for this paper (since he refers to much the same references available to others), Ambrose (1991) is most eloquent and impartial:
History is apt to be kinder than contemporaries, as passions cool, perspective is gained, new events cast new light on old actions. Nixon wanted to be judged by what he accomplished. What he will be remembered for is the nightmare he put the country through in his second term, and for his resignation (pp. 591-592).
On the night of August 8, 1974, Nixon addressed the nation from the Oval Office. "This is the 37th time I have spoken to you from this office," he began. And after stating that resigning the Presidency prior to the completion of his second term "is abhorrent to every instinct in my body," Nixon told the nation, "I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow" (Ambrose, 1991, p. 435). At noon on August 9, 1974, "at an altitude of 39,000 feet over a point 13 miles southwest of Jefferson, Missouri," aboard what had been "Air Force One," and was now "SAM 27000" (Anson, 1984, p. 19), Nixon began what would come to be described as a "self-imposed exile at San Clemente (California)" (Morganthau, 1994, p. 29).
"Exile" was accompanied by deep depression. Not only had he suffered a life-threatening episode of phlebitis, but his personal finances had "taken a severe . . . beating," and his control over his presidential papers and tapes was evidently lost as well. Ambrose (1991) cites Julie Nixon Eisenhower: "Christmas 1974 was the lowest point in my father's life" (p. 476).
But Nixon may be one of the most resilient personalities history will ever know. "He just keeps coming back!" is a phrase which can be applied equally by his critics and his admirers. Nixon remarked in April 1986, "People see me and they think, 'He's risen from the dead'" (Martz, et al., 1986, p. 26).
Despite asserting that the resurgence of his persona "has not been a deliberate program . ...