Watergate-era Nixon tapes to be released

The Nixon Presidential Library and Museum is making public the final set of tapes from Nixon's presidency

Published August 21, 2013 1:32PM (EDT)

The Nixon Presidential Library and Museum is making public the final installment of tapes from former President Richard Nixon's White House.

The 340 hours of audio recordings to be released Wednesday cover three months from April 9 to July 12, 1973 — a key period when the Watergate scandal began to close in around the 37th president.

Nixon was also heavily engaged with the Soviets on nuclear arms reduction, was working to thaw relations with China and was wrapping up the Vietnam War.

Between February 1971 and July 1973, Nixon secretly recorded 3,700 hours of his phone calls and meetings across the executive offices. The recordings ended July 12, and a day later their existence was revealed in Watergate hearings.

The release from the Yorba Linda, Calif., library also includes 140,000 pages of text documents.


By Gillian Flaccus

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