Tale of the Presidential Tapes: A Review Essay
Two recently-published volumes of transcripts of presidential tapes would appear to be a bonanza for historians.' In an age when the records of any kind of White House proceeding, even notes taken by aides, are subject to subpoena, we can be almost certain that future scholars will never have access to similar presidential recordings. And while there is rich evidence in these tapes on both the Kennedy and Johnson presidencies, they also prove somewhat disappointing, failing to give as much insight as might be expected. One problem with both sets of tapes is their surreptitious nature. John F. Kennedy had his tape system installed secretly in the White House Cabinet Room and Oval Office; none of his aides and advisers, except his brother, Robert F. Kennedy, realized that the president was taping the crucial deliberations over the Soviet missiles in Cuba. Only Kennedy knew when the device was operating; he alone decided what to record and what to omit. Lyndon B. Johnson was equally secretive about his telephone taping system and equally in control. He would signal his secretary when he wanted a conversation taped, and the person he was speaking with never was aware that his words were being recorded. The editors of these volumes are unable to tell us why the presidents made these recordings or how they planned to use them. Knowledge is power, however, and both JFK and LBJ clearly wanted to have exclusive control of information that they knew gave them a political advantage. Only when their successor, Richard M. Nixon, proved that such secret recordings could be used to destroy a presidency did the practice finally end. Scholars may bemoan the