The Richard Nixon Experience

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In this special edition we will examine the recently declassified letter written by former President Richard Nixon to President Bill Clinton just after his two week trip to Russia and Europe. In the letter Richard Nixon gives the young President a thorough examination of what he thinks is happening in Russia, Ukraine and in Europe. In it he stresses the importance in helping Russia preserve its new found freedoms and helping it get on its feet economically and he discusses the dire consequences that could happen if we fail. 

It reads as though a psychic wrote it. It is a powerful letter and it was appreciated at the time by President Clinton and it is even more appreciated today. It really puts on display the brilliance of our former President and a man who ranks among our greatest American leaders in the history of the Republic. Here is a fine example, bold, strategic, insightful and full of visionary advice, as to why that latter statement is true. 

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For all of the folks who have said to me that our long documentary on Watergate and the massive evidence of alleged prosecutorial misconduct just did not seem plausible. This special edition is for you. It is a story I had not heard before until our podcast's friend , Geoff Shepard, sent the story to me and then I proceeded to research it. 

It is the story of one of greatest injustices ever perpetuated on a group of our soldiers, accusing three African American fighting men of murder, and causing 47 more, all African Americans, to face trial and court martial for a riot in November of 1944. It would be another 64 years before this injustice was ever set straight. An early investigation had been conducted of the events in question before the Army Prosecutor had been sent to work on the case and that investigation had cleared every single African American soldier involved of any wrong doing. 

But the Prosecutor decided to prosecute all of them  anyway, even though he knew of the report that said they were all innocent men. He actively hid the report refusing to turn it over to a rushed Defense Team knowing they only had 10 days to prepare their case. It was a travesty of American Justice. 

That prosecutor was named Leon Jaworski and the case has many earie similarities to the long national nightmare of Watergate, we just chronicled in our last three season series.  This is a sad, sad , story.  A story that brings new insight to the massive amount of new evidence that has emerged that shows that Richard Nixon, and many of his top aids, may not have been as guilty as we have all been led to believe for the past half century. 

To learn more about the 1944 Fort Lawton riot see these links :  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Lawton_riot

KCTS 9 Connects: Miscarriage of Justice

https://youtu.be/Nxil2dibqiU

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In this episode we look back at the relationship between President Richard Nixon and California Governor and future President Ronald Reagan.  As you will see it is obvious that Richard Nixon is actually working to open the doors of opportunity to his fellow Californian as he brings jobs to the state and arranges for Reagan to spend time with dignitaries from around the world too, 

Reagan in turn offers up his own ideas and suggestions on how to handle some of the world situations confronting President Nixon, from appointments to the Supreme Court, to who he thinks would be a good Attorney General, to a rather ugly call in the wake of the United Nations voting to expel Taiwan as it excepted into its membership the People's Republic of China. 

Finally, we will listen in as an embattled President, who has just fired his most trusted advisors in April of 1973, receives a phone call from Ronald Reagan, who offers up his support as only a friend would attempt to do.  It is an intimate look into the relationship between arguably two of the five greatest American Presidents in all of American History.

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In this episode we look back at the early career of George H. W. Bush, as we review his father's term in the United States Senate, his own race for the U.S. Senate against Senator Ralph Yarborough, his time in the U.S. House of Representatives, and his defeat at the hands of Lloyd Bentsen in 1968. All this from a comprehensive report by NBC News with Brian Williams that gives a great overview of the former President's career. 

We will then follow NBC News' Brian Williams  to the look at the help and connections that Bush received from  President Richard Nixon. Nixon had been a friend of Bush's father , Senator Prescott Bush, who was an old golfing buddy of President Dwight Eisenhower. That connection and Nixon's need to elevate the defeated Republican from Texas as cover in order to also place the former Democratic Governor, John Connally, in as the Treasury Secretary, led to the door opening for George Bush to become the Ambassador to the United Nations in New York. It would be in that role that George Bush would shine and see his star finally begin to rise in Republican circles. 

It will be here that we begin to let you listen in to the interaction between the new Ambassador and his benefactor, President Richard Nixon. We will insert into the report full conversations between Nixon and Bush as they discuss issues in the United Nations and positions the President wants Bush to pursue.  One you will get to listen into is the work Bush did in the UN to help Pakistan as it was invaded by the Indians in 1971. It is a fascinating look behind the scenes of American Foreign Policy concerning one of the most dangerous regions of the world both then and now, the border between India and Pakistan. 

You will also again get to listen in as President Nixon moves Kansas Senator Bob Dole out as the Chairman of the Republican Party in order to move George H. W. Bush in after the historic landslide victory of the President by the largest margin in history, a 49 state landslide. But the job won't turn out to be as good as it seemed as Watergate would soon overwhelm the President and put George Bush in as unenviable a position as could possibly be imagined. Then we bring you through the Ford years and the eve of Bush's run for the Presidency in 1980.

Finally our episode will conclude with an interview of George H. W. Bush conducted in 1999 with C-Span's Brian Lamb where the former President discusses these years and his own relationship with former President Richard Nixon, (though this interview was conducted long before we knew so much about the wrongs done to Nixon by the WSPF) It is a fascinating look at the relationship between Bush and the man who made his subsequent career possible, Richard Nixon. 

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In this episode, we look back at John Connally's relationship to President Richard Nixon.  In this episode we feature two calls, one just after Nixon was re-elected President when you see that Connally has enormous influence over the President. He is giving the President advice on how to conduct the second term and which changes he needs to consider making for that term. 

In another call we listen as the men discuss an incident that had occured at the White House just the day before. President Nixon had invited the Ray Coniff Singers to perform for a reception honoring the publishers of the magazine "The Reader's Digest" (My Dad's favorite magazine) . Just as the program was about to begin one of the singers, Carol Firace , confronted the President and implored him to stop the bombing of Vietnam and for God to bless Daniel Ellsberg.  Firace got kicked out of the event. 

We will look back at that event, the young lady it involved, the news coverage, and how it became a significant protest event in the history of the White House. Then we will listen in to President Nixon and JOhn Connally as they discuss what had happened. 

We hope that after these three episodes you will have a better feel as to what a major figure John Connally had been in the previous 20 years of political life in America, especially the Southwest. We hope you also can learn enough to make your own decision as to whether you think he would have tried to sabotage the Carter Administration. 

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In this episode , we look back at the high drama of winning a historic primary and unseating a political giant, only to lose in the general election. Then coming back two years later to finally win a seat in the United States House of Representatives. It was a rollercoaster of a ride with enormously consequential side stories that had far reaching importance. 

For the 1972 race for the 6th District Congressional Seat would open the door for the City of Washington D.C. to finally have some semblance of self governing. For years, John McMillan who chaired the committee that governed the District had prevented any form of self rule , save the schoolboard, from getting out of his committee.  African Americans had decided that the only way to achieve this goal was to unseat McMillan, and they would organize to try it twice, in 1970 when they lost and again in 1972. This time they had a strong candidate and they knew it. John Jenrette was young, talented, and had been a friend to the African American Community for years. 

We will listen as John Jenrette tells the story of how he got in the race, and why he decided to stay in the race even when he had only a 3% name identification in the district. He would get help from Muhammad Ali, the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. He would get help from his cousin the State Senator, James Stevens, and the race would be razor thin but John Jenrette would win. 

Then he would face State Representative Ed Young, a Republican, who would get help from John McMillan and many other disgruntled Democrats. He would also have another ace up his sleeve, one of the greatest leaders in American History, Richard Nixon. It would prove to be a mountain to high for John Jenrette to climb and Ed Young would get elected to Congress. 

But two years later all of that would change.  

NOTE: This show features my proudest researching find, the meeting between President Richard Nixon, 6th District Republican nominee Ed Young , and Nixon aid Harry Dent from South Carolina, from the Nixon taping system.  

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It is one thing to work with a President from the other party and be the loyal opposition that is often getting in the news for being opposed to the President. It is another to be your President's leader on the House floor pushing through his agenda, especially when you are in the minority. That is the position that Gerald Ford will be in for much of the Presidency of Richard Nixon. He was the President's lead lieutenant in the House of Representatives. 

Richard Nixon assumed the Presidency as the first President since Zachary Taylor, with both houses of Congress in the opposition hands. Somehow , Nixon got a lot of things done, and his domestic record of accomplishments is actually very strong, despite the handicap of being a minority party President and a President often seen as an enemy to the Democratic Party. 

Some of that long list of accomplishments can be attributed to the legislative skill of his Minority Leader, Gerald Ford. In this episode we will listen in as the two men work on many things in the first Administration. It was there that Richard Nixon laid the groundwork for his place as one of our five Greatest American Leaders in the history of our country. 

It is here that we will get a small dose of the role Gerald Ford played in all that success. 

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In Former President Richard Nixon's final book "Beyond Peace" he often wrote like a psychic of some kind.  He wrote:

“The United States must lead. We must lead to open the eyes of those still blinded by despotism, to emboldened those who remain oppressed, and bring out from the dungeons of tyranny those who still live in darkness. The question remains whether the United States will meet its responsibilities of leadership beyond peace as it did to defeat the communists in the Cold War. History thrusts certain powers at certain times on to center stage. In this era, the spotlight shines on the United States. How long it stays with us – – and how brightly it shines – – will be determined by us alone.
 
“Peace demands more, not less, from a people. Peace lacks the clarity of purpose in the cadence of war…. Our contact at home and abroad will determine how well we improvise beyond peace.”

"The failure of freedom would also have a profoundly negative global impact. The reestablishment of a dictatorship and a command economy in Russia would give encouragement to every dictator and would-be dictator in the world. Since an authoritarian Russia would be far more likely to adopt an aggressive foreign policy than a democratic Russia, freedom’s failure would threaten peace and stability in Europe and around the world. If Russia turns away from democracy and economic freedom and we have not done everything possible to prevent it, we will bear a large measure of responsibility for the ominous consequences."

Page 40

"at the same time, the West must take note of warning signs on the horizon. Russian military thinking is becoming more nationalistic and more assertive in defense of Russia’s interests in the other former Soviet states bordering on Russia, and more supportive of the use of military force as an instrument of foreign policy. Russian policy toward other post-Soviet nations represents the greatest dilemma for the United States. A new attempt by Moscow to rebuild its empire would be a tragedy for Russia and its neighbors alike. In view of the Russian-Soviet historical legacy, it is understandable that Russia’s neighbors are sensitive to any signs of new assertiveness on Moscow’s part."

Page 61

"I am convinced that the Russian people will not turn back to communism. But if they have no choice, they will turn to some kind of political dictatorship, which will at least promise the safety-net guarantees that were supposed to have been delivered by the communist regime."

Page 81

It seems he wrote about how to help Russia enter the 21st century and he wrote about what could happen if we failed to help them.  What he described on page 81 of his book sounds almost exactly like a perfect description of what did eventually happen in Russia and the rise of Vladamir Putin. In this episode we will listen to a casual interview President Nixon had on Russia, the old Soviet Union, and how to deal with them in the post Cold War, and it sounds like a lesson that can still be applied today. 

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In this episode we look back on President Nixon's relationships with three world leaders who were very important to the United States during his administration. No world leader in history was as well traveled as President Richard Nixon and few if any knew the world better. During President Nixon's retirement years Nixon was often called upon to comment upon the passing of several World Leaders and their impact on the world stage. 

In one case, it was Nixon who wanted to send a message to the current American President , Jimmy Carter, and the rest of the western world, that we should never forget our friends in their time of need. This was very much true in the case of the Shah of Iran. The Shah was deposed in January of 1979, and the region he had helped stabilize was thrown into chaos. Carter's treatment of the Shah was in a word, shameful , and Richard Nixon held his feet to the fire. It was only after the Shah was diagnosed with cancer that he was allowed to seek refuge here for treatment which led to the Embassy in Tehran being overrun by militant Islamic terrorists and our diplomats being taken as hostages.  

It was Nixon that went to Mexico to see the Shah and then went personally to his funeral in Egypt to say to the world that America never forgets a friend. It was Richard Nixon showing the foreign Policy leadership lacking by the current leadership in the White House at the time.

Then after the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat Richard Nixon was called on again by the new President Ronald Reagan to represent the United States to the world. Reagan tapped all three former living Presidents, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter to attend the Sadat funeral but it was clearly Nixon that was the towering figure to the world. It marked Nixon's return to the world stage and he was greeted by grateful world that had always revered him and marveled at just how the United States could have ever deposed such an extraordinary leader. 

Finally we will take a look at the man who was on the other side of the Cold War for much of the most important years of the struggle. For two decades the Soviet Union was dominated by Leonid Brezhnev. Here we will look back at him, his leadership, and his impact on the world stage. Then we will hear from President Richard Nixon on Nightline the night the Soviet leader died and listen to his thoughts on this formidable leader who represented the other side of the Cold War for so long. 

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This is the first episode in our series of bonus materials. This is a listen at the news coverage from President Nixon's last day in office. During our regular series I chose to use the coverage from CBS News because it is more recognizable to the public. The familiar voices of Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather are what I chose to put in documentary but I actually prefer the coverage of ABC News which was the last place network at the time of the events of Watergate. 

I have found ABC News, consistently, for over a half century, to be a much fairer broadcast than any of the other networks of the time period or , frankly, than any of the networks today as well. They have the highest standards of fairness of any of the networks or cable channels. Even though they have their moments too, and the political arm is currently run by a Democratic operative that worked for Bill Clinton. 

Still it is hard to understand how Walter Cronkite came to be known as the most trusted man in America when the title really should have been given to Howard K. Smith.  In this episode, we will let you listen to the coverage from ABC News of the events of the final day. Plus, once again, you will get to hear the President's rather magnificent speech given at his lowest moment. 

An episode that showcases the end of the Nixon era and just before the start of the era of Gerald Ford.