On Nixon’s Madness: An Emotional History

Historian Jacobson debuts with a revealing if somewhat diffuse study of Richard Nixon’s “subjectivity, perspectives, and emotions” through the lens of his “madman theory.” As articulated to his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman, in 1968, the theory held that Nixon could end the Vietnam War by making the North Vietnamese believe he was willing to escalate it into a nuclear conflict. To do so, he was willing to appear as “a kind of latter-day ogre, a bully... not able to be restrained.” Tracking Nixon’s development of this tactic from his 1946 upset victory against California congressman Jerry Voorhis through his “nuclear sabre-rattling” in the White House, Jacobson explores the emotional and intellectual elements behind it—including Nixon’s “penchant for acting” (he reportedly had “an uncanny ability to cry on cue”), his belief that hard work and self-control could overcome his awkwardness and inhibition, and his success in stoking voters’ paranoia. Though some sections, including a psychological profile of first lady Pat Nixon, feel extraneous, Jacobson is an astute observer and a graceful writer. This brings one of America’s most enigmatic presidents into sharper focus. Photos. (Mar.)