The early 1970s in America were a time marked by both an optimistic vision for the future and an undercurrent of profound disillusionment. The Vietnam War continued to dominate American foreign policy, and the political establishment, symbolized by President Richard Nixon, was beginning to show signs of instability. Nixon had become president in 1968 by capitalizing on the growing discontent surrounding the war, rising civil rights movements, and the perceived liberalism of the Johnson administration. His promise of law and order resonated with a nation weary of the upheaval of the 1960s. But beneath the façade of this "silent majority" was a brewing storm—a storm that would take its first true shape with the events that led to Watergate.