Richard Nixon signed up one of his first clients without even realizing it. As vice president, Nixon traveled in 1959 to the Soviet Union and had the occasion to tour the American National Exhibition at Sokolniki Park alongside Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. The two engaged in a spirited debate about American capitalism before arriving at a display sponsored by Pepsi. The company’s photographer got a picture of Khrushchev drinking (and enjoying) the beverage—an important advertisement for Pepsi.

As a result, the company was able to negotiate an exclusive deal for the Soviet Union, and a grateful Pepsi CEO Don Kendall quickly let it be known that any law firm that hired Nixon would also get Pepsi’s business.

Nixon in New York is the first book written by Victor Li, an assistant managing editor at the ABA Journal.

Read an excerpt from Nixon in New York in the May 2018 issue of the ABA Journal.