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Chapter 25: Nixon, Ford, Carter(1969-1981)

PP. 824-859

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Ch. 25.1: Nixon’s Domestic Policypp. 826-831

+25.1: Nixon’s Domestic Policy

1. How did Nixon’s personality affect his relationship with his staff, and his presidency overall?

2. Why was the U.S. vulnerable to OPEC? How did the 1973 oil embargo affect the U.S.?

3. Describe the first manned moon landing.

Complete chart on top of p. 826

+25.1: Nixon’s Domestic Policy(pp. 826-831)

Nixon Biography

Born to modest family in California

Lawyer

Member of Congress ‘47-53 Hard on communism, tough on Cold War

Eisenhower’s VP (they didn’t get along real well)

Lost close election of ’60

Lost gubernatorial election in CA in ‘62

+Nixon in Person

Reserved & remote

Lacked charm & humor

Not a “people person” Few close friends Found security w/ his family: wife Pat & two daughters Enjoyed time away to his estates in FL & CA

Experienced politician

Willing to win at any cost

Anti-East coast, anti-establishment

Believed in strong executive branch “Imperial presidency”

+Nixon’s Staff

Nixon avoided his Cabinet

Instead relied on his White House staff

Staffers gave extreme loyalty

H R Haldeman (top left)—”I get done what he wants done and I take the heat instead of him.”

John Ehrlichman (bottom left)—Nixon’s personal lawyer

The two acted as Nixon’s “Berlin Wall” Had to pass them before speaking w/ the

President

+Nixon’s Staff

John Mitchell (top right)—managed Nixon’s presidential campaign—became Attorney General Spoke w/ Nixon multiple

times/day

Henry Kissinger (bottom right)—former Harvard government professor—national security advisor and then Sec. of State Shaped foreign policy

+Domestic Policy

Vietnam War & domestic policy were key issues of ‘68 election

In domestic policy, Nixon broke from JFK & LBJ

As Nixon took office: Inflation had doubled

between ‘65 & ‘68 Deficit was growing Unemployment on the rise

1st priority=halting inflation

Hoped to get gov’t spending under control

Wanted to avoid price & wage controls

*See inflation chart on p. 828

+Domestic Policy

During 1st term, Nixon struggled to curb spending

Additionally, unemployment & inflation continued to rise

Nixon was OK w/ deficit spending; he thought it would stimulate the economy

Keynesian approach

“I am now a Keynesian in economics” (1971)

Tried a 90-day freeze on wages, prices, & rents in ‘71

Tried a 60-day general price freeze in ‘73

Lifted both after pressure from business world

Inflation soared

John Maynard Keynes, British economist (1883-1946)

+Oil Crisis Factors leading U.S. toward

energy crisis in ’70s: Growing

population=increased need for energy

Environmental concerns w/ coal

Gas prices had been kept low w/ gov’t regulations

Oil output in U.S. declined in ‘72

When Nixon implemented price freezes, oil refineries let supplies run low

When freezes lifted, demand could not be met

In ’73 Israel went to war w/ Egypt & Syria

U.S. supported its ally, Israel

Arab members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) responded by banning all oil trade to U.S.

OPEC quadrupled prices

Higher prices worsened inflation

Consumers spent less & a recession ensued

+Social Programs

Hoped to cut gov’t spending by cutting back or shutting down social programs According to Nixon, programs were wasteful & encouraged

“welfare cheaters”

Called for a new partnership between state & federal governments=“New Federalism” States would assume greater responsibility for well-being of

citizens Congress passed a series of bills that granted fed. Funds to state

& local gov’ts

+The “Southern Strategy” Nixon felt he had little to gain by supporting civil rights

Very few African Americans voted for him in ‘60 & ‘68 Didn’t want to lose white southern voters

Promoted a slowdown in desegregation

Wanted to find the proper “southern strategy” to win over white southern Democrats

Gained support from Strom Thurmond of S. Carolina

Cut funding to enforcement of fair housing laws

Attempted to end certain provisions of Voting Rights Act in 1970

Openly opposed busing to end segregation in public schools

+Nixon’s Supreme Court

Warren Court of ‘53 to ‘69 had been criticized for being too liberal & easy on criminals

During Nixon’s 1st term, 4 of the 9 justices on SC retired or died

Warren Burger, a conservative, replaced Earl Warren in 69; served from ‘69 to ‘86 Easily approved by Senate

Appointed 3 other conservative justices: Harry a. Blackmun; Lewis F. Powell, Jr.; William H.

Rehnquist

+The First Moon Landing Kennedy promised a man on

the moon by the end of the ‘60s

July 20, 1969—Neil Armstrong accomplished that mission

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Watch on TV worldwide

Apollo 11 Crew=Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Colins

Aldrin joined Armstrong on 2 hour moon walk

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Chapter 25.2: Nixon’s Foreign Policypp. 832-837

+Nixon’s Foreign Policy

Define: realpolitik, détente, SALT I, ping pong diplomacy

Complete bubble chart on p. 832

Answer following Qs: What role did Henry Kissinger play in relaxing tensions between

the U.S. & major communist power? How did Nixon reach an agreement w/ the Soviet Union on

limiting nuclear arms?

+Setting the Scene

Nixon set the tone for a new direction for foreign policy in his 1st inaugural address on Jan. 20, 1969

He was able to ease Cold War tensions

Aided by Kissinger he est. ties w/ China & built better relations w/ the Soviet Union

+Henry Kissinger Gained President’s confidence

Appointed Sec. of State in ’73

Helped end U.S. involvement in Vietnam

Nobel Peace Prize in ‘73

Dominant figure in Nixon Administration Talked w/ Nixon daily Not afraid of tough talk He & Nixon were both suspicious &

secretive

*Read his bio in the sidebar on p. 833

+Practical Politics

Realpolitik=German term meaning “practical politics”

Making decisions based on maintaining a country’s own strengths rather than following moral principles

Applied to China & Soviet Union

How does this compare to the policy of containment?

+Kissinger Continued

Ability to use media to shape public opinion

One of the most popular public figures of the ‘70s; became a celebrity

Appeared on 21 Time magazine covers

Gallup poll in ‘73 made him the most-admired American

+Relaxing Tensions

Détente=relaxation in tensions

Nixon’s willingness to hold talks w/ China & Soviet Union shocked many

Nixon had been bitter opponent of Communism in 50s

Bypassing Congress, and sometimes his own advisors, Nixon & Kissinger reversed the direction of postwar American foreign policy

Foreign affairs were more complex than a simple standoff between the U.S. & communism

+Relaxing Tensions

China & the Soviet Union were once allies but had become enemies

The Communist Party of China denounced the Soviet variety of Communism Different interpretations of Marxism Disagreements between Mao Zedong & Nikita Khrushchev

+A New Approach to China

Since Communist takeover in ‘49, the U.S. had not recognized the Chinese government

Politically, the U.S. acted as if China did not exist

Instead the U.S. dealt w/ the government of Taiwan

Nixon looked for a way to better relations w/ Communist China; esp. since China’s relations w/ the Soviet Union had soured

+A New Approach to China

Nixon’s foreign policy report to Congress in 1970:

“The Chinese are a great and vital people who should not remain isolated from the international community….U.S. policy is not likely soon to have much impact on China’s behavior, let alone its ideological outlook. But it is certainly in our interest, and in the interest of peace and stability in Asia and the world, that we take what steps we can toward improved practical relations with Peking (Beijing).”

+A New Approach to China Moves designed to improve relations w/ China:

1.Feb. 1970—American & Chinese ambassadors met in Warsaw, Poland

2. Oct. 1970—Nixon was the first American President to refer to China by its proper name, the People’s Republic of China

3. March 1971—U.S. gov’t lifted restrictions on travel to China

4. April 1971—An American table-tennis team accepted an invitation to visit the mainland; “ping-pong diplomacy”

5. June 1971—U.S. ended its 21 year embargo on trade w/ China

6. July 1971—Nixon announced that he planned to travel to China

Kissinger (left) plays ping pong in 2001, marking the 30th anniversary of “ping pong diplomacy”

+A New Approach to China

Other nations were also officially recognizing the People’s Republic of China

In October of ’71, Taiwan lost its seat in the United Nations to the People’s Republic of China

Nixon realized that he could use Chinese friendship in his dealings w/ the Soviets

Nixon also knew his trip to China would boost his public support at home

He also thought the trip/friendly relations wouldn’t harm his political career b/c of his reputation as a strong anti-Communist

+Nixon Goes to China

Feb. 1972

Met w/ Mao Zedong

Spoke w/ premier Zhou Enlai about international problems

Went to Great Wall & other tourist sites

TV cameras chronicled it all

Basis for diplomatic ties had been established

Most members of Congress & most Americans supported the trip & Nixon’s efforts in China

+Nixon Goes to the Soviet Union

In ’72, after trip to China, Nixon went to Moscow

Received a warm welcome

Met w/ Premier Leonid I. Brezhnev

Several decisions made: Space exploration, eased

trade limits, & a weapons pact

+Balancing the Superpowers

Limited Test Ban Treaty of ‘63 had ended above-ground bomb testing

Arms race continued

Nixon hoped to end nuclear threat & move away from arms race

Both U.S. & S.U. had more than enough weapons to destroy one another

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT I)—started in 1969

In ’72, a treaty to limit nuclear weapons

5 year agreement to freeze ICBMs & submarine missiles at ‘72 levels

Also included an agreement restricting missile defense systems

+Balancing the Superpowers

SALT I was a triumph for the Nixon administration

Eased concerns of nuclear war

But did not reduce # of weapons each nation possessed

Paved the way for future talks

Nixon— “Perhaps for the first time, the evolving strategic balance allows a Soviet-American agreement which yields no unilateral advantages. The fact that we have begun to discuss strategic arms with the USSR is in itself important. Agreement in such a vital area could create a new commitment to stability, and influence attitudes toward other issues.”