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The Richard Nixon White House Tapes are a series of audio recordings made by U.S. President Richard Nixon's administration between 1971 and 1973. These recordings captured conversations that took place in the Oval Office and various other locations within the White House. The existence of the tapes came to light during the Watergate scandal, a major political scandal that ultimately led to Nixon's resignation.The Watergate scandal began with the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., on June 17, 1972. As investigations into the break-in unfolded, it was revealed that Nixon's administration had secretly recorded conversations in the Oval Office and other areas of the White House.Nixon's decision to record these conversations was initially intended for historical purposes, but the tapes became a crucial piece of evidence in the Watergate investigations. The tapes contained conversations related to the Watergate break-in, discussions about covering up the involvement of administration officials, and other sensitive political matters.The existence of the tapes was disclosed by Alexander Butterfield, a former White House aide, during testimony before the Senate Watergate Committee in July 1973. Subsequently, the tapes were subpoenaed by special prosecutor Archibald Cox, leading to a series of legal battles between the White House and investigators.Nixon resisted turning over the tapes, citing executive privilege, but the U.S. Supreme Court, in the landmark case United States v. Nixon (1974), ruled unanimously that Nixon had to surrender the tapes to the special prosecutor. Faced with the possibility of impeachment and removal from office, Nixon resigned on August 8, 1974, becoming the only U.S. president to do so.The release of the White House Tapes played a crucial role in exposing the extent of Nixon's involvement in the Watergate cover-up and contributed to the erosion of public trust in the presidency. The tapes provided evidence of Nixon's complicity in the obstruction of justice and abuse of power, leading to his downfall.
