Presenting Richard Nixon

What images or thoughts does the name of America’s 37^th president conjure up?  What more do we know of him besides his involvement in Watergate and that he resigned? (Let’s not forget that he was also Vice President during Eisenhower’s years in office). Before being sworn into office, Nixon mingled in politics for more than 20 years, a fact that reveals tenacity and dedication. So how did his behavior from 1971-1974, eclipse his intentions and the public’s view of him? Historians have attempted to preserve or dismantle the world’s perception of him—leaving audiences attempting to understand him and Watergate, in a confusing predicament. In his article Nixon and the American Political Tradition, Michael Riccards highlights Nixon’s reputation during this time:

 He was portrayed in the era of Watergate as a man of excesses, a disgraceful  figure who operated outside the rough and tumble rules of the game and who ended up violating his oath of office (193).

 It can be argued that the perception of Nixon in the Watergate era has completely overshadowed any sense of objectivity applied when even speaking of, or attempting to learn about Nixon. So what should someone know when trying to understand these events and Nixon himself? It may be surprising to know that Nixon was not always perceived in such a distorted way, to know that at one time, American’s had faith in him and his capabilities. In 1969, shortly after his election, the well known journalist Nancy Balfour, described him as “intelligent, experienced, well informed, a skilled political operator, trained for his job” (Balfour, 102). Published in 1969, Balfour’s article President Nixon Sets the Stage depicts the public’s view of him immediately after his election when hope for the future was considered a real possibility.

Sources:

Michael P. Riccards, “Richard Nixon and the American Political Tradition,” Presidential Studies Quarterly, Vol. 23, No. 4. (1993): 739-745, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27551150.

*Written by Kristal Williams