Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter
Last section of Ch 29
&
All of Ch 31
Richard Nixon
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1913 – 1994; 37th President
Whittier College, Duke Law School
Navy in WWII, Served in House & Senate
Eisenhower’s VP
Married to Pat – 2 daughters – Tricia & Julie
President for the Moon landing
Had Elvis to the White House in 1970
“Realpolitik”
• From German for “real politics”
• Deal with solid national interests not just fear of
communism
– Recognized that communism was NOT one unified
movement
• Dr. Henry Kissinger, National Security Advisor &
later Secretary of State
– German Jewish Immigrant, Army, Harvard
• Détente – flexible diplomacy, easing of Cold War
People’s Republic of China
• Nixon quietly began plans to recognize China
– Kissinger played key role in this
• “Ping – Pong Diplomacy” – US table tennis
team visited China in April 1971
• Feb ‘72 – Nixon’s official visit to China
– Saw Great Wall, Imperial City
– Premier Zhou Enlai & met with Mao
• Result: trade with & travel to China thrived
Détente with the Soviet Union
• Premier Leonid Brezhnev concerned about
US - China relations
• Invited Nixon to Moscow! May 1972
• Announced joint space mission
• Signed SALT I – 1st step at arms limits
– Froze deployments of ICBMs
• Intercontinental ballistic missiles
– Limited ABMs (antiballistic missiles)
– Viewed as 1st step towards end of Cold War
New Federalism - Nixon’s Domestic Agenda
• Environmental laws & created the EPA
– Clean Air, Clean Water, Endangered Species Acts
– 1st Earth Day celebrations in 1970
• Created OSHA – Occupational Safety & Health
Administration
• Tried to deal with inflation & enacted price
controls for period of time
• Enforced Supreme Court order on busing to
further desegregate schools
Watergate – The Beginning
• Watergate – building in Washington DC
– Offices, hotel, condos
• June 17, 1972 – Burglary at the Democratic
National Committee HQ
– 5 caught by security linked to CREEP
• Committee to Re-Elect the President
• The Washington Post’s reporters kept with story
– Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein
– Had gov’t source – “Deep Throat” (Mark Felt – FBI)
The Investigation
• Mostly led by Woodward & Bernstein
• Senate committee est. in Feb 1973
– White House staff to testify
• Archibald Cox named Watergate Special Prosecutor
• Nixon responded in speeches in April & Aug ‘73 &
in April ’74
– Always denied any involvement -
• Indicted - 5 burglars & G. Gordon Liddy, CREEP
lawyer (convicted) & Howard Hunt, CIA &
consultant (plead guilty)
Allegations of a Cover Up
• Accused John Dean & John Mitchell of
orchestrating the cover up
– Council to the President & Attorney General
• Revealed deeper political espionage
– Plots to discredit candidates, break in at Pentagon
Papers Ellsberg’s psychiatrist
• July ‘73 Nixon claims executive privilege &
won’t testify for Senate Committee
White House taping system revealed
• Committee discovers that since ‘71, Nixon has
recorded all conversations & phone calls
– To be remembered in history!
• Nixon’s refusal to hand over tapes &
subsequent release of tapes w/ parts erased
• United States v. Nixon – Supreme Court case
– Ruled he had to produce the tapes in July 1974
“Saturday Night Massacre”, Oct ‘73
• Nixon ordered Attorney General Richardson to
fire Special Prosecutor Cox; refused & resigned
• Ordered Deputy Att. Gen. Ruckelshaus to fire
Cox; refused & was fired
• Robert Bork, Solicitor General fired Cox
• Nation watched…wondering
• Nov 1st- New Special Prosecutor Leon Jaworski
• Nov 17th Press Conference – Nixon urged
nation to move on and says “I am not a crook”
The End of a Presidency
• After Supreme Court ruling on the tapes…
• House Judiciary Committee adopted three
Articles of Impeachment (step 1) – July ‘74
• “The Smoking Gun” – transcript of Nixon talking
6 days after break in, proving he ordered the
cover up, are released – Aug 5th
• Aug 8th- Nixon told nation he would resign
• Aug 9th – resigned…Ford = 38th President
– Pardoned Nixon Sept 8th or would’ve been charged
Gerald Ford
• 1913 – 2006, reputation for integrity
• U of Michigan, Yale Law School & football!
• Navy for WWII, lawyer, House of Rep
– House Minority Leader, 1965-73
• Married to Betty, 3 sons, 1 daughter
• Former NY Governor Nelson Rockefeller was
his appointed Vice President
• “our long national nightmare is over”
Issues of the Ford Presidency
• Stressed efforts to grow economy & limit fears
of energy shortages
– Vetoed 39 bills he felt would hurt economy
– WIN – Whip Inflation Now – mostly voluntary plan
• Reformed antitrust laws
• Continued visits with Soviet leaders – détente
– Kissinger still Sec of State
• “shuttle diplomacy” – started w/ Middle East
• Ultimately economy blamed on him
Ford’s Foreign Policy
• Helsinki Accords – pledge to protect human
rights, not a formal treaty
– Signed by US, Canada, Soviets, & most of Europe
– Seen as another step towards ending the Cold War
• USS Mayaguez – seized by Khmer Rouge
– Ford sent in Marines, rescued ship & crew
• Saw rise in “boat people” after fall of Saigon
Reforms after Watergate
• Federal Election Campaign Act amended
– Set limits on contribution, provided some federal
funding for campaigns, created Federal Election
Commission
• Freedom of Information Act amended
– Penalty to gov’t officials who withheld documents
• Sunshine Act – opened meetings of most gov’t
agencies to the public
• Ethics in Gov’t Act – required financial disclosures,
restricted lobbying, created a special prosecutor
Jimmy Carter
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1924 – still alive, 39th President
Georgia peanut family farm, devout Baptist
Naval Academy, nuclear engineer for subs
State gov’t, Georgia Governor
Married to Rosalynn, 3 sons, 1 daughter – Amy
Walter Mondale, VP
Carter Center, Habitat for Humanity, 2002
Nobel Peace Prize
Domestic Policy
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Pardon to draft dodgers – campaign promise
Economy still bad – gave loan to save Chrysler
Energy Crisis & gas lines also hurt him
Nominated Paul Volcker as Fed Chairman
– His actions will help improve economy
• Created Department of Education
• Expanded lands for National Parks
• Ultimately now remembered for over-managing
the administration
Carter’s Foreign Policy
• Détente seemed to fade…emphasized human
rights in relations w/ all nations
• SALT II – pledge to limit nuclear weapons
– After heated debate in Senate, Carter withdrew it…
• Because the Soviets invaded Afghanistan
– Imposed sanctions & boycotted 1980 Summer
Olympics in Moscow
• Difficulties with both Nicaragua & Cuba
• Pledged to return the Canal to Panama in 1999
Middle East – High & Low points
• Camp David Accords – peace agreement
between Egypt & Israel
– After 2 weeks of personal diplomacy
– Considered biggest victory of Presidency
• Iranian Hostage Crisis – 66 hostages taken
from US Embassy & held for 444 days
– US allowed the Shah to enter US for medical care
– Ayatollah Khomeini had seized power
– Carter blamed for failing to free them
• Failed rescue attempt hurt him too