The tapes. Not transcripts. The actual tapes.
It wouldn't take long for investigators to discover any tampering. This was, after all, in the earlier days of technology, and the taping system was rudimentary reel-to-reel. Deep Throat knowing about the gaps in early November fits the timeline nicely, IMO, if he had connections to investigators. Felt would have.
I'm not arguing one way or the other. I watched the whole sorry scandal with fascination and have maintained a keen interest in it through the years. What was shameful then is now history.
"It wouldn't take long for investigators to discover any tampering. This was, after all, in the earlier days of technology, and the taping system was rudimentary reel-to-reel. Deep Throat knowing about the gaps in early November fits the timeline nicely, IMO, if he had connections to investigators. Felt would have."
I'm unconvinced. Investigators would have to listen to thousands of hours of tapes, tapes that I'm not sure they even had prior to November 7.
Prosecutors, moreover, didn't alert the judge to the gap. It was the White House that fessed up...on November 21...confirming Deep Throat's tip that was published back on Novemember 8.
So the *prosecutors* hadn't had time to hear all of the tapes by November 21 (the judge would have granted them *any* request had they been the first to divulge the gap instead of the White House confessing).
Did the FBI have more time with the tapes than the prosecutors?! Somehow I doubt it.