Billy Graham's Defense Of Nixon's Lawful Actions

Evangelist Billy Graham and President Richard Nixon were great friends, with Graham even giving the prayer at Nixon's inaugurations. Even as the Watergate scandal unfolded, Graham remained loyal to Nixon, saying, I have known him a long time, and he has a very strong sense of integrity. However, their relationship would sour as Nixon resigned, and Graham was shocked to discover that Nixon had used government funds to enhance his personal retreats.

Billy Graham's unwavering support for Nixon

Graham and Nixon were great friends, having known each other since 1950. Their families often visited each other, and Graham had immediate access to the president during his first four years in office. In 1970, a Nixon aide commented, "Others may have trouble getting through the White House switchboard, but not Billy; Billy can get through right away."

Graham's support for Nixon was unwavering even after the release of the Watergate tapes, which revealed expletive-laden transcripts of Nixon's private conversations. While Graham was devastated by the president's use of profanity, he continued to believe in his integrity. "I'd thought he was a man of such great integrity... I'd never, ever, heard him tell a lie," he said.

Even after Nixon's resignation, Graham insisted that the president had not manipulated him for his own political purposes. "I have never heard him say one thing that made me believe he thought he was being used," said Leighton Ford, Billy's brother-in-law.

Graham's support for Nixon remained strong even in the face of evidence of antisemitism and war crimes. In 1994, tapes were released in which Graham agreed with Nixon that Jews controlled the American media and suggested that their "stranglehold" needed to be broken. Despite this, Graham continued to deny that he held antisemitic views and publicly apologized and asked for forgiveness from Jewish leaders.

In 1989, a memo from Graham to Nixon was made public, in which the evangelist recommended that the president bomb the dikes in North Vietnam, an act that would have killed a million people. This disclosure did not excite any commotion, and Graham faced no repercussions for advocating war crimes.

Graham's belief in Nixon's integrity

Evangelist Billy Graham's unwavering belief in Richard Nixon's integrity was evident in their close friendship and Graham's loyal support of the president. Graham and Nixon's families often visited each other, and the evangelist gave prayers at Nixon's inaugurations in 1969 and 1972. During Nixon's first term, Graham enjoyed immediate access to the president, and in 1970, a Nixon aide commented, "Others may have trouble getting through the White House switchboard, but not Billy; Billy can get through right away."

Even when news of crimes at the Watergate Hotel broke in 1972, Graham stood by Nixon, stating, "I don't think anyone, even the President, knows the whole truth... I have known him a long time, and he has a very strong sense of integrity." Graham's faith in Nixon's integrity was so strong that he invited the president to attend and speak at the Billy Graham Crusade in Tennessee in 1970, despite the recent violence that had erupted at Kent State and other college campuses across the country.

However, Graham's belief in Nixon's integrity was shaken as the Watergate scandal unfolded. In 1974, when Nixon's financial records were made public, revealing the president's lavish spending of government funds on personal retreats, Graham was floored. "I just couldn't understand it," he said. "He'd never seemed to me to really want things like that... I could hardly believe it."

The release of the Watergate tapes, which revealed Nixon's profanity and expletives, further devastated Graham. "I'd thought he was a man of such great integrity... I'd never, ever, heard him tell a lie. But then the way it sounded in those tapes—it was all something totally foreign to me in him. He was just suddenly somebody else," Graham lamented.

Despite the Watergate scandal, Graham maintained his belief in Nixon's integrity in the years following the president's resignation. For years afterward, Graham insisted that Nixon had not manipulated him for political purposes. "I have never heard him say one thing that made me believe he thought he was being used," said Leighton Ford, Billy's brother-in-law.

Graham's denial of anti-semitic comments

In 1994, the National Archives released a tape of a conversation between Billy Graham and President Richard Nixon, which took place following a prayer breakfast in Washington, D.C., on February 1, 1972. The tape revealed that Graham had made anti-Semitic comments, including the claim that Jews had a "stranglehold" on the country. When these comments were made public, Graham denied them, saying, "Those are not my words. I have never talked publicly or privately about the Jewish people, including conversations with President Nixon, except in the most positive terms."

However, when the tapes were released by the National Archives in 2002, it became clear that Graham had, in fact, made the anti-Semitic comments. In the tapes, Graham is heard saying, "They're the ones putting out the pornographic stuff... The Jewish 'stranglehold' has got to be broken or the country's going down the drain." He also stated that Jews were "great friends of mine" who "swarm around me" because of his support for Israel, but that they did not know his true feelings about them.

After the release of the tapes, Graham was horrified, according to Duke Divinity School professor Grant Wacker, who wrote a book about the evangelist. Graham publicly apologized and asked for forgiveness from Jewish leaders in the country. He stated, "I did not recall having those feelings about any group, especially the Jews, and I certainly do not have them now. My remarks did not reflect my love for the Jewish people. I humbly ask the Jewish community to reflect on my actions on behalf of Jews over the years that contradict my words in the Oval Office that day."

In conclusion, while Billy Graham initially denied making anti-Semitic comments, he ultimately acknowledged and apologized for his remarks when confronted with the evidence on tape. This incident tarnished Graham's image and caused him to be viewed in a less positive light by some.

Nixon's ambassadorship offer to Israel for Graham

Richard Nixon offered Billy Graham any government job he wanted, including ambassadorship to Israel. Graham was a counsellor to Democratic and Republican presidents and was an early and avid backer of Israel. In 1960, Graham toured Israel, raising the country's profile among American evangelicals and establishing the seeds of strong pro-Israel support that persist in that community to this day.

In 1967, Graham urged Israeli leaders not to yield to diplomatic pressures that could endanger the country's security. He also made a film, "His Land", about Israel that continues to be screened among pro-Israel evangelicals. Graham was also a champion for the Jews persecuted in the former Soviet Union and counselled his evangelical brethren not to proselytise Jews.

Graham's support for Israel was so strong that he personally and persistently lobbied the White House for emergency aid during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. In his memoir, the Israeli Prime Minister at the time, Yitzhak Rabin, wrote that Graham's "unreserved support for Israel never failed to move me".

Nixon's trip to Israel in 1974 demonstrated the United States' full commitment to establishing lasting peace in the Middle East and strong American support for Israel's sovereignty and security. Nixon's visit was part of a larger presidential itinerary to the Middle East, where he also travelled to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Jordan.

Graham's reaction to Nixon's resignation

Evangelist preacher Billy Graham and President Richard Nixon were close friends, with Graham being an "unabashed and loyal supporter" of Nixon. Graham was so trusting of Nixon's integrity that he invited him to attend and speak at the Billy Graham Crusade in 1970. Even as the Watergate scandal unfolded, Graham stood by Nixon, saying, "I don't think anyone, even the President, knows the whole truth... I have known him a long time, and he has a very strong sense of integrity."

However, as the Senate hearings continued into 1974, Graham began to feel that Nixon had cut him off. He was baffled by this, saying, "I don't know what my relationship is now. I heard from a friend of the President that he didn't want to get Billy Graham involved, so maybe he just wanted to keep me entirely out of it." Graham was shocked when Nixon's financial records were made public, revealing that the president had tapped into government funds to enhance his personal retreats and gave little to charities or the church.

On August 8, 1974, Nixon announced his resignation, which would take effect the following day. Graham was devastated by the revelations of Nixon's wrongdoing and the subsequent resignation. He wept, saying, "I'd thought he was a man of such great integrity... I'd never, ever, heard him tell a lie. But then the way it sounded in those tapes—it was all something totally foreign to me in him. He was just suddenly somebody else."

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