THE STRANGE CASE OF RICHARD MILHOUS NIXON

by Jerry Voorhis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 14, 1972

No! Not another Nixon book? Yes, another one. . . . Contemporary history is now skulled on words about that overscrutinized, overpsychoanalyzed, overjournalized, overtar&feathered creature of scrambled political idiom. If this doesn't stop soon, he'll be returned by the sympathy vote alone. This latest volume is an exercise in vengeful necromancy, Voorhis being Nixon's first victim of the Chotiner-concocted smear-'em-Red machination way back in the 1946 Congressional campaign. ""For a period of 22 years I observed a self-imposed rule not to make any public reference to Richard Nixon,"" but after he was elected President, ""I could no longer in conscience remain silent."" Hence this book, ex-Congressman Voorhis' suppressed recrimination, the bony finger of the opponent slain by Richard the Rex so many years ago pointing not so much at the past, as might be expected, but at present policy and character failings, dedicated to ""the proposition that American politics can be rescued from the low state to which it has fallen in the Nixon years."" Actually what Voorhis has to say is unexceptional, aside from the obvious and unrelenting disgust for anything or anyone associated with the President. The Nixon economic program is tomfoolery; the problems of the cities, environment, health, unemployment, and poverty have been exacerbated by the Nixon touch; the Military-Industrial Complex flourishes while the First Amendment writhes; ""winding down"" the War is a hoax; the Nixon China policy a typical, sinister ""U-turn""; the Moscow summit a ""cynically tragic pageant""; Nixon's presidential behavior is ""monarchial"" and it wouldn't surprise Voorhis for the President ""to nominate himself as Richard I of the American Empire and expect a subservient Senate promptly to confirm the nomination."" Clearly Mr. Voorhis should have kept his silence.

Pub Date: Aug. 14, 1972

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Paul S. Eriksson

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1972

Categories: NONFICTION