What Richard Nixon knew about Watergate: forensic experts investigate

Telegraph (U.K.) ^ | November 20, 2009 | Alex Spillius

[Schnucki]

Forensic investigators have been called in to solve one of the greatest mysteries of US presidential history by discovering what exactly Richard Nixon knew about the Watergate break-in.

Thirty-five years after Nixon was forced to become the only US president to resign, government investigators remain determined to find out the extent of knowledge of the raid on the Democratic National Committee's offices in Washington.

Investigators appointed by the US National Archives are to analyse notes taken by the White House chief of staff HR Haldeman at a meeting with the late president just three days after Nixon campaign members were arrested for breaking into the Watergate building.

Their mission is to find out what Nixon and Haldeman discussed during the 18 ½ minutes missing from tape recordings of the meeting and also from the aide's large yellow note book.

Experts have given up trying to unlock the mystery from the erased tape. The new search will instead scour Haldeman's notes for incriminating clues.

Investigators will use electrostatic detection analysis, which is capable of detecting and highlighting indented images, such as those left on a sheet of paper when a pen has written on a sheet above it. This might show evidence that certain pages were destroyed and even point to words so far lost to history.

Techniques known as hyperspectral imaging and video spectral comparison also will be used to study the ink and look for hidden clues to missing material.

The prospect of confirming that a gap exists in the notes, corresponding with the gap in the recording, has Nixon historians on tenterhooks.

"My best scholarly guess is that Nixon asked Haldeman if anyone in the White House had advance knowledge of the Watergate break-in," said Luke Nichter, a Texas A&M University assistant history professor.

Test results are expected

[G Larry]

Dean was the originator of the BREAK IN!
To steal records that could implicate his wife.

But that’s NOT what he told the “plumbers” they were after.

[a fool in paradise]

Experts have given up trying to unlock the mystery from the erased tape. The new search will instead scour Haldeman's notes for incriminating clues.

What was in the documents that Sandy Burglar stole from the National Archives and destroyed after the government began investigating the path to 9-11?

[a fool in paradise]

No, almost forty years later they’re still doing a circle jerk over Watergate because running Nixon out of office and forever tagging him as a crook is just not enough to satisfy their bloodlust for him.

"I am not a crook!" - Al Gore Junior.

Inhofe Says He Will Call for Investigation on "Climategate" (UN IPCC included!!) (senate.gov 11/23/2009)

PS, the Left is angry about Nixon because he went after Communist agents like Alger Hiss.

[a fool in paradise]

Barack Obama is p*ssed that there are leaks within his own administration. He also has an enemies list among people in the media.

And LBJ was no saint. But the world press has a “thing” for bashing Nixon (and Palin).

[a fool in paradise]

I asked myself once again why in the heck they would have documents around and no duplicates made of them and stored in another location. Something is just not right with that story.

Why would a man who NO LONGER WORKS FOR THE GOVERNMENT have security clearance to national security documents in the nation's archives without oversight?!!!

I don't care that they were from the previous administration and he may have seen them before. They become lobbyists.

If he needed them for legal testimony, have a lawyer request a copy. The ORIGINALS were NOT needed.