Oliphant, Pat, 1935-

Scope and Content Note

After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1980, President Carter imposed a virtual embargo on all U.S.-Soviet contacts. By May, 1980, when Muskie met with Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko in Vienna, Muskie characterized the talks as merely "a diplomatic minuet as we each recite our reactions to the other's actions over the past six to eight months." Oliphant's cartoon exactly catches that characterization. Anita Holst-Jensen.

Scope and Content Note Throughout Nixon's first term, the plight of POWs in Vietnam was the Administration's counterargument to antiwar opponents. By 1972, public cynicism about Nixon's plans to "end the war" was widespread. On January 25, 1972, Nixon outlined a new political settlement. Muskie called it a "welcome initiative" while offering his own proposals. Nixon's proposal was, of course, rejected by Hanoi. Oliphant illustrates the sense of exhaustion which gripped many Americans about the dueling proposals...

Scope and Content Note

When the "Desert One" rescue mission failed, Secretary of State Vance resigned and Muskie took his place. The nation faced multiple foreign policy challenges in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. All combined to create a daunting workload for the new Secretary. Meanwhile, the ambition of Nation Security Advisor Brzezinski, and President Carter's withdrawal into a "Rose Garden" political strategy, helped create the widely held impression of a bankrupt foreign policy. Anita Holst-Jensen.

Abstract

Administrative records and reference files of the Edmund S. Muskie Foundation, organized in 1996 to promote the legacy of Senator and Secretary of State Edmund S. Muskie and directed by Muskie's former chief of staff Leon Billings. The collection also includes political cartoons of Muskie by Pat Oliphant.

Scope and Content Note

With Muskie the front-runner, the early Democratic primaries in 1972 amounted to a "stop-Muskie" effort. By the time of the Wisconsin primary, Geroge McGovern, George Wallace and Hubert Humphrey had largely succeeded. Muskie finished a disappointing fourth. The setting sun in Oliphant's cartoon was prophetic: Twenty-one days later, after the Pennsylvania primary, Muskie officially announced his withdrawal. Anita Holst-Jensen.

Scope and Content Note

A hard-edged and unsuccessful effort by Nixon to gain an "ideological majority" in the Senate in 1970 climaxed on election eve. Muskie's calm, reasoned broadcast speech compared favorably to television images of a shrill Nixon ranting at antiwar demonstrators. Muskie appeared increasingly 'presidential' in contrast to Nixon. By December 1970, their approval ratings were even amid broad speculation that Nixon's would be a one-term presidency. Anita Holst-Jensen.