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Nixon Testimony: Watergate Tape Gap an Accident

He says he 'practically blew my stack' when he heard

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 10, 2011 1:58 PM CST

(Newser) – The public finally got to hear Richard Nixon’s long-sealed grand jury testimony regarding Watergate today—and what they heard didn’t amount to much. Asked to explain the infamous 18½ missing minutes of tape, Nixon said it was probably just erased by accident. “I practically blew my stack” when I found out how much had been lost, he said. The AP concludes that he “was no help to investigators” in reconstructing the missing conversation.

Nixon gave the testimony 10 months after leaving office. Typically such testimony is kept sealed, but historian Stanley Kutler sued to have it released, arguing that it was too historically significant to keep sealed away, the New York Daily News explains.

In this Aug. 9, 1974, file photo, Richard Nixon says goodbye to members of his staff outside the White House in Washington.
In this Aug. 9, 1974, file photo, Richard Nixon says goodbye to members of his staff outside the White House in Washington.   (AP Photo/File)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 6 comments
Barack_Must_Go
Nov 10, 2011 8:39 PM CST
I wonder how many minutes have ALREADY been erased to date by this current  most criminal administration to ever disgrace the office of president of the United States ?  Way, way more than 18.5 , for damn sure.  In the end Nixon the crook just went away mad, ..... Obama, the biggest crook, of all time, i going to not only go away mad, but for ' LIFE '.  Can you say soap - on - a - rope, a - dope ......
Dro_Trebor
Nov 10, 2011 3:29 PM CST
I prefer Arlo Guthrie's explanation for the 18.5 minute.  It is indeed suspicious that 18.5 minutes is the exact length of the Alice's Restaurant bit. Nixon just didn't want anyone to know he was a fan.
JackNelsonSteward
Nov 10, 2011 3:04 PM CST
Having seen the position that would have been necessary for Ms Woods to have accomplished ANY erasure, there is no possible way that over 18 minutes could have been erased by accident. Ms Woods would have to be either a master yogi, or catatonic.
 

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