What did Alexander Butterfield reveal?
Asked by: Lia Bernier | Last update: July 15, 2025Score: 4.3/5 (41 votes)
He revealed the White House taping system's existence on July 13, 1973, during the
What did the White House tapes reveal?
One tape, later known as the "Smoking Gun" tape, documented the initial stages of the Watergate coverup. On it, Nixon and Haldeman are heard formulating a plan to block investigations by having the CIA falsely claim to the FBI that national security was involved.
What was found on the Watergate tapes?
Topics include: possible claims of Executive Privilege in testimony; claim of national security; conversation with Dean about a resignation letter; previous knowledge of break-in by White House staff; Dean's failure to write down his Report; possibility of announcing that Ehrlichman will continue the investigation.
Who ordered Nixon to release the tapes?
In July, the Supreme Court ordered Nixon to release the tapes, and the House Judiciary Committee recommended that he be impeached for obstructing justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress. In one of the tapes, later known as "the smoking gun", he ordered aides to tell the FBI to halt its investigation.
Which president taped all of their conversations in the White House during the 1970s?
Finally, the president's office and two telephones in Aspen Lodge at Camp David began recording on May 18, 1972. Although Nixon was initially reluctant to record his conversations, once the system was in place he wanted a complete record of conversations which far exceeded anything his predecessors had done.
Alexander Butterfield: The Fallout From Revealing Nixon's Secret Tapes
Who was the 1st president to sleep in the White House?
Although President Washington oversaw the construction of the house, he never lived in it. It was not until 1800, when the White House was nearly completed, that its first residents, President John Adams and his wife, Abigail, moved in.
Which president partied at the White House?
Not just a populist, but quite pop-ular at the time too, Andrew Jackson held several open-invite parties at the White House, the most famous of which was during his very own Welcome Week.
Where did the term "big enchilada" come from?
The Slang Term “Big Enchilada” Was Popularized By Watergate
John Ehrlichman, President Richard Nixon's chief domestic affairs adviser, popularized so many catchphrases, he could have been a pro wrestler. One of these was “the big enchilada,” which he used to refer to U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell.
Who is Deep Throat in the Watergate scandal?
Writer Nora Ephron became obsessed with figuring out the secret of Deep Throat's identity and eventually correctly concluded that he was Mark Felt. In 1999, a 19-year-old college student, Chase Culeman-Beckman, claimed that Bernstein's son, Jacob, told him Mark Felt was Deep Throat.
Who did Nixon fire?
During a single evening on Saturday, October 20, Nixon ordered Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire Archibald Cox; Richardson refused and resigned effective immediately. Nixon then ordered Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus to fire Cox; Ruckelshaus refused, and also resigned.
Did Forrest Gump expose the Watergate scandal?
Final answer: Forrest Gump exposed the Watergate scandal during his third visit to the White House. The Watergate hotel became synonymous with the scandal that eventually led to President Richard Nixon's resignation from office in 1974.
What happened on June 17, 1972?
Early on the morning of June 17, 1972, five men broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate hotel and office complex in Washington, D.C. A security guard discovered the team and alerted the metro police, who arrested the burglars, who carried more than $3,500 in cash and high-end ...
Why is it called Watergate?
Ford pardoned Nixon for all of his crimes later on. The name "Watergate" comes from the hotel in Washington, D.C. where the first crime and break in took place, and is often associated with political scandals.
What was the only thing saved from the original White House?
Americans are familiar with the account of the rescue of Gilbert Stuart's portrait of George Washington, purchased for the President's House in 1800, which was saved in 1814 because of Dolley Madison's insistence on its removal from the house in the midst of the chaos surrounding the impending British invasion.
Who was Alexander Butterfield and what was his role in Watergate?
He served as the deputy assistant to President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1973. He revealed the White House taping system's existence on July 13, 1973, during the Watergate investigation but had no other involvement in the scandal.
Is there still a taping system in the White House?
After Nixon left office, the practice of systematically and secretly recording conversations in the White House was discontinued. To address issues that arose during and in the aftermath of Watergate, Congress passed the Presidential Records Act of 1978.
Who snitched on the Watergate scandal?
In 2005, at age 91, Felt revealed to Vanity Fair magazine that during his tenure as Deputy Director of the FBI he had been the anonymous source known as "Deep Throat", who provided The Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein with critical information about the Watergate scandal, which ultimately led ...
Who was the mastermind behind the Watergate scandal?
G. Gordon Liddy. George Gordon Battle Liddy (November 30, 1930 – March 30, 2021) was an American lawyer and FBI agent who was convicted of conspiracy, burglary, and illegal wiretapping for his role in the Watergate scandal during the Nixon administration.
How accurate are all the President's men?
The story of the production of All the President's Men is not entirely a duplication of real life to the big screen. For as meticulously crafted The Washington Post newsroom was on a Hollywood soundstage, the same exactness was compromised by the film's mythological depiction of journalists, according to some critics.
Why are they called divorced enchiladas?
These recipes are taken from her new book 'Mexico the Cookbook' a bible of authentic Mexican home cooking. They are called 'divorced' enchiladas because one is covered in green salsa and the other in red salsa!
What does I'm the whole enchilada mean?
noun. US, informal. : the entire thing : everything. The celebration included music, food, fireworks—the whole enchilada. The team has a good chance in the playoffs and may win the whole enchilada this year.
Why do Mexicans eat enchiladas?
The roots of enchilada date back to the Aztec Empire. Its long history goes way back to pre-Columbian days when eating foods wrapped in a tortilla was the most popular way to eat in the Aztec Empire, particularly in the region of Mexico by the Yucatan.
Who is the only president to have a child born in the White House?
Esther, President Grover Cleveland's second daughter, was the first and only child of a president to be born in the White House. The White House has served as the home for the president and his family since November 1800 when President John and Abigail Adams became the mansion's first residents.
Which president got rid of the pool at the White House?
In 1970, during Richard Nixon's presidency, the pool was covered and converted into a new Press Briefing Room to accommodate the growing media presence at the White House.
Which president served 3?
Roosevelt won a third term by defeating Republican nominee Wendell Willkie in the 1940 United States presidential election. He remains the only president to serve for more than two terms.