Is it Time to factor in the Accomplishments of President Richard M. Nixon in assessing his legacy?

Dwight Chapin makes a strong argument why we should reassess the character of President Richard Nixon in view of the accomplishments during his term in office. 

In The President's Man by Dwight Chapin (2022), written 50 years after Watergate, the author presents a well written memoir depicting how a Kansas raised farm boy becomes the personal aide and confident of President Richard Nixon. ("I was given a gift of understanding him," he declares in a Washington Post interview referred to below." )

From the time of Nixon's infamous quote "You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore" after his narrow defeat in the Presidential election of 1960, planning and executing the around-the-world trip; celebrating the Apollo 11 astronauts landing on the moon in 1969, to Nixon's groundbreaking trip to China in 1973 and Nixon's resignation, Chapin served faithfully at Nixon's side

After moving with his family to LA and attending USC, he works on Nixon's unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign of 1962, meets and impresses John Haldeman, West Coast head of J Walter Thompson who helps promote him--along with the President's wife Pat Nixon to be Nixon's White House aide The book moves along at a nice pace detailing his exciting tireless efforts at electing Nixon to the Presidency in the 1968.

Chapin is an excellent memoirist and does an excellent job at portraying Nixon as a brilliant political strategist and global statesman who surrounded himself with outstanding advisors; however, one could argue that despite his near idol worship of his boss, Chapin fails to depict him as an admirable public servant; after all, the Watergate scandal does overshadow his presidency. 

Along the say we meet a colorful cast of characters and politicos: Roger Aisles who becomes Nixon's TV producer, Rose Mary Woods, Nixon's personal secretary, Dick Tuck master Democratic Party "prankster", Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and the Pope just to name a few. For a more complete summary click here.  

I also recommend viewing this 27 minute Washington Post interview with Chapin. Here you can, perhaps, reevaluate your judgment of Nixon the sadly fallible human being versus Nixon the shrewd political operative who successfully prosecuted Alger Hiss, established OSHA,  EPA  and the all volunteer military. For RN's impressive accomplishments in office, both foreign and domestic, search the Richard Nixon Foundation website.