Secondary Annotations:
Abrahamsen, David. Nixon Vs. Nixon: An Emotional Tragedy. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1977.
This source is focused on the early life and the background information of Richard Nixon. It specifically focuses on Nixon’s secretive nature and how an intelligent child turned into a man alienated from others. It covers his childhood and adolescence to the President's devious behavior. This book goes into detail about the events in his childhood and grammar school and the similarities of Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger. The author, David Abrahamsen, is the author of many books and is a practicing psychoanalyst. There is no bias as the book is analysis of Richard Nixon. This source gives good information about Nixon and his early years and will be used in our project to get a better understanding of Nixon.
Ambrose, Stephen E. The Triumph of a Politician, 1962-1972. Vol. 2 of Nixon. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1989.
This book focused on the life of former President Richard Nixon. It especially focused on the Watergate scandal, which eventually led to the resignation of Nixon. It goes through the events of Nixon’s political career, from his election in 1968, to his role in the Vietnam war, to the events of Watergate. This book goes into great detail about these events and it really shows who Richard Nixon was as both a political figure and as a person. The author, Stephen Ambrose, is a well-known historian and has written multiple biographies on both Nixon and Dwight Eisenhower. There is a slight bias in this book, as Ambrose was known to be a critic of Nixon, however this biography is considered fair regarding Nixon’s presidency. This book gives great specific info on Nixon, and it will be used for this in the project.
Black, Conrad. Richard M. Nixon: a Life in Full. New York: Public Affairs, 2007.
This source goes into depth on the life of Richard Nixon. From his birth in 1913, to his death in 1994, Conrad Black traces Nixon’s life in full. He goes into details about events in Nixon’s life from when he was vice president in 1952, to him being elected president in 1968, to his role in the Vietnam war, to his 1972 re-election in one of the biggest landslides in history, to his role in the Watergate scandal which eventually led to his resignation. The author, Conrad Black, is a well known historical author and has written a book called Franklin Delano Roosevelt which was widely acclaimed as a masterpiece. This book has a slight bias against Nixon, but for the most part is it just a recollection of Nixon’s life. This source will be helpful in providing information about Nixon’s life as a whole, and also gives in-depth analysis on the Watergate scandal.
Colodny, Len. Silent Coup: The Removal of a President. New York: St Martins Pr, 1991.
This secondary source is an explosive new history of the Watergate Scandal. This book is made up of the political and personal agendas that caused the downfall of Richard Nixon. Through the reading of this book it is apparent that Nixon was at war with his own government. Some of the incredible revelations in this book are who “Deep Throat” was, one the Watergate burglars giving his side of the story, and who Nixon sought help from to cover up the scandal. Filled with many interviews, Oval Office logs, and from the testimonies of people involved in the scandal, this source is truly groundbreaking. Len Colodny is a scholarly source as he is political analyst and thoroughly researched the Watergate Scandal to finally finish this book.
Dallek, Robert. Nixon and Kissinger: Partners in Power. New York: Harper, 2007.
This source focuses on Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger and how their they were two of the most compelling. contradictory, and powerful men in America in the second half of the twentieth century. This biography offers a provocative, groundbreaking portrait of a pairs of outsized leaders whose unlikely partnership dominated the world stage and changed the course of history. This book goes into detail about their pursuit of their goals and the rivalry between the two, such as their reach for achievements for foreign affairs. The author, Robert Dallek, also wrote another book about John F. Kennedy and his writing has appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. There is no bias as the author just further explained the events of Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger. This source gives good information on the two and does a good job explaining the differences between the two. This source will be used to provide quality information on Richard Nixon and the differences he had with Henry Kissinger.
Drew, Elizabeth. Richard M. Nixon. New York: Times Books, 2007.
In this very interesting secondary source by Elizabeth Drew, Richard Nixon’s character is thoroughly analyzed. She offers a new perspective on Nixon’s life, politics, and policies before and during his presidency. Some of Nixon’s key decisions as President were opening relations with China and the Soviet Union, allowing the War in Vietnam to continue on for far too long, and expanding the role of the federal government. All these decisions can be viewed both as good and bad. In the end, Elizabeth Drew answers the big question whether Nixon was fit to even be elected as President in the first place. Elizabeth Drew is a scholarly author as she viewed Nixon’s presidency and has published thirteen previous books. She personally did not like Nixon and was for his impeachment.
Emery, Fred. Watergate: The Corruption of American Politics and the Fall of Richard Nixon. New York: Crown, 1994.
This is a compelling source about the corruption involved with American politics during Richard Nixon’s era. The book is filled with tons of information in the form of many interviews, documents regarding the scandal, and Emery’s own insight on the topic. The source also dissected some of the more recently released tapes of Nixon. Some of the main things Emery focuses on are how the Watergate break-in came to pass and how the cover up spread like wildfire. By the time Nixon became aware of the issue all he could do was play along and hope he would not be linked with the break in. This book was very powerful in how it was able to portray the peaceful removal of a corrupt President and the orderly transfer of power. Fred Emery is a scholar who studied at a top university in Australia. It is clear that he is a big supporter of the impeachment and democracy as a whole.
Frick, Daniel. Reinventing Richard Nixon: A Cultural History of an American Obsession. Lawrence: Univ. of Kansas, 2008.
This book by Daniel Frick is an overview of the life of Richard Nixon and his legacy. Daniel Frick is director of the Writing Center and senior assistant professor of English at Franklin and Marshall College. This source provides a good overview of the actions of Nixon and is especially important as a viewpoint into his legacy in light of the many years since his presidency. This book holds an overall positive viewpoint on the life and presidency of Nixon. This work is a good source as it looks back on a controversial character’s legacy.
Frost, David. Behind the Scenes of the Nixon Interviews. New York: Morrow, 1978.
This source is the untold account of what happened behind the scenes of the historic TV event. This source is an absorbing narrative by a man who had personal contact with Nixon. This source gives excellent detail of the Watergate tapes and the interview with Richard Nixon. The interview was aired in May 1977 when people all over America and Europe watched. It drew the widest audience ever for a news program, 45 million people in America alone. The author, David Frost, was the host and co-creator of That Was the Week That Was on BBC television in Britain in November 1962. He has also received two Emmy awards for The David Frost Show. There is no bias as the author followed a narrative style of writing and summarized some of the events. This book is very helpful and will be used to further explain the scandal and the Nixon interviews.
Fulsom, Don. Nixon's Darkest Secrets: The Inside Story of America's Most Troubled President. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2012.
This source was an excellent source that provided a vast amount of information about the Watergate scandal. Further, not only did this book explain a ton about Watergate, it also relieved many other secrets in the white house. One fact that was presented in this book, was the fact that Nixon was somewhat of an alcoholic. Not known to most, Nixon was a heavy drinker. It is concerning to some that the most powerful person in the world was more than just a social drinker. Not only did Nixon have drinking problems, but he also went behind the back of the American people. In many cases Nixon was deceptive in CIA ops and with other foreign policy matters, like the Vietnam war. This book shows a strong bias towards the negative aspects of Nixon’s life. This source only focuses on the bad things that occurred under Nixon. Fulsom was a long time white house reporter. Also, was a former Washington bureau chief who covered Nixon's term. He is also a professor at Washington University.
Gellman, Irwin. The Contender. New York: The Free Press, 1999
This source focused on Nixon’s years in congress and his early life. Instead of only looking at the negative things in Nixon’s political life, this book focuses on his triumphs. Like, how Nixon was a hard worker and was a favorite among the public for a while. Nixon was adored by the people when he first started his political career. Overall, Nixon did well in congress. This book tries to show that even though Watergate was a major blunder it should not define Nixon’s entire political career. The author, Irwin Gellman, is a professor of Modern History at Chapman University in Orange, California. He has published numerous books about politics and the presidency of the United States.
Genovese, Michael A. The Watergate Crisis. Westport, Conn: Greenwood, 1999.
This source goes into great detail about the Watergate crisis. It examines what happened in Watergate, who was involved, what it meant to them, and what it means now. It also explains why Watergate was so important, and what it meant for Richard Nixon in particular. It also explains how Watergate changed the way the press and public reacted towards the government and towards political activity. The author, Michael Genovese, received his Ph. D from the University of Southern California and currently is a professor at Loyola University. He has also written multiple historical books and is respected author. This bias in this book is that Watergate was one of the worst things to happen to the American government and that it ended up defining Richard Nixon’s political career.
Greenberg, David Nixon's Shadow: The History of an Image. New York, NY: Norton & Company, 2003.
This source rediscovers the competing views of our most controversial president. This fascinating source reveals not just what Nixon did but, more importantly, what Nixon meant. This source focuses on the controversial ideas and events of Richard Nixon and how the questions of what the politician’s ‘real’ character and what image he was trying to project. The author, David Greenberg, is a historian, a columnist for Slate, and a professor at Yale University. He has also written other publications in The Atlantic, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. The bias of this source is the author is a critic of Richard Nixon. This source was helpful and is useful to get a better understanding of the controversial president.
Henderson, Charles. The Nixon Theology. New York: Harper and Row, 1972.
This source was a great overview of the entire presidency of Richard Nixon. This source starts from the Inaugural address and continues to explain the life of Richard Nixon all the way up to the time he was impeached. This source points out that Richard Nixon was at first loved by the public eye. Further, this source explains how Richard Nixon was always at war with communism. A main goal of his political career was to eliminate communism. This book is bias to the fact that Richard Nixon did well in office. The fault in this book is that it does not point out Richard Nixon’s shortcomings. The author, Charles Henderson, has written numerous history books, and spent a majority of time studying the presidency of Nixon.
Hoff, Joan. Nixon Reconsidered. New York, NY: Basic Books, 1994.
This source gives a different look at the Presidency of Richard Nixon. The author, Joan Hoff, focuses on the positives of Nixon’s presidency and his success in foreign policy, such as opening relations with China. She also cites things such as Nixon’s role in desegregating southern schools, and his attempts at reforming health care and welfare. Joan Hoff is a respected author who has written many historical books including ones on Nixon and Eleanor Roosevelt. Her bias is clearly favoring Nixon, as she defends his presidency and gives examples of the good things that he did in office. This source will be helpful in giving background info about Nixon and giving other information not about Watergate during his presidency.
Olson, Keith W. Watergate: The Presidential Scandal That Shook America. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2003.
This book analyzes how Watergate was a major crisis in U.S politics. This book takes a look at the court case and its major players. Further, it goes into great detail discussing who was directly involved. First, this book talks about the events of the actual break in. This source was used to discover more about the actual events of Watergate. In addition, this source was a great source that showed a lot about the American people’s perspective. This source gave accounts of the peoples opinions before and after the scandal. This source has no clear bias. It shows both sides of the Watergate scandal. Keith W. Olson is a professor of history at the University of Maryland. He is the author of numerous books, including, The Veterans.
Parmet, Herbert S. Richard Nixon and His America. Boston: Little Brown & Co, 1990.
For the last four decades Richard Nixon has been praised and both scrutinized for his time in office. Before his impeachment, Nixon saw himself as just the average American. This source tries to point out that Nixon just wanted the best for America and its people. Although he got caught up in the Watergate scandal, Nixon truly was not that bad of a president. This source is somewhat biased to the fact that Nixon was a good president overall. It fails to show that Nixon did make errors in his political career. The author, Herbert Parmet is a professor at Queensborough Community College in New York city. He is the author of several historical books.
Reeves, Richard. President Nixon: Alone in the White House. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.
This source offers a nuanced and surprising portrait of the brilliant and contradictory man alone in the White House. This source is a startling narrative of a desperately introverted man who dreamed of becoming the architect of his times. The author, Richard Reeves, shows a presidency doomed from the start. This source will stand as the authoritative account of Nion in the White House. Richard Reeves is also the author of President Kennedy: Profile to Power. The bias of this source is the author was more of a critic of Nixon and focuses more on the downfall of the former president. This book is helpful and useful to further understand the downfall of Richard Nixon.
Sulzberger, C.L. The World and Richard Nixon. New York: Prentice Hall Trade, 1987.
This source shows how Richard Nixon was a good president and a master with foreign policy. This source also shows opinions from other politicians and world leaders. All of these opinions culminate to show that although Nixon did make a grave error, he was not a completely terrible president. In this reached work of Richard Nixon, the author pays careful attention to all of Nixon’s aspects during his political career. Also, there are accounts from numerous UN members and other office holders. Further, in this source there are one on one interviews of both Kissinger and Nixon. C.L Sulzberger was the chief foreign correspondent for the New York Times Foreign Service from 1944-1954. He wrote countless foreign affairs articles for 23 years. Further he is the author of 21 historical books.
Volkan, Vamik D. Richard Nixon: A Psychobiography. New York: Columbia University Press, 1997.
This book by Vamik Volkan provides an in-depth look into what was going on inside the head of Richard Nixon during the Watergate Scandal. Volkan is a professor of psychiatry at University of Virginia and has authored other books on psychology. This source is biased towards Nixon as it excuses his actions because of his background. The book gives a deep look into the former president’s mind and background in order to explain his actions. This is a valuable source as it helps to understand what was going through Richard Nixon’s mind during the scandal that eventually marked his downfall.
Wills, Gary. Nixon Agonistes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company Boston, 1969.
This source was an excellent source that showed a lot about Nixon’s life. Nixon was a self made man. He was driven and was not handed anything. This book shows some of the more positive aspects of Richard Nixon with respect to his determination and work ethic. Although Nixon did make a huge mistake, this book focuses on the good part of presidency. Further, this source also brings to light some of his negative aspects. This source was great in showing how Nixon’s presidency collapsed step by step. This source went into great detail to analyze some of Nixon’s biggest errors. The author, Gary Wills, has a Ph. D from Yale, and is currently a journalist. Further, he writes multiple newspaper columns along with history books.
Woodward, Bob. The Secret Man: the Story of Watergate's Deep Throat. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005.
This source focuses on the secret identity of the man nicknamed Deep Throat. Deep Throat was the man who originally tipped of Woodward and Bernstein about Nixon's role in Watergate. This man revealed himself to be Mark Felt in 2005. The Secret Man chronicles the story in intimate detail, from Woodward’s first chance encounter with Felt in the Nixon White House, to their middle of the night meetings, to the aftermath of Watergate and decades beyond, until Felt finally stepped forward at age 91 to unmask himself as Deep Throat. The author, Bob Woodward was one of the main journalists on the Watergate scandal, and he and Carl Bernstein originally broke the story. The bias is favoring Mark Felt and the role that he played in Watergate, as he helped Woodward and Bernstein break the story.
Primary Annotations:
BBC News “1973: Nixon Takes Rap For Watergate Scandal” http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/30/newsid_2933000/2933155.stm (accessed April 21, 2013)
This primary source is of how President Nixon has taken full responsibility for the Watergate scandal and how he has denied any personal involvement. This source also goes into explanation of some of the pursuing events after Watergate, including his speech broadcast to the American people. This source also goes into detail of the resignations of Nixon’s four closest aides, one of them being the Attorney General Richard G. Kleindienst. This source is in the form of a website and intended for anyone interested in the Watergate scandal and the events that followed. This source was helpful by providing solid information about the events after Watergate. Further, it represents a timeline for the events that followed the Watergate scandal.
Frampton, George. Stonewall: The Real Story of the Watergate Prosecution. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1977.
This is a primary source book by George Frampton about the story of the Watergate prosecution. Frampton served as one of the Assistant Special Prosecutors that guided the Watergate Scandal. For the first part of the trial he worked under Cox and then under Jaworski. Both of these men played instrumental roles in bringing down the once idolized Richard Nixon. All of the prosecutor’s strategies are revealed and their hard work and persistence is put on display. The author also describes the efforts of the White House to cover up the scandal and their refusal to turn over the tapes that led to Nixon’s downfall. Frampton shows how the Watergate Scandal was truly a government conspiracy. Frampton was clearly not a fan of Nixon and did everything in his power to bring him down.
General R. Ford Library and Museum. “The Watergate Files.” Ford Library. http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/museum/exhibits/watergate_files/content.php?section=5&page=b (accessed April 7, 2013).
This primary source is an excellent source that showed the official documents of the Watergate case. This source was put together by the Ford Library and contains a massive amount of the actual documents from Watergate. This source has papers such as, Nixon’s resignation paper, multiple addresses, jury papers, and even some of the tapes from Watergate. This source is in the form of a website and its audience is for anyone interested in Watergate. This source was helpful in explaining the aftermath of Watergate. Further, it represents a great timeline of all the events of Watergate. Also, this source was helpful in showing all of the people who were involved in Watergate.
Gray, Patrick L. In Nixon's Web: a Year in the Crosshairs of Watergate. New York: Times Books, 2008.
This book is a firsthand source about the entire Watergate scandal. The author, L. Patrick Gray was the former acting director of the FBI. This source shows every moment of the entire investigation. Further, it goes into many of the behind the scenes things of Watergate. It goes into detail about Deep Throat and other elements of Watergate. This book does have a strong bias. Since the author was the FBI director, this source is bias towards his view. The author was the former FBI director, and was involved during Watergate Scandal. His son is a freelance writer and finished the book after Gray passed away.
Haldeman, H. R. The Ends of Power. New York: Times Books, 1978.
This book by H.R. Haldeman is a primary source account that was written to try to create one true account of what occurred during the Watergate Scandal. H.R. Haldeman served as the Chief of Staff for Nixon and was present at almost every meeting the President held discussing the Watergate Scandal. Haldeman not only knew about the Watergate Scandal, but also personally knew Nixon and his overall character. He also discusses his own mistakes regarding the Watergate Scandal, which makes him a very reliable author. Some of the things Haldeman discusses in his book are the CIA’s involvement, the mysterious Deep Throat, and who erased the tapes. Based on Haldeman’s book the reader is given a completely new perspective on the Watergate Scandal and was used heavily throughout the project.
Nixon, Richard. “Address to the Nation About the Watergate Investigations.” http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/primary-resources/nixon-water1/ (accessed May 2, 2013).
This is a primary source of Richard Nixon’s first speech regarding the Watergate Scandal. In this speech he addresses what he knows about the Watergate Scandal and how he was not even the slightest bit involved. He later went on to explain that the resignations of people of his office were not an admission of guilt, but were carried out to restore order in America. He also states that Elliot Richard was given full responsibility of investigating the scandal, which made people wonder if Nixon was only appointing him so he could be found innocent. He concluded the speech by saying that the people of America need to put this behind and focus on the larger issues facing the nation. This really paints the picture of the immoral side of Nixon.
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. “President Ford’s Statement on Pardoning Richard Nixon, 1974.” http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/seventies/resources/president-ford%E2%80%99s-statement-pardoning-richard-nixon-1974 (accessed April 12, 2013)
This is a primary source of President Ford’s statement before the subcommittee on Criminal Justice regarding his pardon of Richard Nixon on October 17, 1974. This source was put together by The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. This source contains the original document of the statement and the full excerpt of Ford’s speech. This source is in the form of a website and its intended audience is for anyone who wants to read the full excerpt of Ford’s pardon of Nixon and anyone who is interested in the Watergate scandal. This source was helpful in further explaining the events after the Watergate scandal. This source was extremely useful in helping explain the pardon of Richard Nixon. This source will be used to further explain the the pardon of Richard Nixon and the explanation behind it.
The Guardian. “Interview with Richard Nixon.” http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2007/sep/07/greatinterviews1 (accessed April 15, 2013)
This is a primary source of an interview with Richard Nixon. This source is an edited transcript of David Frost’s interview with Richard Nixon broadcasted in May 1977. This source contains the full interview with Nixon. This source was reproduced with permission by The Guardian magazine. This source showed how Richard Nixon was self conceived. This source is in the form of a website and is intended for anyone who wants to learn more about Richard Nixon’s side of the Watergate scandal. This source was helpful by giving perspective of Richard Nixon’s side and finding out more information the events of Watergate. This source was useful in further explaining the events of Watergate and helping to explain whether or not Nixon was a bad president or not.
The History Place. “Articles of Impeachment.” http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/impeachments/nixon.htm (accessed April 13, 2013)
This primary source goes into great detail of the events leading up to impeachment and the consequences. A break-in at the Watergate office complex in Washington on June 17, 1972 was discovered by a 24-year-old night watchman named Frank Wills. The five burglars were arrested at 2:30 am, and were soon discovered by investigators to be employed by the Committee to Re-elect President Nixon. This source is is in the form of a website and intended for anyone who wants to learn more about Richard Nixon and the events of Watergate. This source was extremely helpful in giving excellent information on Nixon and the events leading up to his impeachment. It was also helpful on giving great information on the consequences after the scandal.
“The Nixon/Gannon Interviews.” http://www.libs.uga.edu/media/collections/nixon/nixonday1.html(accessed May 5, 2013).
This primary source documents a series of interviews in 1983 between Nixon and reporter Frank Gannon. These interviews detail Nixon’s life in full, from his beginnings as a boy in California, to his resignation from president. This was one of the first and only times that Nixon has opened up about his entire life, especially about the Watergate scandal. In these interviews he admitted fully to everything he did, and he appeared sincere about it. This shows that Nixon did feel bad about what he did and wanted to repair his public image. This source gives the full interview, and it is very informative and descriptive. It is a great site for anyone who wants to find out more about Nixon's life.
“The Pentagon Papers.” https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/pentagon/doc1.htm (accessed April 12, 2013).
This primary source is a copy of the Pentagon Papers, which are a set of documents about U.S relations with Vietnam from 1945-1967. These papers detailed the military relations leading up to the war and during the war. These papers were very controversial, as they revealed things such as how the U.S expanded the war to Cambodia and Laos and other things that were never revealed by the U.S media. Nixon was in office when these papers were released and he pinned in on the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. This showed that Nixon wanted to have a good public image and not be blamed for things that he feels he is not responsible for. This idea played a big part in his role in Watergate.
“The Watergate Story.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/watergate/timeline.html (accessed May 5, 2013).
The source is a primary source which has a collection of Washington Post stories about Watergate. These stories go into great depth about what happened during Watergate, including who was involved, what happened, and why this was such a big deal. It has articles ranging from Nixon’s inauguration to his resignation, with stories about the break-in and the alleged cover-up in between. This source also gives a great timeline about the events of Watergate. It makes it very easy to see what happened when, and it put the whole scandal in perspective. This source will be used to give information on the events of Watergate, and it also has great quotes from the people involved in Watergate.
Washington Post. “Nixon Resigns.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/nixon-resigns/2012/06/04/gJQAUbHvIV_story.html (accessed April 12, 2013)
This primary source is article published on August 9, 1974 by Carroll Kilpatrick of the Washington Post. This article came out in the Washington Post announcing that President Richard Nixon resigning as the 37th president of the United States. This article also goes into depth about his resignation speech. This news was a big deal because he was the first and only president to ever resign from office. This source is intended for anyone who wants to learn more about the Watergate scandal, Nixon’s resignation and why he resigned. This source was helpful to understand more about his resignation and what was the result of his resignation.
Washington Post. “President Hands Over Transcripts.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/president-hands-over-transcripts/2012/06/04/gJQA4rJ4IV_story.html (accessed April 13, 2013)
This primary source is an article that was posted in the Washington Post on May 1, 1974 by Haynes Johnson. This article is about how Nixon had finally handed over the Watergate documents. The Nixon Watergate papers, the most extraordinary documents ever to come out of the White House, have been made public to the Congress and the American people. This source is intended for anyone who wants to learn more about the Watergate scandal. This source was helpful because it goes into great detail about the Watergate papers and how Nixon turned them over.
Watergate.info. “President Ford Pardons Richard Nixon.” http://watergate.info/1974/09/08/ford-pardons-nixon.html (accessed April, 19)
This primary source goes into depth of the pardon of Richard Nixon. A month after taking office, President Gerald Ford, addressed the nation on television to announce that he had decided to pardon Richard Nixon. This source has the actual video of the television broadcast, and it also offers a full text of the pardon proclamation. This source also has the document of Richard Nixon’s response to the pardon. This source is in the form of a website and intended for anyone who wants to learn more about Nixon being pardoned and his response. This source was helpful by providing the full length video and text to help provide a better understanding of why Ford pardoned Nixon and how Nixon responded.
“Watergate Recording Transcripts.” http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/docset/getList.do?docSetId=1923 (accessed April 21, 2013).
This primary source shows the recordings from the White House during the time of the Nixon administration. These recordings were during the time of Watergate and exposed the downfalls of Nixon and Watergate. These recordings were very controversial for the majority of Watergate, as Nixon refused to hand them over during the investigation. These recordings had things on them that more or less confirmed Nixon’s cover up in Watergate, and that is why he did not want them to get out to the press. Things discussed in these recordings included Nixon telling his advisors to pay off people, along with him talking to John Dean about the cover-up and about Dean’s plan to come clean about it. This source shows how much it meant to Nixon to keep his image clean, with all of the trouble he went through. This is a helpful source because it truly shows all of Nixon’s flaws and why he was blamed for the events of Watergate.