Dick Richardson

Dick Richardson (voiced by Jeffrey Jones) was the President of the United States from 2220-2242, at the time of Fallout 2.

Background
Dick Richardson was initially a Congressman of the Enclave, rising to power (2215) with help from his father, Richardson Senior. This ended up with him being elected in 2220 for his first term as President of the United States. By 2242 he's serving his sixth term, leading the Enclave into a new era of prosperity and mutation-free humanity. However, he does it at the cost of his health, as he's become a thin, nervous man as tired and frayed as the suit he's wearing.

Richardson controls the military strength of the Enclave, and is the head of patriotic propaganda campaign targeted on the people of the Oil Rig. He oversees the Enclave's master plan to free the US from all mutants by killing nearly all life on the continent. By his own claims, President Richardson does not find any joy or pleasure in the Enclave's plan of exterminating the people on the mainland using the FEV, but is calmly accepting of what he sees as a necessary evil for the survival of Enclave's version of humanity.

The destruction of the Enclave would seem to have erased all trace of President Richardson from history, with the title of "President" now simply used as a boogeyman term to frighten children. However, President John Henry Eden from Fallout 3 refers to President Richardson as one of America's many leaders he studied for inspiration.

Interactions with the player character
Despite that he is one of the shortest living characters in the entire game, he practically reveals all the background storyline questions regarding the Enclave, their reason behind digging up Mariposa Military Base, and their connection with the Vaults, as well as the reasons for the kidnapping of the Chosen One's fellow tribesmen. The President seems to be somewhat gullible in both his willingness to reveal so much to the player and that in one dialogue option the player can claim to be the Emperor of the Planet Quetzl and the President believes the player.

He holds the Presidential Access Keycard (which may only be obtained by killing him, though there are several ways this can be achieved without alerting the entire Enclave), which allows you to turn the turrets against their former master. This only works on the turrets in the Entrance hall.

Appearances
Dick Richardson appears only in Fallout 2.

In Fallout 3, Richardson is also mentioned by in the Enclave Soldier deserter's computer terminal in Grayditch, at the opposite side of The Wilk's house, as well as by Owyn Lyons. He is also mentioned by John Henry Eden when the PC meets him "face-to-face", or "face-to-screen."

Behind the scenes
In the movie Clear And Present Danger (1994) the President of the United States says a similar line near the end of the movie: "How dare you come and barge in to my office!" to the movie's main character Jack Ryan. In Clear And Present Danger the president was portrayed as a corrupt and power hungry politician.

His name may also be a reference to former US president: Richard Nixon, considering that Dick is short for Richard. However it is also likely that his name is a simple play on words: Richard Richardson.