Was looking forward to Monica Crowley’s Nixon in Winter : His Final Revelations about Diplomacy, Watergate, and Life out of the Arena for any Watergate insight but failed to learn anything new outside of Nixon’s predictable thought and opinions on the issue that killed his presidency . I was somewhat more interested in his insights on Vietnam.
So what I learned was the impact of Vietnam and ultimately how it was just another part of the downfall of Nixon. I believe Nixon’s secret invasion of Cambodia which lead to campus protests, really ignited the anti-war movement and as a result began the actions of CREEP. He promised if elected he would bring peace to America, yet most Americans did not realize the resources North Vietnam used in Cambodia.
The most revealing was Crowley’s view of the Nixon’s and how he was so attached to Pat, especially when of her physical failures resulting from cancer. The insight of his devotion to her was true. In recalling video of Nixon weeping openly at her funeral somehow proved he was human in a moment of loss.
Overall this final revelation about Watergate proved little value. If memory serves me correctly this is now my 14th book about Watergate. Not sure I will pickup Crowley’s other book Nixon off the record.