Slovaks for President Nixon

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Many Slovak-Americans and other groups who fled Eastern European communist regimes were interested in candidates they perceived as supportive of a strong military and anticommunist action. They viewed communism as a global threat, one that would reach American if Americans were not vigilant Though they valued their home country and traditions, they also considered themselves patriotic, anticommunist Americans.

Of course, not all Slovak-Americans supported Nixon or the Republican party. The party actively courted Slovak-Americans and other so-called “white ethnics” from Eastern Europe. Nixon made the “Nationalities Division” in the Republican National Convention into a permanent fixture, and sought to hire more Eastern Europeans in his administration and government. Nixon and the Republicans’ strategy changed when foreign policy toward the Soviet bloc shifted toward détente in the early 1970s. Staunch anticommunism was not compatible with this new approach, and the Slovak-Americans and other politically active “white ethnics” were relegated to the sidelines.