Historical Dictionary of United States Intelligence

for most of his life, President Nixon was the first chief executive to

resign from office because of a scandal. Aconservative politician and

vice president to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, President Nixon

was almost obsessive about world stability. To that end, he estab-

lished relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and

sought to reduce tensions with the Soviet Union. His summit meet-

ings with Soviet leader Leonid I. Brezhnev produced a treaty to limit

strategic nuclear weapons. He pursued peace negotiations to end the

Vietnam War, and, in January 1973, he announced an accord with

North Vietnam to end American involvement in Indochina. More-

over, his secretary of state, Henry A. Kissinger, negotiated disen-

gagement agreements in 1974 between Israel and its opponents,

Egypt and Syria, arising out of the 1973 war.

After the 1972 election, the Nixon administration was embroiled in

the Watergate scandal, stemming from a break-in at the offices of

the Democratic National Committee during the 1972 campaign. The

break-in was traced to officials of the Committee to Reelect the Pres-

ident. Anumber of administration officials resigned; some were later

convicted of offenses connected with efforts to cover up the affair.

President Nixon denied any personal involvement, but the courts

forced him to yield tape recordings that indicated that he had, in fact,

tried to divert the investigation. Faced with what seemed almost cer-

tain impeachment, President Nixon announced on 8 August 1974 that

he would resign the next day to begin “that process of healing which

is so desperately needed in America.” His resignation allowed Vice

President Gerald R. Fordto assume the presidency.

NONPROLIFERATION TREATY (NPT). The NPT was an arms

controlagreement negotiated in the late 1960s to prevent the spread

of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation

in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to foster an environment

for nuclear disarmament. The NPT remains the only international

agreement committed to disarming nonnuclear states. Opened for

signature in 1968, the treaty went into force on 5 March 1970, and to

date over 185 nations have signed the pact.

The NPT provides for two categories of states. Nuclear weapons

states—the United States, Russia, the People’s Republic of China

(PRC), France, and the United Kingdom—commit themselves not to

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