He utilized recently on classified tapes and documents to report on the interworkings of of the Nixon Administration during the watergate scandal. Im going to put this down here, okay, good evening. I am bradley graham, coowner of politics and prose along with my wife. On behalf of of the entire staff, thank you so much for coming. A few quick administrative notes. Now would be a good time to silence any cell phones or other things that might go beep. When we get to the q and a part of the session, i invite anybody to ask questions, we ask if you have a question, first you put it in the form of a question, and second you make your way to this microphone up here. We are videoing both for our own youtube page and pursue span tv is here as well. They would like to be able to hear your question. At the end, before you come up to get your book sign. Our staff would appreciate it very much if you could fold up the chair that you are in and lean it against a bookcase or a pillar. The topic this evening is of course Richard Nixon, whose tragic presidency is profiled in a new book by tim weiner that is receiving lots of attention. Tim is an experience, prizewinning journalist who is quite familiar with washington. He lived and reported here for 15 years of his life. He spoke before his previous books. He got into the newspaper business after earning a masters degree in journalism at columbia, 36 years ago. By the early 1980s he landed at the philadelphia choir, where he worked for a decade on a range of assignments, both domestic and foreign. In 1988 he won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting period was awarded for a series of secret pentagon budget used his sponsor research and arms buildup. That series led to tims first book, blank check. The pentagons black budget. He joined the New York Times in mid 1990s covering National Security issues. He once was described as nukes, spooks, and clicks. During that period he coauthored of book about the spy betrayal. He later served as a correspondent for times in mexico and traveled on an assignment of other spots as afghanistan, pakistan, kenya, sudan, and a number of other places. His third book, legacy of ashes, a history of the cia came out in 2007 and 2007 and one the National Book award for nonfiction. Not long after that he left newspaper ink but not the world of reporting and writing. He is now the direction of a nonfiction Residency Program at new york. It is about to open. He will also will also be at princeton this fall, teaching a course on a cia. Of course he continues to turn out books on very challenging subjects. Three years ago, and the book enemies he tackled the history of the fbi secret intelligence operations. In his new book, one man against the world, the tragedy, the tragedy of Richard Nixon, he revisits the spectacular fall of one of our most controversial complicated presence. Drying on documents declassified over the last years he looks back over the war and the watergate scandal and the torment a complex figure who essential to those tumultuous years. One review, no one who reads this incisive book will be nostalgic for nixon, no matter how disastrous his success was. I did learn just a moment ago, that tim and his family have at least a personal connection to the nixon years. Tim when he was a teenager, his company his dad and when they got back to their car they noticed someone was parked it was the justice department. Someone was was taking down the license plate number. His dad worried that maybe had a ticket. He got audited for the next three years. Ladies and gentlemen please try me in welcoming tim weiner. [applause]. Thank you brad, thank you everybody who works at politics and prose, whether they are selling books, buying books, reading books this is one of the greatest bookstores in the United States. I think Everybody Knows that. [applause]. Speaking of nixon successors, during my my years as a reporter i had a chance to interview president ford who succeeded and then amply pardon Richard Nixon. Also jimmy carter who was elected after gerald fords shorts accidental presidency. A few years later during the reagan era, senator bob dole saw at a state event, carter, ford, and nixon all gathered together. He. He said look there they are. Speak no evil, hear no evil and the evil. [laughter] and on that note, i would like to go to the way back about 45 years. Many of you of you will remember this passage in our history, Richard Nixon had been president for 14 months, the war in vietnam was not ending as he had promised during his campaign , and he decided to take some extremely drastic measures which led to a series of disasters on like any other country had experienced, probably since the civil war. Its the spring of 1970. Nixon was sleepless, soulsearching his somnambulant. I dont think he ever slept, general Alexander Haig recalled. He dealt with it at night by drinking. The president by day fell into a dark state of moments. Talking talking with the chief of staff about past president s he started planning the precise details of his own funeral. He had predicted that 1970 would would be the worst year of his first term. The president s popularity plummeted 11 points points that march. The endless war was the cause. The tall vietnam was taken was not measured in casket but the winds of the mine. An increasing number of veterans were shellshocked, or heroin addicted. When they returned, they found the work came home with them. A battle within the american body politics. All the while americans were still dying in combat, a thousand every month. On march 19, 1970 Henry Kissinger told his colic about a brutal a brutal telephone conversation he just had with the president. Kissinger told nixon that there wasnt very much they could do militarily to force vietnam to settle or surrender. The president demanded a new set of war plans, a hard option and he wanted it on his desk that day. Kissinger became frantic. The written notes of white house were council convened on march 23, conveyed the conundrum. Mr. Helms, the director of the cia, said at the end we believe we might bomb North Vietnam set might be achieved. Mr. Mr. Kissinger asked how this could be conveying to fit non. General wheeler said it would be clear if we actually did some bombing. Then came a clue out of nowhere. That week, a rightwing a rightwing military took power in cambodia. Communist forces started moving toward the cambodia capital, 200 miles northwest of military headquarters in saigon. Nicks again embraced the leader, a a general knowing new well but with the name knowing could forget. Long knoll. Quote pres. Nixon nixon asked me to draft several personal nixon too long telegrams containing extravagant expressions of friendship and support. Recalled marshall greene, the secretary of state. I was concerned he would read into those messages, degree of u. S. Military support and commitment that exceeded what our government could deliver on, given congressional attitudes in particular. Also regarded him as lacking any qualities needing to lead his country out of its mass. Does any of this ring a bell . As it i want helms to develop and implement total plans with maximum assistance to elements in cambodia he instructed. Cia dir. Helms, promised, promised to support nixons military effort on traceable money and guns, swiss gold and an arsenal of weapons. This proved difficult. Cambodia had no america ambassador, no ci station chief, no ci military Intelligence Officers on the ground. Casting around the world, the cia called upon john stein, a veteran cia officer with plenty military experience in africa but none in indochina. He reported back back to the white house and got straight to the point quote here is another small Southeast Asia country where nobody knew what was going on on quote. The new cambodia reaching had come to the conclusion that someone had to help them and somebody was the United States. With with more fighting on their hands, the only way to give them a bucking up was 10,000 ak47 rifles rifles in a swiss bank account. Nixon approved 1500 assault rifles and 10 million in on traceable cia, a down payment far greater than what was to come. That same week americas central outpost faced a deadly siege by communist soldiers, if it fell, they could collapse under communist control. It demanded immediate action but offered no solution. Kissinger. Kissinger had to plead for the president s attention. Poor k they noted, no one will Pay Attention to this war. And it looks like lau is falling. On march 15, kissinger met for three hours with nixon, helms, and helms, and key members of the National Security council. The president wasnt wanting to let laos go down the drain. Helms and the cia, helms was blunt. The u. S. And the cia had to ask to go to thailand to send battalions of troops to laos without telling congress. The cia director wrote and apologize for my vulgarity, this is a quote i told the president i realize this was a shitty decision. But in light of all the factors that seem desirable. Nixon commented, commented, it had been necessary to do on pleasant things necessary and this was one more that could be taken on as well. There is going to be no announcement the president said. Were just going to do it, we dont have to explain it. The political situation at home was no better than the military situation abroad. Secretary of defense, melvin warned nixon on tuesday, march 31 that the senate was prepared to cut off funds. Nixon responded, i will fight such limitation to the death. The senate also rejected the nomination of john judge jeannie harold. Theyre personally selected for nixon. A ranking republican of the Senate JudiciaryCommittee Said quote there are a lot of mediocre people, judges, lawyers, they are entitled to a little representation arent they . [laughter] not on the Supreme Court the senate degree. Nixon blamed attorney general mitchell for the nomination. The prior selection judge climate haynesworth was rejected for his record of wraith racism. Multiple, unsolvable problems bearing in. Nixon responded to the Senate Resistance with rage. Quote set set up a political attack he commanded. Have to declare war. The pres. Order to retired new York City Police officers overseen by others to conduct undercover investigation of the senate opponents. Notably teddy kennedy, muskie, and proxmire. There are prominent democrats who fought nixons policies and the Supreme Court nominees. As part of what nixon calls an all out hatchet job. They wanted the irs to investigate their finances. The cops they hired handled things like irs audits and tony who is paid off the books with Campaign Cash doled out by herb, nixons personal lawyer and political bagman. Tough tony followed kennedy for two years, the department of of dirty tricks was on the case. By april 19, the communists communists were 20 miles from the cambodian border. Pres. Nixon and hawaii to greet the astronauts returning from the nearly fatal apollo 13 moon Mission Mission was briefed by admiral john mccain, the commanderinchief of the pacific. Admiral mccain, his son was still a prisoner of war. It captivated next with a hairraising report. The president ordered adm. Mccain to return with him and meet with kissinger. Mccains briefing was grim. The communists took cambodia South Vietnam would be next and the war would be lost. Mccain emphasized the need for speed into of the precarious situation. He thought the the United States should send every weapon to the joint chiefs of staff quickly assembled weapons for the cambodian army. That was the easy part. Now the president needed a plan for the invasion of cambodia and the destruction of what the United States called, the the Central Office of South Vietnam. America war planners envisioned it as the communist nerve center as a bamboo pentagon. Construct did beneath the jungle canopy. They thought if you could blow it up, you could cripple the enemys capacity to command control attacks on American Forces in South Vietnam. Adm. Mccain said the United States should destroy and win the damn war. But nixon, and his joint chiefs of staff never understood the cousin, the bamboo pentagon was not a place, it could it cannot be bombed, it had no fixed address, it was a small mobile group of communist officers. It could be located only by the radio signals are transmitted. That location could only be fixed by the antenna they use for their transmission which could be miles away from the men in the air. The enemy always always seem to know when the b52s were coming. North vietnams intelligence on americas and entrance was far better than americas intelligence on the enemy. Nicks it did not sleep for more than an hour to, before dawn he dictated the disturbing note to kissinger. I think we we need a bold move in cambodia. I do not believe one will survive. There is a chance you might, in, in any event we must do something. Nixon immediately ordered large crossborder attacks by South Vietnam into cambodia with support from the american artillery and fighter jets. He had yet not yet discussed Ground Forces attacking cambodia. His work consoles were split three ways, secretary of defense, secretary of state wanted the invasion limited, restricted to the soldiers in South Vietnam. Kissinger, favorite favorite attack on two cambodia sanctuaries across the border but without America Ground troops. The military, wanted a full assault on cambodia and the headquarters with american soldiers leaving the cause. So did Vice President whose personal qualities included lack of attack. He objected to all the pussyfooting. Nick said resented that an it provoked nixon to go out and all out attack with Ground Forces. The joint chiefs of staff never drew up a formal plan for the cambodia operation. There wasnt any time. The next day, the next morning, at 7 20 a. M. , nixon still sleepless summoned kissinger. In theory, the president said, the secretary of state and secretary of defense were sabotaging plans for the invasion. They noted in his dower the president is moving too rashly without thinking through the consequences. Kissinger called helms to ask what he thought of nixons decision. G. I. Dir. Helms replied, it seemed to me that if he was prepared for the fallout it is the thing to do. He obviously was. Secretary of state rogers and secretary of defense continue to object to the invasion of cambodia. On april 28, 28th, the president ordered them into the oval office. Atty. General John Mitchell laid down the law to them. Thered be no arguments, thered be no dissent. In silence they were dismissed from the oval office, mitchell wrote, quote the president stated the purpose of the meeting was to advise those president of the decision he had reached. There was no discussion. On thursday, april 30, after another night with one hour of sleep the president addressed the nation in a nationally televised speech announcing the invasion of cambodia. Quote this is not an invasion of cambodia, nixon said a classic contradiction. I say tonight, all all the offers and approaches made previously remade on the conference table whenever hanoi is ready but the response for peaceful, we should react accordingly. My fellow americans, we live we live in an age of anarchy. Both abroad and at home. We see mindless attacks on all the great institutions by free civilizations given here in the United States are being systematically destroyed. Small nations from all over the world find themselves attack from within, from without. If, when the chips are down the worlds most powerful nation, the United States of america acts like a pitiful, helpless giant, the forces of totality terry is him will threaten free nations and free institutions throughout the world. Secretary of state rogers was in his hideaway office, as nixon concluded his remarks the secretary of state snapped off the tv set muttering, the kids are going to retch. He saw what lay ahead. The morning after the speech, was made a the storm had started on the nations campuses. College newspapers called First Student strike, a march on washington was set for the coming week. After suffering another insomniac night nixon showed them maps where u. S. Forces were in cambodia. They showed for major sanctuaries far beyond the target, quote, i made a very on characteristic on the spot decision next reported. I said said i want to take out all the sanctuaries. Make whatever plans are necessary, do it, not them all out, so it cant be used against us ever. Leaving the briefing, im sorry, to some of the officers in the pentagon the present theme on hinge. Haldeman concurred, he was really beat, he wrote in his diary a few hours later, i really need some good rest. Leaving the briefing nixon compared american soldiers, they are the greatest with american students, these bombs blowing up the campuses. A statement later realized only quote added fuel to the fires of dissent. On monday may 4, haldeman went to nixons with bad news, quote something just came over the wires about demonstration at kent state. Haldeman said the National Guard opened fire and some students were shot. Are they dead . Im afraid so h