Made a Difference, Nixon Says of His Presidency

Former President Richard Nixon said today that the fact that he resigned will always be a part of his presidency but that down the road the people, rather than the historians, will remember that he made a difference in the quest for world peace.

In an interview with host Bryant Gumbel on NBC’s “Today,” Nixon, who resigned in 1974 rather than face impeachment on charges related to the Watergate scandal, was asked what historians will write about his presidency.

“Well, what historians will write and what history in the broader sense may conclude could be very different,” Nixon responded.

Nixon said he will be remembered for making a difference “as far as our relations with China are concerned and in initiating a new relationship with the Soviet Union, in saving Israel with an airlift in 1973, in ending the Vietnam War, ending the draft. I think those events will be remembered.

But, he added, “Of course, I’m doing a little wishful thinking here, I know, and I would not suggest that historians, the current crop, would ever reach that conclusion.”

As for his own resurgence in the public light, Nixon was asked to reflect on his own words when he said public sympathy comes to even the most controversial with the onset of old age.

“Well, it depends on what the public is,” said the 77-year-old Nixon. “Some of the public say, ‘My God, is the man ever going to die?’ And all they’re interested in is reading my obituary. And then there are others who are amazed I’m still alive.

“As far as I’m concerned, what I hope is that my life, in addition to being examples that you can make a difference if you set your mind to it in public leadership, what I hope is that people will remember that I lived by the rule: Never give up. Never look back. Always look forward. And if that is the lesson that young people can get from my life, it will have all been worthwhile. Never give up.”