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4492758
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Butterfield Interview Summary
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4492758
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Butterfield Interview Summary
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Alexander P. Butterfield Papers
Alexander Butterfield Interview Notes and Transcript
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Watergate Affair, 1972-1974
Governmental investigations
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The original documents are located in Box 1, folder "Interview Summary or Addendum" of
the Alexander P. Butterfield Papers, 1973 at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald R. Ford donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Digitized from Box 1 of the Alexander P. Butterfield Papers, 1973 at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
INTERVIEW
ATTACHED IS ADDENDUM TO
INTERVIEW OF
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
GERALD
&
LIBRARY FORD
Interview with Alexander P. Butterfield on July 13, 1973 at 2:15 PM
at G334, New Senate Office Building
by Gene Boyce, Don Sanders, Scott Armstrong (M. Brazer also present)
Dictated 7-13-73
Transcribed C
7-13-73
by Marianne
Page l of
pages.
ADDENDUM
ALEXANDER P. BUTTERFIELD
During the course of the interview, Mr.
Butterfield was shown a White House log of conversa-
tions between the President and Mr. Dean (indicating
the date and substance of conversation). Butterfield
also recalled that Dean indicated during his testimony
before our Hearings that he (Dean) had the impression
that he was being taped during his conversations in the
Oval Office.
Butterfield then stated, "There is tape in
the Oval Office. This tape is maintained by the Secret
Service, and only four (4) Secret Service Men know
about it.", ",
The system was installed about 2 1/2 years
ago ---- at the 18 month point of Nixon's term ---- "the
President is very history oriented about the role he is
going to play, and is not subtle about it."
BUTTERFIELD/ADDENDUM
Page 2
Butterfield stated that "Higby came to me
and said the President wants you (Butterfield) to get
together with the Secret Service and have the Oval
Office, the Cabinet Room, and the EOB set up for
tapes. I got the Technical Security Division
they said okay. 11 The system was installed on a week-
end when the President was out of town.
Butterfield stated that the only people
who knew of this system were: himself, the President,
Haldeman, Higby, Wong (in charge of the Technical
Security Division at this time), Zoomwalt (Secret Ser-
vice man), the Secret Service telephone specialist
(name cannot recall), Mary Sidley (Butterfield's secre-
GERALD
tary, whom he told one day long after the system was
LISTATA
'y
FORD
installed, reason was due to circumstances), and Lou
Sims (replaced Wong at TSD). Butterfield stated that
he feels certain that Dean suspected there was a taping
system, could not document who would have told Dean
about it, but in Butterfield's "own mind, it might have been
Higby. "
BUTTERFIELD/ADDENDUM
Page 3
The locator system in the White House is
operated by the Secret Service. Whenever the President
enters a room, the Secret Service man turns on the switch
in this room which activates a locator light panel on the
desks of Haldeman, Butterfield and Bull (in this way it
is known exactly where the President is).
The master tape system is located in the
basement under the White House. The taping units are
located in the Oval Office (room and telephone), the EOB
inner office (room), the Cabinet Room (room), the
Lincoln Room (telephone), Camp David (telephone/
Presidential Study AKA Aspen Room).
Taping in the Oval Office activated by the
locator system, the taping itself triggered by sound.
Mikes were located under the President's desk, on the
mantel. There is no manual cut off switch in the Oval
Office.
Taping in the Cabinet Room can be activated
in two ways: 1) by the switches under the table of such room,
and 2) by a push button on Butterfield's phone. The taping in
BUTTERFIELD/ADDENDUM
Page 4
the Cabinet Room could be cut off if desired. For example,
the President has had Cabinet Meetings and did not want
anyone present (including Haldeman), "this was not taped,
as I (Butterfield) was sure that the President did not want
this taped. 11
With respect to Camp David, the tape unit
was placed in the phone in the President's own study
(AKA Aspen Room). The Secret Service has been con-
cerned about this because of State visitors lodging there.
Taping equipment is basically simple, and in the phone,
and it is possible that the Secret Service have it removed
in the event of invited guests.
Butterfield stated that the quality of sound
GERALD
is good on the Oval Office and EOP Office tapes; however,
y
TIREST
FORD
those taped in the Cabinet Room are poor (sometimes inaudible)
With respect to the results of the tapes,
Butterfield stated that the Secret Service changed the
tapes at least once a day --- this was Zoomwald's responsi-
bility. The tapes were taken off, dated, and placed in storage.
The tapes are stored in various security areas of the White House.
BUTTERFIELD/ADDENDUM
PAGE :5
Butterfield is aware of one storage area which is located
in the main corridor back of the stairs in a small "broom
closet"; an iron gate was installed for security purposes.
The tapes have been made and stored, there
has been no transcription; to Butterfield's knowledge, the
President has never requested a tape be brought to him,
nor has he inquired of them. The plan had been that four
or five trustworthy people would be employed to do nothing
but transcribe the tapes, and this material would be filed
at the Archives. This has never been initiated.
With respect to the Oval Office, Butterfield
stated that the President never requested that the Secret
Service not use the locator system which would activate the
tapes.
Butterfield stated that he had heard that LBJ
had a lot of things recorded during the Johnson Administra-
tion
Butterfield also said that the Secret Service indi-
cated that they played this tape game before.
Butterfield stated that the above information
was not revealed to the Special Prosecutors as "they did
not ask anything related to this. 11
BUTTERFIELD/ADDENDUM
Page 6
During a recent phone conversation with
Haig, Haldeman's replacement, Butterfield mentioned
the system. Haig interrupted and said "I know, I know
about that. 11 Butterfield assumes that Higby, Haldeman
or possibly the President informed him of this taping
system.
Butterfield stated "This is all something
I know the President did not want revealed, but you
asked me, and I feel it is something you ought to know
about in your investigations. I was told no one was to
GERALD
know about the information I have told you. "
d
LIBRARY
FORD
ORIGINAL RETIRED TO
SPECIAL DOCUMENTS FILE
An Addendum to the interview of
Alexander P. Butterfield, on July 13,
1973 at 2:15 PM at G 334, New Senate
Office Building, Washington, DC.
FORD LIBRARY GREATO
ORIGINAL RETIRED TO
SPECIAL DOCUMENTS FILE