Episode 59 RICHARD NIXON The Man Who Saved the Union (Part 6) Burning Love (Civil Rights, Nixon the Strategist, Vietnam and Elvis)

George H.W. Bush 1990 - 1991 The Sweep of History

People don't seem to realize that Richard Nixon was actually one of our five great Civil Rights Presidents. Brown vs the Board of Education was decided in 1954 but it was left up to Richard Nixon to make the decision to desegregate the public school systems a reality. He did it and he did it with no violence. He did it by sitting down with state and community leaders, treating them like he respected them, and having them have a hand in making it happen. It is a truly remarkable story and it was guided to reality by George Shultz, one of only two men to hold four different Cabinet positions under Richard Nixon and later Ronald Reagan.
Again, as the year wore on, Richard Nixon would comeback to try and find a solution to the war that was dividing our country. He would return with a new set of initiatives to try and bring the recalcitrant North Vietnamese back to the table to try and find peace.
Then as 1970 drew to a close, Richard Nixon would have the most unusual of summit meetings. Now the White House is no stranger to Presidents, Prime Ministers, General Secretaries, and various other foreign heads of State, it has even played host to Kings and Queens in its proud over 200 year history. But on December 20, 1970, the White House got some royal treatment like no other in its history. That was the day a very special King rolled up , unannounced, with a handwritten letter , an an antique revolver in hand as a gift for the President. And, as with all things Elvis, they let the King of Rock and Roll in the building.
Lord A Mighty,
feel my temperature rising,
Higher , higher
It's burning through to my soul
Girl, girl , girl , girl
You gonna set me on fire
My brain is flaming
I don't know which way to go....

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