The 18½-minute gap in Watergate tape remains lost to history after high-tech detective work

[alp227]

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON — High-tech detective work has failed to solve a puzzle from the Watergate scandal that destroyed Richard Nixon’s presidency.

Forensic scientists assembled by the National Archives have been examining two pages of notes from a June 1972 White House meeting, looking for clues about what was said during an 18 1/2-minute gap in a recording of the session.

They explored impressions in the paper, analyzed ink and hoped to find evidence of missing notes on the conversation between Nixon and aide H.R. Haldeman.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-18-minute-gap-in-watergate-tape-remains-lost-to-history-after-high-tech-detective-work/2011/06/16/AGN5lRXH_story.html

[Ian David]

1. This is what is on the tape...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ_l0iqkoTY

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

8. yep. the doctor did it

fo shizzle

[hugo_from_TN]

10. He was discussing how to use a mimeograph machine

to capture images of his penis and mail them to various college girls.

[yodermon]

20. ouch to the yowch n/t

[struggle4progress]

19. Nixon Admission Speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvTNBHQQgNw

:rofl:

[leveymg]

2. They "examined notes"?!? What about reanalyzing the tape, itself?

Weirdness.

Moving forward.

[formercia]

9. I'm sure it was erased by professionals

that know how to make sure nothing is recoverable. They would probably insert a noise floor to ensure the recording was consistent with the rest of the tape in question.

[Major Hogwash]

22. At least a dozen times.

Over and over and over again.
According to one article I read about it a few years ago.

I surmise it was some sort of odd confession that Nixon made.
Or maybe him reminiscing about his days in the Senate when he held up that empty container that was supposed to have microfilm in it.
Or his future plans to elevate George H W Bush to some level of secrecy within the party's command structure.

One article I read about it said that there is literally nothing on that section of tape, just numerous scratches on the edges from it being rewound so many times so it could be erased again and again.

[Javaman]

15. Once upon a time, there was an old article that came out regarding new technology...

that could revive the concealed information on the 18 1/2 minutes. Here it is (note the date, all things have changed since then)

08/08/2001 - Updated 03:59 PM ET

Can technology recover the tale of Nixon's tapes?

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2001-08-08-nixon-tapes-tech.htm

[InkAddict]

3. Dictated but not reviewed to expedite delivery -

with 18-1/2 minutes of blank lines - WOW! Who could have imagined...

[ljm2002]

4. A few years ago, I remember reading...

...that there was a new attempt to read the tape using the latest techniques.

I'd be surprised if they were not able to recover it.

On the other hand, it does not surprise me at all that "we'll never know what was on it".

Whatever it was, given all of the other shocking revelations that ultimately brought Nixon's presidency down, it must have been really, really shocking if he knew enough to have it erased.

[Dappleganger]

5. Well I'm sure it's nothing worse than what we already know

that happened during the Reagan or Bush years.

[avaistheone1]

6. I am not so sure of that

[Ter]

7. I doubt that

Nixon knew who killed JFK. Probably was involved. The CIA knows, and erased that part.

[Dappleganger]

11. JFK was one man.

Reagan and Bush were directly responsible for the deaths and torture of thousands of people.

[Ter]

30. Bush yes, how so Reagan?

No really longs official wars as I recall. Poppy Bush's Panama and Iraq wars were far bigger than anything Reagan got us involved into.

[zappaman]

25. LOL!

Perfect parody of a CTer.
Thank you for the laugh!

[defendandprotect]

27. Then you totally misjudge the murderous and criminal nature of Nixon/Watergate --

which included the Huston Plan based on Operation Northwoods --

and it was intended to knock out the 1972 elections, if they found it necessary!

Clearly, the way was paved for Nixon with rw political violence and assassinations --

and the administration continued on in a dismantling of law and order.

I'd recommend that you take another look at Watergate -- and not on the GOP propaganda

about it!!

[rfranklin]

12. Rosemary Woods had very long legs...

[The Wizard]

13. Here's the missing 18 minutes and 37 seconds

Nixon thought if the people knew he would be political toast.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8DtpdXZi0M&feature=related

[cartach]

14. Apparently -

there are other gaps in other less important meeting tapes and these have been attributed to periods when Nixon had passed out because he was drunk. Anybody attending these meetings usually just kept quiet ,did some reading or other work of their own and waited for the Commander in Chief to wake up, which usually took about an 15-20 minutes and at which time the meeting resumed. Happened all the time.

[Octafish]

16. Anyone know what was recorded before and after the gap?

Cracking Watergate's Infamous 18 1/2 Minute Gap

EXCERPT...

Watergate Conversation on June 20, 1972

Early in the morning of June 17, 1972, five men were arrested at the Watergate headquarters of the Democratic National Committee. The men were eventually linked to Nixon’s re-election campaign. At the time of the arrests,Nixon and his chief of staff were enjoying a weekend getaway at Key Biscayne, Florida, before returning to the White House on Tuesday, June 20, to assess the damage from the arrests. Meeting that morning at 11:30, Nixon and Haldeman discussed the Watergate situation. A secret White House taping system installed at Nixon’s orders recorded the entire 69-minute conversation. Some 17 months later, as investigators searched for Watergate–White House connections, the 18½ minute Watergate portion of the Nixon–Haldeman conversation was found to be completely obliterated.

Inquiring minds want to know, especially about what Nixon on the Smoking Gun tape referred to as "You tell Helms it all goes back Hunt, the Cubans and the Bay of Pigs Thing."

[Major Hogwash]

23. Great links. Thanks. 39 years ago tomorrow.

Wow, that does seem like a long time ago.

[AntiFascist]

31. Nixon was incredibly paranoid about...

protecting the integrity of his presidency. I don't believe someone who is naturally that paranoid would have make it far in politics. Something was driving it. Why have Operation 40 covert assassins (which Nixon presided over as Vice President to Eisenhower) serve as covert operators in his "Plummers" operation, obviously plugging leaks? There is much to be discovered here. Why did so many key witnesses get assassinated? Why did E. Howard Hunt finally confess to being a backup at Dealey Plaza, only to blame the operation on LBJ?

[progressoid]

17. pffft. The crimes of Nixon are child's play compared to today's politicians.

[Scuba]

18. Compared to the criminals pulling the strings of today's Republicans....

....it would be Saint Richard Nixon, Savior of America.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

21. but the fact that Nixon was pardoned set the stage

for letting rethuglicans get away with everything from Iran Contra to illegally invading Iraq.

[defendandprotect]

28. You're wrong about Nixon/Watergate -- it was a murderous administration

which paved the way for all that has come later --

and it included the Huston Plan based on "Operation Northwoods" which was

to be used if they found it necessary to STOP the 1972 elections from going forward!

And much, much more --

RW propaganda and lies about Watergate have kept many from properly investigating it --

which has worked well for them.

[JDPriestly]

29. All the monsters from the Bush administration got their starts under Nixon.

That's the problem with Nixon.

[rwsanders]

24. Maybe to do with the secret negotiations with Vietnam that led to POWs being stranded...

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2009/110409.html
http://www.nationinstitute.org/p/schanberg09182008pt1

[defendandprotect]

26. Actually, no -- Secret Service made copies of every tape -- obviously since Day #1

that has been know and the info buried --

and the evidence buried --

or perhaps even destroyed at this point --



???