Richard M. Nixon: A Life in Full

by Conrad Black

Book Overview

From the late 1940s to the mid-1970s, Richard Nixon was a polarizing figure in American politics, admired for his intelligence, savvy, and strategic skill, and reviled for his shady manner and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1586485199
• ISBN13: 9781586485191
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: PublicAffairs
• Length: 1152 Pages
• Weight: 3.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.3" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Richard M. Nixon: A Life in Full

It took some extra time, but it was worth reading this very interesting book on the life Richard M. Nixon. I read many books by Robert Woodward, but you can sense the difference between a Washington Post reporter's book and a historian writer such as Conrad Black. His book on FDR was also an interesting well detailed book of Roosevelt's life. Thanks for bringing this book to my attention. John A. Jago, Jr.

Fair and Balanced Modern Biography of Nixon

I was once told by an expert on Richard Nixon that to get a fair biography of President Nixon you needed to find ones that did not try to be psychological and ones written by Brits. Previously Jon Aitken Richard Nixon: A Life fit that bill but it is outdated already. Conrad Black's new book does fit this bill today. He is a Brit and he presents the facts and historical context of Nixon fairly. Recently Dallek wrote an excellent book on Kissinger and Nixon, but as good as the book was it was held back by the authors obvious dislike of both men. Still a great book but biased a bit for me. Black has filled the void with an up to date, well written, well researched, and fair and balanced. Yes the book is a bit long, but quite worth the read. Black is not afraid to be critical of Nixon, but lots of authors do that, what I liked about this book is that it was not afraid to show the good things Nixon did, which many authors do not like to do. I really liked this book despite its length and with a British author it provided a bit of neutrality that many American books on Nixon lack.

a true test for Detente

The moment I finished reading this book, the image of the late USA President came to me when he left office and waved to the crowd his last Good-bye. Nixon looked hesitant and undecided like a man relieved of an overwhelming burden. His Good-bye expressions were made indicating how far he had worn out of his Office; his eyes refused to meet the camera. Perhaps what is quite revealing is that Nixon policies and behaviors were formulated to keep pace with `Détente `. There has been a wave of publicity unparalleled in contemporary American foreign policies relating to the appointment of Henry Kissinger in September 1973. Never before has a President and a Secretary of State had such interest by Newsmen and Biographers alike. Both names were associated with secret channels notably in Vietnam, Arab/Israeli conflict, and of course - Detente. I can safely say that Nixon, in particular, was less a friend of the media until Watergate blew its hurdles in the face of the world and the legend `'impeachment" was then born. What followed invoked a cauldron of aggressive and sympathetic editorials. Hostile comments were destructive in character and reflected envy. I am convinced these 1000+ pages transpire feelings of persecution centered more upon the Office and less upon the Person whom many have loudly hated and secretly admired. Mr. Conrad Black could picture the late President of the United States of America at his best moments slouched back in his chair, his long legs stretched out above the table in the deceptively thoughtful pose caricaturists had made famous in their media.

Not the tiresome "good guys vs. bad guys" approach

The length of "Richard M. Nixon: A Life in Full" (1,152 pages) should surprise no one. Richard Nixon served in both houses of the U.S. Congress and was elected Vice President of the United States- all before the age of 40. No one has appeared on a national ticket more often (5 times, equaled only by FDR), nor held national office longer (13-1/2 years). No single book can tell the whole story. However, Conrad Black's biography of Richard Nixon has many virtues to recommend it. It is very well written. The rhythms, diction and idioms of Black's Anglo-Canadian English lend a freshness to the text without calling attention to themselves. Black sometimes uses a turn of phrase that is a bit unusual to the American "ear"-- yet after a split-second it seems absolutely right and true. At his best, Black is capable of sentences that rival Gibbon's, though he is never less than clear and engaging, with flashes of humor and irony. The book is well-documented, but could use closer editing here and there. (In a couple of places, brief "quotes" from famous speeches by FDR and Nixon are, in fact, paraphrases- though the meaning remained unchanged.) A particular strength of this biography is that it lends proportion and perspective to the various periods and issues of Nixon's long career. Black gives fresh accounts of all-but-forgotten events, such as the Nixons' physical courage when attacked by violent mobs on their state visit to Venezuela in 1958. Black also provides some insights into the important relationships of Nixon's professional life- Eisenhower, the Kennedys, Kissinger and others- without resort to psychoanalytic pretensions or lurid speculation. The book's final pages form a summary of Nixon's career- more generous than some accounts, though not less accurate. Finally, Black's approach is refreshingly free of the tiresome "good guys vs. bad guys" approach. Nixon was a remarkably complex and driven man, whose successes and failures changed the world. Contrary to common belief, his ethics were not always distinguishable from- and in some areas, were superior to- the ethics of his contemporaries in either party. The book is generally free of academic priggishness, shallow moralizing, and partisan demonology. All this, and Black's willingness to praise the characters and accomplishments of public figures regardless of political persuasion, give this book a healthy dose of uncynical humility.

A superlative biography of Nixon

Conrad Black's biography of Roosevelt offered a new perspective on an historic figure only now being reevaluated by historians. In this equally powerful book, Black provides a unique view from a man who has wielded power, has been hated by his enemies (some of whom have offered hateful "reviews" here) and who is literate and accomplished. This is a unique perspective. I have avoided Nixon biographies since most have been biased and the story is too recent to be properly evaluated. I voted for Nixon each time he was on the ballot. I was disillusioned by the Watergate crisis and then learned in later years how much of it was contrived. Black's discussion of Nixon's formative years is insightful and sympathetic. His description of the political history is astute. His theories of the Vietnam tragedy are interesting although I disagree with some of his conclusions, such as the futility of the Malaya strategy which has been advocated by Col Nagl's book and is now showing results in Iraq. Black veers into the theories of Harry G. Summers, which have been attacked by others in recent years. Still, this is one version of the strategy that Nixon might have followed and is well described in the book. It is painful to read of some of Nixon's foibles, as I wished him well and think what might have been. I think this will be a standard source for years and Black's own legal troubles, much of which are similar to Nixon's as they are the actions of enemies, give him a unique perspective on that part of Nixon's life. His discussion of the Nixon and DeGaulle relationship was totally new information to me. I cast my first vote for Nixon in 1960 and never regretted it. I never met Nixon although I know people who knew him and his family. He was an extremely complex man and this biography does a good job of telling that story. I highly recommend it.

Critical praise of Richard Nixon

This is pure conjecture, but I wouldn't be too surprised if this turns out to be how Conrad Black actually does write his biographies. Step 1 - Pick a giant. Step 2 - Write a first draft praising the giant's achievements and qualities. Step 3 - Write, from scratch, a second draft attacking the giant from all sides, finding his every fault, his every weakness. Step 4 - Tone down both drafts. Step 5 - Combine both drafts in strict chronological order, mixing the praises with the criticisms. And what we get is a very fair, very balanced biography, in this case of Richard Nixon, perhaps the first definitive one volume biography of the 37th President of the United States. It is one thing to criticize those in power and quite another to wield it power oneself. Black has wielded power and this gives perspective and considerable authority to his work. Like his biography of Franklin Roosevelt, this biography of Nixon should rank as one of the great works of critical praise. To pick the obvious example of Watergate, Black evaluates Nixon by concluding his "conduct was blameworthy, but the response to it was extreme". An accurate judgement for an event that "resulted in no theft, no injury, no property damage, no useful espionage". And yet Black is often mystified by Nixon's "failure to grasp the realities of ... the political problems" especially given Nixon's known political saviness. In general, however, Black is praiseworthy. He lauds Nixon's trip to China, he corrects the record and enthusiastically credits Nixon with ending America's involvement in the Viet Nam war. Black's stance reflects the historical importance of the Nixon presidency. The biggest surprise for me was learning how pro-civil rights Nixon had been. Of all presidents except for Bill Clinton, whom Toni Morrisson called America's first black president, Nixon was the most respecful of civil rights and of the lives of African Americans. This mindset resulted directly from Nixon's egalitarian Quaker upbringing as black friends came and ate supper at the Nixon table just because that's what you do with friends. He sacrificed considerable political capital on civil rights principles; he made no gains, nor expected any, from a black electorate committed to Johnson's War on Poverty and Great Society programs and he lost the support of many southerners who loved everything about him except his civil rights stance. (Clearly an instance of the political courage JFK wrote about but himself failed to muster.) From a literary point of view, Watergate brings great irony to this book. Just as Black cannot understand how a man of Nixon's intellect and vision could have so completely misjudged the effects of Watergate, it equally boggles the mind how a man as superlatively intelligent and accomplished as Conrad Black could have misjudged the effects of his own actions with respect to his own legal worries. I suppose he should have found and burned the security video tapes showing him carrying