The National Archives Celebrates Centennials of Nixon and Ford in June
Press Release · Thursday, June 6, 2013

Washington, DC…The National Archives celebrates the centennial of Presidents Nixon and Ford in June with two special noontime events. On Thursday, June 13, an expert panel will explore both presidents’ contributions to the space program. On Saturday, June 22, the National Archives, in partnership with AFI Docs Film Festival, hosts the Washington, DC, premiere of the new documentary Our Nixon. Both events are free and open to the public, and will be held in the William G. McGowan Theater at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC. Attendees should use the Special Events entrance on Constitution Avenue at 7th Street, NW. Metro accessible on the Yellow and Green lines, Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter station.

Thursday, June 13, at noon
The Space Program under Presidents Nixon and Ford
In this illustrated lecture, a panel discusses the American space program as it developed under Presidents Nixon and Ford, including the Apollo missions to the Moon, the decision to develop the space shuttle, and the 1975 Apollo–Soyuz test project. Roger Launius, senior curator in the Division of Space History at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, will moderate a panel discussion with John Logsdon, professor emeritus of George Washington University; and William Barry, chief historian at NASA. The event will be webcast live on the National Archives UStream channel [www.ustream.tv/usnationalarchives]. This event is presented in partnership with the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Archives Office of Presidential Libraries.

Saturday, June 22, at noon
Washington, DC, premiere of "Our Nixon"
Throughout Richard Nixon’s Presidency, three of his top White House aides (John Erlichman, H.R. Haldeman, Dwight Chapin) documented their experiences with Super 8 home movie cameras. The documentary Our Nixon presents those home movies for the first time, along with other rare footage, creating an intimate and complex portrait of the Nixon Presidency. A panel discussion moderated by CNN chief Washington correspondent and host of 'The Lead' (weekdays at 4:00pm) Jake Tapper and featuring former Nixon staffers Dwight Chapin and Dr. Lee Huebner will follow the screening. This event is presented in partnership with AFI Docs Film Festival and CNN Films. (Directed by Penny Lane, and co-produced by Lane and Brian Frye, 2013; 85 minutes.)

Related display:  Nixon and the U.S. Space Program

The National Archives Public Vaults exhibit invites visitors into virtual stack areas to discover historic documents, films, maps, and photographs from the National Archives. A special “Nixon and the U.S. Space Program” display celebrating President Nixon’s centennial features artifacts related to the 1969 Apollo XI mission. Highlights include the telephone used by President Nixon to talk to the Apollo 11 astronauts after the moon landing and tongs used by Apollo 12 astronauts to collect moon rock samples. These materials are courtesy of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, CA, one of 13 Presidential Libraries administered by the National Archives. This special display runs through June, 2013. Starting in July, 2013, the display will feature items from President Ford’s administration.

Related exhibit: Searching for the Seventies:  The DOCUMERICA Photography Project

Bad fashion, odd fads, and disco dance music sum up the 1970s for many Americans. But the1970s were much more than leisure suits, streaking, and disco. This exhibit offers a new look at the decade through the lens of a Federal photography project called Project DOCUMERICA. Created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1971, DOCUMERICA was born out of the decade’s environmental awakening. Through September 8, 2013, Lawrence F. O'Brien Gallery.

The National Archives is fully accessible, and Assisted Listening Devices are available in the McGowan Theater upon request. To request a sign language interpreter for a public program, please send an email to public.program@nara.gov or call 202-357-5000 at least two weeks prior to the event. To verify dates and times of the programs, call 202-357-5000 or view the Calendar of Events online. To contact the National Archives, call 1-866-272-6272 or 1-86-NARA-NARA (TDD 301-837-0482). Admission to the museum is free. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

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For press information contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at 202-357-5300.

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