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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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Plan Could Divine Missing Watergate Minutes, CSI-Style

Archivist pushes plan to uncover lost pages' imprints

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(Newser) – A Watergate hobbyist has a plan to discover what was discussed during the 18½ minutes erased from a taped conversation between President Nixon and his chief of staff after the break-in. Phil Mellinger doesn’t want to examine the tape itself; that's been done without success. He says the answer lies on sheets of legal yellow paper used by HR Bob Haldeman to take notes during the conversation, Mother Jones reports.

Mellinger noticed that a page of the notes appears to contain the end of a discussion on Watergate. Previous pages, he reasoned, likely went missing—pages that could fill in the blanks of what was on the tape. The notes from those pages could be reconstructed, he thinks, through a high-tech examination of indentations left by a pen on the remaining pages. Now it’s up to the National Archives to approve Mellinger’s plan, and early responses look promising.

In this 1977 file photo, former President Richard M. Nixon bids goodbye to British commentator David Frost, left, following the last taping of their 12 interviews in Laguna Beach, Calif.
In this 1977 file photo, former President Richard M. Nixon bids goodbye to British commentator David Frost, left, following the last taping of their 12 interviews in Laguna Beach, Calif.   (AP Photo)
Richard Nixon gives the
Richard Nixon gives the "V" for victory sign after receiving the presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention, Miami.   (Getty Images)
In this 1969 file photo, President Richard M. Nixon is shown at his desk in the White House.
In this 1969 file photo, President Richard M. Nixon is shown at his desk in the White House.   (AP Photo)
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4 comments
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Kookey90
Jul 28, 09 5:58 PM CDT
Good luck in getting these notes from the National Archives. Anyway, I'm more interested in the Kennedy assassination conspiracy papers that have been locked up for years. Let me know when you find them. Reply
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Deebles
Jul 28, 09 6:22 PM CDT
Righto Kookey, the years I spent working for the National Archives have turned me into the frustrated nut ball you find on Newser. Plus, I still have Haldeman's hard back from when he got out of the slammer. A quick peek at that and you needn't bother with CSI. As for JFK, don't hold your breath. The problem with security clearances is that oath thing. You can use other sources--but how do you get the other stuff to shut up? I think it's the reason that I'm middle of the road. Those woods on either side are so tangled that it's best to stick to the white line.
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Shannonals
Jul 29, 09 12:31 AM CDT
Why does this matter decades later? Reply
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Fromthemiddle
Jul 29, 09 3:54 PM CDT
And I could tell you what's in area 51 if they would just let me in for a look. Reply
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