Nixon's "Checkers Speech"--55th Anniversary Today

On September 23, 1952, vice presidential candidate Richard M. Nixon delivered what has become known as the "Checkers Speech" and, in doing so, changed forever how politicians used television in public persuasion. Accused of using an illegal campaign fund, Senator Nixon defended himself on prime-time national television and employed a wide-range of apologia strategies that are still studied today. The public embraced his explanation and Republican presidential nominee Dwight D. Eisenhower kept Nixon on the ticket. The "Checkers" of the title refers to a cocker spaniel puppy that the Nixons received from a friend and that Nixon vowed to keep, regardless of the criticism. Of course, no one before the speech had criticized the puppy as an illegal gift, but the remark did make Nixon look like both a devoted family man (his daughter loved that puppy!) and, well, a puppy lover himself--two qualities which can only help one's public image. Interestingly, the New York Times next day coverage made no mention of the "Checkers" passage; nevertheless, it is now the most famous portion of the speech.

One passage that now receives little attention occurs late in the speech when Nixon states:

"Now let me finally, this evening, I want to read to you, just briefly, excerpts from a letter which I received, a letter which after all this is over no one can take away from us. It reads as follows:

Dear Senator Nixon,

Since I am only 19 years of age, I can't vote in this presidential election, but believe me if I could you and General Eisenhower would certainly get my vote. My husband is in the Fleet Marines in Korea. He' a corpsman on the front lines and we have a two month old son he's never seen. And I feel confident that with great Americans like you and General Eisenhower in the White House, lonely Americans like myself will be united with their loved ones now in Korea. I only pray to God that you won't be too late. Enclosed is a small check to help you in your campaign. Living on $85 a month, it is all I can afford at present, but let me know what else I can do.

Folks, it's a check for 10 dollars, and it's one that I will never cash."

The always-effective rhetorical tactic of a politician, during a televised address, reading a heartstring-tugging letter from an "average American" has been used many times since, but this was the first.

Personally, this is one of my favorite political speeches. First, it's historically significant. The speech empowered television as the supreme tool of political manipulation, and, if Nixon had been booted from the ticket in disgrace, his national political career may have ended, erasing his disillusioning presidency. Second, I enjoy the speech's audacity--Nixon's desperation leads him to try anything and everything to achieve political persuasion. It's a fun speech. Third, it totally worked, which cannot be said for many speeches of this genre. No wonder a group of prominent rhetoric scholars have ranked "Checkers" as the sixth best American speech of the 20th century, in the same impressive company as MLK's "I Have a Dream," JFK's First Inaugural, and FDR's Pearl Harbor speech.