Why did Nixon begin visiting you?
He came to me for physical checkups in 1951. He wanted to know what condition he was in. Our meetings, maybe three or four a year, were to see how he could stay fit. As Vice-President, he took on numerous social functions with big dinners—overeating, drinking and putting on weight.
Was there any specific ailment?
No. And he did not have a "nervous breakdown."
What did you discuss?
"The General," as he called President Eisenhower, and such things as working habits. But gradually we discussed more and more world affairs and political issues. This always fascinated him. I remember a conversation about Secretary of State Dulles. I described him as an angry, mentally disturbed man who wanted to bring the world to the brink of war. I talked, too, about the mental instability of Sen. Joseph McCarthy. Nixon was stunned that I could talk that way about men I had never met. I told him I watched them on TV and had observed their behavior. All this fascinated him.
Did you ever discuss his early life?
No. We didn't approach mental or emotional problems. My approach was cautious in order to develop a secure relationship so he wouldn't set up defenses. I didn't probe.
Why did he stop seeing you?
I saw him until 1955 at which time I decided to break off and see no more medical patients. Also by the mid-'50s he had been advised not to see me anymore. His advisers told him it would not be wise if a gossip column reported that he was seeing a "Park Avenue psychiatrist," which was not even correct because I was still practicing internal medicine.
Did you maintain contact with him?
Over the years we met, sometimes for lunch in New York. He was always mentally alert, a very pleasant man. The tragic thing about him is that there are areas of brilliance and a sharp, keen intellect. We talked a lot about how differences could be settled peacefully, and what peace really is. I coined the phrase, "Peace is really more than just the absence of war." In fact, Nixon once used that phrase in a speech. After he became President, my reason for seeing him was that I was deeply disturbed over the Vietnam war and urged him to end it. He always listened to me very politely.
Did you have any contact with him during the Watergate crisis?
No. Meeting was just impossible. The press, which did not like him, watched who came and went. I called Rose Mary Woods once, and I was told it would be the worst time to visit. The press would have thought, "Ah, there it is, finally, he is beginning to crack."
If Nixon had been seeing a psychiatrist, would Watergate have happened?
No! It would have been impossible to conceal the details of Watergate from a therapist over a long period. The therapist would have gained a grasp of the patient's deeper conflicts, like Watergate. Nixon is a very controlled man, it is true, but certain features in his personality were not worked out. If they had been worked out, and the problem of Watergate was seen with clarity, his course of action would have been almost self-evident. For one thing he would not have seen the TV camera and the press as such a threat.
But wasn't Nixon always uncomfortable with the press?
That, of course, is a hangover from his earlier political experiences, and the memory remains. But now we are dealing with areas of his personality I have difficulty going into. If you grow up with distrust and being kicked, the results show. Some work it out, others can't.
Did you think Nixon often seemed unable to trust others?
I always question how far I can go in answering these questions. But if he had seen an analyst, maybe he would have learned more of his deeper motivations, of why he wanted to be President, and accept the consequences of his actions. That way a person learns to clarify his judgment, understand his compulsive element, the unconscious force.
What were the possible psychological motivations behind the cover-up?
If you are grateful to the two gentlemen (Haldeman and Ehrlichman) who helped bring you the greatest possible victory, how can you kick them out? There was a forced kind of responsibility, an obsessive loyalty to the public relations people who helped him win. He should have said, "You were marvelous"; then he should have gotten rid of them.
What do you feel compelled him to seek the Presidency?
Making good is a deeply ingrained aspect of American society, of the American Dream, and Nixon said he always believed in the American Dream. I remember seeing on TV after the '72 election, there was a softness, a look of fulfillment in his face I had never seen before.
How do you explain his decline from that pinnacle?
People bring on the greatest self-defeats by themselves, for reasons we do not know—neurotic reasons. The traumatic experiences of our lives and how we responded may be something we forget, but the effect remains a determinant. You forget why you fight. If you become President, there are no further goals. You forget the very early motivation. Getting to the goal without resolving the underlying factors—such as fears of rejection—leaves you with the responsibilities, but none of the fantasized rewards. It has not created the miracle of the embrace of your dead mother. There is still the fear, "I will not stand up to the critical judgment." There are people who build, and then destroy themselves. That way they cushion themselves from any possible rejection.
Should Presidents see psychiatrists while in office?
First a presidential candidate should be seen by a panel of psychoanalytically trained doctors who might get to the underlying reasons why he is seeking power. There is a mental, unconscious life in everyone, and you can't just trust a pleasant face or someone who smiles too readily. Prevention is what we are aiming for. It is possible to estimate who can stand the heat of battle and who can't. One disturbed leader can kill thousands more people with one decision than a doctor can cure in a lifetime. Psycho-politics must aim to provide leaders who can control their own aggressive impulses and listen to other men talk.
What happens to Presidents psychologically when they leave office?
A man obsessed by power can find himself in a great deal of trouble. After he has peaked, nothing else exists for him to do. He's in a kind of super-drive, but when he ceases exerting his power, the motor is still running. Lyndon Johnson was almost bewildered when he had to leave the Presidency. He experienced a rapid physical decline. Interestingly, two of the least aggressive Presidents in recent history—Truman and Eisenhower—lived long after their presidencies ended.
What lies ahead for Richard Nixon?
This man, who was at the very pinnacle of power, and who has now fallen to the lowest depths of humiliation, must be enormously depressed. But this is a sign of normalcy, that he is in touch with what's happening.
What should he do with his life?
First you want to help him absorb the sense of loss and rage and anger against himself for what he has done. It's in his brain, and it stirs and needs to be dealt with. He can repress it and become exhausted from it, or start to open doors and let things out and ultimately feel better. Then he can rebuild his life. You can't turn the clock back. Hypothetically, the greatest service to himself would be to present the true story of what happened, what made him want to get there, and—looking back—where he tripped. Very aggressive men who cannot shift gears when they lose their power don't live long. If Nixon cannot revitalize his creative energies, he must die.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
