Graham privately advised Nixon on policy beyond just-war constraints while backing him publicly

Evidence

In 1969, Graham sent a thirteen-page letter to President Nixon—a letter only declassified twenty years later—offering an array of policy scenarios, some of which clearly abandoned Christian just-war theory and the Geneva Conventions. It is unclear what effect Graham’s letter had on Nixon’s strategy, but Graham’s was certainly not a voice of restraint. Even as Graham became increasingly ambivalent about the war, he remained unwavering in his support for Nixon. Meanwhile, conservative evangelicals continued to celebrate American servicemen, and looked to returning soldiers to provide leadership on the home front as well. At a time when evangelical churches needed to take a stand, who better to lead a nation—and its churches—than men who had “carried those concerns through the jungles of Viet Nam”? — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 117

Categorization

• QUESTION: The secret twenty-years-classified letter to Nixon is worth chasing — what specific ‘policy scenarios’ did it contain? The book leaves it vague.