Presidential Shenanigans: Richard Nixon at the Lincoln Memorial
It was Saturday, May 9, 1970. The Vietnam War was continuing on, and while the number of casualties grew, so did the number of protests back at home. What occurred that day was described by Nixon's Chief of Staff H. R. Haldeman in his diary entry for the day as “The weirdest day so far.” President Richard Nixon was having a sleepless night, and a restless one too. He had held a press conference the previous evening that ended at 10:00 p.m. Instead of going to sleep, Nixon picked up the phone. According to White House records, he logged 50 phone calls over the next five and a half hours. Eight of them were to his National Security Adviser, Henry Kissinger.
Shortly after the last call, Nixon woke up his valet, Manolo Sanchez. He asked Sanchez if he wanted to join the President for some hot chocolate. Sanchez declined the offer. Nixon asked if Sanchez had ever seen the Lincoln Memorial, and the valet said that he had not. This led to the weirdest day as Haldeman called it. Nixon later dictated his account of what happened: “I said, ‘Get your clothes on, and we will go down to the Lincoln Memorial.’ Well, I got dressed, and at approximately 4:35, we left the White House and drove to the Lincoln Memorial. I have never seen the Secret Service quite so petrified with apprehension.”
The Secret Service was understandably concerned. When Nixon and Sanchez arrived at the monument, a number of protesters had already gathered at the memorial. A demonstration against the war was scheduled for later in the day. Five days earlier, on May 4, 1970, Ohio State National Guardsmen had fired on unarmed college students Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, during a large protest against the bombing of Cambodia by United States military forces. Twenty-eight guardsmen fired approximately 67 rounds over a period of 13 seconds, killing four students and wounding nine others, one of whom suffered permanent paralysis. The students had been shot while protesting against the Cambodian Campaign. Nixon had announced the bombing of Cambodia during a television address on April 30th. Some of the students who were shot had been walking nearby or observing the protest from a distance.
Apparently that morning Nixon believed that he might be able to connect wit some of the protesters in some manner. He talked to them about the press conference he had held the night before and told them, “I said I was sorry they had missed it because I had tried to explain in the press conference that my goals in Vietnam were the same as theirs — to stop the killing, to end the war, to bring peace. There seemed to be no — they did not respond. I hoped that their hatred of the war, which I could well understand, would not turn into a bitter hatred of our whole system, our country, and everything that it stood for. I said, ‘I know you, that probably most of you think I’m an SOB. But I want you to know that I understand just how you feel.’”
The protesters would give a different account of their discussion with the President. When news of Nixon's presence at the monument spread, some members of the press soon arrived to interview the protesters who were present for Nixon's visit. They said that Nixon had mentioned Vietnam, but he soon moved to other topics. He asked what college they were attending, and one student said he was attending Syracuse University. This led Nixon to talk about football. Another student said he was from California and according to him, Nixon turned the conversation to surfing. Nixon was notorious for having difficulty with small talk.
Nixon also spoke about his views as a pacifist, given his Quaker background. He explained that he changed after the second world war and that he now belied that war was useful only when it was necessary. He had come to appreciate that Winston Churchill had the wiser outlook on dealing with a rising enemy than Neville Chamberlain. He changed the subject to lighter matters, and spoke about the benefits of traveling and dating while young.
As word of Nixon's visit spread, he realized that it was time to leave. As he was leaving, he said that he hoped that the protesters' opposition to the country would not turn into a blind hatred. He urged them to remember that this was a truly great country, even with its faults.
The presidential party next went to the Capital where Nixon was anxious to show Sanchez the well of the House of Representatives. It was there that Haldeman caught up with the presiden at about 6:15. Nixon was sitting at one of the House desks and his valet was at the same podium that Nixon had used for State of the Union addresses.
Press secretary Ron Ziegler arrived and the presidential entourage went to the Mayflower Hotel on Connecticut Avenue for breakfast. From there the group returned to the White House. Nixon was still unable to sleep, and decided to go to the Old Executive Office Building to greet some soldiers who had been camped in their sleeping bags on the fourth floor. Nixon did not sleep for the rest of the day. He made more phone calls, and attended to other duties. The President's insomniac condition worried his staff. Haldeman wrote in his diary, “I am concerned about his condition. The decision; the speech; the aftermath—killings, riots, press, etc.; the press conference; the student confrontation have all taken their toll—and he has had very little sleep for a long time and his judgment, temper and mood suffer badly as a result.”
Shortly after the last call, Nixon woke up his valet, Manolo Sanchez. He asked Sanchez if he wanted to join the President for some hot chocolate. Sanchez declined the offer. Nixon asked if Sanchez had ever seen the Lincoln Memorial, and the valet said that he had not. This led to the weirdest day as Haldeman called it. Nixon later dictated his account of what happened: “I said, ‘Get your clothes on, and we will go down to the Lincoln Memorial.’ Well, I got dressed, and at approximately 4:35, we left the White House and drove to the Lincoln Memorial. I have never seen the Secret Service quite so petrified with apprehension.”
The Secret Service was understandably concerned. When Nixon and Sanchez arrived at the monument, a number of protesters had already gathered at the memorial. A demonstration against the war was scheduled for later in the day. Five days earlier, on May 4, 1970, Ohio State National Guardsmen had fired on unarmed college students Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, during a large protest against the bombing of Cambodia by United States military forces. Twenty-eight guardsmen fired approximately 67 rounds over a period of 13 seconds, killing four students and wounding nine others, one of whom suffered permanent paralysis. The students had been shot while protesting against the Cambodian Campaign. Nixon had announced the bombing of Cambodia during a television address on April 30th. Some of the students who were shot had been walking nearby or observing the protest from a distance.
Apparently that morning Nixon believed that he might be able to connect wit some of the protesters in some manner. He talked to them about the press conference he had held the night before and told them, “I said I was sorry they had missed it because I had tried to explain in the press conference that my goals in Vietnam were the same as theirs — to stop the killing, to end the war, to bring peace. There seemed to be no — they did not respond. I hoped that their hatred of the war, which I could well understand, would not turn into a bitter hatred of our whole system, our country, and everything that it stood for. I said, ‘I know you, that probably most of you think I’m an SOB. But I want you to know that I understand just how you feel.’”
The protesters would give a different account of their discussion with the President. When news of Nixon's presence at the monument spread, some members of the press soon arrived to interview the protesters who were present for Nixon's visit. They said that Nixon had mentioned Vietnam, but he soon moved to other topics. He asked what college they were attending, and one student said he was attending Syracuse University. This led Nixon to talk about football. Another student said he was from California and according to him, Nixon turned the conversation to surfing. Nixon was notorious for having difficulty with small talk.
Nixon also spoke about his views as a pacifist, given his Quaker background. He explained that he changed after the second world war and that he now belied that war was useful only when it was necessary. He had come to appreciate that Winston Churchill had the wiser outlook on dealing with a rising enemy than Neville Chamberlain. He changed the subject to lighter matters, and spoke about the benefits of traveling and dating while young.
As word of Nixon's visit spread, he realized that it was time to leave. As he was leaving, he said that he hoped that the protesters' opposition to the country would not turn into a blind hatred. He urged them to remember that this was a truly great country, even with its faults.
The presidential party next went to the Capital where Nixon was anxious to show Sanchez the well of the House of Representatives. It was there that Haldeman caught up with the presiden at about 6:15. Nixon was sitting at one of the House desks and his valet was at the same podium that Nixon had used for State of the Union addresses.
Press secretary Ron Ziegler arrived and the presidential entourage went to the Mayflower Hotel on Connecticut Avenue for breakfast. From there the group returned to the White House. Nixon was still unable to sleep, and decided to go to the Old Executive Office Building to greet some soldiers who had been camped in their sleeping bags on the fourth floor. Nixon did not sleep for the rest of the day. He made more phone calls, and attended to other duties. The President's insomniac condition worried his staff. Haldeman wrote in his diary, “I am concerned about his condition. The decision; the speech; the aftermath—killings, riots, press, etc.; the press conference; the student confrontation have all taken their toll—and he has had very little sleep for a long time and his judgment, temper and mood suffer badly as a result.”