Nixon Volume II

The Triumph of a Politician 1962-1972

Stephen E. Ambrose

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN:
  9780671528379
• eBook ISBN:
  9781476745893
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Political Biographies
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Stephen E. Ambrose’s biography of one of the most complex and puzzling US presidents at the apogee of his career, rebounding from defeat to an innovative, high-risk presidency, already sowing the seeds of his ruin.

Starting with Nixon’s drive to the presidency, volume two of Ambrose’s major biography of America’s 37th president chronicles Nixon’s campaigns, his ultimate victory in 1962 as well as his first term as President, and culminates with the Nixon’s reelection on November 7, 1972.

Nixon was a complex man graced with superb intellect, creative, knowledgeable about world activities and peerless in his talent for foreign affairs. Yet he could also be manipulative, quick to anger, driven by unseen ambitions, cynical about domestic politics, and sensitive to criticism.

Culled from his private papers, speeches, hand-written notes, audio recordings of conversations in the Nixon White House and much more, Ambrose’s account offers insight into the thought patterns and attitudes of the man whose Presidency was marked by the debacles of Watergate and Vietnam, yet who also began the process of nuclear disarmament and opened up crucial diplomatic relations with China. This is a brilliant and detailed second part to Ambrose’s Nixon trilogy.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Dedication
• Foreword
• 1. The Fast Track, 1963
• 2. Coping with Catastrophe, 1964
• 3. Preparing a Republican Revival, 1965
• 4. The Ninth Campaign, 1966
• 5. Preparing for the Presidency, January–July 1967
• 6. Operation Candor, July–December 1967
• 7. The Primaries, January–May 1968
• 8. The Nomination, June–August 1968
• 9. The Ninth Campaign, Part One, August 9–October 14, 1968
• 10. The Ninth Campaign, Part Two, October 15–November 6, 1968
• 11. Transition and Inauguration, November 6, 1968–January 20, 1969
• 12. Getting Started, January–June 1969
• 13. “Don’t Get Rattled—Don’t Waver—Don’t React” July 1–October 15, 1969
• 14. The Silent Majority, October 16–December 31, 1969
• 15. The Cambodian Incursion, January–April 1970
• 16. Reaping the Whirlwind, May–August 1970
• 17. The Tenth Campaign, September–December 1970
• 18. Nixon at Midterm: An Assessment, 1969–1970
• 19. Laos and Other Woes, January–April 1971
• 20. Détente with Russia and China, May–August 1971
• 21. Tilting at Windmills, September–December 1971
• 22. Politics, Hanoi, Peking, and Busing, January–March 1972
• 23. Bombing Hanoi, Mining Haiphong, Toasting in Moscow, April–June 1972
• 24. Politics and the Break-in, June–July 1972
• 25. The Conventions, July–August 1972
• 26. The Last Campaign, Part One, September 1–October 8, 1972
• 27. The Last Campaign, Part Two, October 8–November 7, 1972
• 28. Nixon’s First Term: An Assessment, 1969–1972
• Photographs
• Acknowledgments
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index
• Copyright