Nation: The President Is Listening

PRESIDENT Nixon's decision to invade Cambodia caused an extraordinary upwelling of dissent within the U.S.—a surge of dismay and protest that Nixon himself did not fully anticipate. Campuses responded with all forms of protest, including mass strikes and a quickly organized march on Washington after four students were killed during a demonstration at Kent State University in Ohio. In that tragic week, the President acknowledged that he needed direct lines of communication with the nation's campuses. He soon enlisted two highly regarded university administrators, Chancellor Alexander Heard of Vanderbilt and President James Cheek of largely black Howard University, as ambassadors to...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!