Nixon takes responsibility.

What if, during those final days in the White House Nixon has a "revelation" , maybe he returns to the Quakerisim of his youth, anyways, in his resignation speech Nixon accepts full responsibility for Watergate and offers to servr any penalty Congress imposes, privately he urges Jerry Ford to not issue that infamous pardon.

How would Nixon be rememberd?
 
As long as he still resigns and is out of the whitehouse I imagine not much changes. Congress may pass some sort of censure/condemnation just so they can say they did but the economic issues of the mid seventies begin to take priorities and the desire to go after someone who is politically radioactive and dead loses steam once he is out of power. However Ford not issuing the pardon may be just enough of a boost to lift him over Carter in 76.
 
At this point I dont think Nixon's image can be rehabilitated, its hard to imagine that some truth at the end will change the general OTL opinion, for any hope of a better view of Nixon he would have to take responsibility from the get-go. However as asupackman did point out the whole situation could end in a Ford presidency, that would be a cool TL.
 
If Nixon takes full responsibility for his part in the Watergate cover-up and takes responsibility for the illegal activities of those in his administration, including the burglars, plumbers and the committee to Re-elect the President AND resigns the presidency, then I imagine that Ford would likely pardon Nixon in spite of his request not to be pardoned. In TTL the political price of the pardon paid by Ford would be less and Nixon's reputation would end up about where it has in OTL (or slightly/marginally better maybe).
 
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