The mysterious Mrs. Nixon The life and times of Washington's most private first lady

There are many adjectives that come to mind when describing Pat Nixon--poised, private, devoted, traditional. Mysterious doesn't make the list, yet Lee maintains that Nixon was misunderstood and underestimated throughout her life and especially as first lady, and it is this mischaracterization that contributes to the aura of mystery. From her hardscrabble roots in small-town California to her breakthrough international travels during her husband's presidential administrations, Nixon stayed true to the values inculcated in her youth--loyalty, empathy, commitment, and determination. Contrary to the belief that Nixon was the epitome of a 1950s conservative woman, Lee illustrates Nixon's steadfast belief in feminist principles and showcases her advocacy for expanding women's equal participation throughout government and society. Sadly, many of Nixon's contributions to foreign relations and domestic programs are overlooked due to the surrounding chaos of her husband's contentious political career, particularly during the Watergate crisis. Drawing on her extensive interviews with family, former White House staff, longtime friends, and historians, Lee offers a clarifying portrait of this elusive and enigmatic woman.

Biographer Lee (The League of Wives) paints an intriguingly sympathetic portrait of first lady Pat Nixon (1912--1993), framing her as an unfairly maligned figure (she was famously nicknamed "Plastic Pat" for her apparent aloofness) who deserves credit for having "moved the needle substantially forward for women's issues." It was during Nixon's stint as second lady that the press first tagged her as "too perfect" (she had "a doll's terrifying poise," according to one journalist). Though such perceptions were "partially a problem of Pat's making" because of her reticence with the press, Lee argues that Nixon was still greatly misinterpreted and contends that "cold and calculating" presidential aide H.R. Haldeman worked insidiously to build her negative reputation. Haldeman, incensed by Nixon's pro-woman political agenda (including her support for abortion rights), attempted to isolate the first lady politically and socially; he covertly took over East Wing operations with his own aides, advised others not to socialize with her, and packaged her for the media "like a 1960s Barbie doll." Lee's fine-grained biography, though elegantly written, really only pops when the villainous Haldeman enters the scene ("One former staff person claims Haldeman told them directly that the president should... put in a mental institution"). Still, readers in search of a new perspective on the Watergate era will find it here. (Aug.)