1. The Nixon Administration

2. Man Walks on the Moon!

3. Essential Questions:
What were Nixon’s plans to lead the nation on a more conservative course?
What was stagflation and what steps did Nixon take to battle it?
What was Nixon’s Southern Strategy?
What major foreign policy moves did Nixon make?
What was the Watergate Scandal and how did it lead to Nixon’s resignation from office?

4. Nixon’s New Conservatism
Nixon was determined to turn the US into a more conservative direction with a sense of order
The US was intensely divided over Vietnam
Nixon felt LBJ’s Great Society programs gave the federal gov. too much responsibility.
Nixon’s plan was New Federalism which was to distribute a portion of federal power to state and local government
Under the Revenue Sharing Plan state and local gov. could spend Fed. $ how they saw fit

5. Welfare Reform
Nixon wanted to overhaul welfare which he felt had grown inefficient
In 1969 Nixon introduced the Federal Assistance Plan (FAP) which a family of four would receive a basic family income of $1,500 to $4,000, job training would be given and any job would have to be accepted by the participant
It passed the House, but was attacked by both parties in the Senate and the bill was defeated

6. Two Sides to New Federalism
The Nixon administration increased Social Security, Medicare, Medicare and made food stamps more accessible
Yet Nixon tried to eliminate the Job Corps, and in 1970 he denied funding for (HUD)
By 1973, Nixon had impounded more than $15 billion in funds for housing, health, and education (Courts overturned the impounding)
Nixon abolished the Office of Economic Opportunity

7. Law and Order Politics Nixon pledged to end the war in Vietnam
He pledged to mend American divisions
He played to the “silent majority”
Nixon used the FBI and CIA to investigate American dissidents and political enemies
The IRS was used to audit anti-war and civil rights activists returns
Nixon had a “enemies list” of who to harass
VP Spiro Agnew attacked liberals, the media, and anti-war protestors
( Pit-bull)

9. Nixon’s Southern Strategy
Nixon tried to get support from white southern democrats who were unhappy with federal desegregation policies and a liberal supreme court
Nixon favored slow desegregation, in 1969 he ordered the Dept. of Health, Ed, and Welfare to delay segregation in Miss. and SC ( Overturned by the Supreme Court)
Desegregation though school busing became a civil rights issue ( Whites in Detroit and Boston opposed it) Nixon was opposed to it

11. Causes of Stagflation
Between the US faced high unemployment and high inflation (Stagflation)
High Inflation was caused by LBJ funding the war and the Great Society through deficit spending
Increased International Competition in trade
Floods of new workers (Domestic Baby Boomers and Foreign)
Heavy dependence of foreign oil

12. OPEC and War
During the 1960’s the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) raised the price of oil
The Six Days War in 1967 impacted prices
The 1973 Yom Kippur War between Israel and Egypt and Syria increased prices
The US sent massive military aid to Israel,
Arab OPEC nations cut oil sales to the US (Oil Embargo) By 1974 price increased 4x
Major gas lines and shortages in the US early, mid 1970’s

15. “Shuttle Diplomacy”
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger traveled back and forth between Middle Eastern countries
Kissinger’s efforts paid off
In January 1974 Egypt and Israel signed a peace accord
In May Israel signed a cease fire with Syria

19. Nixon Battles Stagflation
To reverse deficit spending Nixon raised taxes and cut the budget (Congress opposed)
Nixon tried to reduce the amount of $ in circulation by pushing for higher interest rates
Nixon took the US off the gold standard
In 1971 Nixon froze wages, rents, fees and prices for 90 days it helped temporarily but the recession continued

20. Nixon and the Environment
Nixon supported the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Nixon improved the Clean Air Act of 1963
Nixon supported the Water Quality Improvement Act of 1970
In 1973 the Endangered Species Act was passed
Membership in the Sierra Club took off due to new concerns over the environment
On April 2d, 1970 the first Earth Day was held

23. Nixon’s Foreign Policy
Kissinger promoted the idea of the “realpolitik” which was political realism (Foreign policy is based on consolidation of power)
US should confront and deal with the powerful nations (Negotiations/Militarily)
Nixon and Kissinger had a flexible approach in dealing with Comm.
They pushed for “détente” or a relaxing of Cold War tensions

24. Nixon Visits China
Since 1949 the US had not recognized the Communist Chinese Government
“Ping-pong” diplomacy began in 1971
Nixon wanted to play the “China Card” and take advantage of the rift between the China and the USSR
Nixon’s visit to China was symbolic and it opened up diplomatic and economic relations
Both would cooperate and participate in scientific and cultural exchanges

27. Nixon and Premier Zhou En-lai

31. Nixon Visits the USSR
In May 1972, three months after visiting China, Nixon became the first President to visit Moscow
Nixon met with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev
They signed the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I)
It limited ICBM’s and sub missiles to 1972 levels
Nixon offered to sell $ 1 billion in wheat crop to the USSR

38. The Watergate Scandal
How did Nixon and his advisors seek to increase their power?
What were the details of the Watergate Burglary?
How was the scandal uncovered?
Why did the House want to impeach Nixon?
What was impact on American Politics?

39. Nixon and Watergate
“Dirty Tricks” were used by the administration to withhold information from the public, discredit critics, and gain illegal campaign contributions for the 1972 election
The “plumbers” were established to stop leaks of information
Former CIA agent E. Howard Hunt and FBI agent G. Gordon Liddy headed the re-election team
(CREEP: Committee to Re-Elect the President)
“The Enemies List” First target was Daniel Ellsberg who released the Pentagon Papers

40. Hunt and Liddy

41. The Imperial Presidency
Nixon expanded the power of the Presidency with little thought of Constitutional Checks
Impoundment of funds for federal programs
Invading Cambodia without the approval of Congress
Nixon felt the office of the Presidency was above the law

42. The President’s Men Fierce loyal advisors H.R. Haldeman –
Chief of staff
John Ehrlichman – Chief Domestic Advisor
John N. Mitchell – Attorney General
John W. Dean III – White House Council

43. The Drive Towards Re-election
Nixon feared losing elections
Committee to Re-elect the President was formed (CREEP) with Mitchell as its leader
CREEP hired a security team to bug the DNC headquarters at the Watergate Office Complex in DC
On June 17, 1972 five men were caught by a security guard Frank Wills
The group’s leader James McCord was former CIA and Security Coordinator for CREEP

45. The Cover-Up Nixon was concerned about the break-in
Documents were shredded in Haldeman’s office
The White House asked the CIA to urge the FBI to stop investigating the break-in
CREEP passed out $450,000 to the burglars to buy their silence
The burglary was of little interest to the public and the press
Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein kept on the story ( Received info. from FBI source known as “Deepthroat” : Mark Felt )

47. The 1972 Election
Nixon ran a successful negative campaign against Senator George McGovern (D)
They let the press know that McGovern’s VP candidate Senator Thomas Eagleton had undergone shock therapy for depression
Voter turnout was an all time low
With promises of peace in Vietnam Nixon won in a landslide

49. The Cover-Up Unravels
In Jan McCord sent a letter to Judge John Sirica (Presiding Judge) stating he lied under oath, and hinted others were involved
On April 30th, Nixon fired John Dean and announced the resignations of Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and Attorney General Richard Kleindiest
Nixon went on TV to promote his new Attorney General Elliot Richardson and he suggested a “Special Prosecutor” be appointed to investigate Watergate

50. The Senate Investigates
Senator James Ervin began calling Administration officials to give testimony
Dean admitted the President had been deeply involved in the cover-up (White House denial)
Presidential Aid Alex Butterfield revealed the tapes of Oval Office Conversations
A year long battle for the tapes began

51. The Saturday Night Massacre
Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox took Nixon to Court in 1973
Nixon ordered Attorney General Richardson to fire Cox
Richardson refused the order and resigned (Saturday Night Massacre)
Solicitor General Robert Bork fired Cox
New Special Prosecutor Leon Jaworski wanted the tapes as well
A few days earlier VP Agnew resigned for accepting bribes while Gov. of MD
New VP Gerald Ford was appointed

52. The Fall of Nixon
In March 1974 a Grand Jury indicted seven presidential aids on charges of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and perjury
Nixon released 1,254 pages of edited transcripts
In July 1974 The Supreme Court ordered Nixon to give up the unedited tapes “I am not a crook!”
In Aug. Nixon released the tapes with an 18.5 min. gap
(Rose Mary Woods accidentally erased the most crucial part)

53. Impeachment or Resignation
The House Judiciary Committee approved three articles of impeachment: obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress
On August 8th , 1974 Nixon announced his resignation
Nixon admitted no guilt, some judgments “were wrong”
Gerald Ford was sworn in as President
Ford gave Nixon a full Presidential pardon
25 administration members served prison terms

57. Nixon Post Presidency Interview