The Haldeman Diaries Inside The Nixon White House

Nixon's late chief of staff chronicles his four years in the White House, offering insights on such events of the period as the bombing of Cambodia, the Kent State killings, Watergate & the personality of the president.
'It's probable H.R. Haldeman never told all he knew about Nixon's role, the Watergate cover-up or the Administration's abusive tactics against its political enemies,' wrote Newsweek upon Haldeman's death on 11/12/93. 'He takes [those] secrets-& whatever else he knew-to final judgment.' But not all he knew, nor all the secrets. Haldeman left behind a legacy few knew existed-four years, three months of diaries, which he wrote & dictated every day he was Chief of Staff. These never before published diaries offer a portrait of an era & a White House that haunt American history & politics. With frank observations, this record, written for Haldeman alone, reflects an unvarnished view of the triumphs & tragedy of those years. Here's a portrait of that period's more celebrated events: Cambodia bombings, Kent State killings, ground-breaking Russia & China trips, '72 campaign, Vietnam peace negotiations, White House power struggles, headaches caused by Henry Kissinger, Spiro Agnew's descent, &, especially, the Watergate scandal-detailed as they happened. Here's a fresh view of Nixon, by one who knew him best. Nixon, the biggest star of his own drama, is revealed intimately-shrewd, complex, petty, obsessive, sensitive, manipulative & self-absorbed. We learn of Nixon's double-cross of Sen. Howard Baker & his chance for a Supreme Court seat; Nixon's plan to photograph Ted Kennedy in compromising positions, then leak the photos; Nixon's attempts to get John Connally to replace Agnew on the '72 ticket; how Nixon attempted to get LBJ to fix the Senate Watergate investigation; & how Nixon's inner circle hunted for a fall guy as Watergate unfolded, & who some of the surprising candidates were...The Haldeman Diaries may be the most meticulously reported & eye-opening chronicle of those years. 

Author: H R Haldeman

Publisher: G P Putnam's Sons

Released Date: 1994

ISBN: 0399139621