A Companion to Richard M. Nixon

Compelled to resign in 1974 during his second term in the Oval Office, Richard M. Nixon was a controversial and especially consequential figure in modern American history who left an indelible mark on American politics and culture. This companion offers an overview of Nixon’s life, presidency and legacy, as well as a detailed look at the central arguments and scholarly debates that surround his term in office. The essays examine his early years in California through to his three campaigns for congress, his vice–presidency, his presidency, and his legacy. An extensive section on his presidential years includes coverage of domestic issues, the elections, foreign policy, and Watergate. The paper and electronic documents recently released from the Nixon Presidential Materials Project are also incorporated throughout. A Companion to Richard M. Nixon brings together the world’s leading Nixon experts from the United States and abroad in an essential guide to the historical, political, cultural, and psychological analyses of the 37th president of the United States and the evolution and current state of Nixon scholarship.

Notes on Contributors. Introduction: Melvin Small. 1. Nixon Biographies (Iwan Morgan). 2. The Pre–Political Years, 1913–1945 (Joseph Dmohowski). 3. Pat Nixon (Gil Troy). 4. The Congressional Years (Anthony Rama Maravillas). 5. The Alger Hiss Case (Athan G. Theoharis). 6. The Richard Nixon Vice Presidency: Research Without the Nixon Manuscripts (Irwin F. Gellman). 7. The Election of 1960 (W. J. Rorabaugh). 8. The Election of 1968 (Melvin Small). 9. The Election of 1972 (Rick Perlstein). 10. The Administrative Presidency (Karen M. Hult). 11. Richard Nixon, the Great Society, and Social Reforms: A Lost Opportunity? (Romain Huret). 12. Civil Rights Policy (Dean J. Kotlowski). 13. Economic Policy (Nigel Bowles). 14. Political Realignment (Robert Mason). 15. Nixon and the Environment (Paul Charles Milazzo). 16. Nixon and the Media (Tim Kiska). 17. Nixon and Dissent (Katherine Scott). 18. Nixon and Agnew (Justin P. Coffey). 19. Foreign Policy Overview (Jussi M. Hanhimäki). 20. Nixon and Kissinger (Robert D. Schulzinger). 21. The Vietnam War (Jeffrey P. Kimball). 22. Explorations of Détente (Keith L. Nelson). 23. The China Card (Evelyn Goh). 24. Nixon and Europe: Transatlantic Policy in the Shadow of Other Priorities (Luke A. Nichter). 25. Latin America and the Quest for Stability (Mark Attwood Lawrence). 26. Watergate (Keith W. Olson). 27. Nixon and Ford (John Robert Greene). 28. Nixon’s Image: A Brief History (David Greenberg). 29. The Nixon Tapes (Sahr Conway–Lanz). Bibliography. Index.

Melvin Small is Distinguished Professor of History, Emeritus at Wayne State University. His numerous publications include Johnson, Nixon, and the Doves (1988), Covering Dissent: The Media and the Anti–Vietnam War Movement (1994), Democracy and Diplomacy: The Impact of Domestic Politics in U.S. Foreign Policy, 1789–1994 (1996), The Presidency of Richard Nixon (1999), Antiwarriors: The Vietnam War and the Battle for America’s Hearts and Minds (2003), and At the Water’s Edge: American Politics and the Vietnam War (2005).

"A singularly impressive achievement, particularly in the high quality of the scholarly essays, the international diversity of the contributors, and the comprehensiveness of its coverage. I predict that it will quickly become the essential guide to the historical study of the Nixon years.”  ( Expofairs , 22 February 2013)