The Watergate scandal cast a shadow over what should be considered a great presidency. It would be difficult to find anyone today who would admit that Richard Nixon on two occasions made anything other than wire recordings. It could be argued that, compared to the current NSA controversy, Watergate is small potatoes when it comes to government prowess in today's public and private life. But two wrongs don't make a right, and just because one president wiretapped more phones than the other doesn't mean Nixon should get a pass. This is not to say that Richard Nixon was a bad president. Although he engaged in unsavory activities, as could be found in many presidencies, Nixon was secretly a great president. Who is Richard NixonRichard Milhouse Nixon was born on January 9, 1913. He grew up on a lemon ranch with his parents Frank and Hannah. Nixon. Until joining the law firm of Wingert and Bewley, he worked in his father's grocery store. He married his wife, Pat, on June 21, 1940. He ran for Congress in 1946 and won his seat against Democratic Congressman Jerry Voorhis, gaining more than 15,000 votes more than Voorhis. Nixon was a member of the HUAC, or House of Un-American Activities Committee, whose goal was to discover and suppress communism in the United States. In 1948, Nixon took over and investigated a State Apartment official, Alger Hiss, who was suspected of spying for the USSR during World War II. This gained notoriety for Nixon, as most people claimed that Hiss was innocent, but Nixon did not abandon his investigation, although decades later the government declassified the files revealing Hiss's guilt. He was re-elected to Congress the same year. In 1950, Nixon abandoned his paper role...and longer, funds for the program were reduced to one-third of what had originally been promised to the AVRN for training and supplies. In 1973, a peace treaty was signed by the United States, PAV and AVRN, called the Paris Peace Accords. The PPA declared an end to American involvement in Vietnam and temporarily halted fighting in hopes that North and South Vietnam would reach an agreement. Although the PPA stopped the fighting for a time, it allowed North Vietnam to maintain its positions in the South. Furthermore, President Nixon promised that the United States would intervene again if the PAV violated the agreement. Once Nixon resigned as President of the United States of America, North Vietnam took advantage, pressuring South Vietnam and continuing its attacks, knowing that the now ruling Democratic Party would not defend the AVRN. If Nixon had remained in power, Vietnam could have been a free country today.