haldeman and yours truly, we're obstructing justice.obody was thinking about the criminal law. we were thinking more about the politics of it all. >> all of the burglars stay quiet. nobody else is indicted, which is exactly what the white house's strategy was. >> the strategy was containment. if it doesn't get widespread coverage in the country as a whole, then we'll be able to handle this. >> this is about the government. this is about credibility. this is about bugging. this is about deception. this is about the white house. and this is how you stop it. with your vote. >> while senator mcgovern is out campaigning tirelessly, trying to get his message across to the people, president nixon is sitting in the white house and carrying out his presidential duties and leaving the hard campaigning to vice president agnew. >> people want to trust the king. people don't want to believe this about their president. >> pennsylvania decisively important state for the democrats drawn tonight to the republicans. kansas, connecticut, texas, michigan,

one of his aides, hr haldeman says why don't we just go ask them ? but nixon was crazy at various times and certainly at this time and this is where historical context is useful. for a long time, first of all, he should have asked but if you wanted to find something or get political intelligence, for a lot long time the fbi did that for a president. that's how fdr stayed in office for all those years was acting as a political spy and also blackmail. but by 1971 the wind is changing here. the war on court is there, they're liberal, they're starting to outlaw wiretapping or put restrictions on wiretapping and restrictions on what the president can do and j edgar hoover, he's hopeful. he stated office for a long time because of political instinct and he can see the wind is shifting so when nixon says i want you to dig up dirt on ellsberg, hoover refuses to do it. he's out of the game of black bags and burglaries. the fbi's not doing that anymore so what does nixon do? he goes in-house and creates his own investigative unit within the white house call th

all the tapes, a quarter of 1 million words of haldeman's diaries that were classified top secret. everything will be out and i said that is amazing. 40 year struggle to get this material in the hands of the american people were just as wrong. i put aside what i was working on, tapes began coming out in 2013, they continue to come out and i listen to so much richard nixon i could plausibly do richard nixon. what i finally understand, and richard nixon has been put on the analyst's couch, something laterally, and one was how the war in vietnam was fought on two fronts, abroad and at home and how the war home became the war of watergate, was nixon going after his political enemies, those who oppose the war and opposed him that led to the crimes that brought him down. between 2 wars were as one, vietnam and watergate. after listening to the newly released tapes which cover roughly the end of summer of 1972 until the taping mechanisms were revealed at the watergate hearings in 1973, what the torment this man went through, he knew before he was sworn in for a second term that he was doo

and they said by the end of 20 4 , all the tapes, the quarter of a million word's haldeman's diaries, nixon's chief of staff, that were classified top secret, everything will be out. and i said, that's amazing. a 40-year struggle to get these material into the hands of the american people where it justly belongs. so i put aside what i was working on and the tapes began coming out in 2013. they continued to come out, and i've now listen to such much richard nixon, i will compare you. what i finally understood were two things i don't think had been fully understood, although god knows richard nixon has been written about and put on these analysts' couch for lo these many years, something he detest of. cou want was how the war in vietnam was fought on two fronts, abroad and at home, and how the war at home became the wars of watergate. it was nixon going after his political enemies. those who opposed the war and who opposed him, that led too the crimes that brought him down.. the two cars were as one. vietnam, and watergate. betwthe second was after listening to the newly released tapes,

to interview haldeman and haldeman realized here is somebody out of air force central casting, somebodyho would be perfect to bring in as his deputy to get that with nixon's approval but dixon didn't meet butterfield until the first weeks of the presidency and their meeting is described, it shows how nixon literally could not talk. all he did was mumble. >> host: 202-748-8200, or 8201 for those in the mountain and pacific time zone and text number for text messages, 202-838-6251. is mister butterfield still alive? >> guest: he is 90 years old, lives in california, then a couple nonprofits, just sitting there, this is one of the journalistic lessons in all of this. you have got to show up and ask people, who would have ever thought there would be another dimension to nixon, the nixon presidency, there was just sitting. >> host: do you think a lot of the documents, the attitude in the nixon white house were unique compared to some other white houses? >> i do. historical record shows there was a kind of anger, a sense that nixon had the presidency, it is personal, not about the people, not

he asked to interview haldeman, and haldeman realized here's minute out of air force -- here's somebodyout of air force central casting, somebody would be perfect to bring in as his deputy. he did that with nixon's approval be, but nixon didn't meet butterfield until the first weeks of the presidency. and on their meeting, the scene is described. it shows how nixon literally could not talk, all he did was mumble. >> host: 202 is the area code. 748-8400 in the east and central time zones. 748-8201 for those of you in the mountain and pacific time zones. and our text number for text message, 202-838-6251. is mr. butterfield still alive? >> guest: he is. he's 09 years old, live -- 90 years old.bu lives in california. he's on a couple of nonprofit boards and is, you know, he was just sitting there, and this, again, is one of the journalistic lessons in all of this. you've got to show up, you've got to ask people.so and who would have ever thought it would be another dimension te nixon, the nixon presidency. and there it was just sitting. >> host: do you think a lot of the documents, the att

i turned around and there was elvis presley having lunch with bob haldeman, chief of staff. >> jimmy: the famous incident where elvis showed up at the white house unannounced? >> yes. and i got up and i said, mr. presley, everyone in the world is your fan but i'm your biggest fan. and he said, "thank-uh very much." [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: that's how you do it. that was -- actually, very famous photograph came out of that day. i don't know if people have seen that. [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: the president, elvis and ben. the three amigos as you were called back then. what do you think of donald trump? you're a life-long republican. this obviously -- we've seen some things we've never seen before during this election process. >> it's been hell. >> jimmy: are you excited about donald? >> it's hell. at all. i think he's -- there's something wrong with him. >> jimmy: okay. [ cheers and applause ] >> i went to law school with mrs. clinton and i wear the yale law school tie to show -- >> jimmy: did you know her in law school? >> just to say hello in the hall. in the merest p