Richard Nixon

== Post-presidency (1974–1994) ==
=== Pardon and illness ===
{{further|Pardon of Richard Nixon}}
[[File:President Ford announces his decision to pardon former President Richard Nixon - NARA - 7140608.jpg|thumb|President Ford announcing his decision to pardon Nixon, September 8, 1974, in the Oval Office]]

Following his resignation, the Nixons flew to their home [[La Casa Pacifica]] in [[San Clemente, California]].{{sfn|Nixon Library, Post Presidency}} According to his biographer, [[Jonathan Aitken]], "Nixon was a soul in torment" after his resignation.{{sfn|Aitken|p=529}} Congress had funded Nixon's transition costs, including some salary expenses, though reducing the appropriation from $850,000 to $200,000. With some of his staff still with him, Nixon was at his desk by 7:00&nbsp;a.m. with little to do.{{sfn|Aitken|p=529}} His former press secretary, [[Ron Ziegler]], sat with him alone for hours each day.{{sfn|Aitken|pp=529–530}}

Nixon's resignation had not put an end to the desire among many to see him punished. The Ford White House considered a pardon of Nixon, even though it would be unpopular in the country. Nixon, contacted by Ford emissaries, was initially reluctant to accept the pardon, but then agreed to do so. Ford insisted on a statement of contrition, but Nixon felt he had not committed any crimes and should not have to issue such a document. Ford eventually agreed, and on September 8, 1974, he granted Nixon a "full, free, and absolute pardon", which ended any possibility of an indictment. Nixon then released a statement:
{{blockquote|I was wrong in not acting more decisively and more forthrightly in dealing with Watergate, particularly when it reached the stage of judicial proceedings and grew from a political scandal into a national tragedy. No words can describe the depth of my regret and pain at the anguish my mistakes over Watergate have caused the nation and the presidency, a nation I so deeply love, and an institution I so greatly respect.{{sfn|Aitken|p=532}}{{sfn|Black|p=990}}
}}

In October 1974, Nixon fell ill with [[phlebitis]]. Told by his doctors that he could either be operated on or die, a reluctant Nixon chose surgery, and President Ford visited him in the hospital. Nixon was under subpoena for the trial of three of his former aides—Dean, Haldeman, and [[John Ehrlichman]]—and ''The Washington Post'', disbelieving his illness, printed a cartoon showing Nixon with a cast on the "wrong foot". Judge [[John Sirica]] excused Nixon's presence despite the defendants' objections.{{sfn|Aitken|pp=533–534}} Congress instructed Ford to retain Nixon's presidential papers—beginning a three-decade legal battle over the documents that was eventually won by the former president and his estate.{{sfn|Black|pp=994, 999}} Nixon was in the hospital when the [[1974 United States elections|1974 midterm elections]] were held, and Watergate and the pardon were contributing factors to the Republican loss of 49&nbsp;seats in the House and four in the Senate.{{sfn|Black|p=998}}

=== Return to public life ===
[[File:Nixon Ford Carter 1978.jpg|thumb|upright|President [[Jimmy Carter]] and ex-Presidents [[Gerald Ford]] and Nixon meet at the White House before former Vice President [[Hubert Humphrey]]'s funeral, 1978]]

In December 1974, Nixon began planning his comeback despite the considerable ill will against him in the country. He wrote in his diary, referring to himself and Pat,
{{blockquote|So be it. We will see it through. We've had tough times before and we can take the tougher ones that we will have to go through now. That is perhaps what we were made for—to be able to take punishment beyond what anyone in this office has had before particularly after leaving office. This is a test of character and we must not fail the test.{{sfn|Aitken|p=535}}
}}

By early 1975, Nixon's health was improving. He maintained an office in a [[United States Coast Guard|Coast Guard]] station {{convert|300|yd}} from his home, at first taking a golf cart and later walking the route each day; he mainly worked on his memoirs.{{sfn|Ambrose|1991|p=481}} He had hoped to wait before writing his memoirs; the fact that his assets were being eaten away by expenses and lawyer fees compelled him to begin work quickly.{{sfn|Aitken|pp=537, 539}} He was handicapped in this work by the end of his transition allowance in February, which compelled him to part with many of his staff, including Ziegler.{{sfn|Black|p=1000}} In August of that year, he met with British talk-show host and producer [[David Frost]], who paid him $600,000 (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|.6|1975|r=1}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation-year|US}}) for [[Nixon interviews|a series of sit-down interviews]], filmed and aired in 1977.{{sfn|Black|p=1004}} They began on the topic of foreign policy, recounting the leaders he had known, but the most remembered section of the interviews was that on Watergate. Nixon admitted he had "let down the country" and that "I brought myself down. I gave them a sword and they stuck it in. And they twisted it with relish. And, I guess, if I'd been in their position, I'd have done the same thing."{{sfn|Drew|p=138}} The interviews garnered 45–50 million viewers—becoming the most-watched program of its kind in television history.{{sfn|Ambrose|1991|p=512}}

The interviews helped improve Nixon's financial position—at one point in early 1975 he had only $500 in the bank—as did the sale of his Key Biscayne property to a trust set up by wealthy friends of Nixon, such as [[Charles Rebozo|Bebe Rebozo]].{{sfn|Aitken|pp=539–540}} In February 1976, Nixon visited China at the personal invitation of Mao. Nixon had wanted to return to China but chose to wait until after Ford's own visit in 1975.{{sfn|Black|p=1005}} Nixon remained neutral in the close 1976 primary battle between Ford and Reagan. Ford won, but was defeated by [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] Governor [[Jimmy Carter]] in [[1976 United States presidential election|the general election]]. The Carter administration had little use for Nixon and blocked his planned trip to Australia, causing the government of Prime Minister [[Malcolm Fraser]] to withhold its official invitation.{{sfn|Aitken|p=543}}

In 1976, Nixon was [[Disbarment|disbarred]] by the [[New York State Bar Association]] for [[obstruction of justice]] in the Watergate affair. He chose not to present any defense.<ref>"Nixon disbarred in New York in 1st ruling of Watergate guilt", ''Toledo Blade'', July 9, 1976, p.1</ref> In early 1978, he visited the United Kingdom; there, he was shunned by American diplomats, most ministers of the [[James Callaghan]] government, and two former prime ministers, [[Harold Macmillan]] and [[Edward Heath]]. He was welcomed, however, by the [[Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom)|Leader of the Opposition]], [[Margaret Thatcher]], as well as by former prime ministers [[Alec Douglas-Home|Lord Home]] and Sir [[Harold Wilson]]. Nixon addressed the [[Oxford Union]] regarding Watergate:
{{blockquote|[Some people] felt that on this matter that I had not handled it properly, and they were right. I screwed it up and I paid the price.<ref>{{cite news|last1=L|first1=Stephen|last2=rigan|date=1978-12-01|title=Protesters Heckle Nixon at Oxford Opponents of Oxford Speech Cool Nixon's Warm Welcome|language=en-US|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1978/12/01/protesters-heckle-nixon-at-oxford-opponents-of-oxford-speech-cool-nixons-warm-welcome/dd7cd6d2-943d-4f86-b36e-0d45b647682e/|access-date=2022-01-03|issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Reed|first=Roy|date=December 1, 1978|title=Welcome For Nixon At Oxford Is Warm|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/12/01/archives/welcome-for-nixon-at-oxford-is-warm-questions-friendly-though-some.html|access-date=January 3, 2022|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>}}

=== Author and elder statesman ===
[[File:Four Presidents pose for a portrait.jpg|thumb|President [[Ronald Reagan]] meets with his three immediate predecessors, [[Gerald Ford]], [[Jimmy Carter]] and Nixon, at the White House, October 1981; the three former presidents would represent the United States at the funeral of Egyptian President [[Anwar Sadat]].]]
In 1978, Nixon published his memoirs, ''RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon'', the first of ten books he was to author in his retirement.{{sfn|Nixon Library, Post Presidency}} [[John A. Farrell]] deemed it one of the better presidential memoirs, candid and capturing its author's voice; he deemed its rise up the bestseller lists justified.{{sfn|Farrell|p=2852}} Nixon visited the White House in 1979, invited by Carter for the state dinner for Chinese Vice Premier [[Deng Xiaoping]]. Carter had not wanted to invite Nixon, but Deng had said he would visit Nixon in California if the former president was not invited. Nixon had a private meeting with Deng and visited Beijing again in mid-1979.{{sfn|Ambrose|1991|pp=524–525}}

On August 10, 1979, the Nixons purchased a 12‐room condominium occupying the seventh floor of 817 [[Fifth Avenue]] New York City<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Bp9RAAAAIBAJ&pg=4685%2C1596331|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date=August 11, 1979|title=Nixons Buy Fifth Avenue Condo in N.Y.|access-date=June 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910174454/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Bp9RAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0W0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4685%2C1596331|archive-date=September 10, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> after being rejected by two Manhattan [[housing cooperative|co-ops]].{{sfn|Ambrose|1991|p=528}} When the deposed [[Mohammed Reza Pahlavi|Shah of Iran]] died in Egypt in July 1980, Nixon defied the State Department, which intended to send no U.S. representative, by attending the funeral. Though Nixon had no official credentials, as a former president he was seen as the American presence at its former ally's funeral.{{sfn|Ambrose|1991|p=533}} Nixon supported Ronald Reagan for president in [[1980 U.S. presidential election|1980]], making television appearances portraying himself as, in biographer Stephen Ambrose's words, "the senior statesman above the fray".{{sfn|Ambrose|1991|p=534}} He wrote guest articles for many publications both during the campaign and after Reagan's victory.{{sfn|Ambrose|1991|p=540}} After eighteen months in the New York City townhouse, Nixon and his wife moved in 1981 to [[Saddle River, New Jersey|Saddle River]], New Jersey.{{sfn|Nixon Library, Post Presidency}}

Throughout the 1980s, Nixon maintained an ambitious schedule of speaking engagements and writing,{{sfn|Nixon Library, Post Presidency}} traveled, and met with many foreign leaders, especially those of Third World countries. He joined former Presidents Ford and Carter as representatives of the United States at the funeral of Egyptian President [[Anwar Sadat]].{{sfn|Nixon Library, Post Presidency}} On a trip to the Middle East, Nixon made his views known regarding Saudi Arabia and Libya, which attracted significant U.S. media attention; ''The Washington Post'' ran stories on Nixon's "rehabilitation".{{sfn|Ambrose|1991|p=545}} Nixon visited the Soviet Union in 1986 and on his return sent President Reagan a lengthy memorandum containing foreign policy suggestions and his personal impressions of Soviet General Secretary [[Mikhail Gorbachev]].{{sfn|Nixon Library, Post Presidency}} Following this trip, Nixon was ranked in [[Gallup's most admired man and woman poll|a Gallup poll]] as one of the ten most admired men in the world.{{sfn|Drew|p=142}}

[[File:President Bill Clinton meets with former President Richard Nixon at the White House.jpg|thumb|right|Nixon with President [[Bill Clinton]] in the residence of the White House, March 1993]]

In 1986, Nixon addressed a convention of newspaper publishers, impressing his audience with his ''tour d'horizon'' of the world.{{sfn|Drew|p=144}} At the time, [[Pundit|political pundit]] [[Elizabeth Drew]] wrote, "Even when he was wrong, Nixon still showed that he knew a great deal and had a capacious memory, as well as the capacity to speak with apparent authority, enough to impress people who had little regard for him in earlier times."{{sfn|Drew|p=144}} ''Newsweek'' ran a story on "Nixon's comeback" with the headline "He's back".{{sfn|Aitken|pp=561–562}}

On July 19, 1990, the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace in [[Yorba Linda, California]] opened as a private institution with the Nixons in attendance. They were joined by a large crowd of people, including Presidents Ford, Reagan, and [[George H. W. Bush]], as well as their wives, [[Betty Ford|Betty]], [[Nancy Reagan|Nancy]], and [[Barbara Bush|Barbara]].{{sfn|Aitken|pp=565–568}} In January 1994, the former president founded the Nixon Center (today the [[Center for the National Interest]]), a Washington policy [[think tank]] and conference center.{{sfn|Black|pp=1045–1046}}<ref>{{cite press release|date= March 9, 2011|title= Nixon Center Becomes Center for the National Interest|url= https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nixon-center-becomes-center-for-the-national-interest-117654558.html|location= Washington, D.C.|publisher= Center for the National Interest|agency= PR Newswire|access-date= September 9, 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180909073801/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nixon-center-becomes-center-for-the-national-interest-117654558.html|archive-date= September 9, 2018|url-status= live}}</ref>

Pat Nixon died on June 22, 1993, of [[emphysema]] and lung cancer. Her funeral services were held on the grounds of the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace. Former President Nixon was distraught throughout the interment and delivered a tribute to her inside the library building.{{sfn|Black|pp=1049–1050}}
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