What is Watergate? ~

June Sunday 1972. Warm sunshine, fresh sea breeze, dense forests and soft beaches constitute a wonderful seaside landscape in early summer. There are also several villas in the painting, which are the residence of the President of the United States in Biscayne Bay, Florida. President Nixon, who is on vacation here, is in a good mood as well as the weather and scenery. Four months ago, on February 26th, President Nixon, accompanied by his chief foreign policy adviser, Dr. Kissinger, paid a historic visit to People's Republic of China (PRC), thus ending the hostility between the two countries for more than 20 years. This move won wide acclaim from the world public opinion and was generally welcomed by the American people, and Nixon's reputation was greatly improved. 1 month ago, from May 22 to 28, Nixon went to Moscow for talks with Soviet leaders and reached an agreement on limiting the United States and the Soviet Union to have two anti-ballistic missile launch sites each, which made the world see a trace of restraint in the escalating arms race. President Nixon, who has made a series of remarkable achievements, has completed his term of office this year, and he is proudly preparing for re-election. During this holiday, he still keeps a campaign memo in his briefcase. On his desk, there is a book "Victory and Tragedy" by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, which recalls World War II. He has read this book several times, and he wants to get further beneficial enlightenment from it. Nixon didn't realize that when he was climbing to the peak of victory, tragedy was coming to him quietly. At the moment, Nixon is sitting on the sofa, casually browsing the newspaper of the day. He has the habit of reading early, and reading newspapers is as essential as eating breakfast. A short story on the left of the first edition of Miami Herald caught his attention. Its title is: "Miami man who tried to eavesdrop on the Democratic Party headquarters was detained in Washington." It's interesting to eavesdrop on the headquarters of his rival Democratic Party. Nixon couldn't help watching it. The report said that last night (1July), five people were arrested in Washington Watergate Building, where the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee is located. Of these five people, four are from Miami, one of whom claims to be a CIA employee and the other three are Cubans. They carry cameras and electronic reconnaissance equipment with them. They were found wearing rubber gloves, installing eavesdropping devices and arrested on the spot. According to Nixon's own memoirs, his first feeling was that the news was absurd. It's a joke that Cubans come to the headquarters of the Democratic Party of the United States to plant bugs. So he put the newspaper aside and plunged into the sea freely, unable to extricate himself for a long time. Later, he even thought it was good news for his re-election, because it can be explained that McGovern, the rival of the Democratic presidential candidate known as the "Left", has always adopted a humble policy towards the Castro regime in Cuba, and Cuban expatriates in the United States were afraid of it, so he committed theft at the Democratic Party headquarters. The spread of this kind of news can seriously hit the Democratic Party. However, things are not as simple and satisfactory as Nixon imagined. Among the five people arrested, McChord, who claimed to be an employee of the Central Intelligence Agency, was actually a security officer of Nixon's "Re-election Committee". The other four are not Cubans, but they may be agents employed by the President's re-election committee. A stone stirs up a thousand waves. The arrest of McChord and others with this prospect quickly turned the Watergate incident into an explosive news, which attracted national attention. Mitchell, who resigned as attorney general and served as chairman of Nixon's re-election committee, had to declare to the press that the actions of the five people arrested in Watergate Building were purely personal and had nothing to do with this committee. The Democratic Party launched an offensive. They filed a civil lawsuit against the presidential re-election commission and the thieves, demanding compensation of $6.5438+0 million, which was later increased to $6.4 million. At that time, they didn't think they could get more-not the amount of money, of course. Two days later, on the morning of June 20th, a message from Washington Post made Nixon feel uneasy. The report said that a former CIA agent who worked in the White House was found in the address book carried by the arrested person. His name is Howard Hunt and he works under Nixon's senior adviser Coulson. The White House seems to have been hit by the earthquake when it heard the news. Nixon, who had just returned from a holiday in Washington yesterday, immediately called his confidant, White House Chief of Staff Haldeman, to discuss the matter. More than an hour passed quickly, and it seems that no comprehensive countermeasures have been found. Continue to discuss the same problem in the afternoon. Nixon's situation was unknown. He was afraid of being implicated. He first asked Haldeman to tell him truthfully whether our own officials, no matter what level, had involved us in this embarrassing situation. Then we will study together whether all the investigations and confessions now, if thoroughly investigated, will make the Democratic Party seize the handle, which is not good for our election. According to Nixon's diary, Mitchell mysteriously told Haldeman not to get involved in the case on the phone. But at this time, Haldeman assured Nixon that White House officials would not get involved in the case, and Mitchell had nothing to do with it, so he could rest assured. Hearing this assurance, Nixon was worried about being replaced by confidence, and he decided to attack as his defense strategy. However, Haldeman also told him that the planner of Watergate had found Gordon Liddy, the legal adviser of the financial group of the re-election committee, and the FBI was tracking down the money that McChord was arrested for Watergate, which probably came from the re-election committee. "The FBI must be stopped from tracing the source of this money!" Nixon said beyond doubt. Later, a senior official of the Central Intelligence Agency authorized a phone call to the Acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, asking him to "leave this matter alone" because there was an agreement between the two bureaus not to interfere in each other's secret actions. Although the White House used its ruling power to cover up and obstruct, the investigation of Watergate incident by procuratorial organs is still in progress. On September 15, after obtaining the necessary evidence, five people, including McChord, who was arrested on the spot in this incident, were prosecuted according to law, along with Howard Hunt, a CIA agent, and Gordon Liddy, a legal adviser to the re-election committee. Despite the shadow of Watergate, Nixon's re-election campaign was still very exciting. 10 10 On October 26th, on the eve of the general election, Special Envoy Kissinger, who returned from Paris, announced to the American people the results of a series of secret talks with Li Deshou, the representative of North Vietnam, and declared: "Peace is coming soon." This is another addition to the record book of the Nixon administration. Nixon mercilessly mocked his opponent, Democratic presidential candidate McGovern and others, and was a "radical group that mocked our country's past and would hinder its future". He criticized McGovern for using Watergate as an excuse, calling his government "the most corrupt government": "Over the years, criticizing the American system has become a fashion. Critics insist that it is so biased, corrupt and unfair that we should destroy it and replace it with something else. I can't agree with you at all. I believe in the American system. " McGovern is obviously no match for Nixon. Nixon, who was famous for his good speeches and debates in middle school, skillfully turned his opponent's accusations of corruption against him and his government into an attack on American institutional corruption. Although many facts about Watergate incident were exposed, American voters did not seem to care about it, and they paid more attention to the achievements of Nixon administration. So Nixon got 6 1% electoral votes and 520 electoral votes, while McGovern only got 34% electoral votes and 17 electoral votes. It is rare in the history of American presidential election to decide the outcome by such a wide margin of votes. The members of the presidential re-election campaign committee headed by Mitchell are all in high spirits. They seem to forget that there are still seven "He is my brother" on trial in the prison where they lost their freedom because of Watergate. Nixon, all smiles, came to power and began a new presidential term. In his inaugural speech on 1973120 October, he did not forget to attack his opponent: "At every critical moment, we are always troubled by those who think that America is useless and rarely correct. However, I am convinced that this is not the historical judgment that we have the honor to experience these extraordinary years. " In his speech, he proudly used "What makes us proud is …" and declared that "the experience of the United States in this century is unparalleled in the history of the world". However, the shadow of Watergate incident did not disappear because Nixon was all smiles. On the contrary, it came to him step by step. When Nixon delivered his inaugural speech for re-election on the stage, the trial of the accused in Watergate was in full swing. The trial began in 6543818 October. Under great pressure, the defendants began to confess their criminal facts, and some publicly pleaded guilty to various charges. What have they done, and will they involve more people in the White House? What's more, all efforts to cover up the truth will be self-defeating, but shattered glass has added new evidence? All this filled the White House with an anxious atmosphere. Nixon and his trusted officials fidgeted and suffered from frequent insomnia. Should be immersed in the joy of winning re-election, but now it is shrouded in the shadow of Watergate. Nicholson was quite depressed. At this point, he seems to have realized that it was a mistake to stop the investigation from the beginning, and it was a bigger mistake than installing eavesdropping devices at the Democratic Party headquarters in Watergate Building. However, in order to maintain their identity and image, even if this road is wrong, we must unswervingly go on. The stormy White House seems to be suffering from increasing aftershocks after the earthquake. Who can guarantee that this is not a precursor to another bigger "earthquake"?

When a soldier loses his car, the President tears and beheads Ma Su.

A wave of unrest, another wave. President Nixon, who once wanted to attack and defend, gradually fell into an unpredictable situation. Nixon wrote in his diary on February 1973 and 14, "I can predict that if the judge calls Hunter in front of him and threatens him with a 35-year sentence, he will probably tell everything he knows to escape punishment." Hunter, a special agent of the Central Intelligence Agency, was not only implicated in five criminals who sneaked into the headquarters of the Democratic Party in Watergate Building, but also, with the connivance of the White House, broke into the office of psychotherapist ellsberg with Liddy, the legal adviser of the President's re-election committee, in an attempt to steal materials that hurt ellsberg. This ellsberg once gave the Pentagon's secret materials about the Vietnam War to the newspaper for publication, which was unfavorable to the Nixon administration. The government accused him of stealing documents and is on trial. The White House obviously wants him dead. Once this matter is exposed, isn't it another "earthquake"? How to keep Hunter silent, or never give up the connivance behind the scenes, is a tricky thing. On the morning of March 2 1, in Nixon's oval office, the president was talking with his legal adviser, John Dean. "Hunter wrote a letter to the lawyer running for re-election committee, asking for 122000 dollars as personal and lawyer fees. He even set a deadline for payment. " Dean briefed Nixon on the situation. "How much do they want?" Nixon knew that with the first money, there would be the second and third money; If there is a first person, there will be a second person and a third person. "During the whole litigation period, at least each defendant should be given 1 10,000." Dean reported a large sum of money, although this figure is not difficult for the president of the United States, but in the case of tight wind, after all, he has to take a lot of risks. Judging from Dean's tone, it seems that he doesn't want to take any more risks. President Nixon, who is riding a tiger, can only follow the established policy. He has twice assured the public that he and his White House are innocent in Watergate and can withstand investigation. If we retreat, he and his government will become discredited liars. "Maybe we are wrong to do so," Nixon said slowly and firmly, "but at this moment, don't you agree that the best way out is to properly handle Hunter's problem? I think it is worth doing at this moment. " It is obvious that he is betting on keeping the defendant silent. He is the current president and has supreme power. This bet may have his reasons. Because, if these defendants take money and want to be free, even if the court sentences him severely, as president, they still have the right to pardon criminals. With the strong support of the president, the clever defendant will not reveal the facts that are unfavorable to the president and the White House under his leadership. Nixon believed this. The dean agreed to the principal's request, but his heart was like hanging up 15 buckets, so anxious. Nixon admitted in his memoirs: "In retrospect, this day was a tragic turning point in my term of office." That's what happened. Dean quickly turned around, embarrassing Nixon and the White House. Dean not only told us that several important figures in the White House were involved in the case of five thieves sneaking into the Democratic Party headquarters in Watergate Building, but also confessed to a series of attempts to cover up the truth after the incident. He publicly stated that Haldeman, White House Chief of Staff, President's Interior Adviser Ehrlichman and himself were all involved in the case, and there was "obstruction of justice". He also revealed that Kambak, the president's personal lawyer, was ordered to raise money for the defendants in Watergate. McChord, who was tried in prison, also accused Mitchell, chairman of the President's Liaison Committee and former Attorney General, of being responsible for the theft of the Democratic Party headquarters in Watergate Building, and confessed that during the trial, someone said that he could be pardoned in exchange for his silence. The federal district court judge in charge of Watergate case seems determined to have a hard time with the White House. In the judgment at the end of March, McChord, the first defendant who brought political dignitaries into this incident, was leniently treated and released on bail, while the remaining four defendants who sneaked into Watergate Building were severely sentenced, tentatively for 40 years in prison; Hunt and Liddy, who participated in this case and were guilty of breaking into Dr. ellsberg's office and stealing, were sentenced to 35 years' imprisonment, while the latter was sentenced to 6 years and 8 months' imprisonment and fined 40,000 yuan for refusing to speak. The severe sentencing has become a great deterrent to the defendants who are lucky and unwilling to disclose all the facts. Nixon knew that such a sentence was too heavy, even outrageous, because it was not the case for some murderers; However, we have to admit that this is a civilized strategy adopted by the local court judges, that is, urging the defendants to tell the truth because their sentences are not final. If they confess and expose their merits, McCord is their role model. With the constant revelation of the Watergate incident, public anger and public opinion exploded. Nixon's defense is so fragile that it is difficult to pass without finding a few scapegoats. On a Sunday afternoon in mid-April, Richard Kline dienst, who succeeded Mitchell as attorney general, hurriedly asked President Nixon to tell him something important. Nixon had no intention of taking a vacation. He was holding an afternoon religious ceremony at the White House. After the ceremony, he immediately went into the office and had a private conversation with Nixon. Instead of beating around the bush, Clinedinst told the president bluntly, "Dean sued us. Haldeman and Ehrlichman are considered to be the masterminds who authorized to break into the Watergate Building for theft. " "No, that's impossible." Nixon almost cried out in surprise, and then asked his attorney general with a grain of salt, "Is it true?" Clinedinst didn't answer directly and said, "Let the criminal director speak. What do you think? " Nixon nodded his head. In a short time, Henry Patterson, director of the Criminal Division of the Ministry of Justice, walked into Nixon's office, wearing a stolen T-shirt, a pair of wet jeans and a pair of tennis shoes. He was called in while washing the yacht and didn't even have time to change. It's really disrespectful for junior officials to come to the White House dressed like this. If they had to be thrown out in normal times, Nixon just frowned this time and asked him to summarize the charges against Dean. The director hesitated for a moment, glanced at the minister beside him, and after getting a hint of "telling the truth", he reported how Dean accused Haldeman, the president's chief of staff, and Ehrlichman, an internal adviser, of being involved in the Watergate criminal case. Finally, he boldly suggested: "They should be allowed to resign, otherwise there will be trouble, which will embarrass you and your presidency." Nixon listened silently, thinking, staring at the ceiling with his eyes waiting for a while, and didn't say a word for a long time. Minister Colin Dienst and Director Patterson looked at each other, at a loss. "You go." Nixon said weakly. Only thoughtful Nixon is left in the spacious office. "What a dean!" Nixon wanted to put pressure on him to understand that as president, he could prevent him from obtaining administrative immunity, and he would eventually be punished, but he was worried that he would be cornered and might turn the charges directly to him. "I have nothing in Dean's hand." Nixon secretly cheered himself up. Although he didn't authorize anyone to do such stupid things as breaking into the democratic party headquarters in Watergate building and installing eavesdropping devices in advance, can he get away with it afterwards? At the thought of here, his heart is a little weak again. Although there was no third party to testify when he talked to Dean, a young legal adviser, about covering up the facts, who can guarantee that nothing can be left as evidence? Thinking hard and racking my brains, I still haven't found my satisfactory countermeasures. I want to find a few confidant consultants to brainstorm, but many people are already suspected of Watergate. It would be even worse if another Wen Gu "turned his back" like Dean. It seems that only by attacking and defending and then retreating is the wise choice to "protect the car if you lose your pawn." Nixon finally made up his mind. A few days later, Haldeman and Ehrlichman were summoned to the Oval Office. Nixon told them in detail what the minister of justice and the director of the criminal department of the Ministry talked about last time, and then gently let them make an idea. These two men are Nixon's right-hand man and loyal friends for many years. They made great contributions to his presidency. Now, asking Nixon to ask them to resign is actually driving them out of the White House. Nixon was really embarrassed. Haldeman and Ehrlichman were obviously stunned by the unfavorable facts introduced by the President. Although these facts were all experienced by them, once they were accused as criminal evidence, they never thought of them. The chief of staff and the internal affairs adviser are very sensitive and can understand the president's intentions. In order to protect the face of the president and the White House, they can only swallow the bitter wine of resignation at the moment. "We will face all this realistically." When Haldeman and Ehrlichman said this, their eyes were a little red and their noses began to sour. Three people are relatively speechless. No one said the embarrassing word "resignation", but no one was very clear. Let's understand each other. Of course, our moods are different. Nixon later described his mental state in his memoirs: "I was so selfish that I asked them to leave for my own survival;" But I haven't been cruel enough to hurt the people I care about deeply with a clear conscience. I am worried about the blow when they are forced to resign, but I am more worried about the blow they will cause me if they don't stay. " "My problem now is that I have to fire some friends who have done something I participated in. On the evening of April 30th, Nixon made a speech to the whole nation. He reiterated that he had nothing to do with Watergate, but went on to say that he would take responsibility for those subordinates who "may have made mistakes in what they believed was right." Nixon took this opportunity to announce: "Today, I made the most difficult decision of my term of office. I accepted the resignations of two closest aides in the White House. They are Haldeman and Ehrlichman. They are two of the best public servants I have ever had the honor to meet. "He gave such praise to his friend who was forced to resign, not so much to comfort his friend as to make him feel better. Also announced are Dean, a consultant who has "turned back", and Attorney General Colin Dienst; If the former is not removed from the White House, how can Nixon's hatred be lifted? The latter resigned because some of his close colleagues may have "participated in some acts that violated American law". Nixon performed a modern play "Tearing Masu". However, just as Masu's beheading could not recapture the lost street pavilion, can Nixon, who lost his pawn, keep his "car"?

In hot pursuit, Nixon jumped into the Yellow River and couldn't wash it off.

The investigation of Watergate didn't stop because of the resignation of the implicated senior White House officials. On the contrary, the investigation went on more closely. Nixon knew exactly who the next target was. "I must deal with them with great energy." Nixon secretly cheered himself up. He appointed Elliot Richardson, Secretary of Defense, as Attorney General to replace Colin Dienst who resigned, and granted him full authority to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the Watergate incident. This appointment was quickly approved by the Senate. Nixon wanted to show that he had a clear conscience in the Watergate case through such a positive gesture, and at the same time he could effectively control the judicial investigation of this case, but he was proved wrong afterwards. The newly appointed Attorney General Richardson chose archibald Cox, a famous professor at Harvard Law School, as the special prosecutor to investigate Watergate. Perhaps Richardson also wants to make a gesture, regardless of party affiliation, and doesn't care whether Cox is a Democrat or not, which makes people feel that he is impartial and honest. Nixon, however, felt as if he had been hit on the head, stunned and secretly complained. In Nixon's view, Cox was a fanatic with partisanship. He and his subordinates set the goal of removing Nixon from the presidency and President communist party almost without investigation. Sadly, it was the President himself who gave Cox the power to achieve their goals through the Attorney General. Now, Nixon is between Scylla and Charybdis. As soon as the new official Cox took office, he began to ask the White House for relevant files and conduct an in-depth investigation. The Senate Watergate Special Investigation Committee, chaired by Democratic Senator Sam Owen, asked relevant White House officials to accept questions from the Committee at any time. Dean, a former White House legal adviser, has testified before the Owen Commission of Inquiry for five consecutive days. His opening remarks were 345 pages long and he watched them all day. Among them, he insisted that Nixon had been trying to cover up since Watergate. In order to prove what Dean said, members of the committee unanimously demanded the disclosure of the president's relevant files. It was even suggested that President Nixon should be summoned to testify in person. Nixon, who learned the news, immediately made such a reaction. 1On July 7, 973, Nixon wrote to Owen to remind him of the fact that President Truman was summoned by Congress to participate in a certain committee as early as 1953, but he refused. As president, he has his own dignity and rights. Nixon went on to say that, like Truman, I would neither testify before the Committee nor submit documents to the Committee. Five days later, Owen wrote back to the White House, saying that the "two noes" stance "is bound to create a serious possibility of confrontation with the basic constitution." On this day, Nixon felt severe chest pain after getting up and was admitted to the naval hospital. While in hospital, Nixon heard a more sad news: his deputy assistant, Alexander Butterfield, leaked the secret to the Senate Special Investigation Committee: since March 197 1 Sunday, the White House has installed a secret recording system, which can automatically record the conversation, and all the conversations of the President in the office are available for reference. In this regard, special prosecutor Cox was encouraged, believing that this was the most powerful evidence to prove the president's guilt, and asked the White House to hand over the relevant tapes immediately. The Senate special investigation Committee also made the same request. The press seized the explosive news and made a big fuss, and the public's reaction was particularly strong. It is really exciting that the news of whether the president and his government are corrupt will be revealed on tape. The headline of new york Daily News sarcastically wrote: "Nixon eavesdropped on his office." On the other hand, Nixon was like an ant on hot bricks. He is so anxious that he doesn't know what to do. He can't remember every instruction and every word he said after Watergate, but he knows very well whether there is any evidence to conceal the truth and hinder the investigation. Therefore, his instinctive reaction is that he must rely on the privileges enjoyed by the president and never reveal the contents of the audio tape. So, around whether to hand in the recording tape, a protracted lawsuit was launched. Special Prosecutor Cox pursued Nixon and insisted on handing over the tapes. He seems to have a clear clue, and even directly pointed out and asked for the recording of Nixon's two conversations with his chief of staff, Haldeman, on June 20th last year, three days after the Watergate incident. Nixon insisted on his position, emphasizing that according to the principle of separation of powers, the president has the right to refuse the call-up order of the special prosecutor if he thinks it will infringe on the privileges of government departments. The lawsuit was first filed in the federal district court. On August 29, the presiding judge of the local court, Seriga, ruled that Nicholson lost the case. Although Nixon can't say that he was unprepared for this ruling, after all, there is no such precedent in American history. The court ordered the president to hand over materials he didn't want to hand over. Therefore, he was shocked to hear that he lost the case. He decided to appeal to the Federal Supreme Court. The house is leaking and raining. Spiro agnew, Nixon's partner and vice president, was accused of taking bribes while he was governor and vice president of Maryland, and faced the danger of prosecution and conviction. Although this is his personal problem, it is inevitable that the image of the Nixon administration will be damaged again. 10 10 10, Vice President agnew publicly stated that he would not defend the accusation of evading income tax this time, and offered to resign as a condition for withdrawing further prosecution against him. Two days later, Nixon nominated Gerald Ford, a member of the House of Representatives and a Republican leader known for his integrity, friendship and few political enemies, to succeed him as vice president. Nixon was deeply moved by agnew's resignation. "One careless move will lose the game." There are Pingtan Avenue and rapids in one's life. "Don't I just ended? No, I am not agnew, I should not fail, and I must not fail! " Nixon, who has been sharp-edged from his student days to his political career, began to fight back with power, fearing that he would appear passive and weak. He operated on the special prosecutor first. Nixon asked Attorney General Richardson to fire Cox, thus stopping his investigation into Watergate. Unexpectedly, Richardson, one of his old cabinet members and closest aides, refused to carry out the president's instructions. Richardson knows very well what it means to refuse to carry out the president's instructions, so he officially resigned on 10/0/October 20th. At the same time, Deputy Minister of Justice Ruckelshaus also resigned. Nixon was caught off guard and had to temporarily appoint an acting attorney general. In the afternoon, White House Press Secretary Ziegler announced to reporters that the Attorney General and his deputy had resigned, and announced that Cox was being dismissed by the Acting Attorney General, and his Watergate Special Prosecutor's Office would be cancelled accordingly, and his work would be handed over to the Ministry of Justice. It's like blasting a hole in the psychological dam of the public, and a surging wave of protests is rolling in. Some newspapers even used "Executioner: Nixon" as the title, pointing out that the president who wanted to "set an example" was challenging the law and justice. Public opinion in Congress is almost one-sided, including many members of the Party who think that the President has gone too far, and unanimously demand that the investigation of Watergate should not be handed over to the Ministry of Justice, and that a special prosecutor should still be appointed to take full charge of this work. Nixon, who had just been hit hard by the attack, had to restrain himself and agreed to choose a new special prosecutor as the acting attorney general to investigate the Watergate case. 111October1Sunday, Leon Jaworski, a Democrat from Texas and former president of the American Bar Association, took office. Shortly after he took office, he issued a subpoena, and he also wanted to take the tape of the White House on June 20 last year as evidence. This recording tape possessed Nixon like a ghost. "Is there any shady record in this?" Ford, the new vice president, was puzzled and took the liberty to suggest that the president hand it over immediately. Because Nixon assured him that the president had done nothing wrong in Watergate. "In that case, can't handing over the tape clear the suspicion imposed on the president?" Honest Ford thinks so. "No, I am defending the principle of presidential privilege, which must not be easily abandoned." Nixon explained why he insisted on not handing over the videotape. He seemed to see some doubt in Ford's eyes and said, "If you don't believe me, you can play the recording." But Ford refused. 1973 Christmas may be gloomy for Nixon, but it is worth cherishing, because the Watergate investigation has made him more and more disadvantaged, and his chance to spend Christmas in the White House may never come back. Of course, he didn't realize this at that time, and he didn't want to think about it. However, the psychological defense line about whether to hand in the recording tape is retreating. For the part of the tape that may be handed in in the end, you should listen to it first, and do some processing work in advance to avoid being passive. Nicholson can only make such a choice. A piece of news spread like wildfire in the White House, and then it was heated by public opinion: On the morning of June 20th last year, as important evidence, Nixon and Haldeman talked about how to deal with Watergate, but it was 18 and a half minutes blank! Ross, the female secretary in charge of recording the president's conversation, claimed that she had never done such a "technical treatment". If she says she is at fault at work, she will inadvertently erase some recordings for no more than 5 minutes. What does 18 minute blank mean? People can plug in the wings of imagination. Nixon is in a bad mood at the moment. He wrote in his memoirs: "I understand that most people think I can't explain the blank of 18 and a half minutes." This is the most incredible and insulting part of the whole Watergate incident. I also know that if I admit that I erased the blank myself, or others say that Rose helped me erase it, or deliberately erased it at my direct or indirect request, they will gladly accept it. But I know I didn't wipe it; Ross said