The First 100 Days: Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon became President of the United States on January 20, 1969, marking one of the greatest political comebacks in history. After having failed to win the presidency in 1960 and the governorship of California in 1962, a petulant Nixon had told the press that they wouldn't "have Nixon to kick around" any more. He was wrong. He entered the Oval Office as president eight years later than he had hoped, and during turbulent times. The nation was losing the War in Vietnam, and the war had become unpopular in the media and in the minds of the public. The nation was awash with protests and the issue of race was becoming a divisive one. Crime was increasing and the United States was losing international prestige as pessimism was on the rise.
In his inauguration, Nixon declared the words that would one day grace his tombstone: "The greatest honor that history can bestow is the title of peacemaker." Nixon said that his presidency would usher in an era of "Détente", the easing of tensions among super-powers. The following day, speaking to a group of his former campaign workers, he promised that he would wake up early and go to sleep late in order to confront the challenges facing the nation. Later that month, after naming his formal political rival George W. Romney to the post of Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Nixon visited a section of Washington DC with a predominant African-American population that had been torn apart by riots during the previous year. He stood in front of Jimmie's Pool Room early that morning and shook hands with the crowd. One man referred to the President as his "soul brother". He also appointed a Democrat, future New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, as his White House Urban Affairs Advisor Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
It was on the international stage that Nixon was most interested in however. On February 3, it was announced that Nixon planned to visit a number of western European countries in the next two months. Three days later he sought promises from the nation's military commanders concerning the safety of South Vietnam prior to agreeing to troop withdrawals in Vietnam. On February 10, Nixon's Press secretary Ron Ziegler announced that Nixon would travel to West Berlin, despite plans by East Germany to limit routes to the city due to the upcoming West German presidential election. On the same day Nixon hosted a White House state dinner honoring Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies, who was visiting Washington. Later that month Nixon traveled to Europe, vising Great Britain, West Germany, and spending the largest amount of time in France, meeting with President Charles de Gaulle.
Nixon, who would later create the Environmental Protection Agency, proved to be a surprising ally for environmentalists. On February 11 he criticized the previous administration and former President Lyndon B. Johnson for allowing off shore drilling which caused the previous weeks' oil spillage in Santa Clara, California. he directed Lee DuBridge to select a group of scientists and engineers to form a plan for making the most effective use of federal government resources in cleaning the shoreline California and preventing this type of an environmental disaster from happening again.
On February 13 , Nixon spoke at a ceremony for the swearing in of Walter E. Washington as Mayor of the District of Columbia. At the ceremony he promised federal government aid to American cities in combating a number of urban problems, provided that local governments also did their part in addressing these issues.
In late March 25, Nixon met with Republican leaders and promised to ask for an extension for one year of the tax surcharge by 10%, and also to extend excise taxes on automobiles and communication. The next day Nixon formally requested that Congress pass legislation calling for a year long 10% surtax. He also said that he intended to make major federal spending cuts to double the surplus predicted in the the budget.
That day Nixon also spoke to a luncheon of the National Association of Broadcasters, where he told the group that private negotiations were taking place on the subject of peace in Vietnam, but that he could not release details of the talks.
On March 28, former President Dwight Eisenhower died. Nixon had served as Eisenhower's Vice-President from 1953 to 1961 and the two men had a relationship that was difficult to understand at times. Eisenhower had entrusted Nixon with a number of difficult assignments, including travel to Africa and Latin America, and had even asked Nixon to fire Eisenhower's Chief of Staff Sherman Adams. Eisenhower had also flippantly disparaged Nixon during the 1960 election campaign, telling reporters that he could tell them about some of Nixon's prominent contributions to his administration if he had a week or so to think about it. On the morning of March 28, 1969, Eisenhower died in Washington, D.C., from congestive heart failure, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He was 78 years of age. Nixon had previously visited his former boss at the hospital. On March 30, Eisenhower's body was brought to the United States Capitol, where he lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda. On March 31, Eisenhower's body was returned to the National Cathedral, where he was given an Episcopal Church funeral service, before being returned by train to Abilene, Kansas. On April 2, Nixon was joined by former President Johnson in attending the burial of former President Eisenhower in Abilene, Kansas. Nixon eulogized Eisenhower, saying:
"Some men are considered great because they lead great armies or they lead powerful nations. For eight years now, Dwight Eisenhower has neither commanded an army nor led a nation; and yet he remained through his final days the world's most admired and respected man, truly the first citizen of the world."
Nixon began the month of April by telling the nation, through his Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird, that South Vietnam would see a reduction in the number of B-52 bombing missions. Laird also announced that peace negotiations connected to Vietnam were taking place, and that "signs of progress" have occurred.
Later, on April 4, the anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Nixon instructed his Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Finch to speak to Coretta Scott King in her home in Atlanta, Georgia. King had once been a supporter of Nixon's during the time when Nixon was Vice-President, but had supported Nixon's opponent John F. Kennedy in the 1960 presidential election after Kennedy called Mrs. King when her husband was in jail and had his brother Robert Kennedy attempt to intercede with state authorities on Doctor King's behalf, while Nixon had refused to get involved in the matter.
Nixon began his presidency appearing to be someone with a considerable amount of ability and promise on the international stage, as well as someone not adverse to making progress on number of issues typically considered to be within the province of liberals. But as the war dragged on and the economy worsened, and as Nixon became more fixated with his re-election and with getting even with his political enemies, his presidency would take on a much darker appearance.
In his inauguration, Nixon declared the words that would one day grace his tombstone: "The greatest honor that history can bestow is the title of peacemaker." Nixon said that his presidency would usher in an era of "Détente", the easing of tensions among super-powers. The following day, speaking to a group of his former campaign workers, he promised that he would wake up early and go to sleep late in order to confront the challenges facing the nation. Later that month, after naming his formal political rival George W. Romney to the post of Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Nixon visited a section of Washington DC with a predominant African-American population that had been torn apart by riots during the previous year. He stood in front of Jimmie's Pool Room early that morning and shook hands with the crowd. One man referred to the President as his "soul brother". He also appointed a Democrat, future New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, as his White House Urban Affairs Advisor Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
It was on the international stage that Nixon was most interested in however. On February 3, it was announced that Nixon planned to visit a number of western European countries in the next two months. Three days later he sought promises from the nation's military commanders concerning the safety of South Vietnam prior to agreeing to troop withdrawals in Vietnam. On February 10, Nixon's Press secretary Ron Ziegler announced that Nixon would travel to West Berlin, despite plans by East Germany to limit routes to the city due to the upcoming West German presidential election. On the same day Nixon hosted a White House state dinner honoring Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies, who was visiting Washington. Later that month Nixon traveled to Europe, vising Great Britain, West Germany, and spending the largest amount of time in France, meeting with President Charles de Gaulle.
Nixon, who would later create the Environmental Protection Agency, proved to be a surprising ally for environmentalists. On February 11 he criticized the previous administration and former President Lyndon B. Johnson for allowing off shore drilling which caused the previous weeks' oil spillage in Santa Clara, California. he directed Lee DuBridge to select a group of scientists and engineers to form a plan for making the most effective use of federal government resources in cleaning the shoreline California and preventing this type of an environmental disaster from happening again.
On February 13 , Nixon spoke at a ceremony for the swearing in of Walter E. Washington as Mayor of the District of Columbia. At the ceremony he promised federal government aid to American cities in combating a number of urban problems, provided that local governments also did their part in addressing these issues.
In late March 25, Nixon met with Republican leaders and promised to ask for an extension for one year of the tax surcharge by 10%, and also to extend excise taxes on automobiles and communication. The next day Nixon formally requested that Congress pass legislation calling for a year long 10% surtax. He also said that he intended to make major federal spending cuts to double the surplus predicted in the the budget.
That day Nixon also spoke to a luncheon of the National Association of Broadcasters, where he told the group that private negotiations were taking place on the subject of peace in Vietnam, but that he could not release details of the talks.
On March 28, former President Dwight Eisenhower died. Nixon had served as Eisenhower's Vice-President from 1953 to 1961 and the two men had a relationship that was difficult to understand at times. Eisenhower had entrusted Nixon with a number of difficult assignments, including travel to Africa and Latin America, and had even asked Nixon to fire Eisenhower's Chief of Staff Sherman Adams. Eisenhower had also flippantly disparaged Nixon during the 1960 election campaign, telling reporters that he could tell them about some of Nixon's prominent contributions to his administration if he had a week or so to think about it. On the morning of March 28, 1969, Eisenhower died in Washington, D.C., from congestive heart failure, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He was 78 years of age. Nixon had previously visited his former boss at the hospital. On March 30, Eisenhower's body was brought to the United States Capitol, where he lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda. On March 31, Eisenhower's body was returned to the National Cathedral, where he was given an Episcopal Church funeral service, before being returned by train to Abilene, Kansas. On April 2, Nixon was joined by former President Johnson in attending the burial of former President Eisenhower in Abilene, Kansas. Nixon eulogized Eisenhower, saying:
"Some men are considered great because they lead great armies or they lead powerful nations. For eight years now, Dwight Eisenhower has neither commanded an army nor led a nation; and yet he remained through his final days the world's most admired and respected man, truly the first citizen of the world."
Nixon began the month of April by telling the nation, through his Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird, that South Vietnam would see a reduction in the number of B-52 bombing missions. Laird also announced that peace negotiations connected to Vietnam were taking place, and that "signs of progress" have occurred.
Later, on April 4, the anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Nixon instructed his Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Finch to speak to Coretta Scott King in her home in Atlanta, Georgia. King had once been a supporter of Nixon's during the time when Nixon was Vice-President, but had supported Nixon's opponent John F. Kennedy in the 1960 presidential election after Kennedy called Mrs. King when her husband was in jail and had his brother Robert Kennedy attempt to intercede with state authorities on Doctor King's behalf, while Nixon had refused to get involved in the matter.
Nixon began his presidency appearing to be someone with a considerable amount of ability and promise on the international stage, as well as someone not adverse to making progress on number of issues typically considered to be within the province of liberals. But as the war dragged on and the economy worsened, and as Nixon became more fixated with his re-election and with getting even with his political enemies, his presidency would take on a much darker appearance.