PROSECUTOR INVESTIGATING THE WATERGATE COVER-UP.
WATERGATE COVER-UP. FIRST, TOM BROKAW LOOKS BACK AT
WHAT IS KNOWN AS THE SATURDAY
NIGHT MASSACRE.
NIGHT MASSACRE. >> Reporter: IN OCTOBER 1973,
PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON WAS
UNDER SIEGE, WATERGATE AND MORE.
GOOD EVENING.
GOOD EVENING. IT IS AN ALL-OUT WAR.
THE YOM KIPPUR WAR IN THE MIDDLE
EAST, WAS THE RISK OF A
U.S./SOVIET CONFRONTATION.
U.S./SOVIET CONFRONTATION. THE RESIGNATION OF VICE
PRESIDENT SPIRO AGNEW --
>> I WILL HAVE NOTHING MORE TO
SAY.
SAY. >> Reporter: THE NAMING OF A NEW
VICE PRESIDENT.
VICE PRESIDENT. >> CONGRESSMAN GERALD FORD OF
MICHIGAN.
MICHIGAN. >> Reporter: AND THAT SAME DAY,
A FATEFUL COURT RULING.
>> THE U.S. COURT OF APPEALS HAS
RULED DECISIVELY AGAINST
MR. NIXON’S POSITION ON HIS
SECRET WHITE HOUSE TAPES.
>> Reporter: THE WHITE HOUSE
TAPES, POTENTIAL EVIDENCE OF A
WATERGATE COVER-UP.
WATERGATE COVER-UP. NIXON HAD BEEN FIGHTING TO KEEP
THEM SECRET.
THEM SECRET. NOW, A FEDERAL COURT ORDERED HIM
TO TURN THEM OVER.
BUT NIXON HAD OTHER PLANS.
>> PRESIDENT NIXON ANNOUNCED HE
WILL NEITHER APPEAL NOR COMPLY
WITH A FEDERAL COURT ORDER TO
TURN OVER THE WATERGATE TAPES.
THE PRESIDENT SAID HE WILL
SUPPLY A SUMMARY OF THE TAPES TO
THE WATERGATE COMMITTEE.
>> Reporter: ARCHIBALD COX
RESPONDED IN A NEWS CONFERENCE.
>> IN TEND, I DECIDED THAT I HAD
TO TRY TO STICK BY WHAT I
THOUGHT WAS RIGHT.
>> Reporter: COX REJECTED
NIXON’S PLAN, SAYING IT VIOLATED
THE INDEPENDENCE PROMISED HIM BY
ATTORNEY GENERAL ELLIOT
RICHARDSON.
RICHARDSON. THE PROSECUTOR AND THE PRESIDENT
WERE ON A COLLISION COURSE.
>> THE COUNTRY, TONIGHT, IS IN
THE MIDST OF WHAT MAY BE THE
MOST SERIOUS CONSTITUTIONAL
CRISIS IN ITS HISTORY.
NIXON ORDERED RICHARDSON TO FIRE
COX.
COX. RICHARDSON REFUSED AND RESIGNED.
HIS DEPUTY ALSO REFUSED AND ALSO
RESIGNED.
RESIGNED. THE SOLICITOR, ROBERT BORK, WAS
MADE ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL,
AND HE FIRED COX.
>> ONE WHITE HOUSE SOURCE SAYS
THE MOTIVE WAS TO REMOVE THE
CONFRONTATION AS QUICKLY AS
POSSIBLE.
POSSIBLE. >> Reporter: STANLEY POTTINGER,
WAS WITH ELLIOT RICHARDSON THAT
NIGHT.
NIGHT. THE FBI HAD BEEN ORDERED TO
SECURE THE OFFICE OF THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL.
ATTORNEY GENERAL. SO, TWO FBI AGENTS APPEARED IN
THE HALL.
THE HALL. ONE TOOK HIS COAT OFF AND THREW
IT OVER HIS SHOULDER, SO YOU SAW
HIS CHEST HOLLISTER.
AND
AND HOLSTER.
HOLSTER. THEY MARCHED INTO THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL’S OFFICE.
GENERAL’S OFFICE. AND HE SAID, WELCOME, GENTLEMEN.
THE OFFICE IS YOURS.
>> Reporter: THE SATURDAY NIGHT
MASSACRE TRIGGERED A FIRESTORM
OF PROTESTS.
OF PROTESTS. >> MORE THAN 50,000 TELEGRAMS
POURED IN ON CAPITOL HILL TODAY.
MOST OF THEM DEMANDING
IMPEACHING NIXON.
IMPEACHING NIXON. >> THIS PRESIDENT DOES NOT DEFY
THE LAW.
THE LAW. >> Reporter: NIXON DID NOT TURN
OVER THE MOST INCRIMINATING
TAPES AND HE WENT AFTER THE
PRESS.
PRESS. >> I HAVE NEVER HEARD OR SEEN
SUCH OUTRAGEOUS, VICIOUS,
DISTORTED REPORTING IN 27 YEARS
OF PUBLIC LIFE.
>> Reporter: IN TENDHE END, RICH
NIXON HAD ONLY HIMSELF TO BLAME.
>> HISTORY SHOWS THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE WILL PUT UP WITH A GREAT
DEAL, EVEN WHEN THE DEMANDS ARE
OUTRAGEOUS.
OUTRAGEOUS. BUT THEY WILL NOT PUT UP WITH
ANYBODY WHO CLAIMS TO BE OR
TRIES TO BE ABOVE THE LAW,
IMMUNE TO THE RULES ON EVERYBODY
ELSE.
ELSE. IF ANYBODY ACQUIRES THAT
PRIVILEGE
PRIVILEGE PRIVILEGE, IT WILL BE THE END OF
THIS COUNTRY.
THIS COUNTRY. >> IT’S INCREDIBLE TO WATCH THE
HISTORY.
HISTORY. OF COURSE, YOU SEE SOME
PARALLELS.
PARALLELS. YOU WERE THERE.
YOU WERE THE WHITE HOUSE
CORRESPONDENT.
CORRESPONDENT. WAS IT IMMEDIATELY CLEAR HOW
GRAVE THIS MOMENT WAS?
>> I THINK IT WAS.
WE KNEW FROM MOMENT-TO-MOMENT
THAT THIS COULD NOT HAVE A GOOD
ENDING, AS WE KEPT MOVING
FORWARD, BECAUSE THE PRESIDENT
WOULD NOT GIVE UP THE TAPES.
AND WE WERE HEARING WHAT WAS
LIKELY ON THE TAPES, THAT HE WAS
ACTUALLY PROTECTING HIS OWN
WORDS, IN WHICH HE WAS SAYING,
WE CAN GET THE MONEY TO PAY THE
BURGLARS FOR THE PAYOFF AND
EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING. THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT THAT
WAS, IT HAD BEEN BUILDING FOR
ABOUT FOUR MONTHS AT THAT POINT.
THERE WAS AN ENORMOUS SENSE OF
POSSIBILITY THAT THE PLACE WAS
GOING TO COME APART.
BUT IT DIDN’T.
IT DIDN’T, IN PART, BECAUSE
CONGRESS HELD THE LINE IN TERMS
OF BEING FAIR AND IN TOUCH WITH
EACH OTHER.
EACH OTHER. MY FAVORITE PARTS OF THE STORY
IS THAT, ON FRIDAY, BEFORE THE
SATURDAY NIGHT MASSACRE, I HAD
GOTTEN A TIP THAT ELLIOT
RICHARDSON HAD BEEN AT THE WHITE
HOUSE.
HOUSE. AND GENERAL HAIG TOLD ME THEY
THOUGHT HETHEY HAD HIM IN LINE.
THAT WASN’T TRUE.
SATURDAY MORNING, I GOT UP TO DO
THE "NIGHTLY NEWS" AND DAN
RATHER DID THE SAME THING FOR
CBS.
CBS. ON THE PLANE, WE’RE RUSHING
BACK, AND SAT ERIC SEVEROY.
EVERYBODY GOING, WHAT’S GOING
ON?
ON? HE SAID, I CAN’T TALK ABOUT IT.
HE CAME BACK TO DONAN AND ME AND
SAID, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?
I’M MAKING A SPEECH IN
NEW ENGLAND.
NEW ENGLAND. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT’S HAPPENING.
I GOT TO THE WHITE HOUSE AND
WENT TO THE LAWN.
AND RON ZIEGLER TALKED TO ME.
HE WAS WAITING FOR HIS CAR,
SMOKING HIS PIPE, BECAUSE THEY
THOUGHT IT WOULD TURN OUT OKAY.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEN AND
NOW?
NOW? >> I THINK THERE’S BIG
DIFFERENCES.
DIFFERENCES. ONE IS, WE KNEW THAT THERE WERE
PARTS OF THAT TAPE THAT WERE
VERY LIKELY INCRIMINATING.
AND THEY WERE ON THE TAPE, THE
PRESIDENT’S WORDS.
PRESIDENT’S WORDS. WE DON’T KNOW THAT ABOUT DONALD
TRUMP AT THIS POINT.
DO WE HAVE THE EVIDENCE THAT IS
THERE IN SOME FORM?
AND THE DIFFERENCE THEN AND NOW
IS THAT CONGRESS FOUND WAYS TO
WORK TOGETHER BEHIND THE SCENES.
THEY WEREN’T AS DIVIDED AS THEY
ARE NOW.
ARE NOW. THE COUNTRY IS SO DEEPLY POLAR
POLARIZED AND WE DIDN’T HAVE
SOCIAL MEDIA.
SOCIAL MEDIA. SO, WE WERE ON THE AIR AND WE
WOULD TELL EVERYBODY WHAT WE
KNEW.
KNEW. BUT WE DIDN’T MAKE JUDGMENTS
ABOUT GUILT OR INNOCENCE.
I DIDN’T SAY AT THE END OF MY
REPORT, I THINK HE’S GUILTY.
WE WOULD DEAL WITH WHAT WE HAD
AND WE WERE A CHECK ON ONE
ANOTHER IN THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS
CORPS.
CORPS. GOING TOO FAR HERE, HAVE TO BE
CAREFUL, CHECK WITH WHAT I’VE
GOT, HOPE THAT IT’S TRUE.
THAT’S A HUGE DIFFERENCE.
NOW, THE WHOLE COUNTRY IS
INVOLVED AND IT’S SO TERRIBLY
POLARIZED, LEFT AND RIGHT.
IT GOES ON 24/7.
WE HAVE VERY LITTLE OPPORTUNITY
TO STAND BACK AND REFLECT AND
SAY, LET THE RULE OF LAW TAKE
ITS PLACE AND PLAY IT OUT.