British government sought to shun "irrational" Nixon during Watergate

[kskiska]

LONDON (AFP) - While the British government remained officially friendly to US President Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal, behind the scenes, officials were urged to take "any measure open" to keep him away from London, newly-released archives showed.

At the same time, Britain's then ambassador in Washington warned that Nixon had to be handled with care, as he was "vengeful" and "irrational".

Britain's prime minister of the time, Harold Wilson, fought hard to prevent Nixon going ahead with a proposed visit to Britain in July 1974, just a month before he resigned, which would have seen him feted by Queen Elizabeth.

With moves in Washington growing for Nixon to be impeached over the bugging scandal, the president's visit would prove a serious embarrassment, Wilson believed, according to April 1974 documents from his official files.

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1503&ncid=732&e=6&u=/afp/20050101/ts_afp/britainhistoryusnixon

[nine23]

1. Ah, the good old days. When Brits had balls.

[gratuitous]

2. Didn't the Brits cancel a proposed visit by Stupidhead last year?

"Quit calling us Nazis and fascists!" scream the Nazis and fascists of the repressive right.

"Quit acting like Nazis and fascists," responds the rest of the world.

[Laughing Mirror]

3. He was irrational way before Watergate

Britain ought to have known that, but it was only when the Paranoid One became box-office poison because of Watergate--but not over Chile and Argentina and the secret bombings in Indochine and all the other really horrible stuff--did anybody want to have anything to do with him anymore.

The former best friend of the British suddenly became persona non grata, like Saddam after Koweit, although the former best friend had not changed.

On edit: I wonder if this is now emerging as a warning to Bush for what's likely to be in store for him too?

[Benhurst]

4. Ah, back in the days before Brits became sniveling little

butt-kissers.

[OutsourceBush]

5. word replace..find all instances of "NIXON" and replace with "BUSH"

[fedsron2us]

6. Harold Wilson suffered a lot of criticism

for the failures of his premiership. Yet with hindsight his refusal to allow the UK to become involved in Vietnam was one of the wisest decisions ever taken by a British Prime Minister. It is a shame that Blair does not possess even a tiny fraction of his predecessors courage.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Ah, back in the days when the press

didn't cover up presidential mistakes.