White House tapes
The White House tapes are audio recording made of Presidential conversations for historic or political purposes. With limited exceptions such recordings are the property of the federal government and are treated as federal records which the United States archives make available at Presidential libraries.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first President to record conversations in 1940.<refThe>Bennetts, Leslie. "SECRET OVAL OFFICE RECORDINGS BY ROOSEVELT IN '40 DISCLOSED", January 14, 1982. Retrieved on May 12, 2017. </ref>
John F. Kennedy
In July 1962, John F. Kennedy had the Secret Service secretly record certain meetings and conversations. Hidden microphones were installed in the Oval Office, the Cabinet Room and the private study in his quarters. Kennedy could activate the recorders by pressing a button on his desk or at his place in the Cabinet Room. The Secret Service used Tandberg reel-to-reel tape recorders that were provided by the U.S. Army Signal Corps.[1] The tapes are stored and made available through the Kennedy Presidential Library. The tapes cover about 260 hours of meetings from July 1962 to November 8, 1963.
Lyndon Johnson
Lyndon Johnson began recording conversations while serving in the United States Senate. As president, he had hidden microphones installed in the Oval Office, the Cabinet Room and in the little lounge located just off the Oval Office. He also had recording machines attached to his phone lines. These recording systems were activated by buttons on his Oval Office desk and near in chair in the other rooms.[2] About 800 hours of tapes are in the Johnson Presidential Library.
Although his practice of recording conversations was not generally known during his life, his Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy probably suspected that he was recording their meetings. On some occassions, Kennedy brought a briefcase to their meetings which had the effect of jamming the recording system. The tapes of those meetings just had a buzzing sound.[2]
In February 1989, C-SPAN radio began airing the LBJ Tapes.[3]
Richard Nixon
Upon taking office in January 1969, Richard Nixon ordered the Johnson taping system removed.[4] Nixon had a recording system installed in February 1971. A sound-activated taping system was first installed in the Oval Office, including in Nixon's Oval Office desk, using Sony TC-800B open-reel tape recorders[5] to capture audio transmitted by telephone taps and concealed microphones.[4] The system was subsequently expanded to include other rooms within the White House and Camp David.[4] The recording system was turned off on July 18, 1973, two days after it was disclosed at the Senate Watergate Committee hearings.[4]
Nixon's refusal of a congressional subpoena to release the tapes was included as a basis for impeaching Nixon, and led to his subsequent resignation on August 9, 1974.[6]
Donald Trump
The White House has not announced a policy on recording meetings or phone calls. On May 12, 2017 President Trump suggested that his meetings with FBI Director James Comey were recorded.[7]
References
- ↑ Kennedy Secret White House Recordings: Collection Specifications. Retrieved on May 14, 2017.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Johnson Secret White House Recordings: Collection Specifications. Retrieved on May 21, 2017.
- ↑ Milestones. Retrieved on May 14, 2017.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "The Nixon White House Tapes", 2016-08-15.
- ↑ Nixon White House Tape Recorders. Retrieved on May 12, 2017.
- ↑ Nixon impeachment articles. Retrieved on May 12, 2017.
- ↑ https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/863007411132649473
