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... tes' relationship with communist countries around the globe as he became the first US president to visit the city of Moscow on May 20, 1972. He met with the Soviet leader Brezhnev and signed the SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) treaty (Aitken, 1993, 438). As the presidential election of 1972 came close, Nixon was almost guaranteed of re-election, as his visits to Beijing and Moscow won him great popularity back home.
The American economy had also been improving steadily under the Nixon Administration- inflation was down to 2. 7 percent; GNP was growing at the rate of 6. 3 percent; incomes were increasing at 4 percent; and federal taxes were down by 20 percent for an average family since 1969 (Aitken, 1993, 441). He easily won the election of 1972 with a total electoral vote of 520 to his closest opponent's 17, sweeping nearly every single state in the nation (Presidential Election 1972, web). During his second term of presidency, Nixon placed efforts into working toward the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, and brought an end to segregation in the Southern public schools (President Nixon's Biography, web). There is little doubt that the Watergate scandal of the 1970 's marked the tragic downfall of Nixon's Presidency. On the night of June 17, 1972, five burglars broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Hotel. All five of them were arrested and were charged with burglary (Washington Post, web).
In October of 1972, the FBI established the theory that the break-in at Watergate was a massive campaign of political spying and sabotage conducted on behalf of the Nixon's reelection effort (Watergate Chronology, web). In the eyes of American people, Nixon played the role of a villain who carefully schemed the break-in, and the fabricator of the cover-up. But does Nixon truly deserve the punishment he got, remains one of the most controversial issues among politicians, historians, and the general public. However, the one fact that is now for certain is that the order of the break-in did not come from Nixon.
After all the scrutinizing investigations by the FBI and the Congress over the years, not one single piece of evidence point to Nixon that he gave any kind of instructions for the break-in, nor did he knew about it in advance. According to two of Nixon's best friends, Bob Abplanalp and Bebe Rebozo, who were with him at Key Biscayne, Florida, when the call from Bob Haldeman came in on the morning of June 18, 1972, Nixon was shockingly astonished by the news of the break-in. Abplanalp recalled that he heard Nixon shouting "They did WHAT?" over the phone to Haldeman. It seemed impossible for Nixon to put on such an act for his two best friends, or for Haldeman (Aitken, 1993, 467 - 468).
Even though Nixon was not involved directly or indirectly in the action of the break-in, it was the attempt of cover-up and his intervention of the Supreme Court-proceedings that destroyed his political career (Aitken, 1993, 472). By January of 1974, as the Congress began to seriously consider impeachment, there were ongoing calls for Nixon to resign. On July 27, adopted by the House Judiciary Committee, the first Article of Impeachment charges Nixon with obstruction of the investigation of the Watergate break-in. In August 1974, as three senior Republican congressman suggested to Nixon that his chances of avoiding impeachment by the House and removal from office by the Senate is slim, the president was left with no choice but to leave the presidency (Watergate Chronology, web). On August 8, 1974, President Nixon addressed his resignation on national television, claiming that he will "leave with no bitterness" (Nixon, Nixon's Resignation Speech, ). After the departure from the White House, Nixon and his wife Pat returned to San Clemente, California, where he painstakingly tried to restore his tarnished reputation.
He openly sought forgiveness of the nation by dedicating his time and effort into working for the American people, and hopes that a "new Richard Nixon" would emerge from his faults and mistakes. The Nixon's moved to New York City in 1980 and then to northern Bergen County, New Jersey in 1981. Nixon traveled extensively after his resignation, visiting countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. He published ten best-selling books during his lifetime, including Six Crises in 1962, and his last, Beyond Peace, in May of 1994. In 1985, he became the first president to voluntarily give up his lifetime Secret Service protection, saving the taxpayers $ 3 million a year (President Nixon's Biography, web). Nixon died on April 22, 1994 in New York City at the age of 83.
He was buried in his hometown of Yorba Linda, California by the side of his first lady. President Bill Clinton and representatives from more than 80 countries showed up at his funeral. In an address to 4, 000 mourners and to millions that were watching on television, Republican Senator Dole stated in his speech, 'I believe the second half of the 20 th century will be known as the age of Nixon... No one knew the world better than Richard Nixon, and as a result, the man who was born in a house his father built would go on to become this century's greatest architect of peace. ' (Nixon's Biography, web) As a politician, Richard Nixon has been greatly attacked for his wrongdoings, yet there is no denying that he is a fascinating national figure. He emerged from a poor farming family in southern California to achieve political success, which became an extreme inspiration for future generations. Being the first American president to formally visit Beijing and Moscow, he broke the ice and laid foundations for an epoch of peace which still exists today.
The Watergate Scandal was a humiliating experience in Nixon's political career; however, he managed to come back after being harshly criticized and maligned, and sought openly for forgiveness from the public. The world's opinion on Nixon is still filled with cynicism, but I believe in the near future, historians will come to a consensus and bring a fair verdict on him. Just like Senator Dole stated in his speech on Nixon's funeral, history will indeed remember the second half of the twentieth century as "the age of Nixon." Richard Nixon- How will History Remember him? Kennedy C.
I. Prepared for: Mrs. Sousa By: Lindsey Chen March 16 th, 2004 Period 3 Bibliography "American President." web (March 14, 2004) "Biographical Information of Richard Nixon." web (March 15, 2004) "President Nixon Biography." web (March 15, 2004) "U. S.
Presidential Election, 1968 ." web presidential election, 1968 (March 14, 2004) "President Nixon's Role in Vietnam." web (March 14, 2004) "The Nixon Visit." web (March 14, 2004) "Nixon's China Visit." web (March 12, 2004) "Who Said That?" . web q 3 b. html (March 15, 2004) "U. S.
Presidential Election, 1972 ." web presidential election% 2 C 1972 (March 14, 2004) "Watergate Chronology, 1971 - 1972 ." web (March 14, 2004) "Watergate Chronology, 1973 ." web (March 14, 2004) Aitken, Jonathan. 1993. Nixon: A Life. London, Great Britain: Butler & Tanner Ltd. Lewis, Alfred E. "Washington Post, June 18, 1972 ." web (March 16, 2004) Nixon, Richard. "Nixon's Resignation Speech." web (March 17, 2004) Nixon, Richard. 1978.
The Memoirs of Richard Nixon. New York: Grossest & Dunlap Publishers.
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Research essay sample on The Political Career Of Richard Nixon
