The Nixon Years

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The Nixon Years
1968 to 1974
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I.) The Election of 1968

1. Republican candidate Richard Nixon
2. Democrat candidate Hubert Humphrey
3. Independent candidate George Wallace

D. Outcome 1. Nixon elected 37th
president of U.S.
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II.) New Direction

1. Transform American into Conservative direction
   to decrease the size and influence of federal
   government

B. Nixons Plan 1. New Federalism
distribute portion of federal power
to state and local governments
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• Nixons New Federalism Actions
• 1. State Local Fiscal Assistance Act of 1972
• enacts Revenue Sharing
• 2. Family Assistance Plan of 1969 welfare
  reform
• defeated in the Senate
• 3. Worked to dismantle some of the nations
  social
• programs enacted by Johnsons Great
  Society
• a. used impoundment (withholding funds for
• programs)

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• Law and Order Policy
• 1. supported by Silent Majority
• (middle class Americans who wanted to
• restore law and order)

2. illegal enforcement - wiretaps - CIA
investigations - IRS audits - enemies list
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• Southern Strategy
• 1. Goal attract southern Democrats who
• felt Democrats had become
  too liberal
• 2. How try to slow desegregation
• 3. Outcome Congress resists

G. Supreme Court 1. Four justices
retire (including Chief Justice Earl Warren)
2. Nominates conservative judges - Nominates
conservative Warren Burger for Chief Justice
Outcome Conservative Supreme Court
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• Economic Problems
• 1. Stagflation high inflation and high
• unemployment (1967-1973)

2. Caused by - deficit spending -
competition - foreign oil dependency
3. Fixes - raise interest rates - price
wage controls - wants tax hike budget cuts
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• G. Nixons Foreign Policy
• 1. Realpolitik based on nations
• power not on moral principles
• (ignore less powerful focus on powerful)
• Henry Kissinger- national security advisor
  secretary of state
• 2. Détente U.S. policy to ease Cold War
  tensions
• - Nixon visits communist China (Feb. 1972)
• - Nixon visits Soviet Union (May 1972)
• - SALT I Treaty (reduce/limit nuclear arms)
• - End war in Vietnam

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III.) The Imperial Presidency

1. Executive Branch had become most powerful govt.
   branch
2. Nixon expands the power of the presidency with
   disregard for constitutional checks

The Inner Circle 1. H.R Haldeman (Chief
of Staff) 2. John Ehrichman (Domestic
Advisor) 3. John Mitchell (Attorney
General) 4. John Dean (Presidential Counsel)
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IV.) The Watergate Scandal

• A. Definition Nixon administrations attempt to
  cover up a burglary of the Democratic National
  Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex
  in Washington D.C.

B. Outcome House will vote to impeach
(remove) Nixon from office and Nixon will
resign the presidency (Aug. 8, 1974)
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The Events of Watergate

• June 17, 1972 5 men are caught breaking into DNC
  HQ at Watergate complex
• John McCord former CIA agent is groups leader and
• has ties to John Mitchell
• Cover-up begins shred evidence, pay-off burglars
  not to speak, ask CIA/FBI to stop investigation
• Washington Post (Bob Woodward Carl Bernstein)
  begin investigation that links administration to
  burglary
• little public interest in Watergate
• November 1972 Nixon is re-elected by a landslide

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• January 1973 trial of Watergate burglars begins
  
• John Sirica judge
• James McCord hints to judge he lied under oath
  and
• Powerful members of Nixons administration
  involved
• Public interest grows due to possible White House
  involvement
• April 30, 1973 John Dean dismissed, Hardeman,
  Ehrlichman, and Kleindienst (Mitchells
  replacement) resign
• May 1973 Senate begins a Watergate investigation
  with Presidents Men testifying one after
  another
• John Dean testifies Nixon involved in cover-up
• Presidential aide Alexander Butterfield testifies
  Nixon had taped all Oval Office conversations
  Nixon refuses to give up tapes citing
• Executive Privilege

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• October 1973 Saturday Night Massacre Nixon
  wants
• Archibald Cox fired Richardson refuses
  resigns
• Solicitor General fires him
• Days before VP Spiro Agnew resigns
• Gerald Ford nominated as replacement
• March 1974 seven presidential aides indicted by
  grand jury
• July 24, 1974 Supreme Court votes Nixon must
  give up Oval Office tapes Nixon argues goes
  against National Security
• July 27, 1974 House Judiciary Committee approves
  
• 3 articles of impeachment
• August 5, 1974 Nixon release tapes 18 min gap
  missing (The Smoking Gun)

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• Tapes prove Nixon knew about break-in and agreed
• To cover them up
• August 8, 1974 House of Representatives about to
  vote
• on impeachment when
  Nixon resigns from office of the presidency
• August 8, 1974 Gerald Ford sworn in as 38th
  president

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