Video of Richard Nixon claiming victory in the 1968 presidential election on the evening of November 6.
Posts published in “Nixon Speeches”
This is Richard Nixon’s speech accepting the Republican Party nomination for President.
Watch Nixon’s speech – alternative (33m)
Listen to Nixon (33m)
Richard Nixon’s speech accepting the Republican Party nomination for president.
Mr. Chairman, delegates to this convention, my fellow Americans:
Sixteen years ago I stood before this convention to accept your nomination as the running mate of one of the greatest Americans of our time or any time – Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Eight years ago I had the highest honor of accepting your nomination for President of the United States.
Tonight I again proudly accept that nomination for President of the United States.
Originally posted 1968-08-08 21:39:06.
This is the full text of the first joint radio-television debate between Senator John F. Kennedy and Vice-President Richard M. Nixon.
The debate took place in a CBS studio in Chicago, Illinois. The moderator was Howard K. Smith.
Listen to the debate (58m)
Full transcript of the first Kennedy-Nixon debate.
Mr. Smith:
Good evening.
The television and radio stations of the United States and their affiliated stations are proud to provide facilities for a discussion of issues in the current political campaign by the two major candidates for the presidency.
The candidates need no introduction. The Republican candidate, Vice President Richard M. Nixon, and the Democratic candidate, Senator John F. Kennedy.
According to rules set by the candidates themselves, each man shall make an opening statement of approximately 8 minutes’ duration and a closing statement of approximately three minutes’ duration.
In between the candidates will answer, or comment upon answers to questions put by a panel of correspondents.
In this, the first discussion in a series of four joint appearances, the subject matter, it has been agreed, will be restricted to internal or domestic American matters.
Originally posted 1960-09-26 22:25:53.
This is the text of a speech given by Richard Nixon during his 1960 presidential election campaign.
The Meaning Of Communism To Americans
by Vice-President Richard Nixon
The major problem confronting the people of the United States and free peoples everywhere in the last half of the 20th century is the threat to peace and freedom presented by the militant aggressiveness of international communism. A major weakness in this struggle is lack of adequate imderstanding of the character of the challenge which communism presents.
I am convinced that we are on the right side in this struggle and that we are well ahead now in its major aspects. But if we are to maintain our advantage and assure victory in the struggle, we must develop, not only among the leaders, but among the people of the free world a better understanding of the threat which confronts us.
The question is not one of being for or against communism. The time is long past when any significant number of Americans contend that communism is no particular concern of theirs. Few can still believe that communism is simply a curious and twisted philosophy which happens to appeal to a certain number of zealots but which constitutes no serious threat to the interests or ideals of free society.
The days of indifference are gone. The danger today in our attitude toward communism is of a very different kind. It lies in the fact that we have come to abhor communism so much that we no longer recognize the necessity of understanding it.
Originally posted 1960-08-21 17:36:27.
This is the text of a speech given by Vice-President Richard Nixon during the 1960 presidential election campaign.
Nixon was the Republican Party nominee for president. He was narrowly defeated by the Democratic Party nominee, John F. Kennedy.
Text of speech by Vice-President Richard Nixon in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The Need For Leadership
Mr. Chairman, distinguished guests, and I think I can say, my fellow North Carolinians, what a very great thrill it is for my wife, Pat, and for me to he here and to receive such a wonderful welcome in my first visit to North Carolina as a candidate. To the crowd that we see here in this magnificent coliseum, and to those who are in an auditorium in another part of the building, and to those who are outside, who could not get in, may I say thank you for coming and for giving us a tremendous morale booster on this return to North Carolina.
My good friend Congressman Charles Jonas (Republican, North Carolina) has often invited me to come to North Carolina and suggested we might do well down here. I must say I thought Charlie was being a bit enthusiastic then. But tonight I can only say that after looking at the election results for 1952 and seeing that we got 44 percent of the North Carolina vote, and after looking at the results for 1956 and seeing that we got 49 percent of the North Carolina vote, and after seeing this enthusiastic crowd – I think we are going to get over 50 percent of the votes in North Carolina.
Originally posted 1960-08-17 16:37:49.
Full text and video of the The Kitchen Debate between Vice-President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev in Moscow.
In his 1952 Checkers speech, Richard Nixon was one of the first politicians to use the medium of television to defend himself against accusations of wrong-doing.
This speech came during the 1952 presidential election campaign. Senator Nixon was Dwight D. Eisenhower’s vice-presidential running mate. Accused of accepting illegal gifts, Nixon used his television appearance to deny the allegations and outline his personal financial circumstances.
Nixon referred to a cocker spaniel dog his family had been given. Black and white spotted, they called it Checkers. “And you know, the kids, like all kids, love the dog and I just want to say this right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we’re gonna keep it.”
Originally posted 1952-09-23 22:57:55.
Text of Congressman Richard Nixon's maiden speech to the House of Representatives, following his victory at the 1946 mid-term elections.
On the morning of his resignation as president, Richard Nixon addressed the White House staff.
Listen to extracts of Nixon’s remarks (1m):
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.
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)
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.
