Cancer History Project book spotlight: Cancer Crusade

The historic National Cancer Act of 1971 has often been called “Nixon’s War on Cancer,” but it could as easily have been called “Kennedy’s War on Cancer,” and with perhaps greater justification.

In 1969, in his first year as president, Richard Nixon proposed a fiscal 1970 budget with only a 3 percent increase in appropriations for the National Institutes of Health. Significantly, the proposed appropriation for the National Cancer Institute was $181 million, down 2 percent from the prior year. These actions galvanized philanthropist Mary Lasker to organize a task force on behalf of cancer research that included Benno Schmidt Sr., Laurence Rockefeller, Elmer Bobst, Sidney Farber of Boston’s Children’s Cancer Research Foundation, Lee Clark of M.D. Anderson, and others as members.

Lasker had close ties to the Democratic Party dating back to President Harry Truman; she and others on the panel had very close ties to the Kennedy family. In December 1970, the task force reported to the Senate Subcommittee on Health, recommending markedly increased funding and the creation of a National Cancer Authority independent of the NIH. The then-chair of the committee was Sen. Ralph Yarborough (D-Tex.), who would soon leave the Senate, having lost the Democratic primary to Lloyd Bentsen earlier that year. Ted Kennedy, the junior senator from Massachusetts, was assuming the chairmanship, a position from which he would exercise substantial authority and leadership for his entire Senate career. He welcomed the initiative to expand funding for cancer research and to reorganize the NCI as an independent entity.

Nixon, fearing a challenge from Kennedy in 1972’s presidential election, quickly submitted legislation in early 1971 to counter this threat, both on money and organization.

Throughout that year, Kennedy would display the characteristics that have made him an effective legislator over nearly five decades. He had the votes to prevail in the Senate committee, the full committee, and on the Senate floor. Graciously, he allowed the bill to carry the number and title of the legislation sponsored by Sen. Peter Dominick (R-Co.) on behalf of the Administration. He merely substituted the contents of his bill for theirs.

The architect of the legislation emerging from the House of Representatives was Rep. Paul Rogers (DFla.). The principal difference between the two bodies was whether to create a National Cancer Authority as a NASA-like independent agency, which the Senate bill proposed, or to keep NCI within the NIH, as the House bill provided. The House prevailed on this issue.

“What was it like to deal with Ted Kennedy in the Conference Committee,” I asked Rogers.

“It was great to work with Ted on the cancer legislation. He always made his points strongly. But he was also realistic. He felt the goal of getting going on the research was more important than the mechanism,” Rogers said.

In December 1971, Nixon signed the National Cancer Act of 1971 into law, “a Christmas gift” to the American people, he said at the time. Although present at the signing and as responsible for the legislation as any legislator, Kennedy never sought credit in a way that would diminish Nixon’s claim to leadership. But where Nixon had acted out of political expediency, Kennedy had acted out of political conviction. Clear-eyed and bold in purpose, assiduous in seeking common ground with adversaries across the aisle, practiced in the art of compromise on details without compromise of principle, more concerned about practical outcomes than about personal credit—these were then and remain the marks of his legislative efforts. 

Fifty years ago, President Nixon interrupted Christmas festivities to sign the National Cancer Act of 1971 into law. Fifty years later, we invite you to immerse yourself in that day to reflect on how far we’ve come.

Speaking surrounded by holly and Christmas cheer in the State Dining Room, Nixon declared, “I hope that in the years ahead that we look back on this day and this action shown as being the most significant action taken during this administration.”

Patricia Nixon, whose dedication to Christmas established a number of White House traditions still in place today, described her 1971 White House Christmas decor as “a land of enchantment.” 

“Holly, garlands of evergreens and banks of red poinsettias fill the famous rooms,” reported The New York Times. “Mrs. Nixon pointed out there is mistletoe, too.”

Under the mistletoe, the White House press office readied itself for the signing of landmark legislation. Nixon’s statement to the press is imbued with Christmas spirit: 

“Hope and comfort, the relief of suffering and the affirmation of life itself—these are qualities which have traditionally been associated with the Christmas season. There could be no more appropriate time than this to sign into law the National Cancer Act of 1971.”

Speaking on behalf of the American Cancer Society, then-President Alva Letton said, “We would like to think that this is a wonderful Christmas present in the signing of this bill today for the 52 million people in our country who will develop cancer who are now living.”