The Nixon Years: 1969-74 1/3/2019
1969 had its moments… July: Neil Armstrong landed on the moon Aug: Woodstock Festival Oct: “Miracle Mets” won the World Series 1/3/2019
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Woodstock http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StFhvAIv3Js 1/3/2019
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Max Yasgur’s farm Upstate New York 1/3/2019
The main stage under construction 1/3/2019
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Janis Joplin 1/3/2019
The Grateful Dead 1/3/2019
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Jimi 1/3/2019
Crosby, Stills, & Nash 1/3/2019
Joe Cocker 1/3/2019
Watching from backstage 1/3/2019
Carlos Santana 1/3/2019
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After the rains 1/3/2019
The Who 1/3/2019
Richie Havens 1/3/2019
The Jefferson Airplane 1/3/2019
Alvin Lee of Ten Years After 1/3/2019
Country Joe and the Fish 1/3/2019
About 500,000 people gathered in upstate NY for 3 days of peace and music in the summer of ‘69 1/3/2019
Nixon and Vietnam Nixon’s chief advisor on foreign affairs was U.S. Sec. of State Henry Kissinger “Vietnamization”: turning over control / responsibility to the South Vietnamese U.S. begins withdrawal…25,000 troops out in summer of ’69 (Over next 3 years: down from 500,000 to 25,000) 1/3/2019
But… Even as troops were coming home, Nixon ordered bombing of Laos and Cambodia 1970: ordered invasion of Cambodia Immediate reaction on college campuses…students went on strike (more than 1,200 campuses struck) 1/3/2019
Kent State University Student protesters set fire to the ROTC building… The Ohio governor called in the Nat’l. Guard On May 4, 1970 the 2 sides confronted one another: students threw rocks and bottles Guardsmen answered by firing 65 shots into the crowd, killing 4 and wounding 13 others 1/3/2019
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“Peace with honor” It was important to Nixon for the U.S. to exit the war honorably…to avoid the humiliation of having lost the war The Paris Peace Talks had begun before Nixon took office but negotiations were difficult and often stalled 1/3/2019
Main goals of the negotiations: U.S. Wanted: All communist troops out of So. Vietnam Return of American POWs N. Vietnamese wanted: Immediate withdrawal of US troops Coalition gov’t. in the South to include Vietcong 1/3/2019
The Pentagon Papers Classified gov’t. documents on U.S. in Vietnam leaked to NY Times Co-author Daniel Ellsberg at the eye of the storm Nixon tried to block publication (NY Times v. United States)…Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Times 1/3/2019
End of the War Paris Peace Accords: January, 1973 American troops coming home N Vietnam to keep troops in S. Vietnam NLF to become legit political party in S. Vietnam N. Vietnam to return American POWs (Sen. John McCain was one of them) 1/3/2019
Peace finally…or not Spring of 1975, N. Vietnamese launched attacks against the South Without U.S. support, the ARVN was doomed American Embassy in Saigon overrun Vietnam unified under 1 flag…the flag of communist North Vietnam 1/3/2019
Evacuation of the US Embassy: Saigon 1975 1/3/2019
Re-election and Downfall Nixon re-elected in 1972 Would not see the end of his 2nd term… 1/3/2019
Watergate Watergate was a hotel & office complex in the D.C. area Democratic Nat’l. Committee HQ’s at W-Gate 5 “burglars” were caught bugging the Dems offices Who put them up to this and why??? 1/3/2019
The trail leads to the White House The burglars were tied to Nixon’s Committee to Re-Elect the President (“CREEP”) Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein dug deeper and deeper Their investigation linked knowledge of the illegal activities to high ranking members of Nixon’s staff…and to the Oval Office itself! 1/3/2019
Closing in on Nixon March, 1974: grand jury indicts 7 of Nixon’s aides on charges of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and perjury…Nixon’s 2 top advisors were amongst the 7 indicted July, 1974: House Judiciary Comm. approved 3 articles of impeachment, charging Nixon with obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress 1/3/2019
Why was Nixon about to be impeached? It was clear that he knew of the break-in at DNC He approved a cover-up of the break-in and other campaign “dirty tricks” He tried to block the FBI’s investigation 1/3/2019
Resignation Rather than face impeachment, Nixon resigned in disgrace His VP, Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as Pres. soon thereafter 1/3/2019
Nixon says goodbye 1/3/2019
Effects of the Watergate scandal 25 members of RMN’s administration served jail terms Americans disillusioned with politics and the “imperial” Presidency… presidents acting above the law, like emperors 1/3/2019