The University of Virginia is releasing more than 5,000 hours of White House audiotapes dating from the presidency of Richard Nixon back to the administration of Franklin Roosevelt. Researchers at the university’s Miller Center of Public Affairs spent more than a decade digitizing and transcribing the recordings.
Among the events covered in the archive are the Cuban missile crisis, the civil-rights movement, and the Vietnam War. Roosevelt initiated secret audio taping because he felt his Oval Office press conferences were frequently misquoted by the press. The full archive can be accessed and searched at WhiteHouse​Tapes.net.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.