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Richard Nixon, 35th President of the United States
The Presidency of Richard Milhous Nixon began on September 24, 1955, upon the death of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and ended on January 20, 1965. Near the end of Eisenhower's term, he suffered a heart attack causing Nixon to become his immediate successor. Nixon ran in the 1956 election, which he won by a landslide against Democratic Adlai Stevenson II. He was then able to seek a second term, winning the 1960 election against Senator John F. Kennedy. His tenure was succeeded by another Republican, Nelson Rockefeller.
Nixon was President during the early stages of the Cold War, focusing much of his presidency in foreign affairs and the expansion of American influence. Initially deciding to be neutral in the Suez Crisis, he then feared he could be going "too soft on communism" in comparison to Eisenhower, finally stating in the final days before the election that prolonged colonialism could start a new wave of communist revolutions in the former Franco-British colonies, officially advocating in favor of Egypt in the Crisis from that point, succesfully getting European powers out of the canal.
Before Cuba completely fell to a revolution, he decided to intervene in the conflict with an invasion of the island. After ending the conflict, he established an American occupation of Cuba that would last over a decade in order to "reconstruct" the nation, similar to the Occupation of Japan years prior. Regarding the Vietnam War, he achieved the return to the status-quo with a two state solution, considered both a victory and defeat.
In the domestic department he followed most of Eisenhower's policies like the New Look, and played an important role in the construction of the Interstate Highway System. Nixon gave a slow but effective start to the Space Race with the foundation of NASA, in response to the first artificial earth satelite constructed by the Soviet Union.
Accession[]
Starting as a Representative (1947-1950) to then serve as Governor of California (1950-1953), Nixon slowly made his own way to prominence within the party. Having won the nomination in 1952, General Eisenhower didn't have a very clear idea of who could be his running mate, he eventually choose Nixon after he was recommended to him by Republican officeholders and party officials. As Vice President, he was appointed to more responsibilities than any other person in the charge before, sometimes going to meetings that the President couldn't attend.
The day Eisenhower suffered the heart attack, he was "ready to replace him on the needed subjects, but clearly not ready to become the new President" as he admitted in a later interview. Thanks to his popularity in the party and position as incumbent president, he easily won the nomination to run and win in the 1956 election.
Cabinet[]
| The Nixon Cabinet | ||
|---|---|---|
| Office | Name | Term |
| President | Richard Nixon | 1955-1965 |
| Vice President | none | 1955-1956 |
| Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. | 1956-1965 | |
| Secretary of State | John Foster Dulles | 1955-1959 |
| Christian Herter | 1959-1961 | |
| William P. Rogers | 1961-1965 | |
| Secretary of Treasury | George Humphrey | 1955-1956 |
| Robert B. Anderson | 1956-1965 | |
| Secretary of Defense | Charles Erwin Wilson | 1955-1956 |
| Thomas S. Gates Jr. | 1956-1961 | |
| Melvin Lard | 1961-1965 | |
| Attorney General | Herbert Brownell | 1955-1956 |
| Thomas E. Dewey | 1956-1965 | |
| Postmaster General | Arthur Summerfield | 1955-1965 |
| Secretary of the Interior | Douglas McKay | 1955-1956 |
| Fred A. Seaton | 1956-1965 | |
| Secretary of Agriculture | Ezra Taft Benson | 1955-1961 |
| Earl Butz | 1961-1965 | |
| Secretary of Commerce | Sinclair Weeks | 1955-1958 |
| Frederick H. Mueller | 1958-1965 | |
| Secretary of Labor | James P. Mitchell | 1955-1965 |
| Secretary of H.E.D. | Marion B. Folsom | 1955-1958 |
| Arthur Flemming | 1958-1965 | |
Foreign affairs[]
Cold War[]
Eisenhower and Nixon
As vice president, Nixon supported Eisenhower's hard stance on the Cold War. Ike's "Atoms for Peace" speech delivered in 1953 speech later inspired the creation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an organization with the intention of promoting peaceful use of nuclear energy. Nixon's "Right Path" speech declared "We are on the right path on terms of nuclear regulation. I believe that the recent formation of the IAEA will serve as promised and will prevent humanity from destroying itself." which would gain him praise of the more liberal sectors of the Party.
President of the United States Richard Nixon and leader of the Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev (1959).
President Nixon assisted to the 1959 American National Exhibition in Moscow, where he was able to share a word with the then-current Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. In an exchange known as the "Kitchen Debate" both leaders discussed the main ideologies of the Cold War; capitalism and communism. Later that year, Khrushchev made a state visit to the United States, visiting places like New York City and California. The visit was then used in the 1960 campaign, described as one of the most important moments in American-Soviet relations. Despite the initially good relations, a détente policy was established in Nixon's second term.
The American Invasion of Cuba caused tensions between the two superpowers, as the Soviets were more than happy to gain a communist ally in what was, at the time, one of the main points of American influence. The risk of a nuclear threat was rumored by parts of the population, but Nixon disregarded this beliefs as simple paranoia.
National Security and extension of the New Look[]
The New Look was former president Eisenhower's national security policy, one that was continued and expanded by the Nixon administration. This policy recieved the name of "Newer Look" as it had more focus on conventional military than nuclear weapons, thanks to the Vietnam and Tabaco wars. Nixon approved the construction of Thor, the first operative ballistic missile made by the United States.
On the 1960 election, part of Kennedy's campaign against his administration consisted on the alleged fact that the Soviet Union was surpassing the U.S. in terms of Nuclear Weapons because of Nixon's slow handling of the Space Race.
Nixon interacting with Argentine cuisine while his visit to the nation in 1959
Latin America[]
Thorough his presidency, Nixon visited many Latin American nations on diplomatic trips in order to support the Pan-American ideas. Similar to his predecessor, Nixon agreed to collaboration with dictatorial regimes in South America, with the objective of keeping soviet influence away from the continent, although being a little bit more skeptic.
By the end of his term, Nixon had already visited most of South and Central America, considered one of the main victories of his foreign policy.
Cuba[]
Following the attack on the Moncada Barracks in 1953, a Communist Revolution had started upon the island nation of Cuba. Since the end of the Spanish-American War, Cuba was established as a protectorate of the United States, with the latter having great influence over the industry and politics of the young nation. Even with de-facto independence in 1901, Cuba was still one of the most important parts of American influence in the Caribbean.
In 1952, Fulgencio Batista was established as an american-backed dictator who started a period of economic instability and widespread poverty, which slowly angered most of the Cuban population. Two brothers, Fidel and Raúl Castro were the main protagonists of the revolution, initially having the upper hand in the conflict.
Fidel Castro, leader of the Cuban Revolution
During the early stages of the revolution, both Nixon and Eisenhower had stated that they wouldn't start an intervention in the conflict, if a free democracy was created in the nation, as the President had cold relations with Batista. Once Eisenhower resigned, Nixon decided that the fate of Cuba would be very important to his reputation as leader, making it one of the main focuses of his 1956 campaign.
Shortly after Nixon took the presidency, the U.S. Army started to organize military exercises around the Gulf of Mexico in order to practice for a possible invasion. An official military operation began on 1958, successfully taking the cties of Manuta, La Fé and Viñales. Air Force General Nathan F. Twining was put in charge on the main operation, ordering the strategic bombing of many revolutionary points of interest.
The conflict ended on December 16, 1958 with Nixon ordering a new military operation of Cuba that would be similar to the Occupation of Japan after WW2. Despite this, he also assured that Batista nor his supporters would get power in Cuba, instead offering them political asylum in Florida. The administration started a long process of reconstruction and return to democracy in the Island, a process that would be continued by both Rockefeller and Bob Kennedy on the following years.
Suez Crisis[]
While the U.S. army was focused on the invasion of Cuba, in the Middle East the pro-British government in Egypt was ousted by the military officer Gamal Abdel Nasser, who collaborated with both Soviets and Americans. The Nixon administration initially sided with British and French interests on the region, until Nasser stated his plans to nationalize the Suez Canal, starting the Suez Crisis.
In order to strengthen relationships with the two most important NATO partners, the United States unofficially supported the occupation of Suez by Israel, which came as a risky measure. This caused Nasser to look for help in the Soviet Union and escalating the crisis. Following Eisenhower's "Domino Theory" policy, Nixon decides to back down from supporting the UK and France, instead siding with Egypt and the nationalization of the Canal.