I just finished reading an riveting biography of President Richard Nixon by John A. Farrell. I found it to be refreshingly fair and objective, especially when dealing with such a historically polarizing figure. One of the many things that I learned was the role Nixon played in positioning the United States to help rescue Israel during the Yom Kippur War.
The back story is, like most events involving Nixon, complicated. President Nixon was up-to-his-neck with the Watergate crisis (of his own making) as well as having to deal with the surprise resignation of his Vice-President. He was also, by his own account, drinking heavily to combat the stress. The Soviet Union, sensing blood in the water, picked this moment in history to galvanize nine Arab states, including Egypt and Syria, and instructed them to invade Israel, who would most likely stand alone in the defense of their country. The Soviets were attempting to exert their influence throughout the Middle East and was the chief supplier of munitions to all the major players in that area, except for the nation of Israel. The goal of the Soviet Union was the spread of Communism throughout the world and only one thing stood in their way in the Middle East, Israel.
