Some peopleâs memories of President Richard Nixon are negative due to his role in escalating the Vietnam War, the student demonstrations at Kent State University, and Nixonâs ultimate downfall in Watergate. But who was the man? And how could another individual get close to him? âCrazy Rhythm: My Journey from Brooklyn, Jazz, and Wall Street to Nixonâs White House, Watergate, and Beyondâ¦,â is a story written by a complex person very close to Richard Nixon. Attorney Leonard Garment was born to immigrant Jewish parents in New York in 1924. Playing music, especially saxophone jazz, he grew up in Brooklyn. As a good student and, with what he describes, âan ambition to run things,â Garment finished law school in his early twenties and began working for a major Wall Street law firm. Even though at times he characterized himself as a liberal Democrat, Garment became a close friend and law partner with Richard Nixon and later became the attorney for, and the counsel to, President Richard Nixon, during the time Nixon was embroiled in the throws of Watergate. This interview was originally broadcast in May of 1997.
Leonard Garment recommends âAmerican Pastoral,â by Philip Roth.
Originally Broadcast: May 16, 1997
Barry Vogel, Esq. is the host and producer. Ignacio Ayala is the assistant producer.
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Leonard Garment â "Crazy Rhythm: My Journey from Brooklyn, Jazz, and Wall Street to Nixonâs White House, Watergate, and Beyondâ¦,"