LETTER
April 25, 2004
Walter Shapiro wrote a piece in which he said "legend has it" that candidate Nixon in 1968 claimed to have a "secret plan" to end the war in Vietnam. According to Shapiro, Willaim Saffire said Nixon never actually said it. But I remember seeing him say it on TV. Hence the following note:
To Walter Shapiro, USA Today.
Dear Walter (may I call you Walter?)
With all due respect to William Safire, I believe he is wrong about Nixon's "secret plan." The matter could be resolved easily by finding the footage of Nixon's nationally televised speech on election eve in 1968.
I remember quite clearly because it was such an unbelievable outrage that he would try to pull such a stunt. I was of draft age and had read quite a lot about Nixon's history of lying. So when he alleged with sweating lips and shifting eyes that he had a "secret plan" to end the war that was tearing the country's soul apart, and exhorted Americans to put their faith in him, my anger soared to the moon. Because of the magnitude of my anger, my memory of it is quite clear.
With the resources of USA Today behind you, I would think you could gain access to that footage. Please check it out. This is something that needs to be resolved for the historical record. The "secret plan" is not a legend. It was not independently imagined by me and millions of others. Nixon said it.
David Cogswell