The Saturday Night Massacre - A 40-year Retrospective

The 'Saturday Night Massacre' that shook the national and started President Nixon's slide to resignation pitted power against rule of law, several of the key players said Oct. 17, 2013 at a National Press Club panel commemorating the 40th anniversary of the event.
Panelists included:
Bob Woodward
William Ruckelshaus
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer
Philip Heymann
Jill Wine-Banks
Jim Doyle

[@nandrumacparlan4086]

This is fantastic. Thanks for posting!

[@michaelmcclary8054]

I lived through this mess! I saw a Psychiatrist after the "Saturday night Massacre!"😢- Michael McClary, Professor of Trumpet 🎺, Georgia Perimeter College & GSU

[@philmoore71]

this would be a fascinating discussion if it was held in today's USA

[@pining4apple]

This is great, thank you.

[@donnythompson408]

I don’t think that there’s much doubt, that by the time “The Saturday Night Massacre” happened, Nixon was not only unraveling, he had reached a point of being rabidly paranoid. According to those who knew him (as much as anyone could ever get to “know” him), Nixon was always insecure to some extent; feeling all of his life that he was looked down upon by others, feeling inferior; whether it was because of his family being poor, or that he wasn’t chosen to pledge the “cool” fraternities, or because he wasn’t an All-American athlete - and that attitude eventually evolved into a certainty that people were “out to keep him down”. But by this time (late ‘73), I think he had reached a new low, and he really was mentally breaking down; and in that state of mind, he wasn’t thinking things through, or with much clarity at all. For all his faults - he was known as being a very sharp (and at times a very brutal) political strategist. But he had come to the point where his actions weren’t well-planned, and instead became knee-jerk, impulsive, and without regard for the end-game. His feelings of persecution had reached a boiling point, morphing from “people keeping him down” to people now being “out to get him”, and it made him paranoid, angry...and reckless. In my personal opinion, I don’t think that Nixon was refusing to release the tapes because he felt that it was a matter of “principle”, or because he thought that doing so might set a dicey legal precedent for future presidents, - but because he KNEW what was on those tapes, and, like a drowning man, he was panicking, floundering, and reaching out for anything to hold onto, to control. His motivations weren’t based upon protecting The OFFICE of The President, but motivated by a critical self-survival mode to protect himself. As would be evident just a few months before the Saturday Night Massacre, he would make multiple attempts to divert guilt away from himself and try to blame others around him. Examples of this would be his attempt to get WH Council John Dean to summarize Watergate - and to then put his signature on the document under that summary, making it appear as though Dean knew everything, that Nixon had no previous knowledge of the crime(s), and that Dean’s summary was not only the first time he was being “briefed” about it, but that it was an admission of guilt (Dean saw the writing on the wall; he knew at that point that his grave had already been dug, so he refused). In April of ‘73, Nixon would cut loose both Haldeman and Erlichman, his two most loyal colleagues, in another futile attempt to make it look as though they - and not he - had knowledge of the crimes. Watergate was a test of our country’s foundation, of our Constitution. But as the years passed, and more information became known, it also turned out to be the study of a president imploding; the self destruction of a man who put his own interests and survival above that of the country that he was entrusted to lead. Like a train heading for a cliff, it was inevitable, and ultimately, he was powerless to stop it. IMO. 🙏

[@patreonsage5169]

Well reflected, well said.

[@andrewhoyle1521]

I think thats well said. If NIXON didnt cover up and just came out and said yeah we had a team in place that watched the Democrats but due to visiting china and other issues we didnt over see them like we shouldve. The buck stops here i made a mistake im sorry to all. That wouldve been it and after election pardons the burglars but as u said that wasnt in his make-up

[@Sweet--Richard.4981]

@@andrewhoyle1521 I disagree with the concept of pardoning. No man is above the law. Do the crime , do the time.

[@billgray3796]

Donny Thompson...I disagree somewhat...I read Helen Gahagan Douglas memoir and she documented Nixon's campaign " tricks " used against her...the same cast of characters and the same tactics...Ben Bradlee said " this time we got him "... they were lying in wait..

[@Karl_95]

Well said.

[@jokekelleey2071]

Richard Nixon president Richard Nixon did very many good things for the United States and the presidency

[@jackdowd6238]

Always get a laugh when you see smart people talking to smart people and the questions have to be read off their clipboards

[@sandercurtis1847]

Does anyone remember if a reporter went to a Justice's house in the middle of the night to obtain the Justice's reaction to the events?

[@markchristopher9203]

@01:28:45 - Despite Nixon’s moment of seeming enlightenment and thoughtful introspection, I still don’t think he quite got it right. Though there were certainly those who “hated” Nixon, his actions were not motivated only by those who legitimately disdained him, but also by those he perceived-or, more accurately, misperceived-as hating him.

[@billgray3796]

Truly...I am from the Boston area and I thought despite bad area press Nixon was doing a pretty good job but I voted ( my first) for McGovern...as I look back ( age 71) that Nixon didn't like me !!... that damn Haldeman and Ehrlichman were polarizing figures and Julie and Tricia seem to agree...

[@h0meatlast]

Is there any way to improve the sound level on this? I'm sort of straining to hear! Great post regardless of that.

[@bridgetdee7094]

wear headphones

[@Sweet--Richard.4981]

@@bridgetdee7094 tell him to pull the peanut butter out of his ear

[@WilliamViets]

He had Prof. Cox as a law professor. Alas, he was stone deaf and very old at the time, but it was clear that he was incredibly duty bound and honorable.

[@filippellifrank1669]

It's reassuring to hear a nonpartisan civil debate,

[@scattygirl1]

1:29:54 It's so sad that the hate that Woodward said isn't in the White House in "today's" 2013 is back again in 2017.

[@valkyriesardo278]

Yes it sad. And sadder still that the bulk of it is directed against our president. Hampering him is an attack on the American people.

[@keithpopko7068]

Trump was spewing his hate throughout his campaign, and he dragged it into the White House with his election. It's no wonder that people are finally waking up and giving back what he so richly deserves because his agenda will hurt millions of Americans and only benefit the already obscenely rich, including himself. And by the way, Republican obstructionism throughout the Obama administration was their attack on the American people since they put party before country (remember how Republicans running for federal office HAD to pledge to oppose EVERY piece of legislation in order to make him a one term president?). So the hatred toward Trump increases as more of his shady dealings come to light with each passing day. The intimidation techniques that served him so well as a businessman won't serve him as well as president, as he is learning now.

[@generussell7669]

@@valkyriesardo278mmm????m??mm??9mmm and 99PM 9m and 99 9 9 99in 9 and 9 mm I 9PM 99m9on 9are 99 ikbokikbo,joi,i ic,ik,i,ik,ionc,iki,jcikkik,i,i,io,ik,i,ikikc,kkk,i,, mb ijijijjhbjcjhbnijihjijhjhvjhjcih?,>?😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😍😑👧😁🐩🐩i,

[@valkyriesardo278]

Yes it sad. And sadder still that the bulk of it is directed against our president. Hampering him is an attack on the American people.

[@Sashapooch]

@@valkyriesardo278 Sweetie, trying to 'hamper' the person who is running up the deficit to 1 trillion a year, taking healthcare away from millions and enriching himself by doing away with inheritance tax, is protecting the American people - even those like yourself who are willing victims on the cultist altar of Trump greed.

[@TheWorld-xs8ly]

I still don’t understand why Nixon did not destroy the tapes rather than turn them over. Does anyone know?

[@JJVernig]

I still think he never believed he would be pushed to hand them over. I think Nixon was convinced those things were so private and sensitive and under US presidents power to release. Otherwise, there were so few people who really knew of the tapingsystem (it's late 60s were those things were rather new), so when it came out as bombshell it was probably too late. And after he had to really give them over, it only took 14 days before Nixons resigned. So the tapes were never used in courts, and were subject to litigation for years to come, even after dead of Nixon.

[@Somaliland44]

Jan. 6th, 2021.

[@pillettadoinswartsh4974]

Here is the full Cox press conference: kzbin.info/www/bejne/manJqHhjdqmYmK8

[@larryrobinson6914]

I think these Patriots got last laugh on dicky bird

[@cyruskalali8222]

Since the Bunker Boy took over, we have a new Saturday night Massacre every week, and Trump get away with it.

[@carseye1219]

Does anybody have any doubt that if our current president found himself in the same position regarding the tapes, they would have gotten destroyed in an instant?

[@bubbaclark4355]

@@carseye1219 only if they're a Democrat

[@stephenwright8824]

@@bubbaclark4355 I wasn't aware that tapes could join political parties.

[@jokekelleey2071]

Actually the next one's a very good man he's a very intelligent he got the highest grades in his class he was a good and honest man and he knew everybody else was doing bad things

[@stevenpringle9555]

Notice how the camaraman shoots Jill after she speaks the first time. Lol

[@beatle1956]

Bill Clinton i never had seen

[@alexanderh9878]

Nixon was child's play compared to Trump.

[@jokekelleey2071]

Louder please

[@johndriscoll4704]

Hi hi

[@michaelmcclary8054]

Who was a worse President; Nixon or Trump? Michael McClary

[@kennethbode2017]

in another 40 years some will know. I would suspect it will be the latter

[@WilliamViets]

There is a 17 plus minute gap in the sound here.

[@billmason2785]

Nixon 2024🎉

[@ricardogolia4148]

Airmtv

[@ricardogolia4148]

Afrmtv

[@charliewartelle6720]

When the Congress overturned the vote of 62% of the electorate. They believed it would usher in a new era balance of power between the Executive and Legislative branches of the Federal Government. Instead it was a victory of the Administrative state over elected state, and has gotten us to where we are today.