he is the last serving member of a large group of democrats elected in the 1974 election after richard nixontime in the senate in the aftermath of a constitutional crisis. we face the nation broken by the watergate scandal, the resignation of president nixon, and an endless war in vietnam. and as i leave, in a few days, the nation's with strains, and challenges of other kind. including very real threats of the whole concept of a working democracy. the sanctity of our constitution, our elections, and the strength of the rule of law and another thing i could have never imagined is that young guy sitting in the gallery, one day this chamber itself, and the capital would be stormed by a lawless and violent mob. and i wonder what this 82 president pro tempore of the united states senate would love to say to the 33 year old version of myself nervously walking in for the first time on to the senate floor. an 82-year-old president pro tempore saying to that 33-year-old senator from vermont -- do not lose that sense of awe, good, hang on to it, treasure it, don't ever forget what the privilege and th

they become friends and bill clinton had tell you he still takes out a letter from richard nixon, a letter that nixon wrote shortly into his presidency, giving him advice, very simple practical advice on how to manage the burdens of the presidency. so in so many ways, richard nixon is the phoenix of former presidencies, presidents, rather. he rises from the ashes of the presidency and becomes an important force as a normal president. >> in fact, bill clinton was president when richard nixon died, that we covered all of that on c-span. the clintons were right in the front row and bob dole speaking as well. >> if i may, he says something really important that richard nixon would have wanted him to say. clinton says, as he's eulogizing richard nixon, we need to-- i'm paraphrasing a bit. we need to judge richard nixon not just on one incident, just on the misdeeds of watergate, but by the entirety of his political career, which is essentially what richard nixon was campaigning for as a former president. that's what he wanted. he didn't want to be known just for watergate, but the broader accom

, they become friends and bill clinton will tell you he still takes out a letter from richard nixon, a letter nixon wrote shortly into his presidency giving him advice, very simple practical advice on how to manage the burdens of the presidency. in the so many ways richard nixon is the phoenix of former presidencies. he rises from the ashes of any media's departure from the presidency and becomes an important force as former president and bill clinton was president. >> host: when richard nixon died, we covered all that on c-span, clinton the front row. if i may, he said something important that richard nixon wanted him to say. clinton says as he is eulogizing richard nixon, paraphrasing a bit, we need to judge richard nixon not on just one incident but the entirety of his political career which is what richard nixon was campaigning for, he didn't want to be known just for watergate but broader accomplishments of his presidency including the opening of china, the things he did in foreign-policy. >> host: i presume bill clinton would want that as well, someone who was impeached but ha

richard nixon tried but we never tested it. imilarly, personal records that are not, that have no bearing on constitutional duties. that was a challenge for us when we reviewed the nixon tapes, when the president is talking to pat nixon the first lady and they start talking about a trip that she's going to make as first lady, is at a private conversation anymore? no, it isn't actually and they can be released. there are a lot of great areas. the reason they great aries is because lawyers worked very hard because they interested in 1977 and 78 that you're taking something from the present. nobody had ever taken property from a present before. that was a big deal. a lot of it is gray and a lot of it required the people work in good faith. and as trip or mention when out in an if i but, unfortunately, where you cannot anymore expect elected people to act in good faith. so these are finally, i believe that presidential medical records because person is commended jacob river nuclear arsenal should not be private records when you beco

house judiciary, they came out in favor of articles of impeachment against richard nixon. en nixon resigned to avoid conviction and going to jail. gerald ford pardoning him. for years, that was seen as a great act of statesmanship by gerald ford. one of the things you and i has historians know is that oftentimes, as time passes, we see a historical event differently from the way we might have a couple of decades ago and i think that is true of the -- i think in retrospect especially given trump, gerald ford should never have pardoned richard nixon. it basically was a message to presidents, you can get away with what you want. >> there is a mixed reaction with it politically. 40 did lose to jimmy carter in the next presidential election and part of that vote against gerald ford was for the pardon. the reasoning, which did make sense, whether you're grew that are not, you cannot say did not make sense. >> it did at the time. >> the country have been through so much that we should move on from this, this should be the end of it and nixon had suffered enough was by losing the j

king richard, nixon and watergate tragedy is his most recent book compounding the days following the landslide reelection victory next to our investigation of learned blue it all up. reading king richard for me brought me back to college days when all this was happening when we crowded into tv lounges because that's how we watch tv. it was a sharedexperience . we watch the select committee hearings instead class educational was renting for many people there. let us i'll suggest this is a shakespearean tragedy euros one notorious figure in the center of it all. watergate for me is like a car crash that you can't. this book michael shows it to us allb& read it again this in slow-motion. so i'm looking forward to hearing what michael have to say about his book the process of writing. please join me in welcoming michael goss to the gaithersburg festival. >> thank you very much. so as was explained i'm a former journalist. i used to work for the washington post and after 30 years of being mainly a foreign correspondent, i turned myself into a historian and actually to distinguish myself fr

and as with so much in modern american political life, the threads really go back to richard nixon in the summer of 1973 with congressional increase into the watergate scandal really heating up the former deputy chief of staff alexander butterfield testified before the senate watergate committee and revealed that president nixon did indeed have listening devices set up in the white house. he had them in the oval office, but he also had them in the cabinet room in his office next door the executive office building the eisenhower executive office building. he also had them in the residential quarters at the white house as well as at camp david. so this is an extraordinary rich and voluminous trove of presidential materials that that the watergate investigators wanted to get their hands on nixon stonewalled. turning them over he at first. said that he would provide his own summaries of these and then transcripts of these and then and then hand them over that wasn't good enough for the senate committee. nor was it good enough for the independent council that was looking into these matters

but now, richard nixon. nixon started taping in february of 1971. it's an opportune time for us to go back in those years, because it allows us to catch good developments in his plan for china, -- to hear how he's thinking about arms control of the soviet union. he starts taping less than two weeks after the incursion into laos. it's a pretty important moment. this conversation from that summer comes a day after nixon presided in the rose garden wedding of his daughter trisha, which you can see and column one of the times right here. what was most important about the news that day in the new york times, was what appeared in the middle columns about the pentagon papers study. this is what would come to be known as the pentagon papers, which was the secret department of defense study that looked back at u.s. relations with vietnam from 1945 through 1967. and it takes apple to focus richard nixon's attention on this. which he doesn't this phone call that sunday morning. >> hello. >> general. >> hello. >> yes, sir. >> what about the casualties last week

and as with so much in modern american political life, the threads really go back to richard nixon in the summer of 1973 with congressional increase into the watergate scandal really heating up the former deputy chief of staff alexander butterfield testified before the senate watergate committee and revealed that president nixon did indeed have listening devices set up in the white house. he had them in the oval office, but he also had them in the cabinet room in his office next door the executive office building the eisenhower executive office building. he also had them in the residential quarters at the white house as well as at camp david. so this is an extraordinary rich and voluminous trove of presidential materials that that the watergate investigators wanted to get their hands on nixon stonewalled. turning them over he at first. said that he would provide his own summaries of these and then transcripts of these and then and then hand them over that wasn't good enough for the senate committee. nor was it good enough for the independent council that was looking into these matters

nixon. um, so explains why i chose the title king richard because it's personal to nixon's life and it's also evokes this the subtitle of the book is actually an american tragedy. we can talk in the questions and answers about whether you see agree with me that nixon is a real tragic figure or not. but okay, so i want to talk a little bit about my approach to writing because i'm a former journalist. i'm not a professionally trained historian. and therefore i try to tell history as a story. using the techniques of fiction to apply to nonfiction. actually, there are a lot of journalists have become, you know, outstanding popular historians. david mcculloch is an obvious example, eric larson is another example and at the washington post i one of my mentors was rick atkinson who wrote a wonderful trilogy of the second world war and then wrote is now writing a trilogy of the american revolution. but these authors most of them form a journalists, they sort of pioneered these techniques of writing nonfiction or history but using fictional techniques of developing characters using plenty of dialogue.

nixon. so that explains why i chose the title king richard. vokes the subtitle of the book is an american tragedy. we can talk on the questions and answers about whether you agree with me that nixon was a real tragic figure or not. so i want to talk a little bit about my approach to writing. i'm a formal journalism not a professionally trained historian. therefore i tried to tell history as a story using techniques of fiction to applied to nonfiction. actually a lot of journalists have become outstanding popular historians. eric larson is another example. and at the "washington post" one of my members mentors was rick atkinson. then roads, is now writing a trilogy of the american revolution. but these authors, most of them former journalist have these techniques of writing nonfictional history that using fictional techniques of developing characters using plenty of dialogue, creating scenes and moving from one scene to another. no course of your right nonfiction every bit of it has to be backed. one of the reasons i chose the subject of nixon a

i went to see rockefeller and rockefeller said has it occurred to you that richard nixon is taking a much bigger chance on you than you on him? and that was wonderful advice. of course i accepted his decision and so whatever i learned about nixon i learned through experience with him and i was at his side through many crises. i have seen many presidents. it was an almost unique and very special. i describe some of his weaknesses and also the actions that in my judgment were in the interest of the country. >> how d compare his resignation was what we are now learning about president trump and what he did before and after the january 6 and we don't know a thing yet but the current investigation? >> they are don't really want to get too much into technicalities but it's important to remember the watergate crisis which involved -- he never challenge the system. he accepted the conclusions of the system. there were some people in the administration who made heroes of themselves by claiming that they were preventing him from doing that. i never saw the slightest sign of it. he accepted the

. >> richard nixon and how you can reconcile those policies.hat you are so much a part of and then with his resignation. >> it was a deeply patriotic commitment but he had an element of insecurity that he thought protected him and it was a tragedy. and i can say this because it is an example that i never met next and when he appointed me. this is the most important job. but i had never met him. and he cooperated with nelson rockefeller through two presidential primaries and when i asked rockefeller at that time because when the president of the united states tried to help ameliorate a set a need to talk to rockefeller. and he said you could which i didn't but i went to see rockefeller. but richard nixon is taking a much bigger chance on you then you are on him. and that was wonderful advice. so i accepted the position. so whatever learned it was to experience and now i see many presidents in action so in the chapter in my describe the actions that are in the interest of the country. >> can you compare what they are learning about transfer what

richard nixon. resigned. after a meeting of some of the most conservative republicans. the republican leader going down a sense of duty and telling richard nixon he had to leave. ti remember talking with both senator scott and other senators about that. they knew that their party was losing its president. but it was the only thing that should be done. when they were asked, we had a conversation with the president. listen to them in the discussion i realize how heavily it weighed on him. nothing else that we could do. first of all, senators, the firstt senators, we had to go down until richard nixon that? >> the experience that we have -- is to impeachment. how would you compare and contrast that? >> it is night and day. i know a number of senators who say that he is guilty. he will not be convicted, so i will not vote for his conviction the next year the next time or whatever. that should not be the case. those who are, before the january 6 insurrection strongly supporting him. trying to do it quietly so as to not get his anger. but they are willing to do what they thou

i went to see rockefeller and rockefeller says has occurred to you richard nixon is taking a much bigger chance on you than you on him? and that was wonderful advice. i haven't thought of that myself. so i accepted the position. and so whatever i learned about nixon i learned through experience with him.h and i was at his side during all the crises of his administration and i've seen many presidents in the conduct of foreign policy. almost unique. and so the chapter on him i describe some of his weaknesses and also actions have taken in the interest of the country and the world. >> host: how do you compare his resignation with what we are now learning about donald trump and what he did before and after january 6th. we don't know everything yet, the current investigation. >> guest: i don't really want to get too much into personalities but it is important to remember the watergate crisis which involved a variety, he never challenged -- he accepted the conclusions of the system. there were some people in the administration who made heroes of themselves by claiming they were preventing him

i remember barbara telling a story, she told the story often about interviewing richard nixon and whyurn the watergate takes -- watergate tapes. she told the story about this important interview with nixon. she was sitting on the notes she had written. anyone who knew barbara, along the way. i was lucky enough to be one of the people influenced by her. but anyone who knew her, knew that she spent so much time on the questions she would ask these newsmakers. one of the most moving stories about these high-profile interviews was the interview with which heard nixon -- richard nixon what she conducted the interview sitting on the question she had prepared. she did not miss a beat. she made news in history. given the fact that she got nixon to answer that all-important question. that's just one example. there was the fidel castro interview. the first woman to coanchor network evening newscast. she would continue to break barriers in every corner of her career. at the end of the piece there, barbara's imagination and creativity that came to life on the view. and her vision for that program

two richard nixon be taught by both parties about the environment responsibly, in what way?heodore roosevelt's redwoods in mere words in the grand canyon in writing about three presidents john f. kennedy and he works hard to save cape cod didn't lyndon johnson came in particular people in rural areas of hell he took care of their farmlands, their ranch lands as a conservation stewart he was very cute lady bird johnson synonymous with beautification and particulate ladybird wanted to make sure the highways were not eyesores we plant wildflowers and keep america beautiful. lyndon and lady bird together helped save redwood national park in california, north cascades in washington state. push through all of the environmental legislation that matters. meaning. the environmental protection agency in 1970, clean air act 1970. the endangered species at that's how bipartisan has a very long history up to richard nixon. >> how to become such a religion now on the right and left in such a divide record? >> it's unfortunately once you have the urban oil embargo of 1973 and many came int

when richard nixon resigned. it was after meeting is on the most conservative republican.hes scott republican leader, it was a sense of duty and telling richard nixon he had to leave. i remember talking with both senator scott and senator goldwater about that. they said they were heavy hearted. they knew it meant their party was losing its president. but it was the only thing that could be done and should be done. in fact when they were asked by the press said we had a conversation with the president. listening to them quiet cloakroom discussions we realize how heavily it weighs on them. but there is nothing else we could do. we told our duty as the first of all senators, republicans and us but first as senators we had to go down and tell richard nixon that brickwork's contras that if you were with theen experience e have seen most recently with president trump minus two impeachment trials. one of which he resided over. how would you compare and contrast that? >> it is night and day. i'll dobu a number told me yes e is guilty. but he's not going to be convicted to i am goi

as you know, richard nixon had used the southern strategy to cultivate those as president reagan. this strategy exploited white racial grievance and resentment over civil rights to help win elections. could you please tell us how the republican party and donald trump have used this strategy, built upon it in the arts and in the things unfair. bryan i don't think it's a coincidence that donald trump followed the nation's first black president. i think that was mostly a backlash. obama made. obama's election made plain the average white the demographic that political silent and demographers have been talking for decades. they been talking about the browning of the nation that by the year 2040 or 2045 whites would no longer consider to a majority of americans. they would still be the largest single ethnic group, but they would no longer be 50% plus the. average voter isn't concerned with such things. and so don't think they were focused on it until obama got elected. obama got white votes. absolutely. he could not have been elected without white, but he never in his first or second e

just like donald trump and richard nixon. of the bad thing that is donald trump did. what jefferson davis said was we in the south did not lose the civil war. we were not conquered. we were cheated out of our victory. a lot of people especially in the south believe that 100 years. did a lot to fuel the racist movement against civil rights so the point i'm making is oftentimes people think history is facts and dates but my point is the way we see the events shapes the way we deal with politicians and fellow citizens and the democracy we will be. >> michael beschloss, thank you very much. >>> now, joining us is the leader congressman hakeem jeffries of new york. great to have you on the show. curious your reaction to the final hearing for the january 6 select committee and what stood out to you the most. >> the january 6 committee did a tremendous job from beginning to end. certainly under the leadership of bennie thompson and vice chair liz cheney. they were solemn, substantive and strategic. the mission from the beginning from

richard nixon was famously a huge disney fan. the nixon presidential library says he still holds the record for the most visits to disneyland of any president. which is not a record you might not associate with richard nixon. in fact, nixon was so into disney that he and his family were the first guests ever to ride the disney monorail. his daughters got to cut the ribbon and everything but this trip, i am not a crook trip, the year that agnew resigned. and the night before the massacre when nixon had two quit on the single night. the associated press held a conference at the brand-new contemporary resort at disney world in orlando. nixon flew down to do an organized q&a in a disney world conference room that was filled with 400 members of the associated press as managing editors. this was clearly going to be a tough crowd, nixon knew this. and he did it so he could show he was clean torsion declare his innocence. but it was not watergate or the agnew scandal that prompted nixon to famously declare i am not a crook. it was his tax

chairman already explained how the wilbur mills richard nixon letter kind of dispels that. if there is -- if there has been any precedent set today, i think it needs to be noted it was because of the unprecedented position of the last president who refused to make public his tax records. that is the only reason we have gotten to where we are. had he done as every other president since -- 1974, 1973, we would not have had this discussion because they would have been out there. the public would have seen them but they were not. when that happens, the only failsafe, the only oversight you have is the mandatory audit program. as others have said tonight, we know now that is not working. it is not working for a multitude of reasons but it was not even triggered until the chairman sent a letter inquiring about it. they triggered it and they have not even concluded the work they have begun. i would submit they are under resourced. they clearly don't have the technical ability, nor the human resources to be able to go up against multibillion-dollar entities who can keep this stuff

i helped the self—destruction of richard nixon. yes.ife and i worked with me most of this time after i'd copied, as having been one link in a chain of people. each one of whom had to do what they did, very unusually, out of what they were expected to do. you say the pentagon papers themselves, which you released, they didn't change the course of the war? no. they didn't really change public opinion, because let's not forget, nixon beat mcgovern with a crushing... 0n the war. no, definitely, by the way. but. but, no, but i want to continue this thought, because if you... that wasn't an endorsement of the war when they when they when they re—elected him. well. do you know what it was? well, yeah, but the point is, it doesn't really matter. the point is, nixon, despite four years of vietnam policy, which was failed, he got re—elected. that's my point. so i guess what i'm saying is, as a whistle—blower and as somebody who latter day whistle—blowers like assange and chelsea manning and edward snowden always refer to what you did as a great e

when richard nixon resigned, it was after a meeting of some of the most conservative republicans, barry goldwater, hugh scott, the republican leader, going down, not with a joint in the heart but a sense of duty and telling richard nixon he had to leave. i remember talking with both senator scott and senator goldwater about that. they said they were just heavy hearted. they knew it meant their party was losing its president, and, but it was the only thing that could be done and should be done. and back when they were asked by the president came down and said, well, we had a conversation with the president. listening to them in quiet cloakroom discussions, i realized how heavily weighed on them. but they both told me there's nothing else we could do. if we shoulder our duty as first of all, senators, republicans next but first the senators we had to go down until richard nixon that. >> host: contrast that if you would with experience we've seen most recently with president trump and is to make impeachment trials, one of which you presided over. how would you compare or contrast that with

richard nixon was famously a huge disney fan. the nixon presidential library says that he still holds the record for the most visits to disneyland of any president, which is just not a record you'd necessarily associate with richard nixon. in fact, nixon was so into disney that he and his family were literally the first guest ever to ride the disneyland monorail. his daughter's got to cut the ribbon and everything. but this trip, the i am not a crook trip, that was business, not pleasure. in november of 1973, the month after nixon's vice president spiro agnew reside in controversy, the month after the saturday night massacre, where nixon had to attorney generals resign on him on a single night because he ordered them to find the special prosecutor investigating watergate, the associated press held a conference at the brand-new contemporary resort at disney world in orlando. and nixon flew down to do an hour-long televised q and a in a disney world conference room. it was filled with 400 of the associated press is managing editors.

you even saw it in richard nixon. there were traces of regret, i don't want to carry the case too far. but richard nixon was a different animal than donald trump, in many ways. i'm not excusing anything in the history of the nixon presidency, but so far, at the age of 75, i've never seen a trace in donald trump of being sorry about anything, a lesson he learned and exemplified from -- early in his public career, not in his real estate business and not in politics has he ever apologized or ever shown a trace of regret, much less disgrace. >> you read about optimism. you say, if you are reaching for optimism and despair is not an option, in the existence of death and the committee's project that represents a kind of hope. it represents an insistence on truth and democratic principle. i feel, closing 2022, more directionally optimistic about this basic democratic strength and the production of antibodies in the american body politic to the sort of virus of authoritarianism than i did at the beginning of this year. how do

but first, as senators, we had to go down and tell richard nixon that contrast that, if you would, with the experience that we've seen most recently with president trump and his two impeachment trials, one of which you you presided over. how would you compare and contrast that with the nixon experience? oh, it's night and day. i know a number. senators have told me. yes, he's guilty, but he's not going to be convicted. so i'm not going to vote for his conviction because i'm up the next year or the next time or whatever. i shouldn't be the case. those who were before the january six insurrection are strongly supportive. they just try to do a quiet support. and so as not to get his anger. but they're willing to not do what they thought was right. and the. i quote and our parliamentarian who said you you all your vigilance and your duty to help your constituents but your conscience is your home and you don't all that anybody else. i've always found it holds your conscience. you might catch a lot of grief from one side or the other, but do it. one of the things that some people have, some s

not everyone,, remembered when richard nixon resigned, even though it was totall bipartisan condemnation of him there's still war about 24% of the american people who love him, would've followed him ove a cliff. okay, you can't get everyone support all the time and i think the committee did fabulous job and presenting th facts clearly, simply, using republicans -- so you couldn't attack the witnesses for partisanship, an presenting it in a coker it' and compelling narrative the difference between now and watergate is when nixo resigned, he was emasculated he had no more power we still have donald trump out there claiming to come back, wanting to come back >> claiming it wanted to com back here's the interesting part, barbara, putting aside the political pressure on donald trump, including for mitch mcconnell, who is finall actually need to mess th problem and the republican party, there is enough going o with donald trump that it's no richard nixon resigning. there is enough pressure between the january si committee's report, th criminal referrals of th justice department, and th various

you even saw it in richard nixon. were traces of regret, i don't want to carry the case too far. but richard nixon was a different animal than donald trump, in many ways. i'm not excusing anything in the history of the nixon presidency, but so far, at the age of 75, i've never seen a trace in donald trump of being sorry about anything, a lesson he learned and exemplified from -- early in his public career, not in his real estate business and not in politics has he ever apologized or ever shown a trace of regret, much less disgrace. >> you read about optimism. you say, if you are reaching for optimism and despair is not an option, in the existence of death and the committee's project that represents a kind of hope. it represents an insistence on truth and democratic principle. i feel, closing 2022, more directionally optimistic about this basic democratic strength and the production of antibodies in the american body politic to the sort of virus of authoritarianism than i did at the beginning of this year. how do you f