Six Crises
Encyclopedia
Six Crises is the first book written by Richard Nixon
, who later became the thirty-seventh president of the United States
. It was published in 1962, and it recounts his role in six major political situations.
serving on the House Un-American Activities Committee
, which was investigating communism in the United States. He first rose to national prominence when the committee considered accusations that Alger Hiss
, a high-ranking United States Department of State
official, was a communist spy for the Soviet Union
.
, Nixon was the Vice Presidential running mate of Republican
presidential nominee Dwight Eisenhower. After he was accused during the campaign of having an improper political fund, he saved his political career and his spot on Eisenhower's ticket by making a nationally televised speech, commonly known as the Checkers speech
, in which he denied the charges and famously stated he would not be giving back one gift his family had received: a little dog named Checkers.
with Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev. The debate took place in a mock kitchen that was intended to show Soviet citizens how ordinary American families lived.
.
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
, who later became the thirty-seventh president of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was published in 1962, and it recounts his role in six major political situations.
The Alger Hiss case
In 1948 Nixon was a member of the United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
serving on the House Un-American Activities Committee
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
, which was investigating communism in the United States. He first rose to national prominence when the committee considered accusations that Alger Hiss
Alger Hiss
Alger Hiss was an American lawyer, government official, author, and lecturer. He was involved in the establishment of the United Nations both as a U.S. State Department and U.N. official...
, a high-ranking United States Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
official, was a communist spy for the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
Fund Crisis: the Checkers speech
In 1952, as a member of the United States SenateUnited States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, Nixon was the Vice Presidential running mate of Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
presidential nominee Dwight Eisenhower. After he was accused during the campaign of having an improper political fund, he saved his political career and his spot on Eisenhower's ticket by making a nationally televised speech, commonly known as the Checkers speech
Checkers speech
The Checkers speech or Fund speech was an address made by Richard Nixon, the Republican vice presidential candidate and junior United States Senator from California, on television and radio on September 23, 1952. Senator Nixon had been accused of improprieties relating to a fund established by his...
, in which he denied the charges and famously stated he would not be giving back one gift his family had received: a little dog named Checkers.
Eisenhower's heart attack
In 1955, while Nixon was vice president, President Eisenhower suffered a serious heart attack; during the next several weeks, Nixon was effectively an informal "acting president".Attack by a mob in Venezuela
In 1958 Nixon and his wife made a tour of South America; while in Venezuela, their limousine was attacked by a rock-throwing mob.The "kitchen debate" in Moscow
In 1959, while still vice president, Nixon traveled to Moscow to engage in a debateKitchen Debate
The Kitchen Debate was a series of impromptu exchanges between then U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev at the opening of the American National Exhibition at Sokolniki Park in Moscow on July 24, 1959. For the exhibition, an entire house was built that the...
with Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev. The debate took place in a mock kitchen that was intended to show Soviet citizens how ordinary American families lived.
The 1960 Presidential campaign
In 1960, while finishing his second term as vice president, Nixon became the Republican nominee for President; in the general election he lost an extremely close race to Senator John F. KennedyJohn F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
.