The Rise and Fall of Richard Nixon | Full Documentary | American Experience PBS

Richard Nixon — one of the most controversial and enduring figures on the American political landscape — is the subject of this profile that traces the 37th president’s life from his boyhood in Yorba Linda, California, through his resignation in the face of likely impeachment in 1974.

Featuring interviews with former presidential aides John Ehrlichman, Charles Colson, and John Dean, early campaign staffers Patrick Hillings and Ted Rogers, Nixon biographer and Kissinger aide Roger Morris, and more, NIXON explores the fateful combination of strengths and weaknesses that propelled him to the presidency and then brought him down.

Part One, “The Quest,” (04:40) begins with the former president's farewell speech to his staff on his last day in office — August 9, 1974 — and moves back and forth in time between Nixon's youth in Yorba Linda, California, and his musings on his parents in that famous speech.

Part Two, “Triumph,” (54:50) shows how Nixon emerged from political oblivion to gain the presidency in 1968. Against the background of the growing pressure of the antiwar movement, Nixon used the power of his office to reach for a bold vision of world peace — and to undermine those he believed were his political enemies.

Part Three, “The Fall,” (1:52:45) documents the unraveling of Nixon's presidency, from his landslide victory in the election of 1972 to his departure from the White House less than two years later.

Official Website: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/nixon/

© 1990 WGBH Educational Foundation

00:00 Introduction: The Rise and Fall of Richard Nixon
04:40 Richard Nixon’s Humble Roots
11:58 Law School, Navy Service, and Meeting Pat Ryan
17:57 The Alger Hiss Trial: Nixon’s Cold War Debut
24:46 How Nixon Earned the Nickname "Tricky Dick"
28:40 The “Checkers” Speech
39:20 Nixon’s VP Years: Serving Under Eisenhower (1953-1961)
42:54 Nixon v. Kennedy: The 1960 Presidential Campaign
51:56 The 1962 California Gubernatorial Campaign
54:50 Richard Nixon’s Political Comeback
59:44 The 1968 Presidential Campaign
01:10:11 Richard Nixon’s Foreign Policy
1:16:57 Richard Nixon and the Vietnam War
1:35:06 The Pentagon Papers and Nixon’s “Enemies List”
1:41:45 Richard Nixon’s China Visit & the Moscow Summit (1972)
1:49:38 The Watergate Break-In
1:52:45 The Election of 1972 and Richard Nixon’s Second Term
1:58:44 The Paris Peace Accords & Christmas Bombing of 1972
2:02:20 Uncovering the Watergate Cover-up
2:13:55 “I am not a crook”: Investigating the Watergate Scandal
02:31:17 The Impeachment Process Against Richard Nixon
2:40:52 The First President to Resign: August 8, 1974

#Nixon #History #President #20thCentury #Vietnam #Watergate

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