Section 11 - Nixon

Operation Gemstone

- $1 million proposal by CREEP to kidnap radical leftists and lure the Democrats onto a yacht with prostitutes in order to use their infidelity and misdemeanor as blackmail - "Gemstone" is a response to pressure from President Nixon to compile intelligence on Democratic candidates and party officials - Demonstrates how Nixon's psychological tendencies that were exacerbated by the presidency

Dirty Tricks

- After the election, the presidential office of Richard Nixon began to impose an excessive amount of power and began to delineate "dirty tricks". - Carried out by CREEP, these acts included break-ins, the FBI investigation of CBS reporter Daniel Schorr, and even plans of assassinations that were used in an attempt to discredit and blackmail his opponents. - demonstrates how his dark traits of paranoia and manipulation were exacerbated by the presidency and the power that came with that position

John Mitchell

- Attorney general under Nixon - Nixon and him orchestrated the Watergate Scandal - Mitchell became the first attorney general to serve a prison sentence for his role in the Watergate Scandal - He was disbarred and sentenced to prison for conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and perjury - demonstrates how Nixon's dark traits of paranoia were heightened by the presidency and instead of keeping his character flaws in check, John Mitchell helped exacerbate his psychological tendencies by forming them into tangible plans.

CREEP

- CREEP (Committee for the Re-Election of the President) - was a fund-raising organization for President Nixon's 1972 election campaign - Despite in his reelection, Nixon was never in jeopardy of losing as all polls showed he was going to win, he formed CREEP as a way to blackmail and tarnish the reputation of his opponents. - Shows how is paranoia and dark traits can be heightened by power and how the Bathsheba Syndrome creates a false sense of inculpability

The Four Ps

- The "Four Ps" refer to the four groups involved in the counterculture during the 1960s. - Pot - hippies - Pornography - sexual revolution - Protest - blacks and students - Permissiveness - immigration - While it appears that many were involved in the movement, most Americans were still conservative in the 1960s - Acknowledging this and appealing to the silent majority, Nixon railed the four Ps and tailored his campaign in a way that made him appear electable in the eyes of the public. - demonstrates how he was a situational leader that took the values of his followers into account

Southern Strategy

- The Southern Strategy was a Republican political campaign strategy to win Southern states - By appealing to "law and order", and tapping into long standing racism, Nixon eventually won traditionally Democratic Southern states and won the presidency. - In effect, this plan became one of the most significant political realignments of the mid-20th century and showed how his bright traits of intelligence and dark traits of manipulation got him into a position of power before eventually abusing it.

- Nixon capitalized on the movements of the 1960s - Recognized people had grown tired of counterculture, civil rights protests, sexual revolution, anti-war movements and student radicalism - Tailored campaign to appeal to the silent majority of the United States by proposing the idea of restoring law and order in U.S - demonstrates how his bright traits of intelligence got him into a position of power, but eventually his dark traits would knock him out

Law and Order

- Richard Nixon was the 37th president of the U.S. and served as a demonstration of a perfect marriage of dark and bright traits in the context of immense power - While Nixon was extremely intelligent and an effective public speaker, he also displayed dark traits through his psychological tendencies to be paranoid and manipulate others. These traits drove him to engage in countless scandals and lead one of the most wrongful presidential runs in the country's history. - Thus, Richard Nixon demonstrates how the immense amount of power that accompanies a leadership position can exacerbate one's dark traits and generate corruption.

Richard Nixon

Watergate Scandal

- The Watergate Scandal refers to a series of events that occurred between 1972 and 1974. The scandal got its name from the burglary at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate Hotel Complex in Washington, D.C. - Members of CREEP wanted to steal sensitive information and tap phones of the Democratic Party - Headed by G. Gordon and E.Junior - Evidence found on one of the burglars implied a possible link to the White House and prompted an investigation. The unlawful acts were linked to being committed on behalf of the Committee to Re-elect the President (CRP), which was later referred to as CREEP. - The reputations of many politicians were tarnished by the scandal, which ultimately resulted in the resignation of President Richard Nixon as he denied his connection to the burglary and refused to hand over tape recordings of his meetings. - Just the tip of the iceberg Nixon and CREEP had been involved in illegal fundraising Using IRS to blackmail opponents Raised $20 million illegally Said IRS would audit individuals and corporations to get them to donate Blackmailed IRS too Used this money to discredit opponents - Demonstrates once again how Nixon's paranoia and manipulation led him to engage in illegal and wrongful acts given the power of the presidency

The Plumbers

- The plumbers were a covert White House Special Investigations Unit formed by President Nixon after sensitive military information was leaked during his first term in office. The formation was an almost direct response to the release of the Pentagon papers in the New York Times. - Its task was to stop the leaking of classified information, such as the Pentagon Papers, to the news media - demonstrates how his dark trait of paranoia that was heightened by presidential power lead him to believe that if the public knew about the corruption of previous presidencies, it would raise suspicion on him and cause him to lose his position.

Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers

- Working for the government as a military analyst - gets hands on federal documents called the Pentagon Papers - These documents undercut the publicly stated justification for the Vietnam War, revealing that the president and government were not being forthright with the public - Nixon tried to oppress the release of these papers - He knew it would erode the faith in the presidency and federal government and raise suspicion on him - Tried to break into his psychiatrist's office and get dirt on him - Daniel Ellsberg creates a situation that exhibits how it is dangerous when a twisted individual with dark traits has too much power