Oona was fiercely loyal and stood by Charlie when he was persecuted by Senator Joseph McCarthy, who accused him being a Communist sympathizer. Richard Nixon, for political gain, was among those fanning the flames. Chaplin was barred from the United States in 1952 and not permitted to re-enter until 1972, when, as an old man, he returned with great fanfare to accept a lifetime achievement award at the Academy Awards. Nixon—by this time, President Nixon--shunned Chaplin, refusing an invitation to appear at a Lincoln Center gala saluting to him.
Oona O’Neill Chaplin ultimately exacted revenge on President Richard Nixon. What did she do?
- Encouraged Katharine Graham to pursue the Watergate story.
- Refused her son’s request to marry Nixon’s daughter.
- Purchased a New York City penthouse apartment that Nixon had tried to buy but couldn't when rejected by the co-op board.
- Asked her friend Gloria Vanderbilt to socially ostracize the Nixons when the former first couple relocated from California to New York.