The Tape That Destroyed Richard Nixon

On June 23, 1972, a routine audio recording system inside the Oval Office captured a conversation that would permanently shatter a presidency. President Richard Nixon and his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman, devised a specific plan to have the CIA falsely tell the FBI to halt its investigation into the Watergate break-in, claiming it would interfere with top-secret national security. When this specific audio tape was forced into the public light two years later, it became known as the Smoking Gun. It proved to the public that Nixon was actively directing a criminal cover-up just days after the initial burglary, destroying his political support and forcing his historic resignation. #politicalhistory #watergate #nixon #americanhistory #shorts