The Nixon Presidency

Event Details

Elliot Richardson, former Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Commerce, and Attorney General until his resignation in 1973, talks about Richard Nixon. He mentions that Nixon had the potential to be the most successful post-war president because he had a strategic sense towards the opportunities of the office. According to Richardson, Nixon realized the US needed to adapt itself to a new era in world affairs, which is why foreign policy was his paramount, almost obsessive, interest. Furthermore, he asserts that Nixon himself was the architect of his foreign policy, which many people consider to be his greatest achievement. He also presents Nixon as a very astute political tactician and strategist, as evidenced by the 1968 presidential campaign. However, Richardson also comments on the depth of Nixon?s cynicism, his degree of suspicion, and his unpleasant side, which was much greater than was visible. In the question and answer section, Richardson dives further into the insecurities that plagued Richard Nixon, his manipulative characteristics, his resilience and strength as a political figure, his relationship with Henry Kissinger, his inability to change throughout time, and the effects of his resignation as Attorney General amid the Watergate scandal.