One of
Nixon's dirty tricks, as played on
Democrats. Nixon's aides circulated a letter alleging that Democratic Presidential Candidate Sen. Edmund S. Muskie used the
racial slur "
Canuck" in reference to Americans of
French Canadian descent. The letter was published in newspapers. Muskie was so distraught that he cried when giving a speech in the New Hampshire Primaries, effectively ending his career.
Not only was Muskie innocent, most
Canadians don't really mind the term
Canuck. For example, consider the
Vancouver Canucks. It would later be revealed by
The Washington Post that the letter was actually written by
Ken Clawson, deputy director of White House communications.