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 * Richard Milhous Nixon**

Born: January 9, 1913 Yorba Linda, California Death: April 22, 1994 Political party: Republican Term: January 20, 1969-August 9, 1974 Vice president: Spiro T. Agnew (1969-1973) Gerald R. Ford (1973-1974)

Based on Richard Nixon's accomplishments but more prominently his misconduct during his presidency, he deservedly earns a B-. The infamous Watergate scandal led the way to his eventual resignation, as he became the first president of the United States forced to resign in disgrace. However, Nixon was successful in international relations and policy making as he took affirmative action with the New China Policy and contributed to significant agreements such as the Seabed Treaty, Chemical Weapon Treaty, and the SALT Agreement. Noteworthy legislature was also passed under his administration such as Wage-Price Controls, bills to strengthen law and order, acts to strengthen environmental protection, the Consumer Product Safety Act, and the ratification of a Constitutional Amendment.

The main goals of Nixon's administration focused foremost on peace in Vietnam and solutions to the "crisis of the cities". Additionally it vowed to restore law and order in an effort to distribute funds freed up by the Vietnam War to strengthen the national defense, reduce taxes, and meet national needs. Through employment of a program Nixon called Vietnamization, President Nixon successfully reduced United States involvement in the war and broadened the fighting to exceed to borders of Vietnam into Cambodia and Laos. Nixon’s so called Vietnamization program trained and provided equipment to South Vietnamese forces to take over for U.S. troops as they were withdrawn. To correspond with Vietnamization, Nixon declared the Nixon Doctrine calling for a reduced presence of U.S. forces in Asia.

The relationship between Richard Nixon and Congress during both terms was relatively average, although the majority party was held by the Democrats. Regardless, Nixon was still successful in regards to support for the ideas proposed. During his administration several laws were passed into legislation such as acts benefiting programs for the good of the American people such as social security and revamping of the welfare system. Additionally, he was able to squeeze through Wage-Price Controls in 1971. In order to fight inflation, the Nixon Administration introduced a freeze on wages and prices that was to be replaced after 90 days with a complex system of wage-price controls. Revenue Sharing and the Consumer Product Safety Act of 1972 were also passed. Revenue Sharing allowed for billions of dollars of taxes each year to return to state and local governments while the Consumer Product Safety Act of 1972 created the Consumer Product Safety Commission, an agency authorized to set regulatory standards and prohibit products deemed unsafe from the marketplace. Nixon was again triumphant in redeeming his pledge to strengthen law enforcement and protect the environment as he gained approval for three significant crime bills in 1970. They include the Organized Crime Control Act, the Drug Abuse Control Act, and the District of Columbia Criminal Justice Act. In regards to environmental protection, the passing of the Environmental Quality Policy Act of 1969 required that an environmental impact statement for each new federal program be issued. The Environmental Protection Agency, Water Quality Improvement Act, National Air Quality Standards Act, Resource Recovery Act, and Water Pollution Act, passed over Nixon's veto, all contributed to the betterment of the environment. However, there were disputes between Nixon and Congress in response to the repeal of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. The resolution passed by Congress drafted by the administration authorized all necessary measures to repel attacks against U.S. forces and all steps necessary for the defense of U.S. allies in Southeast Asia. Although there was disagreement in Congress over the precise meaning of the Tonkin Gulf resolution, Presidents Johnson and Richard M. Nixon used it to justify later military action in Southeast Asia. The measure was repealed by Congress in 1970.

The action of Nixon's administration with the most positive outcome include his initiatives on the environment and less important, space. These bills passed for environmental protection greatly aided in the improvement of the quality of the air and water, as well as the reduction, monitoring, regulation, and reduction of pollution. Acts such as the National Air Quality Standards Act of 1970 restricted auto emissions and established federal clean air standards that states were expected to meet. Federal funds were also provided for the building of waste treatment plants and greatly decreased the amount of industrial waste deposited in the nation's waterways.

The action of Nixon's administration with the most negative outcome was without a doubt the Watergate Scandal. Five agents of the Committee to Reelect the President (CREEP) were arrested in the act of burglarizing the Democratic National Headquarters at the Watergate complex located in Washington, D.C. The act was treated as “a third-rate burglary attempt” and resulted in a chain of events that unraveled as the worst political scandal in United States history. Nixon was the first forced president to resign in disgrace. In the following years investigative reporters disclosed several misdemeanors committed in the name of President Nixon such as the installment of eavesdropping devices inside Democratic headquarters, attempt to sow dissension among Democratic candidates, authorized payment of hush money to Watergate defendants and other attempts to hide criminal acts. Mistakenly, President Nixon repeatedly rejected any wrongdoing. He was accused of directing specifically the cover-up of the Watergate break-in. Protecting his innocence, Nixon also initially refused to hand over the tapes to the Senate investigating committee which contained the truth of the situation. He finally turned the tapes in as ordered by the Supreme Court. Ultimately, Nixon was names an unindicted co-conspirator. However, these events led to his impeachment proceedings, which were televised in July 1974. However, as Nixon fought what began to look like fateful impeachment, he resigned the office of president on August 9, 1974.

The decision made by Nixon's administration which influenced future presidential administrations was his outreach to countries in danger of Communist influence. He made a conscious effort to reach out to countries such as the Soviet Union and China as demonstrated by the New China Policy and SALT Agreement in 1972. Nixon looked past his long-standing hostility towards Communist China in order to support Peking’s admission to the United Nations in October 1971. He undertook a “journey for a peace,” a widely publicized visit to China where he was received warmly. In a joint meeting, the two governments agreed to broaden scientific, cultural, and trade contacts. As a result of his involvement, Nixon became the first U.S. President to visit China and the first to visit a nation with which the United States had no formal diplomatic relations. Under the SALT Agreement, Nixon signed agreements with Soviet leader Brezhnev concluded at the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks: The United States and the Soviet Union were limited to two antiballistic missile sites each and the two countries agreed to freeze the number of strategic offensive ballistic missiles roughly at current levels. However, these agreements led the countries one step closer to reaching common ground in regards to the Cold War.

In conclusion, Richard Nixon led a successful, prominent administration up to the point of the tragic Watergate Scandal. Unfortunately, as a result of Nixon's poor decision with his involvement and attempts to innocently brush it aside, he was cost his position as President of the United States. The majority of his undertakings were successful and goals of his administration were met, however it was not enough to overcome the controversy and devastation to his presidency surrounding the scandal. The scandal was so significant that it will define his presidency more than his accomplishments and the positive improvements he contributed to the nation.

Bibliography:

DeGregorio, William A., and Sandra Lee. Stuart. //The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents//. Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade, 2009. Print.

"Richard M. Nixon." //The White House//. Web. 26 May 2011. .

"U.S. Senate: Party Division." // U.S. Senate //. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May. 2011. < [] >