Book Review: After The Fall by Kasey S. Pipes

After The Fall: The Remarkable Comeback of Richard Nixon by Kasey S. Pipes

When people think of Richard Nixon, most automatically think of Watergate. A lot of people stop thinking at that point and stay locked into the idea that Nixon is a soulless, immoral monster who got away with it. The fact is Richard Nixon was a human being and had a lot of life and experiences after he resigned from office in 1974. This book chronicles that time and Nixon's efforts to find redemption and relevance after disgrace.

The book begins with Nixon's departure from the White House. He went back to California as an exile. His health deteriorated and he nearly died from an embolism. In desperate need for money, he made a book deal for his memoirs and agreed to be interviewed by David Frost. Both actions were more than just a chance to pay his bills, he also wanted to reform his public image. He put his efforts into foreign policy, the area he had been most successful in during his presidency. He'd ended the war in Vietnam, opened relations with China, and began the brief era of detente with the Soviet Union. Nixon stayed in touch with people in Washington and slowly became an advisor to presidents (including Clinton) and a public pundit especially on Cold War issues. He traveled to the Soviet Union and to China as an elder statesman and attended many foreign state funerals. He died in 1994 and was eulogized by Senator Bob Dole and President Bill Clinton.

Pipes is the first researcher given access to the Nixon family's records, so he reveals a lot of inside information and opinions. The pro-Nixon attitude is understandable as the reader sees the ex-president fight back against his failure (he came to see himself as morally guilty if not legally guilty of the Watergate disaster). Nixon elaborated three principles which helped him through the dark years after his resignation:

"1. Put the past behind you. Analyze & understand the reasons for your defeat, but do not become obsessed with what was lost. Think instead about what is left to do.
2. Don't let your critics get to you. Remember that they win only if they divert you into fighting them rather than driving toward your goals.
3. Devote your time to a goal larger than yourself. Avoid the temptation of living simply for pleasure or striving only to leave a larger estate." [p. 217]

Nixon moved on and found a new purpose in his life by writing books about foreign policy and traveling internationally to assess and smooth over relations when he could (like in China after Tiananmen Square). He helped Reagan, Bush, and Clinton behind the scenes.

Before reading this book, I'd thought of Nixon as an unredeemed failure of a president. Learning more about his life after his presidency was eye-opening for me. I heard about this book at the History Unplugged podcast, which I highly recommend.

Recommended.