At what point in our future will newly released Nixon tapes no longer bring joy to his enemies? In other words, when will we get to hear recordings that portray the kind Nixon, the caring Nixon, even the politically astute Nixon? It could be quite a while; the latest batch of goodies is full of the typical racist bile and immoral statecraft that solidifies Nixon's place as our worst president. From the Times:
Nixon worried that greater access to abortions would foster “permissiveness,” and said that “it breaks the family.” But he also saw a need for abortion in some cases, such as interracial pregnancies.
“There are times when an abortion is necessary. I know that. When you have a black and a white,” he told an aide, before adding: “Or a rape.”
There is also plenty here for fans of Ronald Reagan and Billy Graham.
Reagan told the White House that the action — which would become known as the “Saturday Night Massacre” — was “probably the best thing that ever happened — none of them belong where they were,” according to a Nixon aide’s notes of the private conversation.
And:
Mr. Graham complained that Jewish-American leaders had denounced efforts to promote evangelical Christianity, like Campus Crusade, and Nixon and Graham agreed that the Jewish leaders risked bringing anti-Jewish sentiment to the surface.
“What I really think is deep down in this country, there is a lot of anti-Semitism, and all this is going to do is stir it up,” Nixon said. At another point he said, “It may be they have a death wish. You know that’s been the problem with our Jewish friends for centuries.”
--Isaac Chotiner