Butterfieldâ??s disclosure was one of the most decisive moments in the Watergate. It focused the scandalâ??s multiple investigations into a months-long pursuit of the tapes â?? one of which clearly revealed Nixonâ??s role in attempting to cover up the crimes of Watergate. That revelation forced his resignation in August 1974.
The disclosure of Nixonâ??s audiotaping system was a major story which the Washington Post â?? often and inaccurately credited with having â??uncoveredâ? or â??brokenâ? the Watergate scandal â?? missed badly.
How the Post fumbled that story makes for an intriguing sidebar at the anniversary of Butterfieldâ??s stunning disclosure. The newspaperâ??s lead Watergate reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, described in a book about their reporting how leads about the taping system were not pursued.
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