Nixon Speeches

Nixon’s Final Remarks To The White House Staff

Aug 09, 1974

On the morning of his resignation as president, Richard Nixon addressed the White House staff.

Listen to extracts of Nixon’s remarks (1m):

Watch Nixon’s speech in full (21m):

Nixon’s speech, as issued by the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in 2014 (29m):

Text of President Nixon’s final remarks to the White House staff.

Members of the Cabinet, members of the White House Staff, all of our friends here:

I think the record should show that this is one of those spontaneous things that we always arrange whenever the President comes in to speak, and it will be so reported in the press, and we don’t mind, because they have to call it as they see it.

But on our part, believe me, it is spontaneous.

You are here to say goodbye to us, and we don’t have a good word for it in English—the best is au revoir. We’ll see you again. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Audio, Nixon Speeches, Resignation, Video

Nixon’s Resignation Speech

Aug 08, 1974

Richard M. Nixon addressed the nation at 9pm on August 8, 1974, to announce that he would resign the presidency at noon the following day.

Nixon became the only president ever to resign the office.

The video shows Nixon’s preparations for his televised resignation announcement. The official speech begins at the 7 minute mark:

Listen to Nixon’s resignation speech (16m)

Watch Nixon’s speech (23m)

Text of President Richard Nixon’s resignation speech.

Good evening.

This is the 37th time I have spoken to you from this office, where so many decisions have been made that shaped the history of this Nation. Each time I have done so to discuss with you some matter that I believe affected the national interest.

In all the decisions I have made in my public life, I have always tried to do what was best for the Nation. Throughout the long and difficult period of Watergate, I have felt it was my duty to persevere, to make every possible effort to complete the term of office to which you elected me.

In the past few days, however, it has become evident to me that I no longer have a strong enough political base in the Congress to justify continuing that effort. As long as there was such a base, I felt strongly that it was necessary to see the constitutional process through to its conclusion, that to do otherwise would be unfaithful to the spirit of that deliberately difficult process and a dangerously destabilizing precedent for the future.

But with the disappearance of that base, I now believe that the constitutional purpose has been served, and there is no longer a need for the process to be prolonged. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Audio, Nixon Speeches, Resignation, Video

Nixon’s Third Watergate Speech

Apr 29, 1974

President Nixon used his third address to the nation on Watergate to release edited transcripts of the White House tapes.

Text of President Richard Nixon’s Address to the Nation about the Watergate tapes.

Good evening:

I have asked for this time tonight in order to announce my answer to the House Judiciary Committee’s subpoena for additional Watergate tapes, and to tell you something about the actions I shall be taking tomorrow—about what I hope they will mean to you and about the very difficult choices that were presented to me.

These actions will at last, once and for all, show that what I knew and what I did with regard to the Watergate break-in and coverup were just as I have described them to you from the very beginning.

I have spent many hours during the past few weeks thinking about what I would say to the American people if I were to reach the decision I shall announce tonight. And so, my words have not been lightly chosen; I can assure you they are deeply felt.

It was almost 2 years ago, in June 1972 that five men broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington. It turned out that they were connected with my reelection committee, and the Watergate break-in became a major issue in the campaign.

The full resources of the FBI and the Justice Department were used to investigate the incident thoroughly. I instructed my staff and campaign aides to cooperate fully with the investigation. The FBI conducted nearly 1,500 interviews. For 9 months—until March 1973—I was assured by those charged with conducting and monitoring the investigations that no one in the White House was involved. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Investigation, Nixon Speeches, Tapes, Video

Nixon’s 1974 State of the Union Address

Jan 30, 1974

This is the text of President Nixon’s last State of the Union Address.

This was Nixon’s fifth State of the Union address. Towards the end of the speech, Nixon raised Watergate, declaring: “I believe the time has come to bring that investigation and the other investigations of this matter to an end. One year of Watergate is enough.”

Nixon resigned as president six months later.

Listen to Nixon’s Address (45m)

Watch Nixon’s Address (49m)

Transcript of President Nixon’s final State of the Union Address.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, my colleagues in the Congress, our distinguished guests, my fellow Americans:

We meet here tonight at a time of great challenge and great opportunities for America. We meet at a time when we face great problems at home and abroad that will test the strength of our fiber as a nation. But we also meet at a time when that fiber has been tested, and it has proved strong. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Audio, Nixon Speeches, Video Tagged With: State of the Union

Nixon’s Second Watergate Speech

Aug 15, 1973

Nixon delivered his second speech on Watergate just over three months after the drama of the first.

This time there were no further resignations or dismissal. Instead, Nixon road-tested the executive privilege argument about the Watergate tapes and decried the nation’s “backward-looking obsession with Watergate”.

Text of President Richard Nixon’s second speech on Watergate.

Good evening:

Now that most of the major witnesses in the Watergate phase of the Senate committee hearings on campaign practices have been heard, the time has come for me to speak out about the charges made and to provide a perspective on the issue for the American people.

For over 4 months, Watergate has dominated the news media. During the past 3 months, the three major networks have devoted an average of over 22 hours of television time each week to this subject. The Senate committee has heard over 2 million words of testimony.

This investigation began as an effort to discover the facts about the break-in and bugging of the Democratic National Headquarters and other campaign abuses. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Audio, Investigation, Nixon Speeches

Nixon’s First Watergate Speech

Apr 30, 1973

President Nixon used his first televised Watergate speech to announce the departure of several members of his staff.

The resignations of John Ehrlichman, Bob Haldeman, Richard Kleindeinst and John Dean were all announced in this speech.

Listen to Nixon’s speech (24m)

Watch Nixon (24m)

Full text of Nixon’s first Watergate speech.

Good evening:

I want to talk to you tonight from my heart on a subject of deep concern to every American. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Audio, Investigation, Nixon Speeches, Video Tagged With: Bob Haldeman, Elliot Richardson, John Dean, John Ehrlichman, Richard Kleindienst

Peace With Honor: Nixon’s Broadcast On Vietnam

Jan 23, 1973

This is the text of President Nixon’s radio and television broadcast announcing the initialing of the Paris ‘Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam’.

Nixon’s speech was broadcast at 10pm from the Oval Office at the White House.

Listen to Nixon’s broadcast (10m)

Watch Nixon (10m)

Text of President Richard Nixon’s ‘Peace With Honor’ Broadcast.

Good evening. I have asked for this radio and television time tonight for the purpose of announcing that we today have concluded an agreement to end the war and bring peace with honor in Vietnam and in Southeast Asia. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Audio, Nixon Speeches, Video Tagged With: Henry Kissinger, Le Duc Tho, Peace With Honor, Vietnam

President Nixon’s Second Inaugural Address

Jan 20, 1973

Following a landslide re-election in November 1972, Nixon was inaugurated for a second term on January 20, 1973.

Listen to Nixon’s Second Inaugural Address (17m)

Watch the Address (17m)

President Nixon’s second inaugural address.

Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, Senator Cook, Mrs. Eisenhower, and my fellow citizens of this great and good country we share together:

When we met here four years ago, America was bleak in spirit, depressed by the prospect of seemingly endless war abroad and of destructive conflict at home.

As we meet here today, we stand on the threshold of a new era of peace in the world. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Audio, Nixon Speeches, Video

Nixon’s 1970 State Of The Union Address

Jan 22, 1970

This is the full text of President Richard Nixon’s 1970 State of the Union Address.

This was Nixon’s first State of the Union Address, delivered one year and two days after he took office.

Listen to Nixon’s speech (36m)

Watch Nixon’s speech (39m)

Nixon’s 1970 State of the Union Address to Congress.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, my colleagues in the Congress, our distinguished guests and my fellow Americans:

To address a joint session of the Congress in this great Chamber in which I was once privileged to serve is an honor for which I am deeply grateful.

The State of the Union Address is traditionally an occasion for a lengthy and detailed account by the President of what he has accomplished in the past, what he wants the Congress to do in the future, and, in an election year, to lay the basis for the political issues which might be decisive in the fall. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Audio, Nixon Speeches, Video Tagged With: State of the Union

Nixon’s ‘Silent Majority’ Speech

Nov 03, 1969

This is President Richard Nixon’s Address to the Nation on the War in Vietnam.

The speech is now known as “The Silent Majority” speech.

Listen to The Silent Majority speech (32m)
Watch Nixon’s speech (32m)

President Nixon’s Address to the Nation on the War in Vietnam.

Good evening, my fellow Americans:

Tonight I want to talk to you on a subject of deep concern to all Americans and to many people in all parts of the world–the war in Vietnam. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Nixon Speeches, Video Tagged With: Silent Majority, Vietnam

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