Key Witness in Nixon's Watergate Scandal, Alexander Butterfield, Passes Away at 99
Alexander Butterfield, the former Nixon administration official who disclosed the existence of the Oval Office taping system, has died at the age of 99. His revelation played a pivotal role in the Watergate scandal.
Alexander Butterfield, the former Nixon administration official whose revelation of the Oval Office taping system played a pivotal role in the Watergate scandal, has died at the age of 99. Butterfield's disclosure to the Senate Watergate Committee in 1973 exposed the existence of a secret recording system that captured virtually all of President Richard Nixon's meetings and telephone conversations, ultimately leading to Nixon's resignation.
Butterfield, who served as the deputy assistant to the president during Nixon's time in the White House, testified before the Senate Watergate Committee that Nixon had authorized the installation of a voice-activated taping system in the Oval Office and other key locations. This system, which had been in place since 1971, recorded the president's private conversations, providing a detailed record of his actions and decision-making during the Watergate scandal.
Source: The New York Times
