Richard Nixon had what seemed to be a charmed life. Despite being raised in a poor family of Quakers and saddled with an incorrect health diagnosis that kept him out of school sports and struggling with extra family responsibilities when his Mother and brother left for Arizona due to medical reasons, he still excelled academically and became a lawyer.
Nixon was invited into active politics and excelled in his political ambitions. He worked very hard and had a penetrating grasp of complex social issues. He introduced many constructive changes during his Presidency, including detente, the withdrawal of the US from Viet Nam, cancellation of the military draft, and the opening of dialog with Communist China. He also introduced the Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Water Act, and NOAA, and waged a war on drugs.
But when he should have known better, he tried to interfere with the peace talks taking place in Paris with the North Vietnamese. He reasoned that his chances of winning the upcoming election would be greater if peace with North Vietnam looked like they were still a long way off...Enjoy the video as a Member.
