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Nixon’s First Inaugural Address

Richard Milhous Nixon was sworn in as the 37th president of the United States at noon on January 20, 1969.

Listen to Nixon take the oath of office (2m)

Listen to Nixon’s Inaugural Address (18m)

Text of President Nixon’s first inaugural address.

Richard NixonSenator Dirksen, Mr. Chief Justice, Mr. Vice President, President Johnson, Vice President Humphrey, my fellow Americans–and my fellow citizens of the world community:

I ask you to share with me today the majesty of this moment. In the orderly transfer of power, we celebrate the unity that keeps us free.

Nixon Accepts The Republican Party Nomination for President

This is Richard Nixon’s 1968 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.

First Kennedy-Nixon Debate

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.

The Kitchen Debate: Nixon And Khrushchev

In what became known as “The Kitchen Debate”, Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev met at the U.S. Embassy, Moscow, in 1959.

Text of The Kitchen Debate between Nixon and Khrushchev.

[Both men enter kitchen in the American exhibit.]

NIXON

I want to show you this kitchen. It is like those of our houses in California.

[Nixon points to dishwasher.]

KHRUSHCHEV

We have such things.

Senator Richard Nixon’s Checkers Speech

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.”

Watergate.info
Malcolm Farnsworth
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