News
54 Years Ago, Safire’s Reflection on the Kitchen Debate
In 2009, William Safire—former speech writer for President Nixon—recalled in his New York Times piece “The Cold War’s Hot Kitchen,” the gaggle of reporters and general pandemonium surrounding the 1959 debate between then Vice President Nixon, and Soviet Premier...
40 Years Ago, RN Creates the All Volunteer Force
President Nixon with conscripted troops in S. Vietnam, 1969. This month marks 40 years since the formal transition from mandatory, conscripted military service to all-volunteer armed services, which was initiated under President Nixon. The road there was bumpy and...
Omitting History, The Legacy of the EPA
Reading the introductory remarks of Carol Browner at the dedication ceremony of the EPA building in Washington DC that took place on July 17, one could easily believe the agency is only twenty years old, and a product of the Clinton Administration. “Twenty years ago...
A Comic Critique of Domestic Policy
We all know Richard Nixon as the 37th President of the United States. But did you know he has appeared as a character in more than 184 comics? Ranging from Batman to Superman, shifting from hero to villain, President Nixon has been a central force in many comic book...
40 Years Later, Student Loans Remain a Priority
“No qualified student who wants to go to college should be barred by lack of money. That has long been a great American goal; I propose that we achieve it now.”- President Nixon March 19, 1970 In a move President Nixon would have gladly approved of, members of the...
My Friend, Len Garment
Garment recruited the author to President Nixon's 1968 presidential campaign (Getty). It is said that when the novelist John O'Hara learned of the death of his friend, composer George Gershwin, he wrote: “They tell me George is dead, but I don't have to believe it if...
Unfolding the Legacy of Leonard Garment
Former adviser to President Nixon, Leonard Garment, passed away earlier this week at the age of 89. After assisting with Nixon’s 1968 presidential campaign, Garment joined the White House Staff in 1969, serving as special consultant to the President on Domestic...
Making the List: Federal Women in Media
Today’s public loves their lists, whether it is Forbes’s World’s Billionaires, Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World, or People’s Most Beautiful. With much of the same fervor, the women of the Nixon administration also became the subject of media attention....
To Arm or Not to Arm Syrian Rebels?
Major news sources throughout the country have reported the US Congress has delayed the shipment of military aid to the Syrian rebels. The Muslim Brotherhood, who represented the largest faction of rebel fighters, has stated that they felt, “abandoned and...
Strengthening the Bridge that Nixon Built
During the car ride from the Beijing Airport on February 21, 1972, Premier Zhou Enlai turned to President Nixon and said, “Your handshake came over the vastest ocean in the world—twenty five years of no communication.” Nixon’s week-long trip to China built a bridge...