National Security in the Nixon Era: Conflict and Diplomacy in the Cold War (President as Commander in Chief)

This book reassesses Richard Nixon’s legacy as Commander-in-Chief, arguing that his presidency—often overshadowed by Vietnam and Watergate—made a consequential and enduring contribution to international peace and security. Drawing on extensive primary sources, it examines Nixon’s integrated approach to war termination, arms control, alliance management, force structure reform, and crisis leadership at the height of the Cold War. Beyond managing the Vietnam War through Vietnamization, the study highlights Nixon’s leadership in ending the draft and establishing the All-Volunteer Force, negotiating the landmark SALT I and ABM agreements to stabilize the nuclear balance, sustaining NATO and reshaping U.S. defense planning, and directing U.S. crisis management during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The book concludes that Nixon’s strategic vision and centralized decision-making left a durable framework for American leadership in a more stable international order. Read more