Evidence about tapes

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33381, 13 November 1973, Page 7

Evidence about tapes

I r.V.Z. Press Assn.-— Copyright) , i WASHINGTON, November 10. President Nixon’s former chief-of-staff, Mr H. IR. Haldeman, and Mr Nixon’s personal secretary, Miss Rose MaryWoods, disagreed in court on Friday about I the quality of the secret 'Watergate tape-record-ings. Miss Woods told Judge. John Sirica that the sound' quality of the tapes was| generally poor, with parts of the conversations with his! top aides inaudible. But Mr Haldeman said i the quality of one of thetapes that he had listened to was quite adequate for a re-, port of a conversation. Neither Miss Woods nor! Mr Haldeman dealt with the: substance of the taped conversations. i Mr Nixon has promised to surrender the recordings to the special Watergate prosecutor’s office, but says that two of the nine conversations being sought were not recorded. Miss Woods, who has had custody of the 14 tapes, secretly made in Mr Nixon’s offices, said in her evidence that she had been listening to them since September 29. “I could not get every word, and I don’t believe anyone else could,” she said. Mr Haldeman told of listening to a tape of a conversation, between the President and Mr John Dean recorded on March 21. Mr Dean, the former Presidential counsel, says he told the President on March 21 that a conspiracy existed to cover up top-level involvement in the Watergate burglary. BACKGROUND NOISE The tape had its “ups and downs,” and was especially sensitive to sharp ’ background noises, such as coffee cups being set down on desks in which micro-

phones were hidden, Mr Haldeman said. “But, other than that, the general quality is fair, but quite adequate for a report of a conversation,” Mr Haldeman said. Mr Haldeman and Miss

Woods were summoned before the Court to answer questions why two of the President’s conversations—one with the former Attorney-General (Mr John Mitchell), and one with Mr Dean, had not been recorded. CAREFUL HANDLING Miss Woods said that she made sure she didn’t accidentally erase any portions of the tapes given to her. “I w'as careful not to touch that side pf the machine (including an erasing button)," she said. “I think I used every precaution possible.” Asked what precautions had she taken, Miss Woods said: “I used my head—it’s the only one I’ve got.” OVERLAPPING She said she was unable to tell at times what some of the persons on the tapes were saying because the conversations overlapped. Miss Woods said she still had 14 tapes in her possession, and that they were protected carefully, locked in a safe in her office. Miss Woods said that she had worked for more than a month on the tapes, and had provided Mr Nixon with the partial transcripts she had been able to make. She said he had recognised quickly her problems, after listening to some of the portions that were hard to hear. “He listened a little bit and he said, ‘l’m sorry it’s such a terrible job’.” “NO REAL GAP” Another witness earlier in the week said that Miss Woods had said there was a gap in one of the tapes which she had been listening to on Tuesday. But Miss Woods told the Court that there really wasn’t any gap. She said she had been looking on one tape for a conversation recorded on April 16, 1973, between Mr Nixon and Mr Dean.. Miss Woods said that the recorded conversation was found for her on Friday on another reel by a Presidential lawyer.