Richard Nixon much of his first term focusing on foreign policy Through negotiations led by National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger and North Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Duc Tho U S involvement in the Vietnam War at last came to an end in early 1973 Meanwhile Nixon reestablished diplomatic relations between the United States and China which had halted after communists took control of China 21 years earlier He was the first sitting president to visit China In domestic policy he reformed welfare policy instituted the first affirmative action program and battled inflation Renominated in 1972 Nixon polled a record 46 million popular votes and won 49 states George McGovern the Democratic candidate received only 17 electoral votes It was a landslide victory for Nixon Yet by 1974 his impeachment seemed inevitable as a result of political scandals involving his staff During his reelection campaign five bur glars hired by the Committee to Reelect the President were arrested at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate office-apartment-hotel complex in Washington D C As the investigation continued the Nixon Administration tried 8
Introduction to cover up its connection to the burglary In the summer of 1973 it was revealed that Nixon had taped conversations in the Oval Office These tapes were then subpoenaed but the president released only some of them The growing allegations against him led the House of Representatives to recommend three articles of impeachment charging Nixon with obstruction of justice abuse of power and failure to comply with congres sional subpoenas On August 5 1974 Nixon finally released transcripts of three tapes that clearly implicated him in the cover-up With this evidence Nixon’s impeachment by the House and then conviction by the Senate was almost assured Rather than be forced from office he resigned three days later thus bringing an ignominious end to his political career 9
Early Life and Career 10 Chapter 1 ichard Milhous Nixon was born in Yorba Linda a farming village in Orange County California on January 9 1913 He was the second of five sons of Francis Frank Anthony Nixon and Hannah Milhous Nixon Family History Frank Nixon came from a Scots-Irish farm ing family He was a descendant of James Nixon who emigrated from Ireland to settle in Delaware in 1753 One member of the Nixon family served in the American Revolution Another was killed in the battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War Richard’s father who was born near McArthur Ohio had to go to work after R
Young Richard Nixon right with his parents and brothers Harold left and Francis Donald 1916 11
