Watergate and Afterward: The Legacy of Richard M. Nixon

(Hardback)

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This volume brings together a group of scholars, journalists and former Nixon Administration officials to examine the Watergate controversy and its legacy. Particular attention is paid to Nixon's misuse of government power for political ends, his administration's obsession with secrecy and the control of information, and the impeachment proceedings in Congress. This is the second in a trilogy of titles based on the Hofstra Presidential Conference on Richard M. Nixon (the first, "Richard M.Nixon: Politician, President, Administrator" Greenwood 1991), was also edited by Friedman and Levantrosser). "Watergate and Afterward" includes a final assessment of the Nixon presidency by a group of biographers who have written extensively about the man and his politics, as well as appraisals of Nixon's accomplishments and failures by both administration figures and outside historians. Special effort has been ade throughout to incorporate opposing points of view on the various issues under discussion. The book begins with essays that describe the political reactions to Watergate and Nixon's attempt to remove the first special prosecutor on the case. In the discussion section that follows, new insight into what the break-in was supposed to accomplish is provided by Reverend Jeb Stuart Magruder, speaking for the first time in a public forum. Subsequent papers discuss the different efforts by the Nixon administration to uncover information about political opponents, the politicisation of the Justice Department, the constitutional confrontation in the Supreme Court over the Nixon tapes, and the Pentagon papers case. Contributors to the discussion include Charles Colson, who was in the White House at the time, Tom Brokaw of NBC, and Ron Ziegler and Gerald Warren of the White House press office. Finally, the impeachment proceedings are re-examined in chapters that explore the specific charges against the president and the political coalitions that formed in Congress around them. The work is intended to be useful as supplementary reading for courses on the presidency and modern American politics.

Reviews

This is the second volume of proceedings from the 1987 Hofstra University Conference on the Nixon administration. Unlike its fine predecessor, Richard M. Nixon: Politician, President, Administrator, this compilation brings together former aides, members of the judiciary, media notables, and historians to discuss the negative aspects of the Nixon presidency. A spirited dialog among biographers Stephen Ambrose, Roger Morris, Herbert Parmet, and Raymond Price concludes that Nixon's rehabilitation will continue as Watergate's overshadowing impact lessens. An abrasive H.P. Haldeman and historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. are less sanguine. The Rev. Jeb Stuart Magruder reemerges for the first time in years . . . . Panelists offer powerful, even emotional recountings that provide differing perspectives on The Pentagon Papers, executive privilage, the tapes, policies and intrigues, and the daunting problems archivists encounter in making documents available to the public. A comprehensive overview of the unraveling of the Nixon administration, especially recommended for presidency collections.-Library Journal
"This is the second volume of proceedings from the 1987 Hofstra University Conference on the Nixon administration. Unlike its fine predecessor, Richard M. Nixon: Politician, President, Administrator, this compilation brings together former aides, members of the judiciary, media notables, and historians to discuss the negative aspects of the Nixon presidency. A spirited dialog among biographers Stephen Ambrose, Roger Morris, Herbert Parmet, and Raymond Price concludes that Nixon's rehabilitation will continue as Watergate's overshadowing impact lessens. An abrasive H.P. Haldeman and historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. are less sanguine. The Rev. Jeb Stuart Magruder reemerges for the first time in years . . . . Panelists offer powerful, even emotional recountings that provide differing perspectives on The Pentagon Papers, executive privilage, the tapes, policies and intrigues, and the daunting problems archivists encounter in making documents available to the public. A comprehensive overview of the unraveling of the Nixon administration, especially recommended for presidency collections."-Library Journal

Author Bio

LEON FRIEDMAN is the Joseph Kushner Professor of Civil Liberties Law at Hofstra University Law School. His many previous works on politics and law include The Justices of the United States Supreme Court, 1789-1990. As an ACLU lawyer, he handled a number of law suits against members of the Nixon Administration. WILLIAM F. LEVANTROSSER is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Colloquium on the American Presidency at Hofstra University. He is the author of Congress and the Citizen-Soldier and Harry S. Truman: The Man from Independence (Greenwood Press, 1986).