmy Carter Library/National
Archives)
Carter’s Downfall
• Double digit inflation – 13%
• High oil prices which led to high gas prices, rations, and
lines at the pump.
• Death of Isolationism due to the realization that the
U.S. could not use oil as a weapon
• High deficit
• High interest rates – Federal Reserve raised interest
rates to 20+%
• Energy woes due to lack of oil which meant high
energy costs.
SALT II Talks
• Carter signed the SALT II
agreements with Soviet Premier
Leonid Brezhnev, but the U.S.
senate wouldn’t ratify it
• An agreement to limit strategic
launchers was reached in Vienna
on June 18, 1979, and was signed
by Leonid Brezhnev and President
Jimmy Carter. Six months after the
signing, the Soviet Union invaded
Afghanistan, and as such the treaty
was never ratified by the United
States Senate. Its terms were
nonetheless honored by both sides.
1980 Olympics
• The Olympics as politics.
• America led 62 nations in
boycotting the Games held in
Moscow to protest the Soviet
Union's invasion of
Afghanistan. Four years later,
the Soviets and their allies
would boycott the Summer
Olympics in Los Angeles.
Iranian Hostage Situation
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In, in 1979, Iran’s shah
Mohammed Reza Pahlevi, who
had been installed by America
in 1953 and had ruled his land
as a dictator, was overthrown
and succeeded by the Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini.
Iranian fundamentalists were
against Western customs, and
Iran stopped exporting oil;
OPEC also seized to hike up oil
prices, thus causing another oil
crisis.
Ayatollah Khomeini returns from
exile on an Air France plane from
Paris. February 1, 1979.
Photo by Mahmoud Mohammadi
Botched Rescue Attempt
• A daring US military rescue
operation codenamed Eagle Claw
ended in further US humiliation in
April 1980. The plan was to land
aircraft covertly in the desert
allowing special forces to infiltrate
Tehran and free the 52 hostages.
• But the planning was flawed, and
the mission had to be aborted
when two helicopters were
damaged in a sandstorm and failed
to reach the rendezvous point.
Worse was to come when another
crashed into a transport plane as it
was pulling out.
Hostages
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On November 4, 1979,
anti-American Muslim
militants stormed the U.S.
embassy in Tehran and
took hostages, demanding
that the U.S. return the
exiled shah who had
arrived in the U.S. two
weeks earlier for cancer
treatments.
The American hostages
languished in cruel
captivity for 444 days