Nixon Era Quotes
For a similar view of Nixon, see Nikita Khrushchev.
Nixon, when he took office, berated the CIA Director in front of the entire National Security Staff for underestimating Soviet Military capability. His intense pressure caused the CIA to go through a period where they constantly overestimated Russian capability and intentions. They found that most politicians preferred a serious threat rather than be accused of spending so much of the government’s budget—roughly half—for Defense.
Leary was a strong advocate of the use of illicit drugs and stimulants. Yet he ignored all the side effects and negative health consequences of the processes and while he thought he was assisting people to enlarge their mental horizons, he irresponsibly and criminally damaged many permanently. His government “persecutors” themselves were also all disgraced by the extremes to which they went to prevent the counter-culture characterized by Leary and others. They became paramoid that the drug culture would morph into a protest culture against the administration. The tended to exxagerate the negative consequences of illicit drugs--especially marijuana. These exaggerations caused many people to believe Leary and others who went to the other extreme and underated the negative consequences of illicit drugs. It became a culture war when it should have been a medical problem.
