Abuse of power : the new Nixon tapes

Format:

Electronic Resources

Title:

Abuse of power : the new Nixon tapes

ISBN:

9780684841274

Publication:

Physical Description:

xxiii, 675 pages ; 25 cm

General Note:

Transcriptions of taped conversations of Richard M. Nixon.

Includes index.

Contents:

Introduction: The tapes of Richard Nixon -- pt. 1. The Pentagon Papers and other "White House Horrors", June 1971-June 1972 -- pt. 2. Watergate: break-in and cover-up, June 1972-December 1972 -- pt. 3. Watergate: the unraveling of the cover-up, January 1973-April 1973 -- pt. 4. The President under siege, May 1973-July 1973 -- Epilogue: The final year: the fall of the President, July 1973-August 1974.

Summary:

The transcripts of tapes made during the Nixon administration "offer a spellbinding portrait of raw power and a Shakespearean depiction of a king and his court. Never have the personalities of Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Colson, Haig, Kissinger, Dean, and Mitchell been so vividly captured with the spoken word. And never has an American president offered such a revealing record of his darkest self."--Jacket.

Personal Subject:

Nixon, Richard M. (Richard Milhous), 1913-1994.

Nixon, Richard M. (Richard Milhous), 1913-1994 (OCoLC)fst00031384

Subject(s):

Watergate Affair, 1972-1974.

Sabotage -- United States -- History -- 20th century.

United States -- Politics and government -- 1969-1974.

Geographic Term:

United States -- Politics and government -- 1969-1974.

United States.

Genre:

History.

Added Author:

Kutler, Stanley I.

Nixon, Richard M. (Richard Milhous), 1913-1994.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Salem Main Library	973.924 Abuse 1997	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

No president has covertly taped Oval Office business as thoroughly -- and gotten himself in as much trouble -- as Nixon. He and his heirs fought for years to keep 3,000 hours of these sensitive recordings from ever being released. Now Stanley Kutler, an eminent historian and one of the principal parties to the lawsuit that forced the tapes' release, has edited and annotated every tape concerning abuses of power from Nixon's entire presidency.

Among the breathtaking revelations are Nixon proposing a $5 million scheme to secretly finance a black candidate for president in order to split the Democratic vote; Nixon repeatedly interfering in the Watergate investigation and concocting a series of cover-up stories; and Nixon spying on and harassing George McGovern. Revealing unprecedented details about White House activities -- as well as painting vivid portrait of a paranoid and narcissistic world leader -- Abuse of Power is a repellantly fascinating look into the inner workings of our most notorious presidency.

Author Notes

Stanley Ira Kutler was born in Cleveland, Ohio on August 10, 1934. He graduated from Bowling Green State University and earned a doctorate from Ohio State. He joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty in 1964. He taught there for 32 years until he retired in 1996.

In 1992, he filed a lawsuit with Public Citizen against the National Archives and Records Administration to win the release of more than 3,000 hours of conversations tape-recorded in the Oval Office during Richard Nixon's presidency. As a result of his suit, 201 hours of tapes related to unethical or illegal activity were released in 1996. The 340 hours of Nixon tapes were released in 2013.

He wrote numerous books during his lifetime including Abuse of Power: The New Nixon Tapes, Judicial Power and Reconstruction Politics, Privilege and Creative Destruction: The Charles River Bridge Case, The Wars of Watergate: The Last Crisis of Richard Nixon, and The American Inquisition: Justice and Injustice in the Cold War. He wrote a play entitled I, Nixon and created a television program with the comedian Harry Shearer entitled Nixon's the One. He also edited the Dictionary of American History and founded and edited the journal Reviews in American History. He died from heart failure on April 7, 2015 at the age of 80.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (2)

Choice Review

A product of Kutler's tireless campaign for the release of the Nixon tapes, this is an edited collection of transcripts of President Nixon's Watergate-related conversations made available under a 1974 Congressional directive covering tapes related to "abuse of governmental power." More than 90 percent of the volume covers the year after the June 1972 break-in and focuses on Watergate. This collection covers only 201 of 3,700 hours of the Nixon tapes, but it is the core of the Watergate case. The day-by-day recitation reveals with profound clarity President Nixon's attempts to distort the record, to deny inconvenient evidence, and to place blame. The roles of his advisors become clearer, too, especially H.R. Haldeman's loyalty, even after his dismissal; Alexander Haig's attempts to fan the embers of Nixon's anger; and Ron Ziegler's surprising efforts to offer counsel and restrain the president's excesses. Publication of this remarkable document coincident to that of similar collections of Kennedy and Johnson tape transcripts provides an unprecedented glimpse into the inner chambers of presidential power that is unlikely to be repeated. All levels. A. J. Dunar University of Alabama in Huntsville

Library Journal Review

Nixon: "I can't believe that they can tie [Watergate] to me. What's your feeling?" H.R. Haldeman: "It'll be messy." Right. Twenty-five years after the existence of Nixon's secret White House tape recordings became known, Kutler sued for and won their release. The excerpts provided in this excellent production are a fine example of oral history at its most dramatic (see also Michael Beschloss's Taking Charge: The Johnson White House Tapes, Audio Reviews LJ 2/1/98). Actor William Windom captures the vocal expressions listeners associate with Nixon. The voices of Haldeman, John Erlichman, Henry Kissinger, John Dean, Alexander Haig, and Rose Mary Woods are rendered realistically by an ensemble company. The effect is riveting and brings the listener into the Oval Office with Nixon and the White House staff as they try to distance themselves from the firestorm of allegation being leveled at them from outside. By the end, even Nixon is referring to himself in the third person to separate himself from the inevitability of the official investigation. All libraries will want at least one copy of this production, especially those with a focus on 20th-century political history.Barbara Valle, El Paso P.L., Tex. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.