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One Man Against the World: The Tragedy of Richard Nixon
A shocking and riveting look at one of the most dramatic and disastrous presidencies in US history, from Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner Tim Weiner
Based largely on documents declassified only in the last few years, One Man Against the World paints a devastating portrait of a tortured yet brilliant man who led the country largely according to a deep-seated insecurity and distrust of not only his cabinet and congress, but the American population at large. In riveting, tick-tock prose, Weiner illuminates how the Vietnam War and the Watergate controversy that brought about Nixon's demise were inextricably linked. From the hail of garbage and curses that awaited Nixon upon his arrival at the White House, when he became the president of a nation as deeply divided as it had been since the end of the Civil War, to the unprecedented action Nixon took against American citizens, who he considered as traitorous as the army of North Vietnam, to the infamous break-in and the tapes that bear remarkable record of the most intimate and damning conversations between the president and his confidantes, Weiner narrates the history of Nixon's anguished presidency in fascinating and fresh detail.
A crucial new look at the greatest political suicide in history, One Man Against the World leaves us not only with new insight into this tumultuous period, but also into the motivations and demons of an American president who saw enemies everywhere, and, thinking the world was against him, undermined the foundations of the country he had hoped to lead.
Based largely on documents declassified only in the last few years, One Man Against the World paints a devastating portrait of a tortured yet brilliant man who led the country largely according to a deep-seated insecurity and distrust of not only his cabinet and congress, but the American population at large. In riveting, tick-tock prose, Weiner illuminates how the Vietnam War and the Watergate controversy that brought about Nixon's demise were inextricably linked. From the hail of garbage and curses that awaited Nixon upon his arrival at the White House, when he became the president of a nation as deeply divided as it had been since the end of the Civil War, to the unprecedented action Nixon took against American citizens, who he considered as traitorous as the army of North Vietnam, to the infamous break-in and the tapes that bear remarkable record of the most intimate and damning conversations between the president and his confidantes, Weiner narrates the history of Nixon's anguished presidency in fascinating and fresh detail.
A crucial new look at the greatest political suicide in history, One Man Against the World leaves us not only with new insight into this tumultuous period, but also into the motivations and demons of an American president who saw enemies everywhere, and, thinking the world was against him, undermined the foundations of the country he had hoped to lead.
369 pages, Hardcover
First published January 16, 2015
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2451 people want to read
About the author
Tim Weiner
14Ìýbooks505ÌýfollowersTim Weiner reported for The New York Times for many years as a foreign correspondent and as a national security correspondent in Washington, DC. He has won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting and the National Book Award for LEGACY OF ASHES: The History of the CIA. His new book, out in July, is ONE MAN AGAINST THE WORLD: The Tragedy of Richard Nixon.
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August 15, 2017
“The press is the enemy. The establishment is the enemy. The professors are the enemy,� Nixon said. “Write that on the blackboard 100 times and never forget it.�Nixon was a very paranoid and vindictive man. While the world has many paranoid and vindictive men, very few of them are also Presidents of the United States. This book was an examination of the steps Nixon took that brought him to the precipice of impeachment and his fall from power. It is a gripping and truly terrifying examination of all the illegal and terrible stuff Nixon and his associates did. Weiner does a stupendous job forging a narrative of Nixon's world based on a mountain of documents, some declassified as recently as 2014.
First off you must understand that Nixon did and ordered some really terrible things.
Watergate was now more than a botched burglary. Warrantless burglaries and bugs, bald-faced lies obstructing justice, black bags crammed with hush money, B-52 bombings erased by falsified records—whether in the name of national security or the reelection of Richard Nixon—were abuses of presidential power.Even before he was elected President in 1968 he (successfully) worked behind the scenes to sabotage the Vietnam peace plans strictly for domestic political gains. The result was another five years of the conflict that grew into a secret and illegal invasion of Cambodia and resulted in hundreds of thousands of additional deaths.
Nixon had no regard for the Rule of Law, happily using all the power of his office to undercut, punish, and harass political opponents:
The president ordered two retired New York City police officers, overseen by Ehrlichman, to conduct undercover investigations of his Senate opponents—notably, Teddy Kennedy, Edmund Muskie, Birch Bayh, and William Proxmire, four prominent Democrats who fought Nixon’s military policies and his Supreme Court nominees—as part of what Nixon called “an all-out hatchet job on the Democrat leaders,� including the use of the Internal Revenue Service to investigate their finances...He surrounded himself with likeminded men who shared his vision of America and the world and were willing to break the law to see Nixon's vision realized.
On June 30 the Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 for the Times. “Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government,� Justice Hugo Black wrote in his concurring opinion. By then, Nixon had already taken the first steps to create a White House task force to carry out the purpose of the Huston Plan: the Special Investigations Unit. As the president ordered, it would implement the plan: break-ins, burglaries, bugging. Assigned to stop the leaks that exposed deception in government, the unit inevitably became known as the Plumbers.
One of the many scary aspects of his presidency was just how much he cut out top ranking members of his own cabinet on vital decisions.:
Nixon spent the rest of the day conferring with his innermost circle: Kissinger, Haldeman, Haig, and Connally. He had decided that he would again address the nation in a broadcast on the following Monday, May 8. He was going to announce a major escalation of the war in Vietnam. The secretary of defense and the secretary of state knew nothing of his plans.His foreign policy, while capable of pulling off some brilliant maneuvers, such as opening up China to the West, was rather impotent in effect otherwise. He was unable to make progress in peace in Vietnam (a war he actively worked toward continuing), was unable to warm relations with the Soviets, and generally wasted exorbitant amounts of energy achieving very little. The irony of it is that Nixon (in his own mind) staked his legacy on his foreign policy achievements and fell so woefully short.
I must commend Weiner on his mastery of Nixon's day to day activities. This book provides a very detailed account of Nixon's activities both on the public facing political front as well as the dirty tricks and secret wars he ordered. The book needed very little color commentary because of its rich use of primary sources and the thoroughness of the events that occurred. The story, even told using relatively dry facts, is compelling on its own.
The fact that Nixon was able to get away with all these monstrous crimes for so long was chilling as was the depth he embroiled himself in it. Here was the alleged leader of the free world ordering off the book criminals and ex-intelligence officers to break into the offices and homes of American citizens and TAPING THE WHOLE THING! Yes, his downfall was partially caused by secretly taping conversations in the Oval Office. For as smart of a man as he was, this blindspot is just staggering. But it happened and he was the author of his own downfall like a Greek Tragic hero of old.
But this book also felt eerily apropos to 2017. We once again have a vindictive paranoid man in the White House, only this one seems less mentally stable than Nixon. Where Nixon could be prodded into aggressive action ("Agnew said he objected to “all the pussyfooting.� Nixon resented the implication that he was not being tough enough. The “pussyfooting� remark provoked Nixon to go for an all-out attack with American ground forces.) he at least understood the value of diplomacy and that consequences actually existed. Trump strikes me as possessing all of Nixon's negative traits (plus a bunch of new ones he brings to the table) with none of Nixon's political vision or acumen. Americans must be ever vigilant against the sort of dirty tricks and abuses of power that Nixon used in his time. It took concerted efforts by many different news papers and congressional (though mostly Democratic) leaders in Congress to check Nixon's power, at least that much will be needed to constrain any delusions grandeur Trump has in mind. History may not repeat itself, but it does rhyme.
This book should be read by every American citizen so they can recognize how easy it is for an unchecked president to abuse the power of the office and subvert our democracy. If you take anything away from this book or this review it should be this: it wasn't just one break-in that brought down Nixon, but a mountain of illegal activities and abuses of power. Never let anyone tell you "apart from Watergate Nixon wasn't so bad". He willful actions led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people (most innocent civilians) and his disregard for the checks and balances of our government brought about a constitutional crisis. He was a morally bankrupted President that first and foremost looked out for himself at the expense of the country and the world.
(My only complaint about the book is that is mostly ignored Nixon's actions on the domestic policy front. I understand why Weiner decided to make this choice but I still think there would have been some value to see how Nixon's domestic priorities contributed to his fall from power.)
September 25, 2019
Tim Weiner's One Man Against the World: The Tragedy of Richard Nixon fulfills its brief as a quick, dirty and readable ledger of Nixon's crimes, from his meddling in the Paris Peace Talks through his deceits on Vietnam, his attacks on dissidents and antiwar leaders and, of course, everything Watergate related. Weiner's main asset is thorough documentation, from tapes and memoirs to recently declassified government documents which allow readers to assess how Nixon's entire presidency was grounded on a foundation of paranoia, abuse and criminal behavior. That said, the book's too limited in scope, too terse and staccato in its prose style to offer an insightful portrait of Nixon the Man and elides major figures in, and aspects of his presidency (his entire domestic policy is dismissed in a few quick paragraphs as irrelevant) that prevent a thorough and reasoned analysis. I wouldn't not recommend it, especially if you're new to the subject or need a refresher, but there are much better books out there.
July 21, 2015
In 1972, Bruce Mazlish wrote a psychohistorical inquiry into the life of Richard Nixon, entitled, IN SEARCH OF NIXON. Mazlish analyzed Nixon and concluded that “he project[ed] unacceptable impulses onto others. He identified his personal interest with the national interest. He exalt[ed] strength and fears of passivity.� (143) These conclusions were based on a detailed exploration of Nixon’s upbringing, relationship with his parents, and his actions as an adult. The book was written before the emergence of Watergate, and was prescient as Mazlish concluded that Nixon’s self-destructive nature would come to the fore, but he was not sure how that would manifest itself. Historians have concluded that Richard Nixon was probably one of the most complex political figures in American history and his career has produced a myriad of books, some praiseworthy, particularly dealing with his opening with China, and detente with the Soviet Union in 1972. However, the majority have been mostly negative in the light of events surrounding his election to the House of Representatives and the Senate, his pursuit of Alger Hiss, and the actions that brought down his presidency. Following Nixon’s resignation from the presidency he devoted his time to resurrect his personal legacy presenting himself as a foreign policy sage and authoring a number of books on American foreign policy. As time has receded, some revisionist accounts of his policies have been written arguing that domestically he pursued a liberal social agenda and that his foreign policy was expertly conducted. As a result, his reputation seemed to be on the upswing. Recently, however, a number of books have appeared reevaluating this trend, and the “old Nixon� has reemerged. One of the books in this genre is Tim Weiner’s ONE MAN AGAINST THE WORLD: THE TRAGEDY OF RICHARD NIXON.
Weiner’s book is not a comprehensive biography but a history of Nixon’s anguished presidency that “concentrates on the intertwined issues of war and national security.� The author’s approach to his narrative is best summarized as he writes from the outset in referring to his subject that “his gravest decisions undermined allies abroad. His grandest delusions armed his enemies at home.� “I gave them a sword,� he said after his downfall, “and they stuck it in.� According to Weiner his book is based mostly on recently declassified documents that were released between 2007 and 2014. Though that may be true there is very little that is new in what is presented as the author provides the reader the usual litany of crimes and near crimes that Nixon engaged in almost on a daily basis. Weiner is selective in his coverage of the Nixon administration as he is most concerned with the abuses of power and crimes related to the war in Vietnam, and the domestic espionage conducted against what Nixon perceived to be his political enemies that culminated in Watergate.
From the outset Weiner presents a man who is obsessed with being elected to the presidency in 1968. Nixon firmly believed that the Kennedy machine had stolen the 1960 presidential election and he would not allow that to happen again. As the 1968 campaign began to come to a close President Lyndon Johnson, concerned with his own legacy, announced a bombing halt for Vietnam. From July, 1968 Nixon had communicated with President Nguyen Van Thieu of South Vietnam that whatever peace deal the Democrats were offering, South Vietnam would be better served if Nixon was in the White House. As the campaign was coming to a close Johnson was aware of the Nixon campaign’s clandestine approaches to Thieu and how he was undermining any possible political deal. Weiner presents irrefutable evidence that Nixon was involved in treasonous activity that has been available previously, and explores the reasons that Johnson did not go public with this information. Weiner will spend a major part of his narrative exploring Nixon’s conduct of the war, detailing the illegal bombing of Cambodia from March, 1969 through August, 1973; the illegal wiretaps designed to stop the leaking of information from the National Security Council, Pentagon, and State Department all in the name of national security; covert operations against United States Senators who opposed his conduct of the war which would result in the passage of the War Powers Act in 1973; the machinations that led to the overthrow of the democratically elected president of Chile, Salvatore Allende; the incursion into Cambodia in April, 1970 that resulted in events at Kent State University; the creation of the “plumbers� to plug leaks that would lead to the break in of Daniel Ellsberg’s psychiatrist’s office, and of course Watergate.
The details of other abuses of power presented including the selling of ambassadorships, extorting funds from foreign governments in return for favorable American policy decisions, the employment of the IRS to deal with domestic enemies, and the use of the FBI and CIA to deal with political opposition. Weiner covers it all, but, again nothing really new is presented. Even in the case of Watergate the reader is exposed to familiar territory as we are taken into the White House as the plans for domestic espionage are laid out. The familiar names of John Dean, H.R. Haldeman, John Ehrlichman, John Mitchell, Charles Colson, Alexander Butterfield, Jeb Magruder, and on and on all make their appearance. The reader is exposed to Henry Kissinger and his role in Vietnam policy formulation and domestic espionage. The former Secretary of State is as complicit in many of the crimes propagated in the conduct of the war in Southeast Asia and domestic spying, but aside from a few lawsuits has gotten away scot free and today is seen by many as the eminence grist of American foreign policy.
On a personal level, in May, 1970 I witnessed one of Nixon’s plans to weaken the antiwar movement that was burgeoning in response to his actions in Vietnam and Cambodia. On May 8, 1972, a few days after the shootings at Kent State, according to Weiner, Charles Colson, one of the Nixon officials in charge of “dirty tricks,� communicated with the New York City construction union council led by Peter J. Brennan to arrange a march up Broadway of construction workers, then building the World Trade Center. As hundreds of these workers marched they assaulted anyone that seemed to be opposed to the war. I was a student at Pace University on that day and was chased and attacked by two workers as New York City’s “finest� stood idly by. Little did I know the culpability of the Nixon administration in these attacks. The irony was that the next day, as a member of the United States Army Reserves I was activated to control student unrest at St. John’s University in Queens, NY. Later, interestingly, Peter J. Brennan was appointed Secretary of Labor in the Nixon administration.
To Weiner’s credit he has written a breezy and well written catalogue of Nixon’s crimes that summarizes a period of American history whose remnants of which we are still dealing with today. In evaluating Nixon we must recognize the psychological flaws that lent themselves to limiting a self-destructive personality, who because of his abuse of power overshadowed remarkable accomplishments in diplomacy in negotiating with China and the Soviet Union. But, as Bruce Mazlish predicted in 1972, his presidency would not end well.
Weiner’s book is not a comprehensive biography but a history of Nixon’s anguished presidency that “concentrates on the intertwined issues of war and national security.� The author’s approach to his narrative is best summarized as he writes from the outset in referring to his subject that “his gravest decisions undermined allies abroad. His grandest delusions armed his enemies at home.� “I gave them a sword,� he said after his downfall, “and they stuck it in.� According to Weiner his book is based mostly on recently declassified documents that were released between 2007 and 2014. Though that may be true there is very little that is new in what is presented as the author provides the reader the usual litany of crimes and near crimes that Nixon engaged in almost on a daily basis. Weiner is selective in his coverage of the Nixon administration as he is most concerned with the abuses of power and crimes related to the war in Vietnam, and the domestic espionage conducted against what Nixon perceived to be his political enemies that culminated in Watergate.
From the outset Weiner presents a man who is obsessed with being elected to the presidency in 1968. Nixon firmly believed that the Kennedy machine had stolen the 1960 presidential election and he would not allow that to happen again. As the 1968 campaign began to come to a close President Lyndon Johnson, concerned with his own legacy, announced a bombing halt for Vietnam. From July, 1968 Nixon had communicated with President Nguyen Van Thieu of South Vietnam that whatever peace deal the Democrats were offering, South Vietnam would be better served if Nixon was in the White House. As the campaign was coming to a close Johnson was aware of the Nixon campaign’s clandestine approaches to Thieu and how he was undermining any possible political deal. Weiner presents irrefutable evidence that Nixon was involved in treasonous activity that has been available previously, and explores the reasons that Johnson did not go public with this information. Weiner will spend a major part of his narrative exploring Nixon’s conduct of the war, detailing the illegal bombing of Cambodia from March, 1969 through August, 1973; the illegal wiretaps designed to stop the leaking of information from the National Security Council, Pentagon, and State Department all in the name of national security; covert operations against United States Senators who opposed his conduct of the war which would result in the passage of the War Powers Act in 1973; the machinations that led to the overthrow of the democratically elected president of Chile, Salvatore Allende; the incursion into Cambodia in April, 1970 that resulted in events at Kent State University; the creation of the “plumbers� to plug leaks that would lead to the break in of Daniel Ellsberg’s psychiatrist’s office, and of course Watergate.
The details of other abuses of power presented including the selling of ambassadorships, extorting funds from foreign governments in return for favorable American policy decisions, the employment of the IRS to deal with domestic enemies, and the use of the FBI and CIA to deal with political opposition. Weiner covers it all, but, again nothing really new is presented. Even in the case of Watergate the reader is exposed to familiar territory as we are taken into the White House as the plans for domestic espionage are laid out. The familiar names of John Dean, H.R. Haldeman, John Ehrlichman, John Mitchell, Charles Colson, Alexander Butterfield, Jeb Magruder, and on and on all make their appearance. The reader is exposed to Henry Kissinger and his role in Vietnam policy formulation and domestic espionage. The former Secretary of State is as complicit in many of the crimes propagated in the conduct of the war in Southeast Asia and domestic spying, but aside from a few lawsuits has gotten away scot free and today is seen by many as the eminence grist of American foreign policy.
On a personal level, in May, 1970 I witnessed one of Nixon’s plans to weaken the antiwar movement that was burgeoning in response to his actions in Vietnam and Cambodia. On May 8, 1972, a few days after the shootings at Kent State, according to Weiner, Charles Colson, one of the Nixon officials in charge of “dirty tricks,� communicated with the New York City construction union council led by Peter J. Brennan to arrange a march up Broadway of construction workers, then building the World Trade Center. As hundreds of these workers marched they assaulted anyone that seemed to be opposed to the war. I was a student at Pace University on that day and was chased and attacked by two workers as New York City’s “finest� stood idly by. Little did I know the culpability of the Nixon administration in these attacks. The irony was that the next day, as a member of the United States Army Reserves I was activated to control student unrest at St. John’s University in Queens, NY. Later, interestingly, Peter J. Brennan was appointed Secretary of Labor in the Nixon administration.
To Weiner’s credit he has written a breezy and well written catalogue of Nixon’s crimes that summarizes a period of American history whose remnants of which we are still dealing with today. In evaluating Nixon we must recognize the psychological flaws that lent themselves to limiting a self-destructive personality, who because of his abuse of power overshadowed remarkable accomplishments in diplomacy in negotiating with China and the Soviet Union. But, as Bruce Mazlish predicted in 1972, his presidency would not end well.
May 11, 2016
This is really not a biography at all, but a slice of history, focusing on Nixon's actions in the Vietnam War, his diplomatic forays to China and the Soviet Union, and Watergate. Weiner makes much of the fact that he is using newly released Nixon tapes for his research. I learned a few new facts, a couple about Kissinger being snookered by the Chinese and the Soviets and he in turn snookering them, and that in May 1972, disgusted by the bombing campaign's inability to win the war, Nixon took command of all air strikes in North Vietnam from under the jurisdiction of the Air Force. Henceforth he said he would run the air war himself, through a naval commander of his choosing. I don't know if this is new information or old (I suspect old). It is reminiscent of Hitler's fury at his generals on the Eastern front and seizing command from them.
Nixon: We will bomb the bejeezus out of them. To hell with history...Just knock the shit out of them.
Kissinger: That's the best - I had not thought of that.
Nixon: Do they realize that they have to deal with, here, a man who if he wins the election will kick the shit out of them, and if he loses the election will do it even more? Did that ever occur to you?
Kissinger: I - I have to say, honestly, it did not.
There's not a lot of analysis here. It's mostly narrative. Poor Pat, she doesn't show up at all. Weiner is relentlessly negative on Nixon, showing him at his absolute worst in every situation, hard-drinking, fleeing all the horribleness of being president by constantly vacationing in Key Biscayne, San Clemente, and Camp David. (Did Pat go on these trips? Who knows? Weiner doesn't say. There really aren't any women here, unless you count one diary entry from Tricia, and references on the tapes to "the bitch," Indira Gandhi.)
July 9, 2015
Question: What do an old typewriter, a copy machine, Scotch tape, and a razor blade share in common?
Answer: They were all tools used by White House employee Howard Hunt, at President Richard Nixon’s request, to forge a cable that would make (dead) President JFK appear to have ordered the assassination of South Vietnamese President Diem.
My, my, my. The things you can learn once you start digging. This is by no means the most important part of the Nixon story as told by veteran political writer Tim Weiner, nor even the most humorous, in a grim, gallows sense; it’s just a small sample of the bizarre, the paranoid, and above all, the crooked, reprehensible deeds committed by Nixon and his creepy co-conspirators during his administration. And by now I am already supposed to have told you that I read this book free, thanks to Net Galley and Henry Holt Company.
So, can we find a way to go back and make it look like I told you during the first paragraph, like I was supposed to? And for God’s sake, don’t tell anyone.
How much will it cost to keep this thing quiet?
I was just a kid during Nixon’s first term. But as young as I was, I have to tell you, dear reader, that the times were so polarized, so politicized (not unlike the time in which we now find ourselves) that issues like Civil Rights and the Vietnam War could not be relegated to the more traditional venues, such as the evening news or the newspaper. As soon as someone opened the newspaper, or turned on the television, or started to talk about something they had seen on the news, everyone within hearing range erupted in one direction or another. It happened at home; it happened at school; and it probably happened in workplaces. Even if I hadn’t been so fascinated, there was no getting away from it.
During the time Nixon was in office, most of the media criticism of his behavior was initially soft-pedaled out of respect for his office. It took awhile before anyone in the journalistic community used the word “lie�, for example. The words I heard were “discrepancies� and “evasions�. And all of us, kids and adults alike, were stunned by the number of times the words “expletive deleted� were used.
The fact that President Nixon referred to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall as “black of course…dumb as hell� was redacted until after Marshall’s death. The horror.
All that was a long time ago, of course, and Weiner is unfettered by any of the above considerations. His story is remarkably complete yet succinct, and oh so darkly funny. Even though others in my household do not share my absorption in things Nixon-related, I can’t get through more than three pages of this book without having to stop and repeat something on the page to whoever is walking through the room. For example, after having invaded Cambodia without the consent of Congress, and in direct violation of every US and international military law on the books, Nixon announced the invasion to the American people on television thusly:
“This is not an invasion of Cambodia.�
One more thing: Nixon’s cover up; the vast number of dead people, mostly young, who should have emerged alive and unhurt rather than killed against their will in an unjust war; the outrageous wrongdoings that unfolded in our capital and that were paid for with our tax dollars; and the outright theft of Federal monies for personal gain…the parallels that shake out between Nixon and Stalin, whose biography I reviewed two weeks ago, are disquieting.
And that much really isn’t funny.
Weiner, whose journalistic pedigree to date may make him America’s finest living political writer, does an outstanding job of eloquently stating what needs to be said and its significance without tossing in a lot of arcane trivia to muddy the water. Unlike most that have written about Watergate, he had no role in the crimes that took place and has no personal ax to grind. So if you want to just read everything that gets printed about Watergate, as I have so far, then read this along with everything else. But if you weren’t around during this time in American history and want to read one—and just one—book about Watergate and Richard Nixon’s resignation, then let this be it.
At the end of the book is a treasure trove of web links that will take the reader to primary resources, very valuable to those doing research.
Read it for your own political education, or look at it as grim, terrible humor, whichever suits you. For me, I guess it was some of each. But if you want to avoid stepping into the abyss, whether here in the USA or in whatever nation you call home, you’re better off being aware of what took place in the past.
Because it’s better to be watching, participating, and engaging in honest dialogue, and better to back your statements with actions that demonstrate integrity, than it is to hide in the fucking basement and scheme against enemies, real or imagined. Honest social and political discourse carried out as citizens of the world are what keep the rest of us from going down that rabbit hole.
Weiner’s masterpiece will be available starting July 21, but it’s probably best to order your copy now. So much of the future depends on what we know of the past.
Answer: They were all tools used by White House employee Howard Hunt, at President Richard Nixon’s request, to forge a cable that would make (dead) President JFK appear to have ordered the assassination of South Vietnamese President Diem.
My, my, my. The things you can learn once you start digging. This is by no means the most important part of the Nixon story as told by veteran political writer Tim Weiner, nor even the most humorous, in a grim, gallows sense; it’s just a small sample of the bizarre, the paranoid, and above all, the crooked, reprehensible deeds committed by Nixon and his creepy co-conspirators during his administration. And by now I am already supposed to have told you that I read this book free, thanks to Net Galley and Henry Holt Company.
So, can we find a way to go back and make it look like I told you during the first paragraph, like I was supposed to? And for God’s sake, don’t tell anyone.
How much will it cost to keep this thing quiet?
I was just a kid during Nixon’s first term. But as young as I was, I have to tell you, dear reader, that the times were so polarized, so politicized (not unlike the time in which we now find ourselves) that issues like Civil Rights and the Vietnam War could not be relegated to the more traditional venues, such as the evening news or the newspaper. As soon as someone opened the newspaper, or turned on the television, or started to talk about something they had seen on the news, everyone within hearing range erupted in one direction or another. It happened at home; it happened at school; and it probably happened in workplaces. Even if I hadn’t been so fascinated, there was no getting away from it.
During the time Nixon was in office, most of the media criticism of his behavior was initially soft-pedaled out of respect for his office. It took awhile before anyone in the journalistic community used the word “lie�, for example. The words I heard were “discrepancies� and “evasions�. And all of us, kids and adults alike, were stunned by the number of times the words “expletive deleted� were used.
The fact that President Nixon referred to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall as “black of course…dumb as hell� was redacted until after Marshall’s death. The horror.
All that was a long time ago, of course, and Weiner is unfettered by any of the above considerations. His story is remarkably complete yet succinct, and oh so darkly funny. Even though others in my household do not share my absorption in things Nixon-related, I can’t get through more than three pages of this book without having to stop and repeat something on the page to whoever is walking through the room. For example, after having invaded Cambodia without the consent of Congress, and in direct violation of every US and international military law on the books, Nixon announced the invasion to the American people on television thusly:
“This is not an invasion of Cambodia.�
One more thing: Nixon’s cover up; the vast number of dead people, mostly young, who should have emerged alive and unhurt rather than killed against their will in an unjust war; the outrageous wrongdoings that unfolded in our capital and that were paid for with our tax dollars; and the outright theft of Federal monies for personal gain…the parallels that shake out between Nixon and Stalin, whose biography I reviewed two weeks ago, are disquieting.
And that much really isn’t funny.
Weiner, whose journalistic pedigree to date may make him America’s finest living political writer, does an outstanding job of eloquently stating what needs to be said and its significance without tossing in a lot of arcane trivia to muddy the water. Unlike most that have written about Watergate, he had no role in the crimes that took place and has no personal ax to grind. So if you want to just read everything that gets printed about Watergate, as I have so far, then read this along with everything else. But if you weren’t around during this time in American history and want to read one—and just one—book about Watergate and Richard Nixon’s resignation, then let this be it.
At the end of the book is a treasure trove of web links that will take the reader to primary resources, very valuable to those doing research.
Read it for your own political education, or look at it as grim, terrible humor, whichever suits you. For me, I guess it was some of each. But if you want to avoid stepping into the abyss, whether here in the USA or in whatever nation you call home, you’re better off being aware of what took place in the past.
Because it’s better to be watching, participating, and engaging in honest dialogue, and better to back your statements with actions that demonstrate integrity, than it is to hide in the fucking basement and scheme against enemies, real or imagined. Honest social and political discourse carried out as citizens of the world are what keep the rest of us from going down that rabbit hole.
Weiner’s masterpiece will be available starting July 21, but it’s probably best to order your copy now. So much of the future depends on what we know of the past.
December 10, 2015
I read this book with the History Book Club, and for once, I actually stuck to their syllabus, which means I read the book gradually over two months while tandem-reading other books. The trouble with switching between books in this way is that it becomes hard to remember the details, especially in a book like this, which is full of military strategy, hardly my forte. I understood the Watergate sections better, but probably only because I’d seen “All the President’s Men.� Neither subject makes for particularly easy reading.
The main lesson I got out of the book was how ruthless Nixon was. His whole policy in Vietnam was “bomb ‘em till they surrender,� which killed thousands of people and didn’t work anyway. At the same time, he was emotionally unstable and quite likely alcoholic. His immediate predecessor, LBJ, also came across as emotionally unstable in memoir, , and I don’t think it’s a coincidence. The Vietnam War did not just destroy the young men who fought in it; it undid two presidents. The book makes clear that without Vietnam, there would have been no Watergate.
The book was published now because Nixon’s tapes have finally been released for public use, and they are full of so many scathing revelations, I can’t understand why he didn’t destroy them. At the same time, I was impressed that our justice system didn’t let his attempted cover-up get past the American people. The inconsistencies in the defendants� stories were dissected until the truth came out. I’m afraid that wouldn’t happen today.
If you already dislike Nixon, you’ll detest him at the end of this book. And yet in spite of that, you will see his human side. He did many terrible things and he deserved to lose power, but now that I know a little of what motivated him, I can’t help but to also feel sorry for him.
I received this book as a free review copy from the publisher to members of the History Book Club.
The main lesson I got out of the book was how ruthless Nixon was. His whole policy in Vietnam was “bomb ‘em till they surrender,� which killed thousands of people and didn’t work anyway. At the same time, he was emotionally unstable and quite likely alcoholic. His immediate predecessor, LBJ, also came across as emotionally unstable in memoir, , and I don’t think it’s a coincidence. The Vietnam War did not just destroy the young men who fought in it; it undid two presidents. The book makes clear that without Vietnam, there would have been no Watergate.
The book was published now because Nixon’s tapes have finally been released for public use, and they are full of so many scathing revelations, I can’t understand why he didn’t destroy them. At the same time, I was impressed that our justice system didn’t let his attempted cover-up get past the American people. The inconsistencies in the defendants� stories were dissected until the truth came out. I’m afraid that wouldn’t happen today.
If you already dislike Nixon, you’ll detest him at the end of this book. And yet in spite of that, you will see his human side. He did many terrible things and he deserved to lose power, but now that I know a little of what motivated him, I can’t help but to also feel sorry for him.
I received this book as a free review copy from the publisher to members of the History Book Club.
December 8, 2015
(Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of reading and reviewing this book on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ and taking part in an online discussion about it with the History Book Club here on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ. Aside from the free copy, I have not received any other remuneration for my opinions and the views expressed below reflect my own and not that of the publisher or author.)
The narrative of Richard Nixon's presidency has always had a dichotomous nature to it. Some tell it as a proud and intelligent, but extremely introverted and awkward man, who hired bad men to do things he did not intend for them to do. by is the most recent example of this. Others tell it as an extremely devious and Machiavellian figure who cared not one whit for the law or the American people, but only in preserving his own power. This book falls into the latter category. What sets this book apart from all others that have gone before it though is that the author had full access to ALL of Nixon's tapes and documents, some of which have only been declassified within the last year. It is perhaps the most shocking revelatory depiction of the Nixon presidency you are likely to find anywhere. One of the most shocking revelations is that there was a general sense of conspiracy that pervaded this administration. For example, because the Joint Chiefs of Staff distrusted Nixon so much, they planted a spy on his staff in order to monitor his decisions. To me, this is just one of the first building blocks that could've led to coup had the Joint Chiefs believed that Nixon was about to damage their interests or the interest of the country as they saw it. It's a reminder that, even 239 years after we declared our independence, or liberties and democracy are just as fragile today as they were then. The access that Mr. Weiner has to all of Nixon's tapes and documents also means that this is probably the most complete record of the Watergate scandal available today. As revelatory as this book is, it sadly is not a very well balanced book though. Mr. Weiner seems to relish in tearing down Nixon and his administration. For example, nearly all historians, despite what they think about the Nixon administration as whole, agree that his opening to China as well as his attempts at detente with the Soviet Union were the best things to come out of this administration. And yet, Mr. Weiner can't help but criticize those too, like the fact that then National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger botched the joint original draft language of the U.S.-Chinese communique and had to renegotiate it with the Chinese before the next morning. This seems more like a typical bureaucratic mistake than anything else revealed in the book. Thus, it is accounts like that that sometimes give this book feeling of one big hit piece rather than just a negative, but fair, accounting of the Nixon years. Still, as I said above, the revelations from this book are worth the price of admission. However, I fear that the biography of Nixon that meshes the two Nixon, the awkwardly introverted, but highly intelligent statesman, and the Machiavellian gutter politician, into one seamless narrative has yet to be written.
The narrative of Richard Nixon's presidency has always had a dichotomous nature to it. Some tell it as a proud and intelligent, but extremely introverted and awkward man, who hired bad men to do things he did not intend for them to do. by is the most recent example of this. Others tell it as an extremely devious and Machiavellian figure who cared not one whit for the law or the American people, but only in preserving his own power. This book falls into the latter category. What sets this book apart from all others that have gone before it though is that the author had full access to ALL of Nixon's tapes and documents, some of which have only been declassified within the last year. It is perhaps the most shocking revelatory depiction of the Nixon presidency you are likely to find anywhere. One of the most shocking revelations is that there was a general sense of conspiracy that pervaded this administration. For example, because the Joint Chiefs of Staff distrusted Nixon so much, they planted a spy on his staff in order to monitor his decisions. To me, this is just one of the first building blocks that could've led to coup had the Joint Chiefs believed that Nixon was about to damage their interests or the interest of the country as they saw it. It's a reminder that, even 239 years after we declared our independence, or liberties and democracy are just as fragile today as they were then. The access that Mr. Weiner has to all of Nixon's tapes and documents also means that this is probably the most complete record of the Watergate scandal available today. As revelatory as this book is, it sadly is not a very well balanced book though. Mr. Weiner seems to relish in tearing down Nixon and his administration. For example, nearly all historians, despite what they think about the Nixon administration as whole, agree that his opening to China as well as his attempts at detente with the Soviet Union were the best things to come out of this administration. And yet, Mr. Weiner can't help but criticize those too, like the fact that then National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger botched the joint original draft language of the U.S.-Chinese communique and had to renegotiate it with the Chinese before the next morning. This seems more like a typical bureaucratic mistake than anything else revealed in the book. Thus, it is accounts like that that sometimes give this book feeling of one big hit piece rather than just a negative, but fair, accounting of the Nixon years. Still, as I said above, the revelations from this book are worth the price of admission. However, I fear that the biography of Nixon that meshes the two Nixon, the awkwardly introverted, but highly intelligent statesman, and the Machiavellian gutter politician, into one seamless narrative has yet to be written.
September 25, 2015
Even to a kid, the Vietnam War and Watergate were as unavoidable as Kim Kardashian. Halderman, Erlichman, Dean etc. were household names even if the complexity of the conspiracy was difficult to grasp for me at the time. Therefore, the book does a very good job of explaining in a concise way, who knew what and when. And while this certainly is not the first book to attempt to do that, it is one of the first to fully make use of taped private conversations. And if you thought Watergate was bad, you should see what G. Gordon Liddy really wanted to do. The original plan was more a full-scale Normandy assault on the American people. He was told to scale it back a bit.
We also get to find out what Nixon really thought of various world leaders and those in his government ("no pussyfooting around"). It's possible that in addition to committing war crimes in Cambodia and Laos (many of the worst ideas came from Henry Kissinger), he also committed treason back in 1968 when as a private citizen, he convinced the South Vietnamese government to reject the Johnson administration's offer of a cease fire to end the war (essentially telling them they would get a better deal when HE was president). His fear was that ending the war would be so popular that, as a Democrat, Hubert Humphrey would easily win the election. Thing is, Johnson knew all this, but did not break the story because "the American people probably could not handle it." As we know, Nixon could not find a satisfactory way out (where the U.S. did not appear to "lose") and the war dragged on for seven more agonizing years, doing more than anything else to sabotage his presidency. It set the stage for Watergate because he absolutely believed that the Communists were behind the peace movement and that he was fighting a two-front war which justified bugging and wiretapping American citizens.
Even J. Edgar Hoover refused to continue spying on Americans, mainly because it was illegal and he was afraid he had pushed his luck too far and would eventually get caught. Nixon did not dare fire him although he died shortly thereafter. This too would have severe repercussions in that Mark Felt, the rightful successor, was passed over for promotion when Nixon installed one of his cronies as head of the FBI. Felt would get his revenge.
After Nixon's re-election in 1972, the fallout from the burglary kept spreading and the more he tried to stamp out the fire, the more it consumed him. The main problem was how to keep the burglars from talking. This sometimes involved suitcases filled with cash from Greek dictators (the same one that got Agnew the VP job. Nixon felt safe with Spiro around because presumably nobody would want him to be President). But the burglars did talk, forcing those around the President to tell more and more lies. This became too much for John Dean when he basically said, "These are tasks more suited to the Mafia. We do not have these skills because we are not career criminals."
The whole sordid tale is actually laugh-out-loud funny in a dark and twisted way. On one level, Nixon really might have been the most deranged person to ever hold office. Yet he somehow manages to be likeable in spite of this. It may be because he maintained a tenacious, no-holds-barred, death-grip on the office of President that is worthy of admiration. He certainly was no quitter. Reading this definitely makes me want to re-watch Oliver Stone's "Nixon" as well as "All The President's Men."
We also get to find out what Nixon really thought of various world leaders and those in his government ("no pussyfooting around"). It's possible that in addition to committing war crimes in Cambodia and Laos (many of the worst ideas came from Henry Kissinger), he also committed treason back in 1968 when as a private citizen, he convinced the South Vietnamese government to reject the Johnson administration's offer of a cease fire to end the war (essentially telling them they would get a better deal when HE was president). His fear was that ending the war would be so popular that, as a Democrat, Hubert Humphrey would easily win the election. Thing is, Johnson knew all this, but did not break the story because "the American people probably could not handle it." As we know, Nixon could not find a satisfactory way out (where the U.S. did not appear to "lose") and the war dragged on for seven more agonizing years, doing more than anything else to sabotage his presidency. It set the stage for Watergate because he absolutely believed that the Communists were behind the peace movement and that he was fighting a two-front war which justified bugging and wiretapping American citizens.
Even J. Edgar Hoover refused to continue spying on Americans, mainly because it was illegal and he was afraid he had pushed his luck too far and would eventually get caught. Nixon did not dare fire him although he died shortly thereafter. This too would have severe repercussions in that Mark Felt, the rightful successor, was passed over for promotion when Nixon installed one of his cronies as head of the FBI. Felt would get his revenge.
After Nixon's re-election in 1972, the fallout from the burglary kept spreading and the more he tried to stamp out the fire, the more it consumed him. The main problem was how to keep the burglars from talking. This sometimes involved suitcases filled with cash from Greek dictators (the same one that got Agnew the VP job. Nixon felt safe with Spiro around because presumably nobody would want him to be President). But the burglars did talk, forcing those around the President to tell more and more lies. This became too much for John Dean when he basically said, "These are tasks more suited to the Mafia. We do not have these skills because we are not career criminals."
The whole sordid tale is actually laugh-out-loud funny in a dark and twisted way. On one level, Nixon really might have been the most deranged person to ever hold office. Yet he somehow manages to be likeable in spite of this. It may be because he maintained a tenacious, no-holds-barred, death-grip on the office of President that is worthy of admiration. He certainly was no quitter. Reading this definitely makes me want to re-watch Oliver Stone's "Nixon" as well as "All The President's Men."
October 6, 2015
There have been plenty of books about Richard Nixon and his presidency but "One Man Against the World" is the first one I've read that uses transcripts from the entire catalog of tapes where Nixon basically bugged himself. Using direct quotes in context, author Tim Weiner exposes Nixon as a petty, paranoid, bigoted, drunken bully. We always kind of knew that, but hearing it straight from the man and his inner circle in their own words is a bit of a revelation of how bad he really was.
There isn't much in the way of sympathy for the man who gave us the Checkers speech or was always ready to take on a fight. His ambition kept President Johnson from ending the Vietnam war and his stubbornness kept it going long after it was known to be unwinnable. Readers will also get some new perspective on Nixon's impeachment and resignation, stories I thought were played out long ago. With so many hours of tapes now available to the public, I'm sure there will be other books in the same vein. I hope so as this one has whetted my appetite for more.
There isn't much in the way of sympathy for the man who gave us the Checkers speech or was always ready to take on a fight. His ambition kept President Johnson from ending the Vietnam war and his stubbornness kept it going long after it was known to be unwinnable. Readers will also get some new perspective on Nixon's impeachment and resignation, stories I thought were played out long ago. With so many hours of tapes now available to the public, I'm sure there will be other books in the same vein. I hope so as this one has whetted my appetite for more.
September 23, 2015
I lived through these disgusting times, but I was far from aware of the full extent of the malice, the viciousness, the egotism, the total disregard for the law. Some tapes are yet unsealed, and more are still to come. This was a page-turner for me. I couldn't wait to pick it up again. I should say that I tried to read Weiner's book on the FBI, but I couldn't bear it. Since 1923 we have had people come to power who cared for nothing but themselves? And I mean very big power. It was so disheartening. I guess I need to balance this out with a Louisa May Alcott bio. Anyway, loved the book!
April 6, 2017
Even if you were an adult during the six troubled years of the Nixon Administration and have a great memory, even if you think you know everything there is to know about Richard Nixon, you will be surprised � shocked, maybe � at the revelations in this extraordinary new book by Tim Weiner.
Don’t write off this book as yet another liberal’s effort to recycle all the usual criticisms of Richard Nixon. The author of this expose, Tim Weiner, a long-time reporter for the New York Times, won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting when he worked at the Philadelphia Inquirer and the National Book Award for Nonfiction for his masterly history of the CIA, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA.
To understand just how different One Man Against the World is from previous biographies of Nixon, listen to Weiner in an Author’s Note that precedes the text: “I thought I knew something of the man when I began this work. Then I dug into a treasure trove of top-secret records from the Nixon years, recently released from the vaults of the government of the United States. This book is based in great part on documents declassified between 2007 and 2014. I read them with a growing excitement. I felt like an archaeologist unearthing the palace of a lost empire.�
The principal events of the Nixon Administration are, of course, familiar to anyone who lived through those times or has studied them as a student. Richard Nixon opened diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. He first intensified the war in Vietnam, then withdrew most of the troops. He signed the landmark environmental laws that guide federal policy to this day. And, most memorably, he broke the law by ordering the coverup of the Watergate affair � and was impeached and then resigned before he could be convicted in the Senate.
Tim Weiner digs behind the facade of these events to uncover what Nixon and his closest aides were actually saying at the time in the privacy of the Oval Office. As Weiner explains, every single quote in One Man Against the World is lifted verbatim from contemporaneous sources, principally the transcripts of the famous White House tapes that Nixon unaccountably never destroyed. (Unbelievably, he thought they might exonerate him!) The conversations Weiner reports among Nixon, Henry Kissinger, Bob Haldeman, John Ehrlichman, John Dean, and John Mitchell must simply be read to be believed.
What is most compelling in this unusually eye-opening book are the revelations about the conduct of foreign policy by the Nixon White House: the on-again, off-again peace negotiations with North Vietnam; the bombing and then invasion of Cambodia; the horrific bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong; and, most important of all, the unfolding relationships with the Soviet Union and China. Much of this is entirely new.
One Man Against the World abounds with surprising revelations and shrewd insight. For any student of the 60s and 70s, and for anyone who wishes to understand the American presidency, reading this book is essential.
Don’t write off this book as yet another liberal’s effort to recycle all the usual criticisms of Richard Nixon. The author of this expose, Tim Weiner, a long-time reporter for the New York Times, won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting when he worked at the Philadelphia Inquirer and the National Book Award for Nonfiction for his masterly history of the CIA, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA.
To understand just how different One Man Against the World is from previous biographies of Nixon, listen to Weiner in an Author’s Note that precedes the text: “I thought I knew something of the man when I began this work. Then I dug into a treasure trove of top-secret records from the Nixon years, recently released from the vaults of the government of the United States. This book is based in great part on documents declassified between 2007 and 2014. I read them with a growing excitement. I felt like an archaeologist unearthing the palace of a lost empire.�
The principal events of the Nixon Administration are, of course, familiar to anyone who lived through those times or has studied them as a student. Richard Nixon opened diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. He first intensified the war in Vietnam, then withdrew most of the troops. He signed the landmark environmental laws that guide federal policy to this day. And, most memorably, he broke the law by ordering the coverup of the Watergate affair � and was impeached and then resigned before he could be convicted in the Senate.
Tim Weiner digs behind the facade of these events to uncover what Nixon and his closest aides were actually saying at the time in the privacy of the Oval Office. As Weiner explains, every single quote in One Man Against the World is lifted verbatim from contemporaneous sources, principally the transcripts of the famous White House tapes that Nixon unaccountably never destroyed. (Unbelievably, he thought they might exonerate him!) The conversations Weiner reports among Nixon, Henry Kissinger, Bob Haldeman, John Ehrlichman, John Dean, and John Mitchell must simply be read to be believed.
What is most compelling in this unusually eye-opening book are the revelations about the conduct of foreign policy by the Nixon White House: the on-again, off-again peace negotiations with North Vietnam; the bombing and then invasion of Cambodia; the horrific bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong; and, most important of all, the unfolding relationships with the Soviet Union and China. Much of this is entirely new.
One Man Against the World abounds with surprising revelations and shrewd insight. For any student of the 60s and 70s, and for anyone who wishes to understand the American presidency, reading this book is essential.
December 11, 2015
I received this book for free in a give away by the publisher in support of a group discussion in the Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ group History Book Club. I am appreciative of the fact that various publishers are so willing to support not only the promotion of a book but serious discussion and study of the book and subject as well.
I was fairly young at the time that Nixon was President of the United States. I was five when he was elected for his first time and nine when he won his second term. I do remember the newscast of him waving his peace sign from Marine One. After that the memories I have are of discussion of Watergate and comments made about Nixon.
Having said this much in this book was new to me. The premise of the book is to bring out new details revolving around Nixon's presidency and particularly Watergate that are now available as a result of a new release date for Nixon tapes. I had basically come to consider Nixon in my limited knowledge as one of our more effective presidents regardless of the Watergate scandal. I feel that Weiner's personal opinions of Nixon come through in this book and they are not favorable and yet it is an author's prerogative to draw conclusions from the evidence if they so desire. Perhaps my biggest disappointment in reading this book is learning that Nixon actively worked to sabotage peace talks between North Vietnam and the Johnson administration just so he [Nixon] could be the one to bring "peace with honor." Had Johnson just packed the boys up and brought them home before leaving office there would have been more honor in it than Nixon brought us after his efforts resulted in extending the war with no better result then could have been gained in '68.
This was the thing that was the most revealing to me personally. The book is and excellent survey of the material available much of it in Nixon's own words that detail an administration that was into things and did things, that one would think only Hollywood could show us a President and his men doing. There are scary moments when for all intents and purposes there is no Commander-In-Chief on duty.
This book brought me through a range of emotions; sadness, disgust, disappointment, disillusionment, pride, hopefulness and disbelief. I strongly recommend the book to anyone interested in the Nixon era.
I was fairly young at the time that Nixon was President of the United States. I was five when he was elected for his first time and nine when he won his second term. I do remember the newscast of him waving his peace sign from Marine One. After that the memories I have are of discussion of Watergate and comments made about Nixon.
Having said this much in this book was new to me. The premise of the book is to bring out new details revolving around Nixon's presidency and particularly Watergate that are now available as a result of a new release date for Nixon tapes. I had basically come to consider Nixon in my limited knowledge as one of our more effective presidents regardless of the Watergate scandal. I feel that Weiner's personal opinions of Nixon come through in this book and they are not favorable and yet it is an author's prerogative to draw conclusions from the evidence if they so desire. Perhaps my biggest disappointment in reading this book is learning that Nixon actively worked to sabotage peace talks between North Vietnam and the Johnson administration just so he [Nixon] could be the one to bring "peace with honor." Had Johnson just packed the boys up and brought them home before leaving office there would have been more honor in it than Nixon brought us after his efforts resulted in extending the war with no better result then could have been gained in '68.
This was the thing that was the most revealing to me personally. The book is and excellent survey of the material available much of it in Nixon's own words that detail an administration that was into things and did things, that one would think only Hollywood could show us a President and his men doing. There are scary moments when for all intents and purposes there is no Commander-In-Chief on duty.
This book brought me through a range of emotions; sadness, disgust, disappointment, disillusionment, pride, hopefulness and disbelief. I strongly recommend the book to anyone interested in the Nixon era.
August 5, 2016
I made a fatal mistake when I picked up this book....I read the first chapter and couldn't quit!!! What a well-written fascinating telling of the Nixon administration and the amazing things that were happening right under the noses of the public and some of Nixon's chief "advisors". Has there been a more corrupt administration?....probably (Warren Harding comes to mind), but the back stair machinations of Nixon and his cronies were not achieved by an incompetent as in Harding's case, but by a man who mistook the office of POTUS for that of an absolute monarchy.
The author cuts to the chase and doesn't take up a lot of pages discussing the childhood, etc. of Nixon. Even in its thoroughness, there are still unanswered questions......why did Nixon's inner circle support his illegal activities and continue to support him when the threat (and in some cases, reality) of prison hung over their heads.I also get an entirely new perspective on Henry Kissinger which was eye-opening and very disappointing since I had rather liked him in the post-Nixon years. I think the tactics regarding the Vietnam War probably trump Watergate since it could have brought us to nuclear destruction if Nixon had his way. This is an excellent and often very disturbing book.
I received this book gratis through the History Book Club on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ
The author cuts to the chase and doesn't take up a lot of pages discussing the childhood, etc. of Nixon. Even in its thoroughness, there are still unanswered questions......why did Nixon's inner circle support his illegal activities and continue to support him when the threat (and in some cases, reality) of prison hung over their heads.I also get an entirely new perspective on Henry Kissinger which was eye-opening and very disappointing since I had rather liked him in the post-Nixon years. I think the tactics regarding the Vietnam War probably trump Watergate since it could have brought us to nuclear destruction if Nixon had his way. This is an excellent and often very disturbing book.
I received this book gratis through the History Book Club on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ
July 18, 2015
I think this was just an "okay" book. With a lot of the Watergate documents just recently "declassified," Weiner is the first among an undoubtedly long list of "historians" to interpret them in an effort to see what motivated Nixon and his absurdities. Weiner seems like he has "an ax to grind" and I remain suspicious of his own motivations. There also does not seem to be a lot of new details although he certainly paints a very unfaltering portrait of Henry Kissinger among others. Spoiler: one interesting detail he seems to reveal is that during the height of the war between India and West Pakistan a navy petty officer 'stole' top secret documents from Kissinger's briefcase and leaked the sensitive information to Jack Anderson, the syndicated newspaper columnist. There are other 'stunning' revelations-- including the somewhat surprising allegation (with no apparent supporting documentation) that "Barrack Obama's administration tormented more reporters and their sources under threat of subpoena or prison than Nixon's ever did," etc. Nixon remains an enigma. This book sheds little light on that fact--perhaps in another 50-100 years only then will "historians" be able to be a bit more objective.
March 6, 2017
One Man Against the World should perhaps be subtitled The Tragedy of America. The effects of Nixon's actions throughout his political career, left an indelible mark on the nation. Tim Weiner pulls information from newly released audio tapes and written documents to present the true character of Nixon during his administration from Vietnam to Watergate to his impeachment. Most people have an idea of who Nixon was, but Weiner shows the reader that there is much more than the public ever knew. All of the deceit and concealment is clearly laid out in shocking detail. The reader will also learn just how many people surrounded Nixon and helped to cover up his shenanigans and participate willing in his plans.
I think this is a must read for anyone remotely interested in politics and current events. It is chilling to know how easily a person in charge of a nation can abuse their authority the way Nixon did. Vietnam could have likely ended at the end of Johnson's term if not for Nixon. Nixon betrayed the nation and the effects are still felt today.
I received this book gratis through the History Book Club on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ
I think this is a must read for anyone remotely interested in politics and current events. It is chilling to know how easily a person in charge of a nation can abuse their authority the way Nixon did. Vietnam could have likely ended at the end of Johnson's term if not for Nixon. Nixon betrayed the nation and the effects are still felt today.
I received this book gratis through the History Book Club on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ
February 9, 2018
What a timely book. If you are mystified by the antics and deceptions of Donald Trump, you could do worse than read this. Like me, you will keep saying: "Wow, that is exactly what Trump is doing now - demeaning the Justice Department, firing the head of the FBI, attacking the news media, lying indiscriminately and constantly." It is sort of shocking. Does no one in the present White House read history? Is the ignominious fate of Richard Nixon completely forgotten by the present occupants?
For all that we know the outcome of this book from the moment we open it, it still reads like a mystery story, a drama, a tragedy of almost Shakespearean status - and a farce.
For me, it took me back almost 50 years to those days when we ran for the morning newspaper to see what the bastard had done overnight and to the TV in the evening to see the reports of John Chancellor. There has been nothing like it in American history - until now, until Trump.
And here we go again. The crime. The cover up. The cover up of the cover up. Time will tell - but it appears that history is repeating itself. God save the USA.
For all that we know the outcome of this book from the moment we open it, it still reads like a mystery story, a drama, a tragedy of almost Shakespearean status - and a farce.
For me, it took me back almost 50 years to those days when we ran for the morning newspaper to see what the bastard had done overnight and to the TV in the evening to see the reports of John Chancellor. There has been nothing like it in American history - until now, until Trump.
And here we go again. The crime. The cover up. The cover up of the cover up. Time will tell - but it appears that history is repeating itself. God save the USA.
January 10, 2020
Leibspeise für Nixon-Hasser, eher das Sündenregister eines Präsidenten, der von Anfang an als krimineller Versager abgestempelt wird. Einige Fakten aus der Pannenliste hatte ich bislang nicht auf dem Schirm. Da der Fokus überwiegend auf diesem Schwerpunkt liegt, ermüdet die Lektüre doch ziemlich, ehe der Autor gegen Ende noch mal ein wenig die Kurve kriegt.
Vor dem Hintergrund des Impeachment-Verfahrens gegen Donald Trump, der ständig unterschwellig auf eine Stufe mit Richard Nixon steht, da immer wieder betont wird, dass der Präsident nicht über dem Gesetzt steht, gewinnt diese Biographie eines auf ganzer Linie gescheiterten Präsidenten, noch einmal Aktualität. Gerade, was die Motivation des Demokraten-Esthablishments angeht, das den deutlichen Wahlsieger noch im Nachgang vom Thron holen konnte und damit sämtliche Fehler bei der Nominierung des eigenen Kandidaten noch ausbügeln konnte.
Weiners Legacy of Ashes habe ich ja noch im SUB, vermutlich eine einzige Pannenserie, diese Chance kriegt er noch, zumal ich genügend flankierende Lektüre in Reserve habe. Schade für Nixon, aber mehr muss ich erst mal nicht über den 37. Präsidenten der Vereinigten Staaten wissen. Vielleicht weckt der Film von Oliver Stone ja noch mal mein Interesse an einer historisch-wissenschaftlichen Darstellung von Nixons politischer Lebensleistung oder dessen Scheitern auf allen Ebenen.
Vor dem Hintergrund des Impeachment-Verfahrens gegen Donald Trump, der ständig unterschwellig auf eine Stufe mit Richard Nixon steht, da immer wieder betont wird, dass der Präsident nicht über dem Gesetzt steht, gewinnt diese Biographie eines auf ganzer Linie gescheiterten Präsidenten, noch einmal Aktualität. Gerade, was die Motivation des Demokraten-Esthablishments angeht, das den deutlichen Wahlsieger noch im Nachgang vom Thron holen konnte und damit sämtliche Fehler bei der Nominierung des eigenen Kandidaten noch ausbügeln konnte.
Weiners Legacy of Ashes habe ich ja noch im SUB, vermutlich eine einzige Pannenserie, diese Chance kriegt er noch, zumal ich genügend flankierende Lektüre in Reserve habe. Schade für Nixon, aber mehr muss ich erst mal nicht über den 37. Präsidenten der Vereinigten Staaten wissen. Vielleicht weckt der Film von Oliver Stone ja noch mal mein Interesse an einer historisch-wissenschaftlichen Darstellung von Nixons politischer Lebensleistung oder dessen Scheitern auf allen Ebenen.
January 19, 2016
One Man Against The World: The Tragedy of Richard Nixon, is an aptly titled examination of the events that led to the public unraveling of the 37th President of The United States. I admit coming into this book with the firm view that Richard Nixon was the most disastrous President in United States history for the sheer fact of bringing the country to its knees during the Watergate scandal and leaving us teetering on the brink of a Constitutional crisis. My views were not dissuaded by this book, as the story confirms the assertion that Richard Nixon corrupted the Presidency with his arrogance and blind deceit of the American people. What comes to light here, a well crafted work by the author, is much of the detail behind it all. The bulk of the book centers on Nixon's presidency therefore it was heavy on the Vietnam War, international relations (such as they were), and Watergate. It fell a little short for me on the influences and behaviors in Nixon's early life that set the foundation for his tragic demise and very little about his personal/family relations. (I kept wondering where Pat Nixon was in all this? I have new sympathy for what she must have endured.) Maybe that level of examination is best left for deep psychoanalysis that would still never truly identify the root cause of how his thinking could have gone so horribly wrong. And then there is the equally sad reality that Nixon managed to lead astray what were otherwise reasonably smart men into believing that what they were doing was in the best interest of the country when what they were really doing was committing obvious crimes by following a delusional leader. Gack! At points during this book I wondered where the madness was going to end! It could be hard to read for that reason alone. More than once I had to put it down in disgust and frustration. There is a lot here to sink into - the subterranean move to subvert the peace talks while he was running for his first term, the puzzling and inconsistent (bordering on irrational) behavior of Henry Kissinger, the paranoia that Nixon seemed to harbor of everyone around him, his freakish ability to manipulate, and the eventual tailspin he went into in the days leading up to his resignation from office. Not all the information may be new to the reader, depending on your knowledge of presidential history or how close attention you were paying if you lived during this tumultuous time. Some of the new information may well be things you wish you didn't know (who is minding the store when the President is drunk, and the ruthless disregard for others laid bare by some of the dialogue was jaw dropping.) The facts are disturbing and the realization of what *could* have been is sometimes even more frightening than how it all ended up. In the end, it becomes painfully clear that Nixon was a victim of his own delusional thinking. The real tragedy is that so many people, the country, the American people, and the office of the President, paid dearly.
Tim Weiner's writing is well researched and clear in its point of view. He keeps the story moving at a fast pace yet manages to weave in a lot of pertinent detail without getting bogged down. I have read his other works on the FBI and CIA and found this no less engaging.
I received the book for free through the History Book Club on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ. I thank the publisher for their generosity, The History Book Club for another great discussion series, and the opportunity to read the book in exchange for an open and fair review.
Tim Weiner's writing is well researched and clear in its point of view. He keeps the story moving at a fast pace yet manages to weave in a lot of pertinent detail without getting bogged down. I have read his other works on the FBI and CIA and found this no less engaging.
I received the book for free through the History Book Club on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ. I thank the publisher for their generosity, The History Book Club for another great discussion series, and the opportunity to read the book in exchange for an open and fair review.
March 2, 2016
Thanks to the publisher, Henry Holt, for providing a free copy of the book. Thanks also to The History Book Club group for arranging the giveaway and for providing a forum for discussion.
In the past I have read plenty of books about Nixon but it has been several years since I tackled this man and his place in history. There is new information coming out here and there but did I really need to know anymore? Well, I discovered that it's never a bad idea to refresh your memory about events. Time seemed to have softened my view but this book brought everything back in to sharp focus.
He didn't come by the name Tricky Dick by accident. From the very beginning when he was back door dealing to undermine the 1968 peace talks;
It appears Mr Nixon will be elected as the next president, and he thinks it would be good to try to solve the important question of the politcal talks with the next president.-President Thieu
"This is treason," said the president of the United States. "They're contacing a foreign power in the middle of a war."
the secret bombings of Cambodia;
Nixon had asked his ranking generals, spies, and diplomats at that very first National Security Council meeting, "What is the most effective way to bring the war to a conclusion?" No one at the table had any new ideas-except Kissinger. He proposed immense, prolonged and unprecedented attacks by B-52 bombers against North Vietnam's encampments in Cambodia. The planning began immediately.
After three weeks in office, Nixon had decided to do more, much more. But it would best be done in secret. He would henceforth work harder to keep his war plans hidden. Dissent would be suppressed by deception.
to the Watergate break-in and the coverup to follow;
Mitchell signed off on the Watergate break-in Key Biscayne; I think we all reluctantly signed off. None of us were interested in it at the Committee; we were pushed, first by Colson, then by Haldeman. We were continually told that the president wanted it done.-Jeb Magruder
The president, providing guidance, said, "Give them a lot of gobble-de-gook, that's all. Then let them squeal."
There is not much in the way of background biographical information on Nixon, this book deals primarily with the time right before his election up through the resignation. But it is a concise picture of that period and would be well worth your time, for readers new to Nixon or those, like me, who have been around the block a few times.
8/10
In the past I have read plenty of books about Nixon but it has been several years since I tackled this man and his place in history. There is new information coming out here and there but did I really need to know anymore? Well, I discovered that it's never a bad idea to refresh your memory about events. Time seemed to have softened my view but this book brought everything back in to sharp focus.
He didn't come by the name Tricky Dick by accident. From the very beginning when he was back door dealing to undermine the 1968 peace talks;
It appears Mr Nixon will be elected as the next president, and he thinks it would be good to try to solve the important question of the politcal talks with the next president.-President Thieu
"This is treason," said the president of the United States. "They're contacing a foreign power in the middle of a war."
the secret bombings of Cambodia;
Nixon had asked his ranking generals, spies, and diplomats at that very first National Security Council meeting, "What is the most effective way to bring the war to a conclusion?" No one at the table had any new ideas-except Kissinger. He proposed immense, prolonged and unprecedented attacks by B-52 bombers against North Vietnam's encampments in Cambodia. The planning began immediately.
After three weeks in office, Nixon had decided to do more, much more. But it would best be done in secret. He would henceforth work harder to keep his war plans hidden. Dissent would be suppressed by deception.
to the Watergate break-in and the coverup to follow;
Mitchell signed off on the Watergate break-in Key Biscayne; I think we all reluctantly signed off. None of us were interested in it at the Committee; we were pushed, first by Colson, then by Haldeman. We were continually told that the president wanted it done.-Jeb Magruder
The president, providing guidance, said, "Give them a lot of gobble-de-gook, that's all. Then let them squeal."
There is not much in the way of background biographical information on Nixon, this book deals primarily with the time right before his election up through the resignation. But it is a concise picture of that period and would be well worth your time, for readers new to Nixon or those, like me, who have been around the block a few times.
8/10
July 5, 2015
I enjoyed this book and found it most frightening thinking about how paranoid Nixon was along with depression and high alcohol intake, while he had control of so much power.
With the release of the White House Tapes and other Documents since Richard Nixon’s death in 1994 has brought out more books about Nixon. Two new books have just been released this month, this book by Tim Weiner and the one by Evan Thomas’s “Being Nixon: A Man Divided.� Both authors are highly accomplished journalist.
Weiner is a former New York Times national security reporter, is decidedly hostile to Nixon. The author structured his account of the presidency around a litany of transgressions related to Watergate and the Vietnam War.
The book is well written and meticulously researched. Weiner states emphatically that Nixon “cared little about domestic affairs: least of all housing, health, education, welfare and civil rights.� He states the heart of Nixon’s domestic policy was “tearing down the structures of Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society.� Weiner’s book adds documented details and evidence to confirm Nixon’s desperate Vietnam gambits and his central role in directing the Watergate cover-up. He cites incriminating evidence he has uncovered throughout the book. The author goes into detail about the mental health of Nixon. The story Weiner stress is “The tragedy of a man destroying himself.� I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. Holter Graham narrated the book.
With the release of the White House Tapes and other Documents since Richard Nixon’s death in 1994 has brought out more books about Nixon. Two new books have just been released this month, this book by Tim Weiner and the one by Evan Thomas’s “Being Nixon: A Man Divided.� Both authors are highly accomplished journalist.
Weiner is a former New York Times national security reporter, is decidedly hostile to Nixon. The author structured his account of the presidency around a litany of transgressions related to Watergate and the Vietnam War.
The book is well written and meticulously researched. Weiner states emphatically that Nixon “cared little about domestic affairs: least of all housing, health, education, welfare and civil rights.� He states the heart of Nixon’s domestic policy was “tearing down the structures of Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society.� Weiner’s book adds documented details and evidence to confirm Nixon’s desperate Vietnam gambits and his central role in directing the Watergate cover-up. He cites incriminating evidence he has uncovered throughout the book. The author goes into detail about the mental health of Nixon. The story Weiner stress is “The tragedy of a man destroying himself.� I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. Holter Graham narrated the book.
April 4, 2016
Okay, besides pissing me off and scaring the hell out of me, what I have basically learned is we, as a people, have learned nothing! A truly well written and researched book, it just grabbed me from page one and read it in a few days.
Being 12 years old at the time of Nixon's resignation I was not too aware of all the shenanigans going on, but knew enough to know this guy was a crook. Though living in Spain at the time, my family and I were vacationing in Picket Park, Tennessee when this all happened. I just remember my parents, especially my Dad, a Nixon supporter, being flabbergasted. He, and most Americans, were truly hoodwinked and many were in shock.
But, like the epilogue states, the abuse of power and disregard for the Constitution and the American people, keep happening and at times, like with Bush and Cheney, at a huge level. They learned well from Nixon, Kissinger and the whole gang.
Just made me think that Nixon, doing things many presidents have done, was the target and used. And in that sense, I felt a tiny bit sorry for him. A must read for history aficionados. It actually almost reads like a horror novel. And yes, Kissinger was (and is) truly a monster!
Being 12 years old at the time of Nixon's resignation I was not too aware of all the shenanigans going on, but knew enough to know this guy was a crook. Though living in Spain at the time, my family and I were vacationing in Picket Park, Tennessee when this all happened. I just remember my parents, especially my Dad, a Nixon supporter, being flabbergasted. He, and most Americans, were truly hoodwinked and many were in shock.
But, like the epilogue states, the abuse of power and disregard for the Constitution and the American people, keep happening and at times, like with Bush and Cheney, at a huge level. They learned well from Nixon, Kissinger and the whole gang.
Just made me think that Nixon, doing things many presidents have done, was the target and used. And in that sense, I felt a tiny bit sorry for him. A must read for history aficionados. It actually almost reads like a horror novel. And yes, Kissinger was (and is) truly a monster!
October 30, 2015
Richard Nixon. I say this is the modern beginning of executive abuse. My opinion, but the United States has still not recovered from this episode. I find it amazing that many of the names brought up in this book are still around. Rumsfeld, George Bush Senior, and even Hillary Clinton. Those that seek power flock to it.
Aside from the criminal aspects of this book I also found very interesting discussion regarding Henry Kissinger basically running the National Security Apparatus and the Secretary of State functions. Many of the cabinet were marginalized and excluded. Also interesting was the difficulty of negotiations with the North Vietnamese. The secret bombings of Cambodia, the invasions of Laos and Cambodia, and opening of discussions with the Soviet Union and China.
Overall, Nixon abuse his power. His administration was corrupt and he attracted corrupt individuals. He tried to be a great statesmen...if only he hadn't broken the law.
Aside from the criminal aspects of this book I also found very interesting discussion regarding Henry Kissinger basically running the National Security Apparatus and the Secretary of State functions. Many of the cabinet were marginalized and excluded. Also interesting was the difficulty of negotiations with the North Vietnamese. The secret bombings of Cambodia, the invasions of Laos and Cambodia, and opening of discussions with the Soviet Union and China.
Overall, Nixon abuse his power. His administration was corrupt and he attracted corrupt individuals. He tried to be a great statesmen...if only he hadn't broken the law.
August 3, 2015
This is such a strange, perplexing, unnerving, and scary account of Nixon's tenure as President. Even as I read this lively account I kept thinking back to those days and wondering why he did what he did. And I still do not know.
Paranoia seems too easy an explanation. Maybe it was nature, not nurture - he was born of a certain psychological makeup and unsuccessfully fought against it.
In any event, the author skillfully uses the raw material of the complete set of White House tapes, and other primary source material, to paint a picture of a man who wanted to be great and was brought down by his own ego and hubris.
(NB -- For another take at the tumultuous years of Watergate, I recommend Trout Fishing in the Reflecting Pool or the Fireside Watergate, by Garry Trudeau and Nicholas Von Hoffman - it is scathingly funny and depressingly sad.)
Paranoia seems too easy an explanation. Maybe it was nature, not nurture - he was born of a certain psychological makeup and unsuccessfully fought against it.
In any event, the author skillfully uses the raw material of the complete set of White House tapes, and other primary source material, to paint a picture of a man who wanted to be great and was brought down by his own ego and hubris.
(NB -- For another take at the tumultuous years of Watergate, I recommend Trout Fishing in the Reflecting Pool or the Fireside Watergate, by Garry Trudeau and Nicholas Von Hoffman - it is scathingly funny and depressingly sad.)
July 2, 2020
A brief, pointed book that synthesizes the remainder of the recently de-classified recordings, diaries, and memoranda of the Nixon White House. Nixon, of course, is every bit the crook that everyone already thought he was--and worse, if possible. What emerges from this book--which, to be fair, focuses only on Nixon's Presidency--is the portrait of a scheming, deceptive, corrupt, astute, alcoholic, paranoid, insecure and ultimately pathetic man.
This account also makes clear the absurd degree to which the power of the Executive was concentrated in the hands of two men: Nixon, and Henry Kissinger. The Secretaries of State and Defense in Nixon's Administration were virtual lame ducks from the moment they were appointed. The potential for calamity was recklessly increased by Nixon's determination to keep those two vital Cabinet departments completely oblivious to the foreign policy and military strategy of the United States. So bad did things become, that the Joint Chiefs of Staff were caught spying on Nixon, and secretly pilfering materials from Kissinger's diplomatic bag. Of course, Nixon had the NSA and FBI spying on nearly everyone in his own administration in turn, so turnabout was, in some sense, fair play.
And now, a few revealing nuggets, straight from the horse's mouth:
Feb. 28, 1973
NIXON: "[Thurgood] Marshall, of course, is a black. He is so goddamned dumb."
Oct. 11, 1973 (the fifth day of the Yom Kippur War)
SCOWCROFT: The switchboard just got a call from 10 Downing Street to inquire whether the President would be available for a call within 30 minutes from the Prime Minister. The subject would be the Middle East.
KISSINGER: Can we tell them no? When I talked to the President he was loaded.
May 4, 1972
NIXON: "“The China thing was important from one standpoint only: hope. Getting to know you—all that bullshit. The American people are suckers...Gray Middle America—they’re suckers.�
April 19, 1971 (concerning dropping the Justice Dept brief in the anti-trust case against International Telephone and Telegraph, a major contributor to the Republican National Committee)
KLEINDIENST: "That brief has to be filed tomorrow. Your order is not to file?�
NIXON: "My order is to drop the Goddamned thing, you son of a bitch! Don’t you understand the English language? Is that clear?�
KLEINDIENST: [laughing] "Yeah, I understand that.
Oral History
MAGRUDER: "This Watergate thing kept coming back—clearly because of the Howard Hughes issue: [DNC chair Lawrence] O’Brien. O’Brien was a consultant to Hughes; they wanted to know if Hughes knew anything that would prove negative. Mitchell signed off on the Watergate break-in in Key Biscayne; I think we all reluctantly signed off. None of us were interested in it at the Committee; we were pushed, first by Colson, then by Haldeman. We were continually told that the president wanted it done."
Dec 10, 1972
HALDEMAN: "I knew we were bugging the other side."
NIXON: "Perfectly legitimate."
HALDEMAN: "Obviously what happened...Mitchell set this apparatus up.â€� Then we started pushingÌýâ€� Mitchell was pushing on using them. There was this—â€�
NIXON: "—p²¹±è±ð°ù."
HALDEMAN: "Secret papers. And financial data that O’Brien had.�
May 6, 1970, diary entry (two days after the Kent State shootings)
HALDEMAN: "K.[issinger] wants to just let the students go for a couple of weeks, then move in and clobber them. K. very concerned that we not appear to give in in any way. Thinks P.[resident Nixon] can really clobber them if we just wait for Cambodian success.�
April 4, 1970 (Paris negotiations with Le Duc Tho)
KISSINGER: "We have no intention of using Laos to put pressure on you in North Vietnam. As for Cambodia, we have no intention of using Cambodia to bring pressure on Vietnam."
THO: "This does not conform with reality. The Vietnamese have a saying that you can’t use a basket to cover a lion or an elephant.�
KISSINGER: "I like that."
THO: "It is quite true. While you are suffering defeat in Laos and Vietnam, how can you fight in Cambodia? You have sowed the wind, and you must reap the whirlwind.�
This account also makes clear the absurd degree to which the power of the Executive was concentrated in the hands of two men: Nixon, and Henry Kissinger. The Secretaries of State and Defense in Nixon's Administration were virtual lame ducks from the moment they were appointed. The potential for calamity was recklessly increased by Nixon's determination to keep those two vital Cabinet departments completely oblivious to the foreign policy and military strategy of the United States. So bad did things become, that the Joint Chiefs of Staff were caught spying on Nixon, and secretly pilfering materials from Kissinger's diplomatic bag. Of course, Nixon had the NSA and FBI spying on nearly everyone in his own administration in turn, so turnabout was, in some sense, fair play.
And now, a few revealing nuggets, straight from the horse's mouth:
Feb. 28, 1973
NIXON: "[Thurgood] Marshall, of course, is a black. He is so goddamned dumb."
Oct. 11, 1973 (the fifth day of the Yom Kippur War)
SCOWCROFT: The switchboard just got a call from 10 Downing Street to inquire whether the President would be available for a call within 30 minutes from the Prime Minister. The subject would be the Middle East.
KISSINGER: Can we tell them no? When I talked to the President he was loaded.
May 4, 1972
NIXON: "“The China thing was important from one standpoint only: hope. Getting to know you—all that bullshit. The American people are suckers...Gray Middle America—they’re suckers.�
April 19, 1971 (concerning dropping the Justice Dept brief in the anti-trust case against International Telephone and Telegraph, a major contributor to the Republican National Committee)
KLEINDIENST: "That brief has to be filed tomorrow. Your order is not to file?�
NIXON: "My order is to drop the Goddamned thing, you son of a bitch! Don’t you understand the English language? Is that clear?�
KLEINDIENST: [laughing] "Yeah, I understand that.
Oral History
MAGRUDER: "This Watergate thing kept coming back—clearly because of the Howard Hughes issue: [DNC chair Lawrence] O’Brien. O’Brien was a consultant to Hughes; they wanted to know if Hughes knew anything that would prove negative. Mitchell signed off on the Watergate break-in in Key Biscayne; I think we all reluctantly signed off. None of us were interested in it at the Committee; we were pushed, first by Colson, then by Haldeman. We were continually told that the president wanted it done."
Dec 10, 1972
HALDEMAN: "I knew we were bugging the other side."
NIXON: "Perfectly legitimate."
HALDEMAN: "Obviously what happened...Mitchell set this apparatus up.â€� Then we started pushingÌýâ€� Mitchell was pushing on using them. There was this—â€�
NIXON: "—p²¹±è±ð°ù."
HALDEMAN: "Secret papers. And financial data that O’Brien had.�
May 6, 1970, diary entry (two days after the Kent State shootings)
HALDEMAN: "K.[issinger] wants to just let the students go for a couple of weeks, then move in and clobber them. K. very concerned that we not appear to give in in any way. Thinks P.[resident Nixon] can really clobber them if we just wait for Cambodian success.�
April 4, 1970 (Paris negotiations with Le Duc Tho)
KISSINGER: "We have no intention of using Laos to put pressure on you in North Vietnam. As for Cambodia, we have no intention of using Cambodia to bring pressure on Vietnam."
THO: "This does not conform with reality. The Vietnamese have a saying that you can’t use a basket to cover a lion or an elephant.�
KISSINGER: "I like that."
THO: "It is quite true. While you are suffering defeat in Laos and Vietnam, how can you fight in Cambodia? You have sowed the wind, and you must reap the whirlwind.�
March 14, 2019
I hadn't ever read or listened to a biography of President Nixon, and given the fact that I'd visited another President's California-based library recently (Reagan's), and that there have been a number of comparisons between both the man himself and the situation to current political situations, I thought it worth checking out. (I had also previously listened to Weiner's Legacy of Ashes and enjoyed it.)
First, Weiner shows his political biases and cards fairly clearly throughout the book. He seems hardly a neutral arbiter of a controversial, polarizing president. That impacts the book in a number of ways. It discredits some of the ferocity of attacks on the president, and also seems to limit the number of times the author goes to Nixon's own portrayal of the events in question.
I would have preferred a more balanced view of Nixon. Everyone knows the story of his disgraceful exit from the Presidency. Most know of his paranoia, his intransigence, his conspiratorial anger at his enemies. But I'd have preferred to understand how he got there more than just another hashing of what happened. What was it about his upbringing that made him develop such a personality? The real "tragedy," to me, is that someone of such humble beginnings, who rose to the pinnacle of world power, could allow himself to self-destruct. Where did he get his morals? (Or his amorality?) Nixon is quoted in the book talking of his mother and father, proud of both, but especially of his mother. Why didn't he take her lessons to heart? What of Nixon's marriage, or relations with his family, including his controversial brother, or daughter?
Nixon's story serves as a warning to those who think short-cuts or moral compromise will get them to where they want to be. It's a reminder that often, it's not the crime that does you in, but the cover-up, or the cover-up of the cover-up. I'm left feeling sorry for President Nixon, who clearly had a remarkable talent that could have much better served the American people. He did, after all, win the 1972 election in an absolute landslide, winning 49 of 50 states.
I plan to visit Nixon's library in Southern California on a visit there soon enough.
Note: I listened to the unabridged version of the book through the Libby app, mostly at 2X speed.
First, Weiner shows his political biases and cards fairly clearly throughout the book. He seems hardly a neutral arbiter of a controversial, polarizing president. That impacts the book in a number of ways. It discredits some of the ferocity of attacks on the president, and also seems to limit the number of times the author goes to Nixon's own portrayal of the events in question.
I would have preferred a more balanced view of Nixon. Everyone knows the story of his disgraceful exit from the Presidency. Most know of his paranoia, his intransigence, his conspiratorial anger at his enemies. But I'd have preferred to understand how he got there more than just another hashing of what happened. What was it about his upbringing that made him develop such a personality? The real "tragedy," to me, is that someone of such humble beginnings, who rose to the pinnacle of world power, could allow himself to self-destruct. Where did he get his morals? (Or his amorality?) Nixon is quoted in the book talking of his mother and father, proud of both, but especially of his mother. Why didn't he take her lessons to heart? What of Nixon's marriage, or relations with his family, including his controversial brother, or daughter?
Nixon's story serves as a warning to those who think short-cuts or moral compromise will get them to where they want to be. It's a reminder that often, it's not the crime that does you in, but the cover-up, or the cover-up of the cover-up. I'm left feeling sorry for President Nixon, who clearly had a remarkable talent that could have much better served the American people. He did, after all, win the 1972 election in an absolute landslide, winning 49 of 50 states.
I plan to visit Nixon's library in Southern California on a visit there soon enough.
Note: I listened to the unabridged version of the book through the Libby app, mostly at 2X speed.
January 6, 2016
Review: One Man Against the World-The Tragedy of Richard Nixon-by Tim Weiner
I perhaps had a somewhat different experience reading this book than some others. When I first picked it up, our town was hit by the largest rainfall in 100s of years in one day- almost 2 feet in several hours. Columbia, SC became flooded with what our Governor called "a 1000 year flood". My family was definitely blessed as our home was fine, but neighbors and friends and family members were not in the same shape. For a week we were without running water and electricity for a couple of days, but that was the most of it for us. Others were not so lucky. So for the next two months, our town- our neighborhood- was not operating normally. 1000s of roads were out. We spent our weekends helping relief efforts and as I work for the government, my weekdays were the same.
I add this disclaimer as it definitely colored my reading experience. Rather than being fully engaged with the conversation online and reading every minute I could, it was more haphazard and sometimes my mind was elsewhere. What is normally an escape for me, turned into an assignment. And adding to that was the fact that I was finishing teaching a class (I teach History in the evening at a local campus) on American History and somewhere during the reading I was grading 25 papers on Nixon. I
Despite all of that- I appreciated Tim Weiner's writing ability and research. None of the above has anything to do with the book, so I have been trying to filter it out as I think about the book as a whole. Even though the topic was not as engaging to me, it should not reflect the book overall. I was overwhelmed and perhaps had too much of Nixon before diving in to his narrative. But Weiner's book is in safe and capable hands and I always appreciate a knowledgeable and gifted writer. I don't think there was a whole lot of new revelations here- with on or two exceptions, but I think the strength of the book relied on Weiner's writing style and placing his subject in the larger context of the times. Nixon's 1st and 2nd terms are different and interesting to compare. Watergate, of course, dominates the discussion and story of the 2nd term and overshadows anything from the 1st term.
To be honest, there are tons of books out there on Nixon, and so many of them reach the same conclusion: Nixon was a paranoid, corrupt President who did everything he could to subvert the law and cover up the Watergate fiasco. How could anyone arrive at any other conclusion if they have examined the evidence and the record? So what could be original in a new book? I think in Weiner's case he provided a much larger context for the Watergate situation and Nixon's presidency. Not all author's do that. But there is a bit of a feeling sometimes that it's an opportunity to jump in and get a few licks at everyone's favorite punching bag. Don't get me wrong, I'm no Nixon apologist by any stretch, but at the same time, he wasn't the only corrupt political figure in our history and he won't be the last. For many in the political activist wing of the baby boom generation, Nixon's head on a platter is a trophy of sorts and is imperative to their identity and narrative. The question becomes, 50 years from now, will it still maintain the same importance, or will someone else have reset the bar? So, the tone in the book became strained at times with the negative, and heavy.
While I rate this 4 stars, it is mostly because of the author and his talents- and I tried to think long and hard about it and filter out my "environment" while reading. I honestly think I would reach some of the same conclusions. I would recommend it to others as it has a more contextual approach to Nixon's Presidency.
Disclaimer: The book was provided from the publisher for free through the History Book Club on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the Publisher, the HBC and the author.
I perhaps had a somewhat different experience reading this book than some others. When I first picked it up, our town was hit by the largest rainfall in 100s of years in one day- almost 2 feet in several hours. Columbia, SC became flooded with what our Governor called "a 1000 year flood". My family was definitely blessed as our home was fine, but neighbors and friends and family members were not in the same shape. For a week we were without running water and electricity for a couple of days, but that was the most of it for us. Others were not so lucky. So for the next two months, our town- our neighborhood- was not operating normally. 1000s of roads were out. We spent our weekends helping relief efforts and as I work for the government, my weekdays were the same.
I add this disclaimer as it definitely colored my reading experience. Rather than being fully engaged with the conversation online and reading every minute I could, it was more haphazard and sometimes my mind was elsewhere. What is normally an escape for me, turned into an assignment. And adding to that was the fact that I was finishing teaching a class (I teach History in the evening at a local campus) on American History and somewhere during the reading I was grading 25 papers on Nixon. I
Despite all of that- I appreciated Tim Weiner's writing ability and research. None of the above has anything to do with the book, so I have been trying to filter it out as I think about the book as a whole. Even though the topic was not as engaging to me, it should not reflect the book overall. I was overwhelmed and perhaps had too much of Nixon before diving in to his narrative. But Weiner's book is in safe and capable hands and I always appreciate a knowledgeable and gifted writer. I don't think there was a whole lot of new revelations here- with on or two exceptions, but I think the strength of the book relied on Weiner's writing style and placing his subject in the larger context of the times. Nixon's 1st and 2nd terms are different and interesting to compare. Watergate, of course, dominates the discussion and story of the 2nd term and overshadows anything from the 1st term.
To be honest, there are tons of books out there on Nixon, and so many of them reach the same conclusion: Nixon was a paranoid, corrupt President who did everything he could to subvert the law and cover up the Watergate fiasco. How could anyone arrive at any other conclusion if they have examined the evidence and the record? So what could be original in a new book? I think in Weiner's case he provided a much larger context for the Watergate situation and Nixon's presidency. Not all author's do that. But there is a bit of a feeling sometimes that it's an opportunity to jump in and get a few licks at everyone's favorite punching bag. Don't get me wrong, I'm no Nixon apologist by any stretch, but at the same time, he wasn't the only corrupt political figure in our history and he won't be the last. For many in the political activist wing of the baby boom generation, Nixon's head on a platter is a trophy of sorts and is imperative to their identity and narrative. The question becomes, 50 years from now, will it still maintain the same importance, or will someone else have reset the bar? So, the tone in the book became strained at times with the negative, and heavy.
While I rate this 4 stars, it is mostly because of the author and his talents- and I tried to think long and hard about it and filter out my "environment" while reading. I honestly think I would reach some of the same conclusions. I would recommend it to others as it has a more contextual approach to Nixon's Presidency.
Disclaimer: The book was provided from the publisher for free through the History Book Club on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the Publisher, the HBC and the author.
March 23, 2019
"Im not a crook" that what Nixon said, mainly the case was not why he order the break into his competitors but that he was looking for 1 million usd to close their mouths. This book has very good chapters around the Watergate. Vietnam coverage was brutal and the bombing of Hanoi sounds like a huge disaster. One thing is in my mind, that Watergate started once Nixon admitted that he lost Vietnam.
March 21, 2019
This book appears to start out as a hit piece on Nixon. It presents everything from a negative viewpoint. However, it is an interesting examination of the downfall of Nixon and filled with quotes. Sometimes the writing is ambiguous, and it takes a minute to figure out what the writer is actually saying. Overall, this is a very interesting look at a very interesting time, even if it is a bit one sided.
May 18, 2017
WHY I CHOSE THIS BOOK: After reading the book about James Polk I decided I would read one about every US president
REVIEW: I knew the basics of Nixon's story. So I didn't learn anything fundamentally new. However, learning the details of his paranoia and corruption was educational. His story particularly resonated given the current actions, word and deeds of 45. As I was listening I kept saying to myself, and anyone else around, this is just like Trump. Some similarities: both felt they knew more than their cabinet, their advisors, their generals - well more than anyone; both were very paranoid, both were quick to respond to any slight with extreme prejudice, both plagued by substance abuse issues (okay for 45th I am guessing at that), both had "other white houses" - Nixon's in San Clemente (his home) and Key Biscayne where he liked to hang out, both thought if the president does it is not illegal, both tried to fire the special prosecutor charged with investigating them and their cohorts, both stayed up all hours and then would communicate out wildly (imagine if Nixon had Twitter or Facebook).
I also learned that some of the good things he did were not so good or at least his motivations were not so good. He did sign environmental legislation and called for the creation of the EPA. That was done more, I believe, because he didn't want to waste his political capital on bucking the national conscious, or take away energy from his one true passion ending the war in Vietnam. In private he said that the environment wasn't anything we should really be concerned about. But hey he wanted to end the war in Vietnam. Yes, but on his own very specific terms. Peace with honor. Therefore he stayed in longer than we should have. He also felt that if he could not have peace with honor then he would have victory at any cost. This meant bombing North Vietnam into oblivion, bringing the war into Cambodia and Laos, and supporting a repressive regime in South Vietnam. A buy-product of his desire to have peace with honor and victory at all cost, was his opening relations with Russia and China. He hoped they would pressure North Vietnam to stop hostilities and allow for a US peace with honor. He didn't do it because it was the right thing in and of itself, or because he thought it would be good for the US in other ways or because he respected those countries. If he had stayed in office and could have gotten his peace with honor he likely would have screwed those countries over since he hated communists (although loved a good dictator).
I definitely need to read more on this time period. Things like the Halderman Diaries, The Pentagon Papers and the book by Robert McNammara about his time as secretary of defense.
REVIEW: I knew the basics of Nixon's story. So I didn't learn anything fundamentally new. However, learning the details of his paranoia and corruption was educational. His story particularly resonated given the current actions, word and deeds of 45. As I was listening I kept saying to myself, and anyone else around, this is just like Trump. Some similarities: both felt they knew more than their cabinet, their advisors, their generals - well more than anyone; both were very paranoid, both were quick to respond to any slight with extreme prejudice, both plagued by substance abuse issues (okay for 45th I am guessing at that), both had "other white houses" - Nixon's in San Clemente (his home) and Key Biscayne where he liked to hang out, both thought if the president does it is not illegal, both tried to fire the special prosecutor charged with investigating them and their cohorts, both stayed up all hours and then would communicate out wildly (imagine if Nixon had Twitter or Facebook).
I also learned that some of the good things he did were not so good or at least his motivations were not so good. He did sign environmental legislation and called for the creation of the EPA. That was done more, I believe, because he didn't want to waste his political capital on bucking the national conscious, or take away energy from his one true passion ending the war in Vietnam. In private he said that the environment wasn't anything we should really be concerned about. But hey he wanted to end the war in Vietnam. Yes, but on his own very specific terms. Peace with honor. Therefore he stayed in longer than we should have. He also felt that if he could not have peace with honor then he would have victory at any cost. This meant bombing North Vietnam into oblivion, bringing the war into Cambodia and Laos, and supporting a repressive regime in South Vietnam. A buy-product of his desire to have peace with honor and victory at all cost, was his opening relations with Russia and China. He hoped they would pressure North Vietnam to stop hostilities and allow for a US peace with honor. He didn't do it because it was the right thing in and of itself, or because he thought it would be good for the US in other ways or because he respected those countries. If he had stayed in office and could have gotten his peace with honor he likely would have screwed those countries over since he hated communists (although loved a good dictator).
I definitely need to read more on this time period. Things like the Halderman Diaries, The Pentagon Papers and the book by Robert McNammara about his time as secretary of defense.
October 22, 2016
My first memory of Richard Nixon is of me hating him. I was a ten year old Irish Catholic student at Sacred Heart Parochial School and he was the evil man running for president against our Brother in Christ, John Kennedy. I remember discussing this with my friends, with all the knowledge and passion that ten year old boys could muster. We were convinced that if Nixon won, he would force us to go to school on the weekends. We could think of nothing more heinous that a president could do. He lost, and our weekend freedom was saved. Later when Kennedy was murdered, one of the nuns explained to us that it was because American Protestants couldn't stand being governed by a Catholic. My friends and I knew that Nixon fellow probably had something to do with it.
Later, when Nixon was elected president, I was a teenager flirting with the anti war movement, so I had whole new reasons to hate him. Weiner's excellent book confirms my childhood prejudices. This well researched work gives an inside look into the Nixon presidency and the "great bad man" who headed it. As one who watched hours of the Watergate Hearings and consumed the news of that period obsessively,I found reading the account in this book to be fascinating.The author studied all the recently released public documents and tapes and gives a very complete picture of a man so driven to succeed, that he destroyed himself and many of his most devoted followers. As a bonus, his portrait of Henry Kissinger proves to be even more devastating. He was an academic who got to play with real power and allowed countless deaths to occur. To him and Nixon, soldiers and civilians dying in Indochina were playthings in political games; not real people who bled and died.
I recommend this book to readers my age who want a microscopic examination of events that colored our youths and to younger generations who have ever wondered what all the fuss named Watergate was about.
Later, when Nixon was elected president, I was a teenager flirting with the anti war movement, so I had whole new reasons to hate him. Weiner's excellent book confirms my childhood prejudices. This well researched work gives an inside look into the Nixon presidency and the "great bad man" who headed it. As one who watched hours of the Watergate Hearings and consumed the news of that period obsessively,I found reading the account in this book to be fascinating.The author studied all the recently released public documents and tapes and gives a very complete picture of a man so driven to succeed, that he destroyed himself and many of his most devoted followers. As a bonus, his portrait of Henry Kissinger proves to be even more devastating. He was an academic who got to play with real power and allowed countless deaths to occur. To him and Nixon, soldiers and civilians dying in Indochina were playthings in political games; not real people who bled and died.
I recommend this book to readers my age who want a microscopic examination of events that colored our youths and to younger generations who have ever wondered what all the fuss named Watergate was about.
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