The Knowles Affair: Nixon's Self-Inflicted Wound

"Washington has not seen a worse mishmash of its kind in years," Robert J. Donovan of the Los Angeles Times wrote in 1969 (Donovan 1969). Donovan was referring to a five-month-long controversy over the appointment of Dr. John H. Knowles to the top health post in the government. In seeking Senate support for Knowles, a moderate Republican, Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) Secretary Robert H. Finch swam against right-wing opposition led by the American Medical Association (AMA) and Senate Minority Leader Everett M. Dirksen, a Republican of Illinois. After Finch quit the fight, a river of criticism cascaded on the young presidency of Richard Nixon. "Shabby," "short-sighted," "bizarre," "cringing," "humiliating," "surrender," "chicken," and "embarrassment" were among the words invoked by journalists to assess the performances of Finch and Nixon (Battle lost 1969; Mr. Nixon fails 1969; Mr. Nixon's bad bargain 1969; Bay of Knowles 1969; Will health war 1969; Tug of war 1969). Students of the Nixon presidency either have overstated or overlooked the importance of the Knowles affair. The journalists Rowland Evans Jr. and Robert D. Novak labeled it a "catastrophe" that undermined Finch and elevated Attorney General John N. Mitchell, a conservative, to a place of influence over domestic affairs (Evans and Novak 1971, 65). Since scholars now view the development of Nixon's policies as White House centered and changeable, mixing liberal and conservative programs, the significance of the Finch-Mitchell rivalry and the Knowles affair has faded (Hoff-Wilson 1991; Graham 1990; Matusow 1998; Kotlowski 1998a). Other works neglect this scuffle over a subcabinet post (Reichley 1981; Wicker 1991; Ambrose 1989; Hoff 1994; Parmet 1990; Greene 1992). Melvin Small (1999), in The Presidency of Richard Nixon, mentions the controversy in a sentence (p. 192). Nevertheless, the Knowles saga opens a window into Nixon's decision-making and leadership style early in his term.(1) The Knowles affair highlights a number of woes experienced by Nixon's government in 1969, including its ambiguous relations with Congress, confusion over domestic policy making, and failure to achieve "cabinet government." The episode foreshadowed more notable, but also unsuccessful, struggles to win Senate approval of Judges Clement F. Haynsworth Jr. and G. Harrold Carswell to the United States Supreme Court (Kotlowski 1996). It unfolded at a time when the administration seemed uncertain about its domestic goals and how to achieve them. White House aides Arthur F. Burns and Daniel P. Moynihan feuded over welfare reform; Finch and Mitchell wrestled with school desegregation in Dixie; John D. Ehrlichman, who later emerged as domestic policy chief, remained a lesser figure (Hess 1981). The Knowles affair mostly signaled the limits of cabinet government, Nixon's campaign vow to entrust domestic matters to the heads of federal departments. Independent but indecisive appointees, such as Finch, confirmed the president's suspicion that the cabinet was an unreliable agent for policy development and execution.(2) The Knowles case shows how interest group pressure, intraparty disputes, and administrative inexperience can conspire to undermine a new president's honeymoon. Politically, the affair was largely a self-inflicted wound; Nixon sustained a bruise, Finch an injury. Through their forceful opposition, the AMA and Dirksen lost prestige as well. However, for the administration, this irritant became an exercise in pointless torture over a lower-echelon post. It began with Finch's inexperience in Washington politics, his failure to read Knowles's writings, and his reluctance to stand publicly behind his choice. The president added to these mistakes by dodging the controversy, then caving in to Knowles's critics. The indecision exhibited by Finch and Nixon raised questions about their leadership, causing both men needless political pain. The Making of a Political Headache The Knowles affair contained all the elements of a first-class political drama: a headstrong, outspoken nominee; a well-heeled lobby with muscles to flex; an irascible Senate mandarin in the sunset of his career; a green cabinet secretary; and an aloof president. …