John Dean and 'The Nixon Defense'

The Watergate scandal still resonates 40 years after the historic resignation of a sitting United States president. In light of the revelations about the NSA’s widespread surveillance program, it has taken on new significance.

[@StephenGlasskeys]

I wish Stolze would have let Dean finish his train of thought, instead of interrupting him with dumb questions that had already been answered. Despite these obstacles, Dean still presents great material; revelations about the ambassadorships for sale, and the bit about Nixon's personal slush fund are just a few of the many fascinating tidbits revealed in this talk. I will definitely buy this book.

[@chiclet_teeth]

You can tell the interviewer was getting on Dean's nerves.

[@russallert]

Lots of interesting info here. However, the interviewer is very annoying, frequently interrupting Dean, not listening, asking questions that Dean had already provided the answer to, and trying to get into a debate on the nature of presidential powers in which he is clearly out of his depth. Dean is visibly annoyed several times and increasingly addresses the audience rather than the interviewer - great verbal jab from Dean when he says "I'm used to being interrupted".

[@missinglinkus]

russallert It's obvious what you mean. I've always had trouble with friends who are children of hippies who smirk a lot, and then become over serious when they're buffeted. Then the tendency the interviewer shows, to sum up things too generally with a tag or handle that John Dean says, also visibly & physically annoys John Dean. Generational characteristics. Maybe an interviewer shouldn't throw his hands around so much also. He seems assumptive or disrespectful, I can't determine which. Confidentiality vs. Transparency, some of these things Dean is saying are gigantic in scope, and, then the interviewer sums up his statements incorrectly. People have waited half century now for some of the information given here, and it seems to be water downed by interviewer. The reason the tapes were open, and, "so casual" too, is this a generation when men were still enamored by film stars and Hollywood. It was vanity, that's why Nixon was so casual about Presidential Recording System. Different than this generation that's used to hearing their own voice in any digital playback form.

[@sartainja]

russallert The interviewer does not know the first thing about the finer points of Watergate nor he care if Nixon got a fair shake from Congress.

[@stevem9638]

I wonder if Dean would say those things about G. Gordon Liddy to his face?

[@sartainja]

Steve M Exactly.

[@ThomasKossatz]

Why? He repeated what Nixon already said on the tapes: Stupid ! And more stupid to get caught

[@goirish2816]

Fuck Gordon Liddy

[@Jasper7182009]

Steve: Would you? It wasn’t just John Dean who said those things behind Liddy’s back. I wonder if John Mitchell would say that it to his face? I wonder if Colson would say that to Liddy’s face? So don’t imply that Dean is a coward. You wouldn’t dare say anything like that face-to-face with LIddy.

[@jefffideler8046]

Dean did a poor job of concealing his contempt for this guy. (Either that or he is just a rude SOB).

[@ThomasKossatz]

Dean had this talks in several cities, and I can asure you no interviewer had been less good prepared. For example, he inerrupted several times when Dean tried to explain why he had heard more then previous guys listening to the tapes. When Nixon talked with Haldemann about Felt leaking, the previous manuscripts showed (expl. del.) Dean discovered that Nixon wanted to make him Ambassador. Most likely the first listener had only heard ass.... Any prepared Interviewer should have known that. Instead the Interviewer asked if Felt was a hero. A what? If he had known Woodwards book about "Deep Throat", he had known better. Instead he did not follow up when the Times magazine was blamed to blow up a source and was walking right into Nixon's office with this news. Try and find another of his appearances on his book tour, and you will see how bad this interviewer really was. ( Greetings from Germany.)

[@scottross9628]

God - could the interviewer be any ruder? Stolze asks a question, and when Dean gets to the pertinent information, invariably interrupts him... usually with some erroneous assertion Dean then has to correct. Thankfully, Dean calls him on it - with a great deal more grace than I would have. But he has to do so repeatedly. Doesn't this man learn? He's so focused on his own thoughts and presumed profundities he often doesn't hear what Dean has SAID. A journalist is not supposed to dominate a conversation but to ask pertinent questions and to subsume his own ego enough to LISTEN to the answers before he interjects.

[@MultiMagnumforce]

Fascinating ! Even though I have a Primitive Serbian Balkan Brain.

[@tommym321]

I’ve always thought Dean was a pretty impressive guy.

[@howardgofstein9694]

The interviewer reads this unnecessary and longwinded introduction, and Dean injects a few humorous comments, but the guy just keeps going and doesn't even engage in equally humorous banter with Dean. He has to show how clever and scholarly he thinks he is. Judging just by the several other criticisms of the interviewer here, I'm not even going to watch.

[@howardgofstein9694]

The same day Dean endured this torture, he spoke at the bookstore Politics and Prose. I recommend that video, even though he does not really reveal anything new. Mostly, he talks about digitizing the tapes and the mechanics of how he wrote the book.

[@howardgofstein9694]

I guess that's the price you pay for being a well-known author--having to endure interviews with ignorant, self-aggrandizing weasels like this guy.

[@johnsmithjohnny8588]

Nixon defense....is that 1.a6 2.a5 3.a4...and then get mated in like...9...?the Watergate mate...or...watermate.......😀☺

[@crimony3054]

Dean says after the "million dollars" meeting, Nixon immediately asked his secretary about a secret slush fund and learned it had $400,000 in it. Dean cites this as Nixon's intent to engage in a cover-up, but in fact Nixon reminds his secretary to not tell anyone about its existence. Nixon feared Dean had discovered the fund and was acting with Hunt to extort. 🤣 1:11:17

[@missinglinkus]

1:02:45 "When I finished this I noticed his feet were on the floor." Historical quotes.

[@opaulamorgan4265]

Stolze is not a good interviewer, he interrupts

[@catteadams]

Hey guess what Mr. Dean, we have been doing the digital transfer's in America for years and years and years, at least twenty. In exactly the same way you had yours done in UK....sorry you had to jump the pond just for that. Can't wait to read your book! Catte

[@MichiganMan1985]

The dynamics between Stolze and Dean is annoying. Dean wants to run the interview/presentation his way, Stolze obviously had his own plan mapped out on his voluminous notepad. The push pull power struggle emanates throughout the entire presentation until the bitter end as the uncomfortable test of egos is never resolved. Too bad as this new account of Nixon and his tapes could have been much more enjoyable.