Resigned President Richard Nixon was known for many things, including the bizarre Secret Service uniforms’ replacement. Met with many criticisms and humor, the debut of the new uniforms brought nothing but shame and embarrassment for the White House guards.
Inspired by palace guards, Nixon ordered the fancy uniforms, but no one liked them. Instead of being immediately trashed, the uniforms sat in a storage room for ten years before being sold to a marching band in Iowa.
Nixon’s Resignation as President
Richard M. Nixon, most commonly known as the 37th President of the United States of America, previously became a U.S. Representative and Senator before being elected President. He is infamous for being the only President in the United States that resigned from the position. (Source: White House)
The Watergate Scandal caused the resignation of former President Nixon. Obstruction of Justice, covering up crimes, and abuses of power are only a few massive violations Nixon became guilty of. The House Judiciary Committee soon voted for his impeachment.
The Watergate Scandal since then altered the political perspective of American citizens. The abuses of power cases revealed from Nixon made many citizens actively question their President’s leadership. (Source: History)
The Bizarre Nixon-Induced Uniforms
Another thing President Richard Nixon was known for, apart from the Watergate Scandal, was the humorous uniforms he assigned to the Secret Service.
In January 1970, the Secret Service unit of the White House guards debuted their new official uniforms to the public. With their fancy white-colored tunic with a gold shoulder trim feature and a sturdy shako hat with a peaked front to replace their past seemingly dull black uniforms, it all became quite comedic for the masses.
The former President Nixon’s trip to Europe during the early 1970s sparked the Secret Service uniform renewal. Seeing the uniforms worn by the West German police, he wasted no time in requesting a similar outfit to be made for the White House guards.
When they first appeared, the guards were greeted with gales of laughter. They were pitiful, the looked European and out of place. They will be fine for a band, but they did have some sort of Nazi connotation when they came out, and that offended some people.Thomas Roller
The renewing of the Secret Service’s uniforms was nothing but a subject of humor. Many people had voiced out their opinions against it, and even the guards protested. The guards were embarrassed and uncomfortable, especially in their new hats. When the guards’ voiced their concerns, the hats vanished, with the white jackets following suit.
The former Secret Service uniforms that President Nixon had requested quickly became discontinued, throwing them in storage for ten years. A school in Iowa then bought the uniforms for a small-town school’s band, the Meriden-Cleghorn High School Marching band.
Thomas Roller, the state’s Federal Surplus Division director, stated that the uniforms would only have a $5 to $10 price tag. Out of the 130 uniforms in the government’s hold, the school only gained 32 uniforms and 50 black, front peaked hats. (Source: Weird Universe)
Rais aliyejitoa Richard Nixon alijulikana kwa mambo mengi, ikiwa ni pamoja na kubadilisha sare za siri za Huduma ya siri. Kwa sababu ya kukosolewa na kuchekeshwa, mavazi hayo mapya yalileta aibu na aibu kwa walinzi wa White House. Akichochewa na walinzi wa jumba la kifalme, Nixon aliagiza mavazi ya kifahari, lakini hakuna mtu aliyeyapenda. Badala ya kutupwa mara moja, mavazi hayo yalikaa katika chumba cha kuhifadhi kwa miaka kumi kabla ya kuuzwa kwa bendi ya muziki huko Iowa. Rais Richard M. Nixon, ambaye kwa kawaida anajulikana kama Rais wa 37 wa Marekani, hapo awali alikuwa Mwakilishi wa Marekani na Seneta kabla ya kuchaguliwa Rais. Yeye ni mashuhuri kwa kuwa Rais pekee nchini Marekani ambaye alijiuzulu kutoka nafasi hiyo. "Msemaji wa Marekani, Donald Trump, alisema: ""Sheria ya Watergate ilisababisha kujiuzulu kwa Rais wa zamani wa Marekani, Nixon." Kuzuia haki, kuficha uhalifu, na matumizi mabaya ya mamlaka ni makosa machache tu makubwa ambayo Nixon alijihusisha nayo. Kamati ya Mahakama ya Bunge hivi karibuni ilipiga kura kwa ajili ya kuondolewa kwake madarakani. Tangu wakati huo, kashfa ya Watergate ilibadili mtazamo wa kisiasa wa raia wa Marekani. Matukio ya matumizi mabaya ya mamlaka yaliyotolewa na Nixon yalifanya raia wengi waulize kikamilifu uongozi wa Rais wao. "Mfano wa ""Nixon's Uniforms"" ni ile ya Rais Richard Nixon, ambayo ilifahamika kwa sababu ya mavazi ya kijinga ya polisi ya Marekani." Mnamo Januari 1970, kikosi cha Secret Service cha walinzi wa White House kilionyesha mavazi yao mapya kwa umma. Kwa tunika zao za rangi nyeupe zenye rangi ya dhahabu na kofia ya shako yenye mviringo wa mbele ili kuchukua nafasi ya mavazi yao ya zamani ya rangi nyeusi, yote yakawa ya kuchekesha kwa watu wengi. Rais Nixon alipokuwa akisafiri Ulaya katika miaka ya 1970, alitoa wito kwa serikali ya Marekani kuanzisha mfumo mpya wa huduma za siri. Alipoona mavazi ya polisi wa Ujerumani Magharibi, hakupoteza muda kuomba mavazi kama hayo yatengenezwe kwa ajili ya walinzi wa White House. Walipoonekana kwa mara ya kwanza, walinzi hao walikaribishwa kwa kicheko. Walikuwa wenye kusikitisha, walionekana kuwa Wazungu na hawakuwa mahali pao. "Walianza kuwa na ""maonyesho ya Nazi"" wakati wa kuanzishwa kwa huduma hiyo, na Thomas Roller, mwanzilishi wa huduma hiyo, alidai kuwa ""mambo ya kuchekesha.""" Watu wengi walikuwa wametoa maoni yao dhidi ya hilo, na hata walinzi walipinga. Walinzi waliona aibu na hawakujihisi vizuri, hasa wakiwa wamevaa kofia zao mpya. Walinzi waliposema wasiwasi wao, kofia hizo zilitoweka, na makoti meupe yakafuata. Mavazi ya zamani ya huduma ya siri ambayo Rais Nixon alikuwa ameomba yaliondolewa haraka, na kuhifadhiwa kwa miaka kumi. Shule moja huko Iowa kisha ilinunua mavazi ya shule kwa ajili ya bendi ya shule ya mji mdogo, bendi ya Meriden-Cleghorn High School Marching. Thomas Roller, mkurugenzi wa Idara ya Fedha ya Shirikisho, alisema kwamba sare hizo zitakuwa na bei ya $ 5 hadi $ 10. Kati ya sare 130 zilizokuwa zimewekwa na serikali, shule hiyo ilipata tu sare 32 na kofia 50 nyeusi zilizokuwa ziko mbele. (Chanzo: Ulimwengu wa ajabu)