Sixteen years after the death of President Richard Nixon, and 36 years after he resigned the Presidency in disgrace, the evil side of the 37th President again arises to haunt us.
With the transcription and release of more of the Watergate tapes that has continued as a project of the National Archives for many years now, the voice and thoughts of Richard Nixon and those around him keep on coming back to remind us of the tragedy of this man.
A really brilliant person, Nixon had his demons, which includes insecurity, paranoia tendencies, and the belief that his critics were enemies that had to be investigated and destroyed. But he also had disgraceful attitudes toward different ethnic groups in America, and it shows in great detail on the latest revelations of the White House tapes.
His rants against Jews, African Americans, Italian Americans and Irish Americans are despicable, and contribute to a lowering of his historical image, even with the effort of many scholars to try to show the major contributions he made to foreign and domestic policy.
It is clear that Richard Nixon in many ways had an admirable record as President, but his use of foul language, his ethnic hatreds, his mental instability that led to his authorization of illegal and unethical acts in office, and the fact that his top staff people knew that they could engage in reprehensible behavior and that Nixon would approve of such actions, continues to weigh down on the 37th President, and prevent a full rehabilitation of his character and record.
This is a sad set of circumstances, and in a way, Nixon continues to haunt us and mystify us at the same time! 🙁