Nixon Revealed in New Tapes
A T H E N S, Ga. -- Even in a relaxed interview conducted by afriend in 1983, Richard Nixon had no patience for softheartedself-reflection.
The interviewer, writer and historian Frank Gannon, asked theformer president if he had had a good life. Nixon paused for asecond and then blurted: “I don’t get into that kind of crap.”
The exchange is part of more than 33 hours of videotapedinterviews with Nixon donated to the University of Georgia MediaArchives. The school recently made the tapes available to thepublic.
Some excerpts were aired on The History Channel in 1994 as partof a documentary called The Real Richard Nixon, but most of thetapes have been seen only by the group that produced them.
Poker and PoliticsNixon touches on the major events of his presidency during theinterviews, but also tells stories about growing up in California,meeting his wife-to-be for the first time and his favoritepastimes, especially poker.
He said his “most vivid experience” as a poker player wasdrawing a royal flush—ace, king, queen, jack and 10 of diamonds —in a single hand of five-card stud.
“Many of the things you do in poker are very useful inpolitics,” Nixon said. “I knew when to get out of a pot. I didn’tstick around when I didn’t have the cards. I didn’t bluff veryoften.”
Jesse Raiford, president of Raiford Communications, said hedecided to give the tapes to the UGA Library — and not to the NixonLibrary and Birthplace — because the school could protect the tapesand still make them available to the public.
Fred Guida, professor of mass communications at QuinnipiacCollege in Hamden, Conn., appraised the tapes at $900,000 andcalled them “a major untapped resource” for scholars.
Rare OpennessAfter Nixon resigned the presidency in 1974, he rarely made anytelevision appearances or gave interviews to reporters, whom hescorned and distrusted.
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