Nixons testimony on Watergate

[philw]

http://www.news.com.au/world/tapes-of-grand-jury-testimony-reveal-richard-nixons-testimony-on-watergate-break-in/story-e6frfkyi-1226192918311

DISGRACED US president Richard Nixon described the Watergate break-in which eventually led to his resignation as "silly" and "incredible," in grand jury testimony.
Nixon, speaking 10 months after being forced out of the White House, also recounted how he exploded with rage when he learned about an 18.5-minute gap in a key tape recording.
The details were included in the transcripts of two days of grand jury testimony from June 1975, released today by the Nixon presidential library in California in response to a legal challenge.
Nixon described his anger on learning that a long section had been erased from an audio recording of a post-Watergate White House meeting, which could have been key in showing what he knew about the Watergate break in.
"I practically blew my stack," Nixon - known as "Tricky Dicky" - said, before going on to question if the tape had to be handed over to investigators, as subject to a subpoena.
Nixon resigned in August 1974 over his administration's role in a June 1972 burglary of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex in the US capital and the subsequent cover-up. He became the only American president ever to resign the office.
In other testimony, the ex-president, who died in 1994, lamented the actions of Patrick Gray, acting head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), who was initially in charge of investigating the notorious break-in.
"It is tragic that at this time of this silly, incredible Watergate break-in, he took the papers from Hunt's safe and burned them," he said, referring to Howard Hunt, one of the White House "plumbers" who engineered the break-in.
The release of the testimony by the 37th US president came months after his official library unveiled a new, permanent section on the Watergate scandal as part of its overall exhibition.
In a separate cache of tapes released by the library today, Nixon described a bizarre episode when he crept out of the White House in a pre-dawn sortie to meet anti Vietnam war protesters at the Lincoln Memorial.
"I have never seen the Secret Service quite so petrified with apprehension," Nixon said. "I insisted however no press be informed and that nobody in our office be informed."
Arriving at the memorial about 4.40am, he met a small group of students.

"I walked over to a group of them and shook hands. They were not unfriendly. As a matter of fact they seemed somewhat over-awed and of course, quite surprised.
"I said, 'I know you, probably most of you think I'm an SOB, but, ah, I want you to know that I understand just how you feel'," he added.
In other, surprisingly frank comments, Nixon - removed from office - spoke to the grand jury about the "bosoms" of one US ambassador, and how many others were "eunuchs".
While Nixon got involved in the selection of ambassadors to Britain, France and Japan, he did not do so in smaller countries, where political campaign contributors could be chosen, he said.
"I would say, looking at the smaller countries like Luxembourg, that (socialite) Perle Mesta wasn't sent to Luxembourg because she had big bosoms, he said: "Perle Mesta went to Luxembourg because she made a good contribution.
"As far as career ambassadors, most of them are a bunch of eunuchs," he added.
"And I don't mean that in a physical sense, but I meant it in an emotional sense, in a mental sense. They aren't for the American free enterprise system."

[mortdooley]

 When I was in grade school the history taught sounded different then what the old men around me remembered. There were stories about the Civil War I never heard anywhere else, men would climb telegraph poles before battles and pretend to work on the wire or just disappear until the battle was over. People remembered a time when you had to be rich to make enough money to owe any income tax. The Blue Laws have mostly gone away except that you still can't buy alcohol on Sunday before noon and no one remembers them or would know what they were for.

 Ben Stein was a frequent guest on Glenn Beck until they had a short discussion on air about President Nixon and Stein informed him that Richard Nixon was a great man and didn't deserve to be remembered just for Watergate. His only crime was the cover-up not the break-in, had he known he would have never approved. My eyes were opened when I met a man who was cussing Nixon and I asked him what he was going on about and he said "Nixon and Watergate" (sanitized version). I asked him which part upset him the most and he didn't know the first thing about any of it just that he hated Nixon. After that I looked at the whole affair differently, he didn't need or order anyone to do anything illegal, he just didn't pimp them out afterward which became his downfall.

 

[Solus]

It's a bit funny....

Watergate happened while I was in college and one of my courses was critical speaking and we studied speeches of folks in history.  two we studied were Hitler and Nixon....Nixon's "Checker Speech" in particular.

Both had the ability to sway the crowds or masses and neither had a particularly "charismatic" appearance. 

I began disliking Nixon at that time, seeing that his speech did not answer the questions he claimed it would, but it did pull at the emotions and moved folks.

I just distrusted him.....

But I was young and idealistic, thinking politicians, as should all people, be honest and forthright.

Would I love to have had Nixon as president for the past 3 years?   You bet I would.

[tombogan03884]

If you look at the actual record, with out the Leftist BS Nixon was actually a pretty good President, He takes heat for Vietnam, the democrats war he finally got us out of.
He takes heat over equating Dems with Communists, his vindication is sitting in the White House today.
Was he perfect ?
Of course not, who is ?

And if any one says Ron Paul I will say very bad things about them

[Solus]

If you look at the actual record, with out the Leftist BS Nixon was actually a pretty good President, He takes heat for Vietnam, the democrats war he finally got us out of.
He takes heat over equating Dems with Communists, his vindication is sitting in the White House today.
Was he perfect ?
Of course not, who is ?

And if any one says Ron Paul I will say very bad things about them

Agreed...now.   At the time, all I could remember was Nixon's first campaign where he had a slogan..   "If an administration can't end the war in 4 years, they don't deserve another chance".

That only reinforced my distrust and dislike of him when he was running for his second term after not being able to end the war in 4 years.

Not so much that I blamed him for not getting it done, but for being a hypocrite and running again.

Lord, how idealistic I was.....but never was a Democrat.

[Sponsor]

[Timothy]

Agreed...now.   At the time, all I could remember was Nixon's first campaign where he had a slogan..   "If an administration can't end the war in 4 years, they don't deserve another chance".

That only reinforced my distrust and dislike of him when he was running for his second term after not being able to end the war in 4 years.

Not so much that I blamed him for not getting it done, but for being a hypocrite and running again.

Lord, how idealistic I was.....but never was a Democrat.

You were in college, idealism was the norm for you!  Not being a lefty was probably not a popular stance...

My brothers and I all enlisted DURING the Vietnam War.  Though we may not have agreed with why or how we got there, we weren't subjected to the draft and volunteered.  I don't recall ever even having a discussion with either of them about how they felt about it.  We just felt compelled to see what we could do to affect a change from that side of the equation.

I'm too young to form an opinion about the Nixon years and haven't studied the history of it but from a laymen point of view, I'd rather have Nixon over Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, Clinton or Obama any day!

[Timothy]

And if any one says Ron Paul I will say very bad things about them

But Tom, I hear that Dr. Paul poops gold bullion and will rid the country of the evil war mongers by Cesarian section!

[Solus]

You were in college, idealism was the norm for you!  Not being a lefty was probably not a popular stance...

My brothers and I all enlisted DURING the Vietnam War.  Though we may not have agreed with why or how we got there, we weren't subjected to the draft and volunteered.  I don't recall ever even having a discussion with either of them about how they felt about it.  We just felt compelled to see what we could do to affect a change from that side of the equation.

I'm too young to form an opinion about the Nixon years and haven't studied the history of it but from a laymen point of view, I'd rather have Nixon over Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, Clinton or Obama any day!

I was in college on the G.I. Bill and was in a Catholic grade school (8th grade) when Kennedy was running for election, so I was a Kennedy supporter.    In my High School mock election I voted for Goldwater.  

I like Kennedy less now and Goldwater even more.

Some of Goldwater's thoughts:

I have little interest in streamlining government or in making it more efficient, for I mean to reduce its size. I do not undertake to promote welfare, for I propose to extend freedom. My aim is not to pass laws, but to repeal them.

It is not to inaugurate new programs, but to cancel old ones that do violence to the Constitution, or that have failed their purpose, or that impose on the people an unwarranted financial burden. I will not attempt to discover whether legislation is "needed" before I have first determined whether it is constitutionally permissible.

if I should later be attacked for neglecting my constituents' "interests," I shall reply that I was informed that their main interest is liberty and that in that cause I am doing the very best I can.

I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!

Those who seek absolute power, even though they seek it to do what they regard as good, are simply demanding the right to enforce their own version of heaven on earth. And let me remind you, they are the very ones who always create the most hellish tyrannies. Absolute power does corrupt, and those who seek it must be suspect and must be opposed.



I'd say we need a candidate like this today.

[tombogan03884]

America doesn't raise many like that any more, and it's a damn shame.