“Here He Comes Now”
In his cartoons and book Herblock Special Report (1974), Herb Block traces the political rise and fall of Richard M. Nixon. His account begins in the 1940s and 1950s, when Nixon used “dirty tricks” in his run for congressional office, followed by his 1954 “anti-communist” campaign that damaged the careers of reputable senators, his role in the Watergate break-in and cover-up, and his eventual departure in disgrace from the presidency. In his foreword, Block explains that his cartoons and book did not arise from “simply ‘not liking’ [Nixon]. . . . It was not liking what he did.” Along with colleagues at the Washington Post, Block won a special Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the Watergate scandal—work that helped precipitate Nixon’s resignation in the face of probable impeachment. Noting that he probably created more cartoons relating to Nixon than he did about any other individual, Block observed that Nixon’s career “in some way has affected all of us.”
View all items from “Here He Comes Now” »