1. The Nixon, Ford & Carter Administrations Semester 2 Week 13

2. Election of 1968  campaigned as champion of the “silent majority”— ordinary Americans who believed change had gone too far—and called for “law and order”  Nixon’s principal opponent was Dem Hubert Humphrey, who had served as LBJ’s VP  Nixon also had to wage his campaign against a strong 3 rd party candidate, George Wallace, an experienced S’rn politician and avowed supporter of segregation  On Election Day, Wallace captured an impressive 13.5% of the popular vote, the best showing of a third-party candidate since 1924  Nixon managed a victory receiving 43.4 % of the popular vote to Humphrey’s 42.7% and 301 electoral votes to Humphrey’s 191

3. Nixon’s Southern Strategy  One of the keys to Nixon’s victory was his surprisingly strong showing in the South  Even though the South had long been a Democrat stronghold, Nixon had refused to concede the region  To gain S’rn support, Nixon had met with powerful SC Sen. Strom Thurmond & won his backing by promising several thing:  appoint only conservatives to the federal courts  name a S’rner to the Supreme Court  oppose court-ordered busing  Large numbers of white Southerners deserted the Democratic Party, granting Humphrey only one victory in TX  While Wallace claimed most of the states in the Deep South, Nixon captured VA, TN, KY & SC

5. Issue with the Supreme Court  His admin specifically targeted the nation’s antiwar protesters  Nixon also went on the attack against the recent Supreme Court rulings that expanded the rights of accused criminals  Nixon openly criticized the Court & its chief justice, Earl Warren  Nixon promised to fill vacancies on the Supreme Court with judges who would support the rights of law enforcement over the rights of suspected criminals  When Chief Justice Warren retired shortly after Nixon took office, the president replaced him with Warren Burger, a respected conservative judge

6. Henry Kissinger  Nixon chose as his national security adviser Henry Kissinger  Nixon and Kissinger shared views on many issues:  Both believed simply abandoning the war in Vietnam would damage the U.S. position in the world  they worked toward a gradual withdrawal  Nixon & Kissinger also believed in shaping a foreign policy rooted in practical approaches rather than ideologies  They felt the nation’s decades-long anticommunist crusade had created a foreign policy that was too rigid and often worked against the nation’s interests  They believed that engagement & negotiations with Communists offered a better way for U.S. to achieve its internat’l goals

7. Nixon’s Foreign Policy  Conservatives also believed Nixon was “soft” in foreign policy  Nixon & Kissinger, continued their predecessor’s policies of trying to undermine governments that seemed to endanger U.S. strategic or economic interests  Nixon sent arms to pro-American dictators in Iran, the Philippines, and South Africa When Chileans elected the socialist Salvador Allende president, the CIA helped his domestic opponents launch a coup on 9/11/1973, that overthrew and killed Allende and installed a bloody regime ruled by General Augusto Pinochet  Thousands of Allende’s supporters, including some Americans, were tortured and murdered, while others fled the country

8. Detente  He believed the U.S. needed to understand the growing role that China, Japan, and W’rn Europe would soon play  Nixon fashioned an approach called détente, or relaxation of tensions, between the U.S. & its 2 major Communist rivals, the USSR & China  In explaining détente to the American people, Nixon said that the U.S. had to build a better relationship with its main rivals in the interests of world peace

9. Détente with China  Détente began with an effort to improve U.S.- Chinese relations  Since 1949, the U.S. had refused to recognize the Communists as the legitimate rulers  He began by lifting trade & travel restrictions & w/drawing the 7th Fleet from defending Taiwan  2/1972, Nixon visited China  During the historic trip, the leaders of both nations agreed to establish “more normal” relations between their countries  Nixon hoped not only to strengthen ties with the Chinese, but also to encourage the Soviets to more actively pursue diplomacy  Nixon believed détente with China would encourage Soviet premier Leonid Brezhnev to be more accommodating with the U.S.

10. Détente with the USSR  Shortly after the public learned of U.S. negotiations with China, the Soviets proposed an U.S.-Soviet summit, or high- level diplomatic meeting, to be held in 5/1972  5/22, Nixon flew to Moscow for a weeklong summit  He became the first president since WWII to visit the USSR  During the historic Moscow summit, the 2 superpowers signed the 1st Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, or Salt I  a plan to limit nuclear arms the 2 nations had been working on for years Nixon & Brezhnev also agreed to increase trade & the exchange of scientific information

11. Nixon’s Thought Process  Nixon had grown defensive, secretive, and often resentful of his critics  Nixon had become president during a time when the U.S. was still very much at war with itself  Race riots & protests over the Vietnam War continued to consume the country  In Nixon’s view, these protesters & other “radicals” were out to bring down his admin  Nixon was so consumed with this opponents that he compiled an “enemies list” filled with people from politicians to members of the media whom he considered a threat to his presidency

12. Re-Election Plans  Seeking to gain an edge in every way they could, Nixon’s team engaged in a host of subversive tactics, from spying on opposition rallies to spreading rumors and false reports  These tactics included an effort to steal information from the Democratic Party’s headquarters  In the early hours of 6/17/1972, 5 Nixon supporters broke into the party’s office at the Watergate complex in DC  They had intended to obtain any sensitive campaign information and to place wiretaps on the office telephones Watergate complex

13. The Wheels Were Turning  The media discovered that one of the burglars James McCord, a member of the Committee for the Re-election of the President (CRP)  Reports soon surfaced that the burglars had been paid to execute the break-in from a secret CRP fund controlled by the White House  While the president may not have ordered the break-in, he did order a cover-up; The White House denied any involvement in the break-in  With Nixon’s consent, officials asked the CIA to intervene & stop the FBI from inquiring into the source of the money paid to the burglars  Nixon won re-election by one of the largest margins in history with nearly 61% of the popular vote to 37.5% for George McGovern  The electoral vote was 520-17 for Nixon

14. Problems for Nixon’s Administration  6/1973, John Dean testified before Sen. Ervin’s committee that former Attorney Gen. John Mitchell had ordered the Watergate break-in and that Nixon had played an active role in attempting to cover up any White House involvement  As a shocked nation absorbed Dean’s testimony, the Nixon admin strongly denied the charges  All the groups investigation the scandal sought access to the tapes. Nixon refused, pleading executive privilege  10/1973, A special prosecutor appointed by the president to handle the Watergate cases, Archibald Cox, took Nixon to court to force him to give up the recordings  VP Spiro Agnew, was forced to resign in disgrace  Investigators had discovered that Agnew had taken bribes from state contractors while he was gov’r of MD and that he had continued to accept bribes while serving in DC  Gerald Ford, the Repub leader of the H of R became the new VP

15. The Tapes Are Wanted  4/1974, Nixon released edited transcripts of the tapes, claiming that they proved this innocence  Investigators felt otherwise and went to court again to force Nixon to turn over the unedited tapes  July, Supreme Court ruled that the president had to turn over the tapes themselves, not just transcripts; Nixon handed over the tapes  Several days later, the House Judiciary Committee voted to impeach Nixon, or officially charge him of presidential misconduct  The committee charged that Nixon had:  obstructed justice in the Watergate cover-up  misused federal agencies to violate the rights of citizens  defied the authority of Congress by refusing to deliver tapes and other materials that the committee had requested

16. Nixon Resigns  One of the unedited tapes revealed that on 6/23/1972, just 6 days after the Watergate burglary, Nixon had ordered the CIA to stop the FBI’s investigation of the break-in  With this news, even the president’s strongest supporters conceded that impeachment & conviction in the Senate now seemed inevitable  8/9/1974, Nixon resigned his office; Gerald Ford took the oath of office & became the nation’s 38 th president

17. The Legacy of Watergate  Upon taking office, President Ford urged Americans to put the Watergate affair behind them and move on  The effects of the scandal, however endured long after Richard Nixon’s resignation  The Watergate crisis prompted a series of new laws intended to limit the power of the executive branch  In the 1970s, Congress passed a number of laws aimed at reestablishing a greater balance of power in gov’t  Federal Campaign Act Amendments - limited campaign contributions and established an independent agency to administer stricter election laws

18. After the Nixon Resignation  When Nixon resigned, Ford became the 1 st nonelected President  Ford named former NY gov’r Nelson Rockefeller as VP

19. The Nixon Pardon  Ford declared that it was time for “communication, conciliation, compromise & cooperation”  Ford lost popular support after pardoning Nixon for all offenses he might have committed, preventing further prosecution for Nixon  People wondered what kind of deal was made when Nixon resigned

20. Stagnation in the Economy  Inflation rose 11% a year  Unemployment was at 5.3%  Fears of worried investors brought a drop in stock prices  Nixon’s preoccupation w/ Watergate had compromised effort to deal w/ economic difficulties

21. Ford’s Approach to the Economy  Try to restore public confidence  Centerpiece of his economic program called “Whip Inflation Now” or WIN  Americans were asked to save a portion of their paychecks and plant vegetable gardens  Plan had no incentives & faded quickly  Caused worst recession since 1930s  Unemployment rose to 9%

22. Conflicts with Congress  His basic dilemma was that he believed in limited gov’t at a time when strong executive leadership was need to get the nation on its feet  Ford vetoed bills to create a consumer protection agency & to fund programs for education, housing & health care

23. Foreign Policy Issues  During the Ford years, the U.S. continued forging ties w/ China, freeing the country from its involvement in Vietnam  Congress passed the War Powers Act over Nixon’s veto which let Congress either approve or disapprove the President’s sending troops overseas & bringing forces home

24. Helsinki Accords  Ford continued SALT & held out hope for further nuclear disarmament  Helsinki Accords – a series agreements made a summit meeting, signed by 35 countries pledging to cooperate & promote human rights

25. Election of 1976  Ford wasn’t planning on running, but decided to; barely got GOP nomination  Dem nominee was Jimmy Carter, gov’r of GA  Carter was 50% of pop. Vote  Electoral vote was 297-240 Carter

26. A Step Towards Middle East Peace  Conflicts between Israel & the Arab nations had existed for nearly 30 years  At 1 st, Carter hoped to call an Internat'l conference on the Middle East, then leader Anwar el-Sadat of Egypt made a historical visit to Israel

27. The Camp David Accords  9/1978, at Camp David, Carter assumed the role of peacemaker to bridge the gap between Sadat & Israeli PM Menachem Begin  Sadat & Begin agreed on a framework for peace  Israel would withdraw from the Sinai peninsula; Egypt become the 1 st Arab country to recognize Israel’s existence as a nation

28. Other Foreign Policies Under Carter Panama Canal  Senate ratified treaties returning the canal to Panama by 2000  Made for better relations w/ Latin America China  est. diplomatic relations w/ China; China wanted U.S. technology to modernize the country

29. Soviet-American Relations  Détente was at a high point when Carter took office  Carter’s commitment to human rights alienated Soviet leaders  SALT II – limited the number of nuclear warheads & missiles each power retained

30. Problems in Afghanistan  12/1979, USSR invades Afghanistan to end agitation against the Soviet-supported gov’t there  Carter got on the “hot line” to Brezhnev telling him that the invasion would jeopardize the course of U.S.-USSR relations throughout the world  Carter imposed a boycott on the 1980 Olympics held in Moscow, 60 other countries followed  This effectively killed Détente

31. Problems in Iran  The U.S. supported the rule of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi who modernized Iran; had repressive gov’t but was good supplier of oil  1/1979, revolution broke out, led by Muslim fundamentalist who wanted things back the way it was  The shah would flee Iran, was replaced by Islamic leader Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini

32. U.S. Hostages Taken in Iran  Would be the worst foreign policy crisis Carter would occur  Carter led the shah into U.S. for medical treatment; Iranians not happy  11/4/1979, students seized the U.S. embassy in Iran & took 66 Americans hostage; few were released but 50 were held for 444 days  Most were tortured; nightly newscast made this a nat’l crisis  Carter tried several attempts & failed to bring the hostages home, his popularity fell quickly  Secret talks brought home the 52 hostages early in 1981