I am obsessed with Richard Nixon. His defensive political career and awkward personal life, and the ultimate disgrace he made of the Presidency never ceases to intrigue me. At once he is a liar, full of aggression and insecurity, yet a family guy with loving tendencies--and he is a rather persuasive writer. For every dirty trick of his political career I have a sense that there was always a conflicting voice inside him that diminished his self-confidence. I can't help but see him as a social outcast who would do anything to be popular. His problem, of course, is that he never dared to consider the consequences of compromising his character to please others--then again, maybe his character was never truly defined, making it that much easier to blend in with the crowd, to lay fallow as a leader. All of this has been written upon extensively, so without further pretense of figuring out his character myself, I'll stop here.Suffice it to say for now that I've got my hands on a small library of Nixon biographies, Watergate histories, memoirs, and historical documents to keep me guessing; I even have an article being published on the Watergate scandal and All The President's Men (that should be out sometime in 2008, I'll keep you posted so you can buy the book.) All of that said, when I saw that the Chicago Filmmakers Film Series was screening The Nixon White House Staff Super 8 Films, well, I squealed a lot; but then I was off to that show with purpose.
The films were recorded between the years 1969 and 1973, and later confiscated by the FBI during the Watergate investigation. They were actually the property of former Assistant for Domestic Affairs, John Ehrlichman (one of the primary orchestrator's of the Watergate break-in and dirty tricks campaign), but after he resigned in April 1973 they became U.S. government property under the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act of 1974 (PRMPA). Of the 14 hours of film taken, we saw roughly 75 minutes of footage ranging from press briefings and ceremonies (of much pomp and circumstance), to footage of Air Force air shows and Navy boats. Looking at the latter you would have no idea it was related to Nixon, because he and his staff never appear (at least not that I noticed), and is focused on the planes and ships instead. Yes, don't forget, they are home movies; inevitably there are lulls of boredom.
The film stock is more valuable for the fact that it was Nixon's staff that shot it. A good chunk of the administration--Ehrlichman, H.R. Haldeman (Nixon's Chief of Staff, and perhaps the toughest goon on his team), Larry Higby (Haldeman's assistant), and Dwight Chapin (Deputy Assist. to the President)--all played cinematographer. I recognized Ehrlichman in a few shots, but they were fleeting. In a ceremony that took place in November 1971, Indira Ghandi is on the south lawn of the White House, right alongside Nixon. It was one of the first times I had seen Nixon walk; his gait is as awkward as his personality. Pat Nixon is passed around shaking hands (and looking quite beautiful and thin in her skirts and gowns); but she looks stifled and over-directed. I think she was more assertive than she appears.
There are no sound strips to the films. About 20 of us sat in the velvet curtained room sealed off from even a fleck of light, and only the click of the projector in the air. Almost immediately the silence gave way to unsolicited audience commentary; harmless whispering that led to veritable lectures from Whoever That Old Guy In The Back Is. A couple guys behind us were up in arms about the absence of Trish and Julie Nixon (Pat and Dick's daughters), so for them, whoever they are, here's a shot of Trish on her wedding day, June 12, 1971.
Also, and on an unrelated note, I love this picture; Richard and Pat at the beach in San Clemente, CA.
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