As I remember it, at the peak of his fame, Rawat was still far less well known than Leary and of course Nixon.  But there was a moment there where more than a small minority had heard of him.  There really was a time, in '73 especially, when I'd bet more people than not had heard of the teenage guru. 

Hm, now that I think of it, kind of like Uri Geller.  At one point, everyone was talking about the guy bending spoons.  Same with the teenage Lord of the Universe.  Vague recognition factor but widespread.  And yes, always less than Maharishi who Rawat was sometimes mistaken for when you mentioned him.

Interestingly, I remember when first Moon, then Rajneesh, came on the scene.  Both eclipsed Rawat fame-wise at some point.  They both seemed like obvious frauds and interlopers, here only to make the true Lord look sooooo much better.