Supreme Court Orders Nixon: Release the Tapes
The Supreme Court ruled 8-0 in United States v. Nixon on July 24, 1974, ordering President Nixon to surrender sixty-four tape recordings subpoenaed by Watergate special prosecutor Leon Jaworski. Nixon had claimed "absolute executive privilege" shielded all presidential communications from judicial review. Chief Justice Warren Burger, whom Nixon himself had appointed, wrote the unanimous opinion rejecting this claim. The tapes revealed that Nixon had personally directed the CIA to obstruct the FBI's Watergate investigation just six days after the break-in, directly contradicting his public statements. Three Republican leaders visited Nixon on August 7 to tell him he would be impeached and convicted. He resigned two days later.
July 24, 1974
52 years ago
Key Figures & Places
President of the United States
Wikipedia
Richard Nixon
Wikipedia
Watergate scandal
Wikipedia
Supreme Court of the United States
Wikipedia
White House
Wikipedia
Watergate scandal
Wikipedia
Supreme Court of the United States
Wikipedia
President
Wikipedia
Richard Nixon
Wikipedia
White House
Wikipedia
United States v. Nixon
Wikipedia
American National Exhibition
Wikipedia
Vice President of the United States
Wikipedia
Premier of the Soviet Union
Wikipedia
Nikita Khrushchev
Wikipedia
Kitchen Debate
Wikipedia
Martin Van Buren
Wikipedia
1837
Wikipedia
1841
Wikipedia
Soviet Union
Wikipedia
Communism
Wikipedia
Capitalisme
Wikipedia
Meinungsforschung
Wikipedia
Andrew Jackson
Wikipedia
John Quincy Adams
Wikipedia
1782
Wikipedia
United States
Wikipedia
What Else Happened on July 24
The Ostrogoths fled the Siege of Ariminum when a massive Byzantine fleet appeared unexpectedly, compelling them to abandon their campaign entirely. This sudden …
Ranulf II of Alife crushed the forces of Roger II of Sicily at the Battle of Nocera, halting the expansion of the Hauteville dynasty into the Italian mainland. …
Louis VII of France launched a desperate siege against Damascus, hoping to secure a Christian stronghold in the Levant. The campaign collapsed within four days …
King Edward I's siege engines, including the massive trebuchet known as War Wolf, smashed through Stirling Castle's defenses on July 24, 1304. This brutal captu…
Two thousand men died in a single afternoon over a title nobody outside Scotland cared about. Donald, Lord of the Isles, marched 10,000 Highlanders toward Aberd…
The monks chose a scholar who'd spent decades copying manuscripts in candlelight. Behnam Hadloyo took leadership of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Mardin in 1412…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.