Alexander Butterfield, White House assistant who exposed Nixon's tape-recording system at age 99, has died

Alexander Butterfield died aged 99. He was the White House aide that revealed Richard Nixon's "secret audio recording system" and provided the "smoking weapon" in the Watergate scandal which brought down the President.

Kim, his wife, confirmed to The Washington Post & The New York Times that Butterfield had died. His revelations about the recording devices and listening devices sparked a legal battle over executive privilege.

The two newspapers reported that he had died at his home in the seaside La Jolla district of San Diego a month before his 100th Birthday, but there was no mention of a cause of death.

Butterfield told journalist Alicia Shepard that he did not like being called the person who revealed the existence of these tapes, because it implied he had "eagerly" and "breathlessly" informed the Watergate committee.

Butterfield, a native of Pensacola in Florida who grew up California, attended UCLA and joined the U.S. Air Force before joining in 1948. He served as a combat aircraft during the Vietnam War commanding a squadron tactical reconnaissance aircraft. Later, Butterfield served as the military assistant of a senior Pentagon official. This job gave him exposure to the White House.

Butterfield left the Air Force in order to join the White House Staff as the deputy of Nixon's Chief of Staff, H.R. Haldeman was an old UCLA friend. Butterfield was responsible for keeping an historical record of the president, including overseeing the installation of voice-activated tape?system.

Butterfield was already in his new job as the Federal Aviation Administration's top official when the investigation into the break-in of the Democratic Headquarters at Watergate Building on June 17, 1972 began to heat up.

Butterfield was one of a few people in the White House who were aware of the recording system. When he learned that he would face questions from the Senate Watergate Committee (officially known as the Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities), Butterfield decided not to tell a lie or volunteer any information.

In a private session, a Republican staff attorney of the committee asked him if there was a recording system at the White House. Butterfield reluctantly admitted that there was.

KEY QUESTION

The same question was asked by Fred Thompson, the counsel for the Republicans in the Senate committee, who would later become a senator and actor, on July 16, 1973.

After a long silence, Butterfield replied, "I am aware of listening devices. Yes, sir."

The nation was stunned by the news that Nixon had actually recorded what he said, to whom and when.

Butterfield confirmed that the system secretly recorded conversations and meetings within the Oval Office and Nixon's Executive Office Building office, the Cabinet room and four White House phones. He said the purpose of these recordings was historical.

Butterfield, in a 1975 interview for People magazine said Nixon had often forgotten about the recorders. He also disregarded the advice to destroy them because he didn't think the Watergate scandal would ever reach the point where he was required to hand over the tapes.

Butterfield, speaking of his deceased former boss in 1994, said: "I am sure that he hated me as much or more than anyone else could."

He stated that he believed Nixon should have resigned sooner.

He said, "I'm not upset about the resignation of the president." "Not at all."

The role of NIXON is revealed

Nixon's undoing was a recording that Nixon made six days after Watergate. It was the "smoking-gun" which proved he knew about the cover-up. Nixon was heard agreeing with a plan that would have the investigation into the Watergate break-in halted due to national security concerns.

Nixon's public and political support was waning as the U.S. Supreme Court rejected White House claims about executive privilege. He resigned in August 1974 rather than face an impeachment trial and Senate trial.

Butterfield, who was not involved in the cover-up or break-in, was never charged. However, his friend Haldeman, who was also a Nixon insider, would be among the many Nixon insiders to go to prison as a result of the scandal.

Bob Woodward's 2015 book, "The Last of the President's Men", which helped to break the Watergate scandal, was a focus on Butterfield. He provided Woodward thousands of documents that he had removed secretly from Nixon administration office.

Butterfield's documents and interviews portrayed Nixon as a strange, resentful man who was isolated and isolated.

Butterfield claimed he was often the target of hostility by Nixon loyalists. He told Time magazine how long-time Nixon Secretary Rose Mary Woods had called him a "son a bitch," who "destroyed" the greatest leader the country has ever had.

Butterfield was Oliver Stone's adviser on the 1995 film "Nixon", and played a White House employee in a cameo appearance.

Butterfield's marriage to Charlotte Maguire ended in divorce in the year 1985. He had also dated Audrey Geisel before, the widow of children's author and illustrator Theodor Seuss Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss). Bill Trott (reporting, writing and editing; Steve Gorman contributed additional reporting in Los Angeles; Diane Craft edited)

(source: Reuters)