NIXON TAPES: Nixon Drunk over Watergate (Haldeman)

April 30, 1973
White House Telephone

President Richard Nixon, distraught, slurring his words, and likely drunk, talks with Bob Haldeman. Earlier that night, Nixon had announced the resignations of his closest aides, his Chief of Staff H. R. (Bob) Haldeman and his Chief Domestic Advisor John Ehrlichman, for their involvement in the brewing Watergate scandal. Nixon tells Haldeman to keep the faith and that he loves him like his brother. Watergate is clearly weighing heavily on Nixon by this point, although it will be over another year before it causes him to resign too.

Nixon later likened the firings to cutting off his right arm and his left arm. In a conversation soon after this one, Nixon told his Secretary of State Bill Rogers that he "broke down" after the broadcast even though he's "not that kind of man."

(Photo: President Richard Nixon and Bob Haldeman walking together.)

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  News & Politics

[raelraven2]

Damn, talk about paranoid! The other thing that strikes me is this is a classical example of Groupthink. Haldeman is clearly a yes man telling the president exactly what he wants to hear. Sad and frightening.

[Turdbuckethat]

Nixon made a big mistake being involved in Watergate and covering it up, but I can't believe that he was all bad. He did some great thing while in office. I think in his heart deep down he did regret lying to the American public. He was just one of those people that always had to put on a facade and couldn't show his true feelings.

[Ian McTavish]

Sadly, they all do....they really have too. Good people get into politics and quickly learn its more cutthroat that than wall street.

[Ian McTavish]

Not so much paranoid as right. It is a fact that the media and the elitists that made it in government because of their wealth and connections hated Nixon and people like him. They always hated him and the knew, they tried and tried and finally beat him.

[SUNMAYDEN518]

I agree

[SUNMAYDEN518]

haldeman still brown nosing him

[windstorm1000]

Exactly--he should have resigned earlier--clearly he should have gone to a therapist. One has to have a clear soul to be Prez.

[Cody Austin]

If you have ever watched the Frost/Nixon iterviews, you see the agony and how ashamed he was when he finally lets the truth on Watergate..the look on his stone face says a MILLION words by itself. But, most people focus on Watergate alone, he did did MANY illegal things in office, including wiretapping his own brother amongst tons of others..the thing is, 30% was right, 40% Bending the law, 10% Breaking the law knowingly. "I am saying if a President is doing it, IT IS NOT ILLEGAL'.- Nixon.

[Robert Slack]

He was nowhere near as bad as George W. Bush, but that isn't saying too much.

[Turdbuckethat]

Fair Enough. I agree he did things that were very bad for the office of the President. I was only 12 when Nixon resigned so I don't have as much insight into his Presidency as you do probably. I always assumed though that Watergate was the only bad thing he ever did. I grew up in a Conservative home and I heard the Praises of Nixon all the time from my parents.

[landesal]

I did mention other things, you might have missed that comment(about sabotaging Muskie and Ted Kennedy). You don't understand. Watergate exposed the white house plumbers. it was not the first break-in that they were involved in. What Nixon did was unacceptable, I support Ford's decision to pardon him, because the country had to move on, the country was literally divided. But what I don't like are apologists who personally think that Nixon was somehow misunderstood.

[Turdbuckethat]

Well at least you're right about Johnson escalating the Cambodian debacle. Look man, I wasn't trying to hate on you or anything like that. You misread my comment too sir. I didn't say you mentioned Cambodia, I said that wouldn't count as a bad thing Nixon did. I do recognize the illegalness of what Nixon did during Watergate. I'm just asking you to tell me some of the other illegal things he did. That's all bro. No Hate.