In the weeks following Richard Nixon's resignation from the presidency, America was fundamentally shaken. Many wondered if the nation would ever recover from the Watergate scandal. During this time of intense paranoia, Nixon's every action was scrutinized and questioned. Exiled, Nixon was a fallen man -- physically in shambles and sinking further and further into a deep depression. Dr. John C. Lungren became a campaign physician during Nixon's 1952 vice-presidential bid, and their close relationship, both personal and professional, endured until Nixon's death over forty years later. After Watergate, Nixon made a personal plea to his old friend and physician: "I want you to take care of me because I trust you and I know you wouldn't want anything from me." Lungren assumed the responsibility of caring for Nixon -- unaware that his own motives, methods, and decisions would ultimately arouse national criticism. Lungren cared for Nixon through two intensive hospitalizations, including an advanced case of phlebitis in Nixon's left leg and a near-fatal vascular collapse. Along the way, Lungren shielded the ailing Nixon from tenacious reporters and federal prosecutors, confident that his actions were saving Nixon from certain death.
Nixon's public shame and the sense of helplessness compounded by his poor health caused him acute mental anguish -- many believed he was suicidal. Lungren made Nixon's mental health a priority in his regimen for recovery, allowing Nixon the years he needed to atone for his actions and redeem himself in the public eye. Lungren offers insights into Nixon's psyche that only a personal physician -- and friend -- could have. Lungren observed in Nixon the qualities that defined him as a leader and the weaknesses that led to his political fall. He watched as Nixon surrounded himself by eager yes-men, such as H.R. Haldeman, who would never question their commander-in-chief's decisions. He listened to an impassioned and broken Nixon who, seated beside his wife, Pat, demanded, "What did we do wrong?" Lungren and Nixon discussed Gerald Ford's mistakes as president, the stinging attacks of muckraking journalists, and the history of executive power as shaped by precedent. Lungren experienced these conversations with both the interest of a concerned friend and the objective distance of a physician. Unlike any other book dealing with the highly controversial president, Healing Richard Nixon is an insider's perspective on Nixon's political career, a story of fall and redemption told through intimate conversations between doctor and patient. The Nixon that emerges is one rarely seen by the public -- vulnerable, frightened, regretful, and disarmingly human. Lungren's account is crucial to understanding the psychology of one of the most tragic figures in American political history.
