They Said No to Nixon - by Michael Koncewicz

About the Book

"In more than 3,000 recorded conversations, the Nixon tapes famously exposed a president's sinister views of governance that would eventually lead to his downfall. Despite Richard Nixon's best efforts, his vision of a government where he could use his power to punish his political enemies never came to fruition because there were those in his party who defied the president's directives. While many are familiar with the Republicans who turned against Nixon during the final stages of the Watergate saga, They Said No to Nixon uncovers for the first time those within the administration--including Nixon's own appointees--who opposed the White House early on, quietly blocking the president's attacks on the IRS, the Justice Department, and other sectors of the federal government. Culling from previously unpublished excerpts from the tapes and recently released material that expose the thirty-seventh president's uncensored views, Michael Koncewicz reveals how several Republican party members chose loyalty to their roles as civil servants over Nixon's attempts to expand the imperial presidency. Delving into the culture of criminality surrounding Watergate and why it did not succeed, They Said No to Nixon sheds light on the significant cultural and ideological shifts that occurred within the GOP during the pivotal 1970s. To this day, the Nixon tapes are a bracing reminder of the threat to constitutional order posed by a president who wields power without restraint"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

"One reason Koncewicz's narrative is so compelling is that it's also a redemption story."--The Washington Post

"Excruciatingly timely."--Kirkus Reviews

In more than three thousand recorded conversations, the Nixon tapes famously exposed a president's sinister views of governance that would eventually lead to his downfall. Despite Richard Nixon's best efforts, his vision of a government where he could use his power to punish his political enemies never came to fruition because members of his own party defied his directives. While many are familiar with the Republicans who turned against Nixon during the final stages of the Watergate saga, They Said No to Nixon uncovers for the first time those within the administration--including Nixon's own appointees--who opposed the White House early on, quietly blocking the president's attacks on the IRS, the Justice Department, and other sectors of the federal government.

Culling from previously unpublished excerpts from the tapes and recently released materials that expose the thirty-seventh president's uncensored views, Michael Koncewicz reveals how Republican party members remained loyal civil servants in the face of Nixon's attempts to expand the imperial presidency.

Delving into the abuses of power surrounding the Watergate era and showing how they were curbed, They Said No to Nixon sheds light on the significant cultural and ideological shifts that occurred within the GOP during the pivotal 1970s. Koncewicz deftly demonstrates how Nixon's administration marked a decisive moment that led to the rise of modern conservatism and today's ruthlessly partisan politics.

From the Back Cover

"In this era of partisan polarization, Michael Koncewicz's lively and engaging book serves as an important example of public servants who chose their country over their party when it mattered most."--Kevin M. Kruse, Professor of History, Princeton University

"Michael Koncewicz's deep knowledge, developed over years of service at the Nixon Library, enables him to illuminate previously unseen hidden struggles to preserve the American republic. This is a bracing reminder of the threat to constitutional order posed by a president who wields power without self-restraint."--Ken Hughes, author of Fatal Politics: The Nixon Tapes, the Vietnam War, and the Casualties of Reelection

"Thanks to Koncewicz's exhaustive research in newly released Nixon tapes, we now have new American heroes in a group of moderate and honorable civil servants who countered Richard Nixon's dogged attempts to expand his power. In the process, Koncewicz offers a chilling account of how that deeply authoritarian president managed to push American politics to the right. This intelligent and important book should be must reading for anyone worried about the current decline of American democracy."--Ellen Schrecker, author of Many Are the Crimes: McCarthyism in America

"A superb and compelling account of the handful of principled officials in Nixon's administration who resisted White House abuses of power. This is one of the first scholarly works to apply the most recently released trove of Nixon's White House tapes to the study of internal executive branch affairs. Koncewicz's description of the sequence of events that led to the Saturday Night Massacre is especially first-rate--and eerily relevant to today's troubled politics. The reader is left hoping that government still attracts public servants with the integrity of Koncewicz's subjects."--Geoffrey Kabaservice, author of Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, From Eisenhower to the Tea Party

Review Quotes

"They Said No to Nixon executes deep scholarship with a theatrical flair... quite stunning."-- "New Mexico Historical Review"

"Brief but scholarly in all the right ways--and excruciatingly timely."-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"Closely argued and thoroughly documented, They Said No to Nixon makes a convincing argument about how hard Nixon tried to politicize the federal government, and the vision of authoritarian power that he held dear."
-- "New York Labor History"

"In researching and analyzing the Republicans within the administration who questioned, ignored, and, on occasion, disobeyed orders from their commander in chief, Koncewicz connects the Watergate era to larger political and cultural shifts."-- "Journal of American History"

"One reason Koncewicz's narrative is so compelling is that it's also a redemption story."-- "The Washington Post"

About the Author

Michael Koncewicz is the Cold War Collections Specialist at the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives at New York University. He previously worked for the National Archives at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum.