Product Description

Richard Nixon's late chief of staff chronicles his four years in the White House, offering insights on such major events of the period as the bombing of Cambodia, the Kent State killings, Watergate, and the personality of the president. Reprint.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #988997 in Books
• Published on: 1995-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 854 pages

From Booklist
These diaries landed immediately on the best-seller list after their publication (no prepub galleys were available for review). Historians, however, won't extract much beyond daily reminders of Nixon's bark-off persona, especially his habit of airing all options, from the ludicrous to the realistic. Chief of Staff Haldeman was the PR guy, the scheduler, the enforcer (the lord high executioner, Nixon once said) who, though totally trustworthy as a sounding board for his boss, was a nonsubstantive decision maker. Haldeman dramatically tells, for example, of the August 1971 demolition of the world financial system without exhibiting much understanding of the economic ramifications. At bottom, Haldeman's diary is another thimbleful poured into the huge vat of Nixonia; however, the book's juicy quotations (such as those Nightline ran) boost interest dramatically. Gilbert Taylor

From AudioFile
Here is a chilling view of the Nixon administration from one who was at its center. H. R. Haldeman kept a diary of events while he served as Chief of Staff, from Nixon's inauguration to his resignation. Robert Foxworth narrates the entries of the first two years. He captures Haldeman's terse, unemotional writing style with his clear, crisp delivery. Haldeman's own voice, which he began to record in December 1970, chronicles his observations from that point. Although background noises, static and volume fluctuations make it difficult to understand what Haldeman is saying, listening to history from one who helped shape it is worthwhile. Foxworth's frequent interjections to clarify events and provide follow-up information are welcome features. A.A.B. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

Exhaustive review of the Nixon Whitehouse...
As Chief-of-Staff, Bob Haldeman is to be commended for keeping such a detailed review of his White House years even during his "fall from grace" in 1973...That being said, the reader should be ready to be taken on an exhaustive and sometimes hard to follow review of the Nixon Administration. A previous knowledge of the Nixon Presidency and particularly Watergate is essential to get the most from this book. I found myself skipping pages as discussion after discussion about Grand Jury testimony and policy meetings on Watergate flooded the chapters towards the end of this book. I gave it 4 stars because the beginning of the book dealing with the initiation of the Nixon Presidency and the day-to-day observations (pre-Watergate) of an intelligent and observant White House executive far outweigh the "burned-out" and frustrated entries that close the book. The most surprising conclusion that I came away with was that Haldeman seemed to be a warm/accomodating "real" person, not the "Nixon Nazi" that he's been made out to be in other works on Watergate. Good reading

Good insight into the NIxon White House
Nothing in this is going to break Watergate wide open. But if you are interested in the goings-ons in the NIxon White House, this is an excellent book. A little slow at times, but well worth reading.

Experience, Not Insight
I appreciated this book in the same way that I did Lady Bird Johnson's "White House Diary". It is an excellent peek into the daily workings of the Nixon White House. It's amazing to read this very large volume and realize how much time was wasted by Nixon trying to analyze and manage personalities on his staff, particularly the feud between Kissinger and Rogers. Perhaps every White House staff is like this. We won't know because no one since has put out this type of detailed record. In the Watergate era I considered Haldeman, along with Erlichman, to be some of the most repulsive characters in American politics. My opinion of Haldeman hasn't changed; he's still a man I'd rather not meet. His defense that he was Nixon's mouthpiece doesn't hold water any more than military men who insist they were "following orders". My impression upon finishing the book is relief that I've never had to work in such an awful atmosphere. Great historical record, though.