Nixon explained that no matter what happened as a result of the controversy, his young daughters, Julie and Tricia, were keeping one campaign gift: a black-and-white puppy from a supporter in Texas.
Not only did Nixon stay on the ticket, but he and Eisenhower swept the election that November. Nixon, of course, eventually went on to become president and became embroiled in another, much bigger scandal that eventually ended with his resignation. But what about Checkers? The cocker spaniel lived with the Nixons until he died at the age of 13 in , four years before Nixon was elected president.
Nixon reportedly kept a drawer full of dog biscuits in his desk. After all, is there a possibility that maybe you got some sums in cash? Is there a possibility that you may have feathered your own nest? And I want you to know the facts. I was born in Our family was one of modest circumstances and most of my early life was spent in a store out in East Whittier.
It was a grocery store — one of those family enterprises. I worked my way through college and to a great extent through law school. And then, in , probably the best thing that ever happened to me happened, I married Pat—who is sitting over here. We had a rather difficult time after we were married, like so many of the young couples who may be listening to us.
I practiced law; she continued to teach school. Then in I went into the service. Let me say that my service record was not a particularly unusual one. I went to the South Pacific. I got a couple of letters of commendation but I was just there when the bombs were falling and then I returned. I returned to the United States and in I ran for the Congress. Every cent of that, incidentally, was in Government bonds. Well, here it is—I jotted it down, let me read the notes. And, incidentally, as I said before, I have not engaged in any legal practice and have not accepted any fees from business that came to the firm after I went into politics.
We live rather modestly. For four years we lived in an apartment in Park Fairfax, in Alexandria, Va. And we saved for the time that we could buy a house.
Now, that was what we took in. What did we do with this money? What do we have today to show for it? This will surprise you, Because it is so little, I suppose, as standards generally go, of people in public life.
I have no insurance whatever on Pat. I have no life insurance on our our youngsters, Patricia and Julie.
I own a Oldsmobile car. We have our furniture. We have no stocks and bonds of any type. We have no interest of any kind, direct or indirect, in any business. What do we owe? But she does have a respectable Republican cloth coat. A man down in Texas heard Pat on the radio mention the fact that our two youngsters would like to have a dog. And, believe it or not, the day before we left on this campaign trip we got a message from Union Station in Baltimore saying they had a package for us.
We went down to get it. You know what it was. Black and white spotted. And our little girl-Tricia, the 6-year old-named it Checkers. But I want to say some things before I conclude that I think most of you will agree on. And I just want to make my position clear. Extra cameras were activated because the details of his speech were not known, and the technicians were uncertain as to whether he would remain seated at his desk. His wife Pat was seated on the stage several feet from him.
As if the pressure weren't already high, a few minutes earlier Governor Thomas Dewey had called and told Nixon that Eisenhower's staff wanted him to submit his resignation at the end of the broadcast. Speaking to more than 30 million television viewers and a huge radio audience, Nixon "exposed his life story with a strange mixture of pathos and condor," Life reported.
All of the money had gone to "political expenses I did not think should be charged to the taxpayers of the United States. Most of his early life was spent in his family's grocery store. Representative, U. He went on to detail his modest holdings and considerable debts. The camera panned to his wife when Nixon said, "Pat doesn't own a mink coat. Nixon announced that he would not quit as Ike's running mate unless the Republican National Committee asked him to, and called on listeners to send letters and wires to "help them decide.
At this point, Nixon had used only 15 minutes of his allotted time. He devoted the second half of the broadcast to an attack on the Truman administration and the Democratic ticket of Adlai Stevenson and John Sparkman. When he ran overtime, technicians cut him off in mid-sentence.
By pure accident, the speech ended in the midst of an appeal for Eisenhower: "And remember, folks, Eisenhower is a great man, believe me. He's a great man. He was deeply disappointed with his performance. I wasn't any good," said Nixon, and he broke into sobs.
He was especially upset that he was cut off before having a chance to give the address of the RNC. Studio technicians reassured him; some of the camera crew were weeping.
Eisenhower, with his wife Mamie and her mother, watched Nixon's broadcast in the manager's office of the Cleveland Public Auditorium, where he had delayed his speech on inflation so that Nixon's speech could be piped into the auditorium. That is Truman. And by the same token you can't trust the man who was picked by the man who made the mess to clean it up and that's Stevenson.
And so I say, Eisenhower who owes nothing to Truman, nothing to the big city bosses — he is the man who can clean up the mess in Washington. Take Communism. I say as far as that subject is concerned the danger is greater to America. In the Hiss case they got the secrets which enabled them to break the American secret State Department code. They got secrets in the atomic-bomb case which enabled them to get the secret of the atomic bomb five years before they would have gotten it by their own devices.
I say that a man who, like Mr. Stevenson, has pooh-poohed and ridiculed the Communist threat in the United States -- he has accused us, that they have attempted to expose the Communists, of looking for Communists in the Bureau of Fisheries and Wildlife. I say that a man who says that isn't qualified to be President of the United States. And I say that the only man who can lead us into this fight to rid the Government of both those who are Communists and those who have corrupted this Government is Eisenhower, because General Eisenhower, you can be sure, recognizes the problem, and knows how to handle it.
Let me say this, finally. This evening I want to read to you just briefly excerpts from a letter that I received, a letter which after all this is over no one can take away from us. It reads as follows:. Since I am only 19 years of age, I can't vote in this presidential election, but believe me if I could you and General Eisenhower would certainly get my vote.
My husband is in the Fleet Marines in Korea. He is in the front lines. And we have a two month old son he has never seen. And I feel confident that with great Americans like you and General Eisenhower in the White House, lonely Americans like myself will be united with their loved ones now in Korea.
I only pray to God that you won't be too late. Enclosed is a small check to help you with your campaign. And let me just say this: We hear a lot about prosperity these days, but I say why can't we have prosperity built on peace, rather than prosperity built on war?
Why can't we have prosperity and an honest Government in Washington, D. Believe; me, we can. And Eisenhower is the man that can lead the crusade to bring us that kind of prosperity. And now, finally, I know that you wonder whether or not I am going to stay on the Republican ticket or resign. Let me say this: I don't believe that I ought to quit, because I am not a quitter.
And, incidentally, Pat is not a quitter. After all, her name is Patricia Ryan and she was born on St. Patrick's day, and you know the Irish never quit. But the decision, my friends, is not mine. I would do nothing that would harm the possibilities of Dwight Eisenhower to become President of the United States. And for that reason I am submitting to the Republican National Committee tonight through this television broadcast the decision which it is theirs to make. Let them decide whether my position on the ticket will help or hurt.
And I am going to ask you to help them decide. Wire and write the Republican National Committee whether you think I should stay on or whether I should get off. And whatever their decision, I will abide by it. But let me just say this last word. Regardless of what happens, I am going to continue this fight. I am going to campaign up and down America until we drive the crooks and the Communists and those that defend them out of Washington, and remember folks, Eisenhower is a great man.
Folks, he is a great man, and a vote for Eisenhower is a vote for what is good for America. Discover the fascinating story of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, the groundbreaking cryptanalyst who helped bring down gangsters and break up a Nazi spy ring in South America.
Her work helped lay the foundation for modern codebreaking today. I n the summer of , hundreds of wildfires raged across the Northern Rockies. By the time it was all over, more than three million acres had burned and at least 78 firefighters were dead. It was the largest fire in American history.
During nearly 30 years of military service, he had waited for an opportunity to lead men on the field of battle. While refusing to comment publicly on Brown v. Board of Education , Eisenhower made it clear that he would uphold the Constitution. Eisenhower believed that active U. Support Provided by: Learn More. Now Streaming The Codebreaker Discover the fascinating story of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, the groundbreaking cryptanalyst who helped bring down gangsters and break up a Nazi spy ring in South America.
Related Features Eisenhower Article Eisenhower's Early Career During nearly 30 years of military service, he had waited for an opportunity to lead men on the field of battle. Sign Me Up Dismiss.
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