1973. The Vietnam War was raging. The Watergate hearings were ongoing.

[NNN0LHI]

And then this exchange happened at the hearings:

The exchange:

Thompson: "Mr. Butterfield, are you aware of the installation of any listening devices in the Oval Office of the President?"

Butterfield: "I was aware of listening devices, yes sir."

Recording stopped soon afterward.


A year later, the White House released a tape now known as the "smoking gun" tape. Several days later, on August 8, 1974, Nixon announced he would resign effective the following day.


The recording equipment was moved only after Nixon left office.

[KoKo]

1. ??? What?

:shrug: are you thinking the Oval Office might have been secretly bugged by enemies of the Chimp? Or that the Chimp ordered it himself?

[NNN0LHI]

2. Pointing out how the most innocuous question can end a presidency n/t

3. Yes I remember it well

& the really amusing thing at the time was that when Butterfield was being sworn in, the commentators were saying stuff like "we don't know why this guy has been called to testify." Then when he mentioned the taping devices you could almost hear reporters' jaws dropping off camera and the mad scramble....
People knew the jig was up then.