Tapes - Watergate.info

Gerald Ford, President Following Watergate, Dies, 93

By admin on December 26, 2006

Gerald Rudolph Ford, the 38th President of the United States, died today, aged 93.

Ford Ford was the oldest ever ex-president and the only man to assume the presidency without being elected.

Ford was appointed Vice-President in 1973, following the resignation of Spiro Agnew. He became President following Richard Nixon’s resignation on August 9, 1974. Attempting election in his own right, Ford was defeated by Jimmy Carter in 1976.

Ford’s most controversial decision as President was to grant a full pardon to Nixon on September 8, 1974.

Rose Mary Woods, Nixon Secretary, Dies, 87

By admin on January 23, 2005

Rose Mary Woods, Nixon's personal secretary during Watergate, has died, aged 87. Woods was supposedly responsible for the famous missing 18 and a half minutes from a White House tape recording.

Supreme Court Orders Nixon To Hand Over Tapes

By admin on July 24, 1974

On July 24, 1974, the United States Supreme Court ordered Nixon to surrender the White House tapes.

The decision of the court was unanimous, 8-0. Justice William Rehnquist did not sit on the case.

Nixon complied with the court’s order in United States v. Nixon.

One of the tapes he released came to be known as the “Smoking Gun Tape”. It revealed that just six days after the Watergate break-in Nixon and Haldeman had discussed the ways to obstruct the FBI’s investigation. This revelation directly led to a collapse in congressional support for Nixon and resulted in his resignation as president on August 9, 1974.

United States v Nixon

By admin on July 24, 1974

Full text of the US Supreme Court decision in the Watergate tapes case: United States v. Nixon

United States vs Nixon – Oral Arguments

By admin on July 8, 1974

The case of United States vs. Nixon was a pivotal moment in Watergate that led directly to the resignation of the President.

In April 1974, the Special Prosecutor, Leon Jaworski, obtained a subpoena that ordered Nixon to hand over a number of White House tape recordings and other papers.

Nixon turned over edited transcripts of 43 conversations. These included portions only of 20 tapes demanded by Jaworski. Nixon then sought to have the subpoena quashed. Judge John Sirica ordered Nixon to turn the tapes over by May 31. The matter was then appealed to the Supreme Court by Nixon and Jaworski.

Nixon’s Third Watergate Speech

By admin on April 29, 1974

President Nixon used his third address to the nation on Watergate to release edited transcripts of the White House tapes.

Text of President Richard Nixon’s Address to the Nation about the Watergate tapes.

Good evening:

I have asked for this time tonight in order to announce my answer to the House Judiciary Committee’s subpoena for additional Watergate tapes, and to tell you something about the actions I shall be taking tomorrow—about what I hope they will mean to you and about the very difficult choices that were presented to me.

These actions will at last, once and for all, show that what I knew and what I did with regard to the Watergate break-in and coverup were just as I have described them to you from the very beginning.

I have spent many hours during the past few weeks thinking about what I would say to the American people if I were to reach the decision I shall announce tonight. And so, my words have not been lightly chosen; I can assure you they are deeply felt.

It was almost 2 years ago, in June 1972 that five men broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington. It turned out that they were connected with my reelection committee, and the Watergate break-in became a major issue in the campaign.

The full resources of the FBI and the Justice Department were used to investigate the incident thoroughly. I instructed my staff and campaign aides to cooperate fully with the investigation. The FBI conducted nearly 1,500 interviews. For 9 months—until March 1973—I was assured by those charged with conducting and monitoring the investigations that no one in the White House was involved.

Alexander Butterfield Reveals Existence Of White House Tapes

By admin on July 16, 1973

Alexander Butterfield’s appearance before the Senate Watergate Committee was a pivotal moment in the unfolding scandal.

From the moment Butterfield confirmed the existence of an Oval Office taping system, the hunt for the tapes began. Ultimately, the Supreme Court ordered Nixon to surrender specified tape recordings, including the “Smoking Gun” tape that precipitated his resignation.

Butterfield’s confirmation came in response to a question from Fred Thompson, the committee’s minority counsel. Thompson went on to serve as a Republican senator from Tennessee from 1994 until 2003.

The Smoking Gun Tape

By admin on June 23, 1972

This is the transcript and recording of a meeting between President Nixon and his Chief of Staff, H.R. Haldeman, in the Oval Office on June 23, 1972.

The conversation took place from 10.04am to 11.39am. The recording subsequently became known as the Smoking Gun and led directly to Nixon’s resignation.

The release of the tape was ordered by the Supreme Court on July 24, 1974, in a case known as United States v. Nixon. The court’s decision was unanimous.

President Nixon released the tape on August 5. It was one of three conversations he had with Haldeman six days after the Watergate break-in. The tapes prove that he ordered a cover-up of the Watergate burglary. The Smoking Gun tape reveals that Nixon ordered the FBI to abandon its investigation of the break-in.

White House Tapes: Milk Price Subsidies

By admin on March 23, 1971

This is the transcript of a White House meeting that discussed milk subsidies.

The meeting was attended by President Richard Nixon, John Connally, John Ehrlichman, Clifford Hardin, John Whitaker, George Schultz, Phil Campbell and Donald Rice.

It took place in the Oval Office from 5.05-5.38pm.

It contains a discussion of the Associated Milk Producers PAC (political action committee) and the electoral value of of milk subsidies for the 1972 election.

Transcript of tape recording of White House Oval Office conversation on March 23, 1971.

Nixon: Hi, Phil, how are you?

Campbell: Mr. President.

Nixon: Sorry to keep you waiting.

Campbell: That’s all right.

Nixon: I suggest that we sit over here everybody. More room and, uh — [coughing] Sit down.

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