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Richard Nixon press conference, November 17, 1973 |
The recent announcement that the
famous 18-minute gap on the Watergate tape recordings may in fact be
recoverable gives me the chance to share some experience I’ve had with using
the tapes in teaching. Several times over the years, I have put together an
exercise in the criticism and use of sources that asks students to assess three
distinct sources, each of which purports to tell exactly what happened at a
specific historical moment. (I have used this mostly in graduate research
seminars, but it also works with undergraduates if you give them a little more
guidance and background.)