The Richard Nixon Experience

Send a text This is the first episode in a four episode special series looking back at the life of General Alexander Haig.  Haig served several Presidents, working most closely with Presidents Nixon, Ford and Reagan. He has been a major player throughout the time periods we have been covering throughout the entire storyline of our podcast. He has been such a large player throughout the run of our...

Send a text Henry Kissinger, a giant of American History, and arguably the nations greatest diplomat died on November 29, 2023 at the age of 100.  In this episode we look back at his extraordinary 100 years as he worked with Richard Nixon to bring peace to millions of people around the world and keep our nation safe here at home.  His passing comes at an unusual moment as our rebroadcast of the Ni...

Send a text In this special edition we will examine the recently declassified letter written by former President Richard Nixon to President Bill Clinton just after his two week trip to Russia and Europe. In the letter Richard Nixon gives the young President a thorough examination of what he thinks is happening in Russia, Ukraine and in Europe. In it he stresses the importance in helping Russia pre...

Send a text For all of the folks who have said to me that our long documentary on Watergate and the massive evidence of alleged prosecutorial misconduct just did not seem plausible. This special edition is for you. It is a story I had not heard before until our podcast's friend , Geoff Shepard, sent the story to me and then I proceeded to research it.  It is the story of one of greatest injus...

Send a text In this episode we look back at the relationship between President Richard Nixon and California Governor and future President Ronald Reagan.  As you will see it is obvious that Richard Nixon is actually working to open the doors of opportunity to his fellow Californian as he brings jobs to the state and arranges for Reagan to spend time with dignitaries from around the world too,  Reag...

Send a text In this episode we look back at the early career of George H. W. Bush, as we review his father's term in the United States Senate, his own race for the U.S. Senate against Senator Ralph Yarborough, his time in the U.S. House of Representatives, and his defeat at the hands of Lloyd Bentsen in 1968. All this from a comprehensive report by NBC News with Brian Williams that gives a gr...

Send a text In this episode, we look back at John Connally's relationship to President Richard Nixon.  In this episode we feature two calls, one just after Nixon was re-elected President when you see that Connally has enormous influence over the President. He is giving the President advice on how to conduct the second term and which changes he needs to consider making for that term.  In anoth...

Send a text In this episode , we look back at the high drama of winning a historic primary and unseating a political giant, only to lose in the general election. Then coming back two years later to finally win a seat in the United States House of Representatives. It was a rollercoaster of a ride with enormously consequential side stories that had far reaching importance.  For the 1972 race for the...

Send a text It is one thing to work with a President from the other party and be the loyal opposition that is often getting in the news for being opposed to the President. It is another to be your President's leader on the House floor pushing through his agenda, especially when you are in the minority. That is the position that Gerald Ford will be in for much of the Presidency of Richard Nixo...

Send a text In Former President Richard Nixon's final book "Beyond Peace" he often wrote like a psychic of some kind.  He wrote: “The United States must lead. We must lead to open the eyes of those still blinded by despotism, to emboldened those who remain oppressed, and bring out from the dungeons of tyranny those who still live in darkness. The question remains whether the United...

Send a text In this episode we look back on President Nixon's relationships with three world leaders who were very important to the United States during his administration. No world leader in history was as well traveled as President Richard Nixon and few if any knew the world better. During President Nixon's retirement years Nixon was often called upon to comment upon the passing of sev...

Send a text This is the first episode in our series of bonus materials. This is a listen at the news coverage from President Nixon's last day in office. During our regular series I chose to use the coverage from CBS News because it is more recognizable to the public. The familiar voices of Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather are what I chose to put in documentary but I actually prefer the coverage...

Send a text In this special edition of The Richard Nixon Experience, we let you tune back in to that final day at the White House for President Nixon. You will hear excerpts from his resignation speech, his speech to his staff and reminiscences from several different people about those events including President Nixon and President Ford.  All of this leading up to an extraordinary 3 minutes of foo...

Send a text We are not done yet with the life and career of Richard Nixon, so in this episode we are going to give you a roadmap on where our podcast will go from here for the rest of 2024 

Send a text This episode is one of final thoughts on Richard Nixon.  They range from subjects like the shameful treatment he received from the national news media and how they have actively worked to keep the public in the dark on the  facts of Watergate. This was a problem both when it occurred and even today as an enormous amount of easily verifiable documentation has come to light that has expo...

Send a text This is the finale of our look at Richard Nixon, and our 145 episode look back at the most divisive era in American history other than the American Civil War,  the Vietnam war and Watergate.  It all began with the assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem, the President of South Vietnam , followed three weeks later by the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (episode 29) and ends with this...

Send a text In this episode,   we listen to Richard Nixon's thoughts on the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union may be gone but the nation that succeeded it, Russia, is now under the leadership of an old KGB Agent, Vladimir Putin. A Russian strongman, leading a resurgence of Russian Nationalism and Russian despotism just as President Nixon had predicted way back in the early 1990s.  So President N...

Send a text In this episode   we listen to Richard Nixon's thoughts on a wide variety of issues that still exist today, plus his advice at how to deal with problems in our lives that apply to everyone. He tells stories from his time in public office as a Congressman,  Senator, Vice-President and President. You will hear some of the legendary journalists he was interviewed by in his later care...

Send a text This was an extraordinary moment. It marks the beginning of Richard Nixon's long, and remarkable journey to the status of beloved elder statesman.  Richard Nixon walked into the room a hated, disgraced, much maligned, but still historic figure, and he walked out having won the respect of everyone who witnessed his performance.  As he stood an answered questions on every subject im...

Send a text Finally the end of the Vietnam War. Richard Nixon had negotiated an honorable peace with the assurances that we would continue to help the South Vietnamese  to be able to defend themselves from any aggression from the North.  When that aggression came President Gerald Ford did all he could to honor that pledge but the Congress cut off all funding and disallowed our President to even pr...

Send a text This episode opens with the new President Gerald R. Ford addressing a joint session of Congress. He is there laying out his agenda for his new administration. The problems that he felt needed immediate addressing and where he intended to continue the policies of the man he had just replaced as President. Unfortunately for Ford every question he got in his first press conference had to...

Send a text This episode is a preview of our final series on Richard Nixon. Here we begin with Gerald Ford becoming President of the United States and former President Richard Nixon heading off into exile and most likely into oblivion. It appeared he was to be sidelined and treated as a failure.   With Richard Nixon gone South Vietnam was cast aside and collapsed into a Communist hell. The Waterga...

Send a text This episode covers the last day of the administration of Richard Nixon. It begins with the arrogant Special Prosecutors as they reminisce about their plans to figure out a way to get Richard Nixon indicted knowing they had him at his weakest moment. Host Randal Wallace will discuss the fairness of that attempt, the stealing of the President's records and tapes even as he was havi...

Send a text If you have never read the book "In the Arena" by President Richard Nixon let me assure you that it is a must read book. It was the most personal of his books and it is written farther down the road from his Presidency than his Memoirs were and therefore provides a lot more perspective on the events that ended his Presidency.  Late into the process of putting this series toge...

Send a text In this episode we examine the Legacy of Watergate. It was the one question everyone was asked by historian Timothy Naftali and the answers were fascinating.  This is a study of what each person thought the lesson of Watergate is for history. The one that caught the most interest from me was that of Bernard Nussbaum, who was the second in command on the staff of the House Judiciary Com...