Nixon Library Cancels Vietnam Conference

In a surprise move that has left many scholars aghast and baffled, the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace has abruptly cancelled an academic conference scheduled for April that was to examine the history of Nixon and Vietnam. The conference, already advertised in the American Historical Association's newsletter and other places, was to have featured a score of prominent Nixon scholars and critics including Stanley Kutler, Richard Reeves, Jeffrey Kimball, and Larry Berman.

The conference was jointly sponsored by the Nixon Library and Whittier College, Nixon's alma mater. In an email to participants sent last night Whittier's history department chairman, Laura McEnaney, expressed anger at the decision. Many of the participants today said that they shared her sense of outrage. Jeffrey Kimball told HNN: "It appears that the directors of the Nixon Library were concerned that professional historians, seeking historical truth based on archival evidence, would, in reporting their findings, damage Nixon's reputation by telling the truth as they found it."

John Taylor, executive director of the Library, blamed the cancellation on the absence of public interest and budget concerns, noting that "our substantial invitation mailing and advertising, in addition to whatever Whittier was able to do to pass the word, had generated seven sign-ups by the end of last week.  The budget the College and we had agreed on called for 200 paid attendees." The cost of attending the two-day conference was $180, including two meals per day.

Taylor noted that he had wanted to include headliners like Robert McNamara and Henry Kissinger to draw interest. But the "College took the view then, and has reiterated it this week, that such figures would have added little if anything to the debate about the war in Vietnam." Carolyn Eisenberg was offended by the emphasis the Library placed on the participation of McNamara and Kissinger:"This promised to be an outstanding academic conference with a wide range of perspectives to be considered. It is extraordinary that the Nixon Library abruptly cancelled this event after inviting 26 of us to attend. The suggestion that without the participation of Henry Kissinger and Robert McNamara that this conference was not worthwhile is troubling."

The cancellation comes at an awkward moment for the Library, which has been trying to establish its bona fides as the newest member of the presidential library system run by the National Archives. Just this past year Congress passed legislation providing for the transfer of Nixon's controversial archives to the Library. Kimball lamented to HNN that the "behavior of the Library directors, excluding the professional archival staff, raises serious questions about their professionalism and their ability to receive and manage the Nixon papers, which will soon be transferred to them. In the end, the loser is the public's right to know their history." (In a related story, the Coalition for History reported today that the transfer may be delayed because the Bush administration did not include in its budget proposal the request of $3 million needed to facilitate the beginning of the process: "Without the money, the Nixon papers and tapes may stay in Washington at least until 2007.")

Stanley Kutler, who fought Nixon for years in the courts to obtain access to the president's tapes, told HNN that "as long as John Taylor is running the Nixon operation, the place is off-limits to serious scholarly endeavor." David Greenberg, author of a book that examines Nixon's image through the years, said what's happened is a "shame" because the conference " would have done wonders for the reputation of the Library." He noted that just recently at a conference on Watergate held at the University of Texas, John Taylor had indicated to the historians there that the "Nixon Library was turning over a new leaf and was prepared to take in the leading Nixon scholars and have an open and honest and wide-ranging discussion without any control over them." "Clearly," he concluded, "it was too good to be true."

Melvin Small, author of a history that is widely considered a balanced account of the Nixon administration, said the cancellation "was astounding." But he noted that it reinforces doubts he has had about the Library's commitment to scholarship and evenhandedness. He recalled that a few years ago when C-Span invited him to appear in a broadcast based at the Library John Taylor had reportedly objected. C-Span told him that either Small would participate or the event would be moved to another location. Taylor relented.

Greenberg expressed the hope that the conference might still be salvaged if a new sponsor could be found. But Whittier College closed the door on that option this afternoon in a statement issued by the college's dean, Susan Gotsch:

Without the Library's significant monetary support, and without the appeal represented by a joint presentation from the two institutions, Whittier College has concluded that pursuing this conference alone at this time is not an option. We are greatly disappointed by this outcome. A considerable amount of time and energy has been invested by the staff and faculty at the two institutions. Moving forward, the College has already begun a contemporary exploration of its Nixon legacy, and will continue to seek collaborative scholarly examinations of that legacy.

The Nixon Library has told participants it will reimburse them for any travel costs they may have incurred. The Library says it expects to lose about $7,000 on the abortive meeting.

Many historians were baffled by the Nixon Library's decision. Larry Berman told HNN that "for the life of me" he couldn't understand how "you can put together this kind of lineup with so many serious scholars, authors and journalists" and then terminate it. The list of scholars included, in addition to those named above, Richard Norton Smith, Fredrik Logevall, Liz Trotta, John Prados, and Thomas Blanton.

The decision to kill the conference appears to have been taken precipitously. As of the filing of this story Friday afternoon, the day after the conference was cancelled, it remained prominently featured on the Nixon Library website.