Richard Nixon

Carolyn Woods Eisenberg on Nixon's War Deceptions

by James Thornton Harris

A new history of Nixon and Kissinger's Vietnam policy shows a president driven by the abstract goal of credibility instead of concrete steps to conclude the conflict, at the cost of tens of thousands of American and hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese lives. 

We Pay the Price for Failing to Treat Ex-Presidents as Ordinary Citizens

by James D. Robenalt

Deferential treatment given to Richard Nixon after his resignation, including not only his pardon but also lenient treatment by the Watergate grand jury, set precedents for impunity that the nation suffers from today. 

There's a Precedent for Trump's Indictment: Spiro Agnew

by Zach Messitte, Charles Holden and Jerald Podair

Nixon's VP pioneered the right-wing politics of grievance against coastal elites and higher education familiar today. He also had a tendency to accept bribes that is familiar. But in 1973 the Republican Party was willing to cut him loose. 

The "Madman Theory" Was Quintessential Nixon

by Zachary Jonathan Jacobson

Richard Nixon's famed foreign policy ruse—encouraging adversaries to think him capable of seemingly insane decisions—had one essential component: Nixon himself, and his commitment to the tightrope-walking performance. 

The Nixon Library's Vietnam Exhibition Obscures the Truth about the War's End

by Brian Robertson

The exhibition commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Paris Peace Accords chooses its sources selectively to present the negotiations as the product of Nixon's grand strategy, ignoring the role of domestic political machination. 

Ford's Pardon of Nixon and Leads Americans to Doubt Accountability, Democracy

by Garrett M. Graff

Democracy won't be secure unless those who hold positions of power can be assured of being held to account if they break the law or abuse the public's trust. 

"Cut His Head Off if Necessary"—The Flimsy, Politically-Driven "Peace" Nixon Made in Vietnam

by James D. Robenalt

Months after inflicting a brutal bombing campaign on North Vietnam to push them to the negotiating table in Paris, Richard Nixon pressed the South to accept a deal that doomed their survival, in order to claim the mantle of peacemaker for himself. 

Frank Shakespeare, 97, Helped Nixon Campaign Redefine Campaign Ads

Influential ads produced by Shakespeare helped Nixon to associate crime and disorder with opponents and overcome suspicion of Nixon's character and personality. 

Understanding the Political Power of Nixon's "Silent Majority"

by George Case

Nixon's comment, arguably a throwaway line at the time, has become prophetic as the public across the political spectrum fears they are being manipulated and deceived. 

After 50 Years, the Truth About the Vietnam Peace Agreement Remains Elusive

by Arnold Isaacs

In October 1972, Henry Kissinger declared "peace is at hand" in Vietnam. Why, then, did the United States continue bombing North Vietnam? Official deception still colors American foreign policy and military strategy today. 

How Richard Nixon Alienated Allies after Watergate (and Lessons for Trump)

"Along the way, when it mattered most, Nixon and his crew found that people who might have been political allies in the past were not especially sympathetic to his case."

49 Years Later, Nixon's Knowledge of Pinochet Coup Remains Secret

It is beyond time for the Biden Administration to declassify presidential records related to American operations in Chile around the overthrow of democratically elected President Salvador Allende on September 11, 1973.  

Is Trump the New Nixon? The Young Custodian of the Nixon Library Would Rather Not Say

Jim Byron, the CEO of the Richard Nixon Foundation, is the unofficial guardian of the former president's legacy, having worked his way up in the organization after starting as a teenaged summer intern. 

Watergate at 50: Did Kennedy Loyalists Squelch a 1968 "October Surprise" that Could Have Beaten Nixon?

by James H. Barron

Did Democratic party insiders bury the story of Richard Nixon receiving campaign funds from the Greek military junta because they disliked the Greek exile journalist who broke the news? 

Garrett Graff: A "Conspiratorial Mindset" Links Trump and Nixon Actions

Garrett Graff, author of "Watergate: A New History" argues that both January 6 and Watergate were the logical culminations of the broader politics of the Trump and Nixon administrations and the movements that sustained them. 

From Trust in Institutions to Partisan Polarization: The Legacy of Watergate at 50

Garrett M. Graff calls the events set in motion by the 1972 burglary a dividing line in history that changed the political culture forever. 

On "Smoking Guns"—Yesterday and Today (and Tomorrow?)

by Jim Zirin

As text messages between Donald Jr. and Mark Meadows surface, it seems the last roadblock to a prosecution of Donald Trump over January 6 is a lack of will, not a lack of evidence.

Trump Can't Just Erase History the Way Nixon Tried to Do

by Tim Naftali

"The newly reported Trumpian gap may actually be easier to fill in, and therefore less of a threat to the historical record than Nixon’s."

Watergate at 50: The Consequences of Impunity

by Barry Sussman

The Washington Post's City Editor at the time of the Watergate breakin launches a series of posts on the ongoing legacy of the scandal. This one discusses the legacy of elite impunity that resulted from the failure to prosecute Richard Nixon. 

Richard Nixon Made one of the Most Successful Political Comebacks in History. Trump Ignores His Playbook

by Donne Levy

Donald Trump is departing in multiple ways from the comeback strategy of Richard Nixon. Is this a political mistake, or a reflection of a different Republican Party and a different age of politics?