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Exile: The Unquiet Oblivion of Richard M. Nixon
Examines the life of Richard Nixon after "The Final Days" touching on his private anguish, his legal and financial struggles, his loyal family, and his relationships with Presidents Reagan, Ford, and Carter
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First published June 1, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 9, 2017
Gossipy, anecdotal overview of Richard Nixon's attempts at rehabilitation following his resignation. Veteran journalist Anson's book does best in capturing the immediate aftermath of Nixon's removal from office; he glowers, rages and stalks like a caged beast in his gilded exile in San Clemente, wrought by endless legal battles, failing health, dissolving relationships, fractured finances and endless media scrutiny. In its best moments it works as a continuation of The Final Days, offering the same portrait of a shattered, neurotic Nixon on the verge of breakdown. At his worst (and the further the book goes, the worse it gets) Anson tepidly recycles well-worn anecdotes familiar from press articles and other books. His account of Nixon's TV interviews with David Frost, for instance, merely paraphrases Frost's own memoirs on the subject; nor does he offer much insight into Nixon's memoir writing that a standard press release couldn't offer. By the time Nixon reemerges in the early '80s as a respected elder statesman, he's much less interesting than he's ever been. This, sadly, is the Nixon Anson chooses increasingly to emphasize.
February 21, 2018
Even in political exile, Richard Nixon proves interesting to read about. Robert Sam Anson captures most of the first decade of Nixon's life post-resignation. As with pretty much all other facets of his life, Nixon is controversial here too. Despite his best efforts to purge Watergate from his – not to mention the country's – memory, it lingers over Nixon like a dark cloud about to start pouring rain. Try as he might to escape it, the disgrace of the whole affair dogs him just about everywhere he goes, and while it does diminish somewhat with time, it never disappears.
The same Nixon that one reads about in so many other books concerning his pre-presidential or presidential years is present here too: moody, brooding, evasive, awkward, alternately kind and aloof, friendly and combative. Nixon, despite prodding from many people (even some of his loyal coterie of aides who almost worship him), does not ever really come out and admit his guilt in Watergate. He dances around it, alternately trying to rationalize it or pretend he was unaware of what was going on. The best he can do is admit to making some mistakes. Some admission! Considering that this cost him his presidency, and almost his life, to say that he made some mistakes is like saying that a garbage pile smells unpleasant on a hot summer day. Being that it, in many respects, did ruin his life, perhaps he just could not bring himself to admit culpability. Or, maybe he really did not understand the depths of Watergate and where the line was between what he knew and what he did about it. It was a complicated, sordid mess and I wonder if anyone really ever did know all of the various aspects of it, and that is including those who were involved.
Nixon, even in political and social exile, led quite an interesting life. First off, he was a sick man – mentally and physically – when he left the White House. Only a few months later, he came very close to dying due to phlebitis in his left leg. How he actually survived the last months of his presidency and the first several months after it is almost a miracle. Part of it seemed to be luck, and part of it was that he was one stubborn man. Anson details his slow recovery and how Nixon slowly transformed his enforced idle time into intellectual pursuits, mainly the writing of his Memoirs. The back and forth between Nixon and the publishers was interesting, and again much of it centered on his less-than-thorough treatment of Watergate. I have read his Memoirs and, while well-written, I did not think that he was candid concerning many aspects of his presidency, with Watergate standing out the most. At the same time, he was surprisingly frank about many of his actions and also in his assessments of people. The overall portrait here is of a man determined to resurrect his name and make himself a viable, if behind the scenes, player once again in politics.
The famous Frost/Nixon interviews in 1977 are covered in detail. As with the Memoirs, there was much back-and-forth negotiating between Nixon and Frost prior to the interviews about what topics would be covered, and how forthright Nixon would be about the controversial aspects of his presidency. Frost comes across as a bon vivant and less-than-serious interviewer, someone whom Nixon thinks he can skirt around Watergate with. But late in the interviews, Frost deftly maneuvers Nixon into declaring things such as “If the President does it, it's not illegal.” Just the fact that he said that, should make everyone stop and question just what exactly Nixon was doing in the White House and how far he would – and did – go to get what he wanted.
Anson interviewed many people for this book, and one does come away with a sense of Nixon's mood swings and personality while he struggled to regain world stature. Occasionally, Anson makes a date mistake, such as mentioning that Hubert Humphrey called Nixon on his sixty-sixth birthday, only a few days before Humphrey died. Well, Humphrey died in 1978, and since Nixon was born in 1913, that would have made him sixty-five, not six. This is not a huge issue, of course, but it is also a mistake that easily should not have been made as it is simple counting. Nixon lived until 1994, so his retirement period was not quite half over when this book was written. However, for anyone who is interested in Nixon, this is definitely worth a read.
Grade: B-
The same Nixon that one reads about in so many other books concerning his pre-presidential or presidential years is present here too: moody, brooding, evasive, awkward, alternately kind and aloof, friendly and combative. Nixon, despite prodding from many people (even some of his loyal coterie of aides who almost worship him), does not ever really come out and admit his guilt in Watergate. He dances around it, alternately trying to rationalize it or pretend he was unaware of what was going on. The best he can do is admit to making some mistakes. Some admission! Considering that this cost him his presidency, and almost his life, to say that he made some mistakes is like saying that a garbage pile smells unpleasant on a hot summer day. Being that it, in many respects, did ruin his life, perhaps he just could not bring himself to admit culpability. Or, maybe he really did not understand the depths of Watergate and where the line was between what he knew and what he did about it. It was a complicated, sordid mess and I wonder if anyone really ever did know all of the various aspects of it, and that is including those who were involved.
Nixon, even in political and social exile, led quite an interesting life. First off, he was a sick man – mentally and physically – when he left the White House. Only a few months later, he came very close to dying due to phlebitis in his left leg. How he actually survived the last months of his presidency and the first several months after it is almost a miracle. Part of it seemed to be luck, and part of it was that he was one stubborn man. Anson details his slow recovery and how Nixon slowly transformed his enforced idle time into intellectual pursuits, mainly the writing of his Memoirs. The back and forth between Nixon and the publishers was interesting, and again much of it centered on his less-than-thorough treatment of Watergate. I have read his Memoirs and, while well-written, I did not think that he was candid concerning many aspects of his presidency, with Watergate standing out the most. At the same time, he was surprisingly frank about many of his actions and also in his assessments of people. The overall portrait here is of a man determined to resurrect his name and make himself a viable, if behind the scenes, player once again in politics.
The famous Frost/Nixon interviews in 1977 are covered in detail. As with the Memoirs, there was much back-and-forth negotiating between Nixon and Frost prior to the interviews about what topics would be covered, and how forthright Nixon would be about the controversial aspects of his presidency. Frost comes across as a bon vivant and less-than-serious interviewer, someone whom Nixon thinks he can skirt around Watergate with. But late in the interviews, Frost deftly maneuvers Nixon into declaring things such as “If the President does it, it's not illegal.” Just the fact that he said that, should make everyone stop and question just what exactly Nixon was doing in the White House and how far he would – and did – go to get what he wanted.
Anson interviewed many people for this book, and one does come away with a sense of Nixon's mood swings and personality while he struggled to regain world stature. Occasionally, Anson makes a date mistake, such as mentioning that Hubert Humphrey called Nixon on his sixty-sixth birthday, only a few days before Humphrey died. Well, Humphrey died in 1978, and since Nixon was born in 1913, that would have made him sixty-five, not six. This is not a huge issue, of course, but it is also a mistake that easily should not have been made as it is simple counting. Nixon lived until 1994, so his retirement period was not quite half over when this book was written. However, for anyone who is interested in Nixon, this is definitely worth a read.
Grade: B-
November 27, 2012
Richard Nixon fascinates me, because on the one hand, he seems kind of like he was a sonovabitch, but on the other hand, I'm not sure if the President doesn't need to be a bit of a sonovabitch. But maybe Nixon was a bit too much of a sonovabitch? This book does a good job of showing how complicated Nixon's character was. A lot of his friends and allies ended up hating him, but a lot of the people who were initially out to skewer him end up respecting him a great deal.
Nixon's great analytical mind and huge personal failings are both on display in this book, which is very tightly focused on his first ten years out of office. Because of how narrow the focus is, however, I can't say that it's the first book I'd recommend for someone who is interested in Nixon, because there are other books that give a broader picture of his life and there are other books that do more deep thinking about the ethics of Nixon's presidency. It's not quite as compelling a read as Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail 72, which to my mind is the best Nixon book, but it's certainly less biased and a worthwhile read for someone who already knows the broadstrokes and wants to get a deeper understanding of who Nixon was.
Nixon's great analytical mind and huge personal failings are both on display in this book, which is very tightly focused on his first ten years out of office. Because of how narrow the focus is, however, I can't say that it's the first book I'd recommend for someone who is interested in Nixon, because there are other books that give a broader picture of his life and there are other books that do more deep thinking about the ethics of Nixon's presidency. It's not quite as compelling a read as Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail 72, which to my mind is the best Nixon book, but it's certainly less biased and a worthwhile read for someone who already knows the broadstrokes and wants to get a deeper understanding of who Nixon was.
August 23, 2016
I found this title in an out-of-the way used bookstore on a recent trip back East and picked it up, never having known of its publication. The author covers the period of time from Nixon's resignation and the pardon by President Ford, through his years of self-imposed reclusiveness at Casa Pacifica, and then to his reemergence around the time of the 1980 presidential election as an experienced, if still a bit controversial, elder statesman. This is a largely sympathetic exploration of Nixon's post-presidency, so don't expect much in the way of critical analysis from the author. But the book appears to have been thoroughly and accurately researched - without any help or interference from Nixon himself - and for those interested in how the disgraced former President rehabilitated his image after 1974, this book provides a thoroughly enjoyable history lesson.
January 7, 2015
Quite a good book I thought. Once you get past Nixon's initial post-resignation depression and phlebitis illness, when he starts traveling, providing counsel, and especially after he moves back east to New York City in 1980 (eventually ending up in New Jersey), it really picks up and his life gets more interesting. A couple of errors that are the result of lazy editing:
- Says Nixon turned 66 in 1978 - it was 1979.
- Referencing Nixon's 70th birthday on January 9, 1983 - Anson says that Nixon's spirits were buoyed by the Washington Redskins have beaten Dallas Cowboys to advance to the Super Bowl. The Redskins beat the Cowboys to go the Super Bowl on January 22, 1983, 13 days after Nixon's 70th (or 71st?) birthday.
- Says Nixon turned 66 in 1978 - it was 1979.
- Referencing Nixon's 70th birthday on January 9, 1983 - Anson says that Nixon's spirits were buoyed by the Washington Redskins have beaten Dallas Cowboys to advance to the Super Bowl. The Redskins beat the Cowboys to go the Super Bowl on January 22, 1983, 13 days after Nixon's 70th (or 71st?) birthday.
May 25, 2011
I should rate it 3 stars, but it was so disappointing I give it 2. Read Nixonland or even Nixon's Shadow instead. But to its credit, it does have about a dozen revelatory anecdotes found in neither of those books.
March 3, 2013
You're the most powerful man in the world, but you resign in disgrace. Now what? Nixon was a weird and fascinating man, and the author does an excellent job of including the interesting details and stories of the decade after he quit.
August 11, 2019
Anson captures the 10 years after Richard Nixon resignation in 1974 and starts out the overview with Nixon talking to his aide Kenneth Clawson about his life saying: so you are lean and mean and resourceful and you continue to walk on the edge of the precipice because over the years you have become fascinated by how close to the edge you can walk without losing your balance." Followed by the comment, “a man doesn't cry". The dialog ends with: "There was a silence, and quietly Clawson began to weep. When he looked up, Nixon was weeping as well."
Anson’s view of Nixon’s Exile leans to a preoccupation with the dark and weak side of the man. He uses a passage from Nixon’s very insightful book “Leaders” where he described Abraham Lincoln as a ''supreme idealist'' who nonetheless ''broke laws,'' violated the Constitution, ''usurped arbitrary power,'' and ''trampled individual rights'' in his quest to preserve the Union. ''His justification was necessary,'' wrote Nixon, and he generalized: ''Whatever the field, the crucial moral questions are, in effect, those of the bottom line''
If Anson expected his book to show Nixon as a man who wouldn’t quit and reinvented himself in the eyes of the public and became a valuable source for advice on foreign policy then he failed because he focus seemed preoccupied with showing Nixon as petty and somewhat of a ridiculous figure.
He was critical of the Frost interview of Nixon but didn’t seem to notice that fact that the interview itself showed how the public’s fascination with Richard Nixon has never really stopped.
Nixon’s many post-Watergate books suggest that Anson missed the point that in spite of his weaknesses, Nixon had much of value and interest to say.
For more on this book see https://connectedeventsmatter.com/blo...
Anson’s view of Nixon’s Exile leans to a preoccupation with the dark and weak side of the man. He uses a passage from Nixon’s very insightful book “Leaders” where he described Abraham Lincoln as a ''supreme idealist'' who nonetheless ''broke laws,'' violated the Constitution, ''usurped arbitrary power,'' and ''trampled individual rights'' in his quest to preserve the Union. ''His justification was necessary,'' wrote Nixon, and he generalized: ''Whatever the field, the crucial moral questions are, in effect, those of the bottom line''
If Anson expected his book to show Nixon as a man who wouldn’t quit and reinvented himself in the eyes of the public and became a valuable source for advice on foreign policy then he failed because he focus seemed preoccupied with showing Nixon as petty and somewhat of a ridiculous figure.
He was critical of the Frost interview of Nixon but didn’t seem to notice that fact that the interview itself showed how the public’s fascination with Richard Nixon has never really stopped.
Nixon’s many post-Watergate books suggest that Anson missed the point that in spite of his weaknesses, Nixon had much of value and interest to say.
For more on this book see https://connectedeventsmatter.com/blo...
August 4, 2025
Did not consistently read this BUT I finally finished. For someone who enjoys history, I really enjoyed it. It definitely shows how human Richard Nixon was, especially after the events of Watergate & resigning the Presidency. And it was cool to see the layers of this man and those around him. This book was published in ‘84 so we don’t get to see what happens in the last 10 years of his life. However, we do see so much happening between ‘74-‘84. Good read.
April 6, 2023
4.5 really, but still a strong read. (It’s “Unquiet,” btw. Not sure how to submit correx on here.)
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November 17, 2012Whoops, I have to bring this back to the library. Maybe another time...
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews