ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD PAPERS, 1973

The Alexander Butterfield Papers exclusively concern Butterfield's July 13, 1973 interview with staff of the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities (Ervin Committee), which was investigating the Watergate burglary and related illegal activities. During the interview in response to direct questions, Butterfield made his historic disclosure that presidential conversations in the Oval Office and elsewhere had been secretly taped record at the direction of President Nixon. A few days later, on July 16, Butterfield repeated the disclosure in open committee testimony before live television cameras. The effect was electric, and the White House tapes and their contents remained at the center of the controversy leading to Nixon's resignation from office on August 9, 1974.

The papers consist of stenographer Marianne Brazer's shorthand transcript of the interview, her handwritten verbatim transcript of what she deemed the "salient" portions of the interview, and an Addendum summarizing those portions of the interview which concerned the taping system. Ford Library archivists have added photocopies of two documents in the Ervin Committee records at the National Archives: a copy of the Addendum with extensive comments and corrections in Butterfield's handwriting; and a summary of the many parts of the interview which did not relate to the taping system. This last document is interesting not just for "Watergate" information, but for information on Oval Office paper flow and recordkeeping in general. Butterfield managed the flow of paper to President Nixon.

At the time of his testimony, Butterfield was the recently appointed head of the Federal Aviation Administration. He was previously Deputy Assistant to President Nixon and Secretary to the Cabinet. Butterfield remained as head of the FAA until President Ford requested his resignation in March 1975.