Enemies List
The "Enemies List" refers to a controversial compilation created during Richard Nixon's presidency in the early 1970s, amidst growing political tensions from the antiwar movement and opposition from the Democratic Party. Initially developed by Nixon's White House staff, the list included individuals viewed as political adversaries, such as prominent Democratic figures, journalists, and activists. This list was part of a broader initiative known as the "Political Enemies Project," which aimed to use federal resources, including the IRS, to target these individuals through audits and other forms of harassment.
The existence of this list came to light during congressional investigations and shocked both Nixon's supporters and opponents. It revealed a pattern of unethical behavior and paranoia within Nixon's administration, foreshadowing the more severe misconduct associated with the Watergate scandal. The fallout from the Enemies List contributed to public distrust in the Nixon administration and ultimately played a role in the president's resignation. This episode highlights the complexities of political power and the potential for its abuse, raising important discussions about ethics in governance.
Enemies List
Identification List of more than two hundred perceived political enemies of the administration of President Richard M. Nixon
Date Originated in mid-1971
Nixon’s Enemies List was symptomatic of an unstable defensiveness and political arrogance that characterized the White House during the lead-up to the 1972 election. In conjunction with later events, the list gravely tarnished the administration’s reputation.
In the spring and summer of 1971, Richard Nixon’s White House staff felt the increasing pressure of the antiwar movement and of the Democratic Party and its various political allies. In May, Nixon contemplated appointing a new director of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and expressed to his closest aides his fervent wish that the new director would cooperate in allowing Nixon access to any income tax files that he desired, with the purpose of using information contained in them against those that Nixon considered his enemies.
Shortly thereafter, the office of White House counsel Charles Colson drew up a list of twenty names, which it passed to Colson’s colleague John Dean. The list included major contributors to the Democrats, labor leaders, and Democratic politicians and their aides. It formed the core of the “Political Enemies Project” and was merely part of a larger list, also purportedly compiled by Colson’s office, known as the “Opponents List.”
The longer roster, with more than two hundred people listed, contained the names of twenty-two Democratic members of Congress, fifty journalists, Hollywood celebrities, educators, businesspeople, and leaders of political movements that Nixon feared. Memos between Colson and Dean revealed that the people on the list were to be targeted for generally unstated negative treatment that might include prosecution, denial of fair treatment by federal offices, character smearing, and harassment through tax auditing. A memo from Dean dated August 16, 1971, used the blunt language “to screw our political enemies,” and he expressed the need to appoint “a good project coordinator.” Subsequent memos seemed to imply that Nixon approved the program of harassment. When Johnnie M. Walters, the new IRS director, received the list, however, he set it aside and later provided it to Congress during its investigation of the Nixon White House.
Impact
The revelation of the Enemies List shocked Nixon’s supporters and opponents alike. However, the plan to use federal offices and officers in thoroughly unethical and even criminal ways proved to be but a foretaste of greater outrages to come. The same attitude of paranoia and hubris quickly led to the Watergate break-in, the resulting scandal and stonewalling, an impeachment threat, and Nixon’s eventual resignation. When made public, the list confirmed people’s worst suspicions about Nixon’s corruption, paranoia, and willingness to abuse power.
Bibliography
Fernandez, Julio. White House Enemies: Or, How We Made the Dean’s List. New York: Signet, 1973.
Kurz, Kenneth F. Nixon’s Enemies. Los Angeles: Lowell House, 1998.