Notes Scoured for Watergate Key

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

(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. More»

Site of secret meeting gains historical marker

(NEWSER) - The most important parking garage in American history has joined the list of Washington DC-area tourist attractions. A historical marker has been placed in front of the suburban parking garage where Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward met the anonymous "Deep Throat," receiving information that brought the Watergate scandal to light and brought down the Nixon presidency. More»

Gaming platform will recreate crime scenes

(NEWSER) - The real-life counterparts of forensics experts on all those CSI shows will soon be getting a helping hand from the world of video games. A team at North Carolina State University is adapting the platform behind games like FusionFall and VooDude to recreate crime scenes, allowing investigators to play out various "what-if" scenarios. More»

Archivist pushes plan to uncover lost pages' imprints

(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. More»

(NEWSER) - An auction today of the storied Watergate Hotel drew more than 150 spectators, media attention from around the world, and not a single bidder willing to pony up the necessary $25 million, reports the Washington Post. The German bank that foreclosed on the property took back the 12-story hotel and will now try to shop it around to private buyers. In addition to helping bring down a president, it offers nice views of the Potomac. More»