1. Nixon’s Presidency and Watergate
Chapter 30, Section 1
Nixon’s Presidency and Watergate

2. President Richard Nixon
A Divided America
After winning a close election in 1968, President Nixon was confronted with many problems
Inflation
racial problems
conflict in Vietnam
Nixon also faced a Democratic Congress, which made his attempts to change the existing welfare system difficult
President Richard Nixon

3. Domestic Challenges
New Federalism – Nixon’s plan to limit the power of the federal govt.
Grants of money went from the federal govt. to states
Promised to reduce welfare spending
Planned to restore law and order by granting power to police and courts

4. Economic Problems
Stagflation – the economic condition of slow economic growth & high inflation
Rising prices reduced the purchasing power of the dollar by more than 30%
One cause of inflation: rising oil prices

5. OPEC
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (mostly nations from Middle East)
They raised prices and cut shipments of oil to U.S. to protest U.S. support of Israel in the Yom Kippur War of 1973 against Israel’s Middle East neighbors
This caused oil prices to soar and created an energy shortage, which weakened the US economy, and passage of a national 55 mile per hour speed limit

6. Nixon’s Foreign Policy
Realpolitik – comes from the German for “actual politics,” and means that foreign policy decisions would be based on practical US interests and not moral or political ideas
Cold War begins to ease during Nixon’s presidency, and the easing of tensions between rivals is called détente
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger with President Nixon

7. Relations with China
Nixon: China was a nation of a billion people, therefore the country cannot be ignored
To improve relations with China, Nixon visited China in February in 1972, leading to opening of diplomacy and trade
President Nixon strolls along the Great Wall of China in 1972 and struggles with chop sticks at a dinner with Chinese Premier Chou Enlai below

8. Relations with the Soviet Union
to ease relations with the Soviet Union, Nixon visited Moscow in May, 1972
the Soviet Union and the U.S. signed SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty) that limited the number of each country’s nuclear weapons
President Nixon and Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev toast an agreement between their two nations in 1972

9. 1972 Presidential Election
President Nixon (running for re-election) vs. Democratic Sen. George McGovern
Nixon wanted to win BIG, and did with a huge landslide victory

10. Watergate Break-in
Nixon hoped a BIG 1972 win would ensure his political party, the Republicans, would control Congress
To make sure of big victory – some people close to Nixon engaged in illegal activities
In June 1972 – five burglars were caught breaking into the Democratic Party National Committee offices at the Watergate office-apartment complex in Washington DC
Burglars were tied to Nixon’s reelection campaign (also known as CREEP – Committee to Re-Elect the President)
The “Watergate” is an office/apartment/hotel complex located in Washington D.C. that was also home to the headquarters of the Democratic Party offices

11. Watergate Cover-up
Nixon likely didn’t order the break-in or even know about it until after it happened
Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, reporters for the Washington Post, investigated the Watergate break-in and first cracked the Watergate scandal in August 1972
Initially the blame was put on officials close to Nixon, but soon it went to whether Nixon helped cover it up

12. John Dean – in his White House office
Watergate Witness
Close advisors to Nixon warned him about situation
Nixon then agreed to pay “hush money” to the burglars to keep them quiet
White House aide John Dean then decided to tell everything he knew to the Senate committee investigating the scandal – which included Nixon’s involvement in the cover- up
John Dean – in his White House office

13. Dean’s Word vs. Nixon’s Word
Nixon continued to deny the charges against him
It was then discovered that Nixon had recorded all conversations in the Oval Office in the While House
A battle was fought over the tapes (who gets them?)
In a nationally televised press conference, Richard Nixon looked Americans in the eye and affirmed that “people have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I’m not a crook.”

14. More Trouble for Nixon
Vice President Spiro Agnew was revealed to have accepted bribes while governor of Maryland and as Vice President
This scandal was unrelated to Watergate, but still hurt Nixon politically
Nixon nominated Gerald Ford to become the new Vice President
Vice President Spiro Agnew

15. Nixon Resigns
Nixon was forced by a Supreme Court order to release all of his tapes
After he released “edited transcripts” – the House of Representatives started impeachment hearings
Nixon decided to resign the presidency – making Gerald Ford the new president
Nixon giving his farewell speech to his staff from the East room of the White House before leaving the last time as President.

16. Gerald Ford – 38th President of the United States
President Gerald Ford
Former Michigan Congressman and Vice President under Richard Nixon
Known for his honesty and hard-working attitude
Ford was the only person to serve as President who wasn’t elected either President or Vice President by the people
Gerald Ford – 38th President of the United States