Six Crises

Richard Nixon never thought he had much to write about until Mamie Eisenhower and JFK convinced him that he did have something to say. History has been cruel to this great man whose accomplishments were overshadowed by his one mistake. It is a straightforward book detailing six crises that he dealt with and it is riveting. I would urge everyone who values a well written history book to seek this one out.

Ronald Reagan kept multiple copies of two books on his book shelves, at home, in his private office, and in the White-House. One was Witness by Whittaker Chambers, and the other was Six Crisis by Nixon. He would often give away copies of both books to people he was explaining his policies to. The first three chapters are most important.

"Six Crises" is Richard Nixon's first book. Although he believed that it would be his last, we are fortunate that he surprised himself and wrote nine more. Originally published in 1962, it covers six leading events in the author's life up to that time. Nixon chose to characterize these events as "crises" because of responses that they called out of those whom they challenged. In the introduction he shares with the reader the lessons which he draws from the role in crisis management of confidence, coolness, courage and experience. The Six Crises which Nixon highlights in his book are The Hiss Case, The Fund, The Heart Attack, Caracas, Khrushchev and the Campaign of 1960. The Hiss Case was Nixon's first big step on the national stage, in which his subcommittee of the House Un-American Activities Committee investigated Whittaker Chambers' claim that Alger Hiss had been a Communist. This section of the book reads like a mystery thriller in which Nixon gives his candid assessment of the principals involved and the reputations of each. He makes it clear that Hiss started with a much more impressive persona than his accuser, Chambers. He relates in detail the evidence and the analysis to which the subcommittee subjected it in trying to determine how far to take the investigation and what to make of its findings. The reading of the narration of this crisis leads the reader to appreciate the internal struggle with which each committee member wrestled in doing his duty of protecting the national security. Nixon concludes, probably rightly that, without the publicity of the Hiss Case he would not have been placed on a national ticket in the 1950s and, therefore, not been nominated for president in 1960, but that without the enemies he made during the case, would have been elected president that year. The second crisis, The Fund, arose during the 1952 campaign for vice-president. Press reports reported that Nixon had a fund for personal use derived from private donations. The claim was made that wealthy backers had contributed money to enable Nixon to live far beyond his legitimate means. Nixon explains the provisions of the fund, that being that the money was placed in the hands of a trustee, accounted for, and used for what would now be considered non-stop campaigning. He points out how others, including Adlai Stevenson, had similar funds, although few with as stringent controls as Nixon's. The controversy was to take a tremendous toll on Nixon as he struggled to understand the nature of the crisis and devise and execute a plan to respond to it. The response was the famous "Checkers" speech which saved his place on the ticket. In this section of the book, Nixon introduces the reader to the behind the scenes struggle within the campaign and some of the deliberate references in the speech which saved his career. For anyone with an interest in American politics, this chapter alone makes the book a worthwhile read. An amusing feature is to

Of course, I remember, as a young man, throwing tacos at the TV during Nixon's press conference in 1973 when he placed US atomic forces on alert during the Arab-Israeli war of that year. I also recall entering the US Embassey in Paris the morning after his resignation and demanding that the Marine guard take ole Tricky Dick's picture off the wall. But who am I to judge? After all, Nixon was right, and I was wrong on many points. Once said, it becomes easier to repeat, but most of us from that era are not politically honest enough to take a reconsideration. Watergate was a dark day, of course, but I knew CREEP was behind the burglary months before the 1972 election when it was first reported. Eventually, Richard Nixon did the right thing and resigned. Great shame was brought on the office of President. Even a generation hasn't erased it. Chairman Mao recommended this book to me. "Not a bad book," Mao comments on Six Crises during their meeting in Peking [Beijing] in February 1972. (This is according to the libretto of John Adams's opera NIXON IN CHINA.) I mean, Mao bears the legacy of the Great Leap Forward famine of 1958, and I wore black the day he died. No one died in Watergate -- if we exclude Mrs. E. Howard Hunt's death on a United 737 that crashed at Midway Airport. (Her purse was full of hush money, you may recall.) Mao and Nixon: what a pair! So, one looks at Vietnam today and must wonder: who won, and who lost that war? Did Nixon achieve Peace with Honor? Is it not true that his Secret Plan to End the War (announced during the 1968 election campaign) succeeded? After all, he did exploit differences between Russia and China and used that wedge to gain a Peace Treaty, less than a year after travelling to China. Even more, he opened the door to US-China Alliance, ushering in an era (with Mao and Chou) of peace between these two great nations, not to mention an era of unparalleled growth and prosperity for the Chinese people. Nixon wrote some awesome books. Six Crises is an awesome book. Nixon was right about Hiss. The Venona papers have proved that. Truman had a Soviet Spy in his Cabinet, a man (Harry Dexter White) who gave the printing plates to Stalin which allowed the Soviets to counterfeit the US Occupation currency in Germany. These are facts. (Read Norman Friedman's The Fifty Year War.) Of course, Truman wasn't a spy, but a patriot who fought Stalin hard. It was a tragic era. In Pop Culture (unfortunately) the only clear legacy of those days is Tricky Dick. Maybe, after another generation has passed, we can begin to get the entire Cold War in perspective, and (just maybe) Nixon can be seen for the man -- the statesman -- he truly was. My favorite crises are Hiss, Checkers, Caracas and Khruschev. But the entire book is great history. I give it six stars. Here, in these dark days of Iraq, you have to wonder: what would Nixon have done?

Has there ever been anyone like Richard Nixon? For sheer resiliency,he stands alone in American history. No one won bigger than Richard Nixon. And no one lost bigger than Richard Nixon. And then won again. And then lost. And won again. He just kept punching and planning and working, to eventually become one of the dominant figures of the 20th Century. The author of 9 books, 8 of them best-sellers, this is his first,and covers six major crises of his political life to 1962. This is serious history, but so well-written that it reads like an exciting novel. In it, you can see the raw steel of the man emerging through his discipline, beginnig with his first crisis as a 35-year-old freshman congressman,the prosecution of Alger Hiss, the darling of east coast liberals and the state department, as a Soviet spy.. The other crises have been well-described by other reviewers, but all were thrilling examples of courage (backed by preparation) under fire. Highly-experienced Washington veteran David Gergen, who worked closely with four Presidents, in his excellent book "Eyewitness to History" described Richard Nixon as "the toughest man I ever knew". In this book, you can see why. Interestingly, his overwhelming love of country shines through as well. For example,the 1960 election was unbelievably close.A swing of only 11,000 votes properly distributed, and the election results would have been reversed. And there was verifiable vote fraud by the Democrats, especially in Texas and Illinois. Nixon was repeatedly urged to demand an investigation and recount. He refused. First,it would have greatly delayed the transference of responsiblity to a new administration. But secondly, as he wrote, "Then, too, the bitterness that would be engendered by such a maneuver on my part would,in my opinion, have done incalculable and lasting damage throughout the country." There speaks a Patriot. And a Man! Also recommnended."Nixon in Winter" by Monica Crowley.

I have not read all of Nixon's books, but I have got to say that this is one of the best. The six episodes that compose the book are six important history facts that the author describes fully and in the meantime explains the reader the effect that they had inside him . Nixon shares with the reader his thoughts, feelings towards them in a very sincere way. Then the historical happenings themselves are told in a precise way as regards main facts and details as to let the reader immerge in the situation. And last but not least, of course, there is the worthy way of the former President to write. Highly recommended.