The Nation: The Battle for Those Tapes Begins

Momentarily overshadowed by Justice Douglas' abortive stay of the bombing of Cambodia, Nixon's more important court confrontation—over presidential tapes and documents relating to Watergate—was being joined. At 10 a.m. Tuesday, the White House was to deliver its legal brief to Judge John J. Sirica (see box), arguing that the President has the absolute power to decide when the national welfare is best served by the release of presidential documents. Therefore, went the argument, the President can ignore Special Watergate Prosecutor Archibald Cox's subpoena of tape recordings of seven presidential meetings and one telephone...