Richard Nixon Looks Back on His Final Hours in the White House
Your Opinion excerpts from Nixon’s autobiography (an unsurprising exercise in narcissism) were put into sharp perspective by Colleen O’Connor’s column on April 9 (“Pink Right Down to Her Underwear,” California Commentary). She describes the shameful behavior of Nixon’s campaign team (including USC pranksters who were to be the “Dirty Tricks” boys of later campaigns) in his 1950 Senate race against Helen Gahagan Douglas.
Nixon admits to having had no idea then--or now--of the existence or import of this Machiavellian behavior of his. Yet he seems consistently to have people around him who flout propriety and the law. Tricky Dick seems to have clearly corruptible ethics and a well-defended positive image of himself. One can only wonder at the respect he manages to garner from a supposedly respectable community (including, apparently, The Times).
ALLAN RABINOWITZ
Los Angeles
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