Continuing on from my last post, I’m still in the midst of reading a recently published history of Watergate. One of Nixon’s most famous quotes from this time, was “People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook. Well, I am not a crook.” During the 1970s, if you were a Nixon impersonator, that was a line that you just had to use. Well, regarding the veracity of Nixon’s statement, let’s check the, um, tape.
Here’s a partial list of, at best, sketchy if not downright illegal moments during his presidency.
Chennault Affair: I talked about this in the previous post but it’s crazy enough to deserve a re-mention. While running for President, Nixon covertly met with the South Vietnamese ambassador and enlisted Anna Chennault to sabotage the ongoing Vietnam Peace talks in Paris to prevent Vice President Humphrey from getting any credit.
Huston Plan: Concerned about “left-wing extremism”, Nixon asked an aide to develop a plan to counteract them. This plan, built in conjunction with members of the FBI, included domestic burglary, illegal electronic surveillance, and opening mail. At one time it advocated setting up camps where such dissidents would be kept. Nixon actually approved it, but of all people, J Edgar Hoover objected to it. If Hoover thinks that you’ve gone too far, it might be time to do a little self examination.
Kissinger Wiretaps: Enraged at yet another newspaper leak that he felt endangered national security, Kissinger worked with Hoover to identify likely culprits of the leak. Eventually some eighteen people, including people that worked on the National Security Council and at the White House, had their phones covertly wiretapped. The wiretaps continued for close to two years. The leaker was never identified.
Ellsberg Burglary: As I wrote about in the previous post, the Watergate break-in and subsequent coverup was instigated by the publishing of the Pentagon Papers. Ironically, these papers had nothing to do with Nixon. It did lead to the formation of the Plumbers, a White House led group dedicated to finding leaks (get it?). Daniel Ellsberg confessed to leaking the Pentagon Papers. Wanting to dig up dirt on Ellsberg, the Plumbers successfully broke into Ellsberg’s psychiatrist’s office, looking for Ellsberg’s file. Perhaps they were looking to move that Ellsberg had mommy issues?
ITT Affair: The ITT corporation was in the midst of an Justice Department anti-trust investigation. Upon donating $400,000 to the 1972 Republican National Convention, the investigation was, amazingly enough, rapidly concluded. Jack Anderson (as discussed in my last post, the journalist that Liddy and Hunt seriously contemplated killing) published a memo from an ITT lobbyist, Dita Beard, specifically admitting to the quid pro quo. In the ensuing uproar, Beard disappeared, later to reappear in a Denver hospital. Her doctor, apparently not believing in patient confidentiality, said that she was an irrational drunk. Hunt (disguised in a red wig and using an assumed name), was dispatched to Beard’s bed with an envelope of cash. That was enough for her to ‘recover’ her memory and to recant the memo.
Vesco Donation: Robert Vesco was a successful businessman that had run afoul of the Security Exchange Commission (SEC). Vesco proposed to give Maurice Stans, working on Nixon’s reelection campaign, $500,000 to make the the problem go away. Later, $200,000 in cash was delivered to Stan’s office. That was enough for Nixon’s Attorney General, John Mitchell, to set up a meeting between the SEC and Vesco. Vesco ended up having to flee the country, ultimately ending up in Cuba. He continued his fraudulent activities there, eventually ending having to serve 13 years in a Cuban jail. He later died in Cuba, but there are some that believe that he faked his death.
Milk Price Fixing: The dairy industry, represented by the Associated Milk Producers, wanted to raise milk price supports. Nixon’s lawyer told them that “contributions would be appreciated”. They responded with $100,000 cash in a briefcase. that was apparently insufficient. They later promised $2,000,000 to Nixon’s reelection. Amazingly enough, the next day the milk price supports were adjusted upward, even though they’d last been set only two weeks earlier.
George Steinbrenner: Yes, I’m talking about the owner of the Yankees. Steinbrenner had been a major donor to the Democratic Party. Noticing that he was not making his usual annual donation, House Majority Leader Tip O’Neill contacted him. Only agreeing to speak to him in person, Steinbrenner told O’Neill that his company was under federal investigation on multiple fronts, including safety standards, working conditions, and antitrust. He was told that his problems would disappear if he contributed to Nixon’s reelection. Steinbrenner offered $25,000, but that was not nearly enough. He was provided a list of sixty pro-Nixon organizations. He was told to donate $3,000 to thirty-three of the organizations.
Since I’ve already written about it, I’m not even including Vice President Spiro Agnew’s receiving of envelopes full of cash as part of his long running Maryland graft.
It’s kind of amazing that they actually found time to, you know, run the country.
dorkenstein 