104 Facts About Nixon administration

1.

Nixon administration was succeeded by Gerald Ford, whom he had appointed vice president after Spiro Agnew became embroiled in a separate corruption scandal and was forced to resign.

FactSnippet No. 753,392
2.

Nixon administration's primary focus while in office was on foreign affairs.

FactSnippet No. 753,393
3.

Nixon administration focused on detente with the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union, easing Cold War tensions with both countries.

FactSnippet No. 753,394
4.

In domestic affairs, Nixon administration advocated a policy of "New Federalism, " in which federal powers and responsibilities would be shifted to the states.

FactSnippet No. 753,395
5.

Nixon administration's proposed reform of federal welfare programs did not pass Congress, but Congress did adopt one aspect of his proposal in the form of Supplemental Security Income, which provides aid to low-income individuals who are aged or disabled.

FactSnippet No. 753,396
6.

The Nixon administration adopted a "low profile" on school desegregation, but the administration enforced court desegregation orders and implemented the first affirmative action plan in the United States.

FactSnippet No. 753,397
7.

Nixon administration presided over the creation of Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of major environmental laws like the Clean Water Act, although that law was vetoed by Nixon administration and passed by override.

FactSnippet No. 753,398
8.

Economically, the Nixon administration years saw the start of a period of "stagflation" that would continue into the 1970s.

FactSnippet No. 753,399
9.

Nixon administration was far ahead in the polls in the 1972 presidential election, but during the campaign, Nixon administration operatives conducted several illegal operations designed to undermine the opposition.

FactSnippet No. 753,400
10.

Nixon administration denied any involvement in the break in, but, after a tape emerged revealing that Nixon administration had known about the White House connection to the Watergate burglaries shortly after they occurred, the House of Representatives initiated impeachment proceedings.

FactSnippet No. 753,401
11.

Richard Nixon had served as vice president from 1953 to 1961, and had been defeated in the 1960 presidential election by John F Kennedy.

FactSnippet No. 753,402
12.

Nixon administration entered the race for the 1968 Republican presidential nomination confident that, with the Democrats torn apart over the war in Vietnam, a Republican had a good chance of winning the presidency in November, although he expected the election to be as close as in 1960.

FactSnippet No. 753,403
13.

Nixon administration established himself as the clear front-runner after a series of early primary victories.

FactSnippet No. 753,404
14.

Nixon administration selected Governor Spiro Agnew of Maryland as his running mate, a choice which Nixon believed would unite the party by appealing to both Northern moderates and Southerners disaffected with the Democrats.

FactSnippet No. 753,405
15.

Nixon administration appealed to what he later called the "silent majority" of socially conservative Americans who disliked the 1960s counterculture and the anti-war demonstrators.

FactSnippet No. 753,406
16.

Nixon administration waged a prominent television advertising campaign, meeting with supporters in front of cameras.

FactSnippet No. 753,407
17.

Nixon administration promised "peace with honor" in the Vietnam War but did not release specifics of how he would accomplish this goal, resulting in media intimations that he must have a "secret plan".

FactSnippet No. 753,408
18.

Johnson sought to conclude a peace agreement with North Vietnam in the week before the election; controversy remains over whether the Nixon campaign interfered with any ongoing negotiations between the Johnson administration and the South Vietnamese by engaging Anna Chennault, a prominent Chinese-American fundraiser for the Republican party.

FactSnippet No. 753,409
19.

Whether or not Nixon administration had any involvement, the peace talks collapsed shortly before the election, blunting Humphrey's momentum.

FactSnippet No. 753,410
20.

Nixon administration secured 301 electoral votes to Humphrey's 191 and 46 for Wallace.

FactSnippet No. 753,411
21.

Nixon administration gained the support of many white ethnic and Southern white voters who traditionally had supported the Democratic Party, but he lost ground among African American voters.

FactSnippet No. 753,412
22.

Major decisions of his presidency, Nixon administration relied on the Executive Office of the President rather than his Cabinet.

FactSnippet No. 753,413
23.

In foreign affairs, Nixon administration enhanced the importance of the National Security Council, which was led by National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger.

FactSnippet No. 753,414
24.

Nixon administration presided over the reorganization of the Bureau of the Budget into the more powerful Office of Management and Budget, further concentrating executive power in the White House.

FactSnippet No. 753,415
25.

Nixon administration created the Domestic Council, an organization charged with coordinating and formulating domestic policy.

FactSnippet No. 753,416
26.

Nixon administration did not appoint any female or African American cabinet officials, although Nixon administration did offer a cabinet position to civil rights leader Whitney Young.

FactSnippet No. 753,417
27.

In 1973, as the Watergate scandal came to light, Nixon administration accepted the resignations of Haldeman, Erlichman, and Mitchell's successor as Attorney General, Richard Kleindienst.

FactSnippet No. 753,418
28.

Nixon administration was accused of accepting kickbacks in exchange for contracts while serving as Baltimore County Executive, then when he was Governor of Maryland and Vice President.

FactSnippet No. 753,419
29.

Nixon administration used his authority under the 25th Amendment to nominate Gerald Ford for vice president.

FactSnippet No. 753,420
30.

Nixon administration made four successful appointments to the Supreme Court while in office, shifting the Court in a more conservative direction following the era of the liberal Warren Court.

FactSnippet No. 753,421
31.

Nixon administration took office with one pending vacancy, as the Senate had rejected President Johnson's nomination of Associate Justice Abe Fortas to succeed retiring Chief Justice Earl Warren.

FactSnippet No. 753,422
32.

Months after taking office, Nixon nominated federal appellate judge Warren E Burger to succeed Warren, and the Senate quickly confirmed Burger.

FactSnippet No. 753,423
33.

Nixon administration then nominated federal appellate judge Harry Blackmun, who was confirmed by the Senate in 1970.

FactSnippet No. 753,424
34.

When Nixon administration took office in January 1969, the inflation rate had reached 4.

FactSnippet No. 753,425
35.

In February 1970, as a part of the effort to keep federal spending down, Nixon administration delayed pay raises to federal employees by six months.

FactSnippet No. 753,426
36.

In 1970, Congress granted the president the power to impose wage and price controls, though the Democratic congressional leadership, knowing Nixon administration had opposed such controls through his career, did not expect Nixon administration to actually use the authority.

FactSnippet No. 753,427
37.

Nixon administration then announced temporary wage and price controls, allowed the dollar to float against other currencies, and ended the convertibility of the dollar into gold.

FactSnippet No. 753,428
38.

Nixon administration re-imposed price controls in June 1973, echoing his 1971 plan, as food prices rose; this time, he focused on agricultural exports and limited the freeze to 60 days.

FactSnippet No. 753,429
39.

On taking office, Nixon administration established the Council of Urban Affairs, under the leadership of Daniel Patrick Moynihan, to develop a welfare reform proposal.

FactSnippet No. 753,430
40.

Nixon administration became closely involved in the proposal and, despite opposition from Arthur Burns and other conservatives, adopted Moynihan's plan as the central legislative proposal of his first year in office.

FactSnippet No. 753,431
41.

Nixon administration advocated a "New Federalism", which would devolve power to state and local elected officials, but Congress was hostile to these ideas and enacted only a few of them.

FactSnippet No. 753,432
42.

In February 1971, Nixon administration proposed a more limited package of health care reform, consisting of an employee mandate to offer private health insurance if employees volunteered to pay 25 percent of premiums, the federalization of Medicaid for poor families with dependent minor children, and support for health maintenance organizations .

FactSnippet No. 753,433
43.

In October 1972, Nixon administration signed the Social Security Amendments of 1972, extending Medicare to those under 65 who had been severely disabled for over two years or had end stage renal disease and gradually raising the Medicare Part A payroll tax.

FactSnippet No. 753,434
44.

Nixon administration was largely uninterested in environmental policy, but he did not oppose the goals of the environmental movement.

FactSnippet No. 753,435
45.

Nixon administration signed the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the primary law for protecting imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and development untempered by adequate concern and conservation".

FactSnippet No. 753,436
46.

The Nixon administration strongly supported continued funding of the "noise-polluting" Supersonic transport, which Congress dropped funding for in 1971.

FactSnippet No. 753,437
47.

Additionally, he vetoed the Clean Water Act of 1972, and after Congress overrode the veto, Nixon administration impounded the funds Congress had authorized to implement it.

FactSnippet No. 753,438
48.

Nixon administration, mired in Watergate, signed the legislation in July 1974.

FactSnippet No. 753,439
49.

Nixon administration years witnessed the first large-scale efforts to desegregate the nation's public schools.

FactSnippet No. 753,440
50.

Nixon administration pursued this policy by allowing the courts to receive the criticism for desegregation orders, which Nixon's Justice Department would then enforce.

FactSnippet No. 753,441
51.

Nixon administration established the Office of Minority Business Enterprise to promote the encourage the establishment of minority-owned businesses.

FactSnippet No. 753,442
52.

The Nixon administration worked to increase the number of racial minorities hired across the nation in various construction trades, implementing the first affirmative action plan in the United States.

FactSnippet No. 753,443
53.

Nixon administration vigorously prosecuted anti-war protesters like the "Chicago Seven, " and ordered the FBI, CIA, NSA, and other intelligence agencies to monitor radical groups.

FactSnippet No. 753,444
54.

Nixon administration introduced anti-crime measures like the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and the District of Columbia Crime Control Bill, which included no-knock warrants and other provisions that concerned many civil libertarians.

FactSnippet No. 753,445
55.

Nixon administration spoke with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin during their moonwalk, calling the conversation "the most historic phone call ever made from the White House".

FactSnippet No. 753,446
56.

Nixon administration submitted two significant medical research initiatives to Congress in February 1971.

FactSnippet No. 753,447
57.

Nixon administration proposed reducing the number of government departments to eight.

FactSnippet No. 753,448
58.

Nixon administration sent a letter to Congress supporting a constitutional amendment to lower the voting age, and Congress quickly moved forward with a proposed constitutional amendment guaranteeing the 18 year-old vote.

FactSnippet No. 753,449
59.

Nixon administration endorsed the Equal Rights Amendment, which passed both houses of Congress in 1972 and was submitted to the state legislatures for ratification.

FactSnippet No. 753,450
60.

Nixon administration had campaigned as an ERA supporter in 1968, though feminists criticized him for doing little to help the ERA or their cause after his election.

FactSnippet No. 753,451
61.

The Johnson Nixon administration had agreed to suspend bombing in exchange for negotiations without preconditions, but this agreement never fully took force.

FactSnippet No. 753,452
62.

Conversely, Black argues that Nixon administration sincerely believed he could intimidate North Vietnam through the Madman theory.

FactSnippet No. 753,453
63.

Regardless of his opinion of the war, Nixon administration wanted to end the American role in it without the appearance of an American defeat, which he feared would badly damage his presidency and precipitate a return to isolationism.

FactSnippet No. 753,454
64.

Nixon administration sought some arrangement which would permit American forces to withdraw, while leaving South Vietnam secure against attack.

FactSnippet No. 753,455
65.

In mid-1969, Nixon administration began efforts to negotiate peace with the North Vietnamese, but negotiators were unable to reach an agreement.

FactSnippet No. 753,456
66.

In early 1970, Nixon sent U S and South Vietnamese soldiers into Cambodia to attack North Vietnamese bases, expanding the ground war out of Vietnam for the first time.

FactSnippet No. 753,457
67.

Nixon administration had previously approved a secret B-52 carpet bombing campaign of North Vietnamese positions in Cambodia in March 1969, without the consent of Cambodian leader Norodom Sihanouk.

FactSnippet No. 753,458
68.

In 1971, Nixon administration ordered incursions into Laos to attack North Vietnamese bases, provoking further domestic unrest.

FactSnippet No. 753,459
69.

When news of the leak first appeared, Nixon administration was inclined to do nothing, but Kissinger persuaded him to try to prevent their publication.

FactSnippet No. 753,460
70.

In reaction to the Easter Offensive, Nixon administration ordered a massive bombing campaign in North Vietnam known as Operation Linebacker.

FactSnippet No. 753,461
71.

In December 1972, Nixon administration ordered another massive bombing campaign, Operation Linebacker II; domestic criticism of the operation convinced Nixon administration of the necessity to quickly reach a final agreement with North Vietnam.

FactSnippet No. 753,462
72.

Nixon administration took office in the midst of the Cold War, a sustained period of geopolitical tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union.

FactSnippet No. 753,463
73.

The visit was carefully choreographed by both governments, and major events were broadcast live during prime time to reach the widest possible television audience in the U S When not in meetings, Nixon toured architectural wonders such as the Forbidden City, Ming Tombs, and the Great Wall, giving many Americans received their first glimpse into Chinese life.

FactSnippet No. 753,464
74.

Nixon administration recognized Taiwan as part of China, while the Chinese agreed to pursue a peaceful settlement in the dispute with the ROC.

FactSnippet No. 753,465
75.

Nixon administration made detente, the easing of tensions with the Soviet Union, one of his top priorities.

FactSnippet No. 753,466
76.

In May 1972, Nixon administration met with Leonid Brezhnev and other leading Soviet officials at the 1972 Moscow Summit.

FactSnippet No. 753,467
77.

Nixon administration would embark on a second trip to the Soviet Union in 1974, meeting with Brezhnev in Yalta.

FactSnippet No. 753,468
78.

Nixon administration shifted away from the neutral stance which his predecessors had taken towards India-Pakistan hostilities.

FactSnippet No. 753,469
79.

Nixon administration established a very close relationship with Pakistan, aiding it militarily and economically, as India, now under the leadership of Indira Gandhi, was leaning towards Soviet Union.

FactSnippet No. 753,470
80.

Nixon administration considered Pakistan as a very important ally to counter Soviet influence in the Indian subcontinent and establish ties with China, with whom Pakistan was very close.

FactSnippet No. 753,471
81.

Nixon administration had been a firm supporter of Kennedy in the 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion and 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis; on taking office he stepped up covert operations against Cuba and its president, Fidel Castro.

FactSnippet No. 753,472
82.

Nixon administration maintained close relations with the Cuban-American exile community through his friend, Bebe Rebozo, who often suggested ways of irritating Castro.

FactSnippet No. 753,473
83.

Nixon administration pursued a vigorous campaign of covert resistance to Allende, intended to first prevent Allende from taking office, called Track I, and then when that failed, to provide a "military solution", called Track II.

FactSnippet No. 753,474
84.

Nixon administration drastically cut economic aid to Chile and convinced World Bank leaders to block aid to Chile.

FactSnippet No. 753,475
85.

Early in his first term, Nixon pressured Israel over its nuclear program, and his administration developed a peace plan in which Israel would withdraw from the territories it conquered in the Six-Day War.

FactSnippet No. 753,476
86.

Nixon administration met with British Prime Minister Harold Wilson in London and French President Charles de Gaulle in Paris.

FactSnippet No. 753,477
87.

Nixon administration made groundbreaking trips to several Eastern European nations, including Romania, Yugoslavia, and Poland.

FactSnippet No. 753,478
88.

Nixon administration made fifteen international trips to 30 different countries during his presidency.

FactSnippet No. 753,479
89.

Nixon administration explored the possibility of establishing a new center-right party and running on a ticket with John Connally, but he ultimately chose to seek re-election as a Republican.

FactSnippet No. 753,480
90.

Nixon administration was challenged in the primaries by two congressmen: anti-war candidate Pete McCloskey and detente opponent John Ashbrook.

FactSnippet No. 753,481
91.

Nixon administration virtually assured his nomination by winning the New Hampshire primary with a comfortable 67.

FactSnippet No. 753,482
92.

Nixon administration initially expected his Democratic opponent to be Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, but the 1969 Chappaquiddick incident effectively removed Kennedy from contention.

FactSnippet No. 753,483
93.

Nonetheless, Nixon ordered constant surveillance of Kennedy by E Howard Hunt.

FactSnippet No. 753,484
94.

Nixon administration was further damaged by the widespread perception that he mismanaged his campaign, chiefly due to the incident with Eagleton.

FactSnippet No. 753,485
95.

Nixon administration, meanwhile, appealed to many working class Democrats who were repelled by the Democratic Party's positions on racial and cultural issues.

FactSnippet No. 753,486
96.

Nixon administration was not informed about the details of each CRP undertaking, but he approved of the overall operation.

FactSnippet No. 753,487
97.

Nixon administration attempted to discredit the hearings as a partisan witch hunt, but some Republican senators took an active role in the investigations.

FactSnippet No. 753,488
98.

Cox and the Senate Watergate Committee both asked Nixon administration to turn over the tapes, but Nixon administration refused, citing executive privilege and national security concerns.

FactSnippet No. 753,489
99.

That same month, during an hour-long televised question-and-answer session with the press, Nixon administration insisted that he had made mistakes, but had no prior knowledge of the burglary, did not break any laws, and did not learn of the cover-up until early 1973.

FactSnippet No. 753,490
100.

However, one of the newly released tapes, the "smoking gun" tape, recorded just a few days after the break-in, demonstrated that Nixon administration had been told of the White House connection to the Watergate burglaries soon after they took place, and had approved plans to thwart the investigation.

FactSnippet No. 753,491
101.

Nixon administration stated that he was resigning for the good of the country as he had lost the political support in Congress necessary to govern effectively, and asked the nation to support the new president, Gerald Ford.

FactSnippet No. 753,492
102.

Nixon administration went on to review the accomplishments of his presidency, especially in foreign policy, and concluded by invoking Theodore Roosevelt's "Man in the Arena" speech.

FactSnippet No. 753,493
103.

In foreign and domestic policy, Nixon administration's inclinations were conservative, but he assumed the presidency at the end of the 1960s, liberalism's postwar peak.

FactSnippet No. 753,494
104.

Nixon administration saw his policies on Vietnam, China, and the Soviet Union as central to his place in history.

FactSnippet No. 753,495