Bob Woodward exposes one of the final pieces of the Richard Nixon puzzle in his new book The Last of the President's Men. Woodward reveals the untold story of Alexander Butterfield, the Nixon aide who disclosed the secret White House taping system that changed history and led to Nixon's resignation.
In 46 hours of interviews with Butterfield, supported by thousands of documents, many of them original and not in the presidential archives and libraries, Woodward has uncovered new dimensions of Nixon's secrets, obsessions and deceptions. Butterfield provides the intimate details of what it was like working and living just feet from the most powerful man in the world as he sought to navigate the obligations to his president and the truth of Nixon's obsessions and deceptions.
The Last of the President's Men could not be more timely and relevant as voters question how much do we know about those who are now seeking the presidency in 2016-what really drives them, how do they really make decisions, who do they surround themselves with, and what are their true political and personal values?
About the Author
Bob Woodward is an associate editor at The Washington Post, where he has worked for forty-four years. He has shared in two Pulitzer Prizes, first for The Washington Post’s coverage of the Watergate scandal, and later for coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
He has authored or coauthored twelve #1 national nonfiction bestsellers. He has two daughters, Tali and Diana, and lives in Washington, DC, with his wife, writer Elsa Walsh.
Industry Reviews
"An intimate but disturbing portrayal of Nixon in the Oval Office."
– The Washington Post
"Yet another fascinating gift to history by D.C.’s most relentless reporter."
– Politico
"This volume . . . amplifies (rather than revises) the familiar, almost Miltonian portrait of the 37th president . . . as a brooding, duplicitous despot, obsessed with enemies and score-settling and not the least bit hesitant about lying to the public and breaking the law."
– Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
"Brisk, provocative . . . Woodward's engrossing volume gives us an Alexander Butterfield of enormous complexity."
– Stephen L. Carter, BloombergView
"A whole new Richard Nixon emerges . . . An extraordinary story."
– Judy Woodruff, PBS NewsHour
"A head-shaker . . . a great read."
– John W. Dean, former White House counsel to President Nixon, Verdict
"Watergate junkies may think they know all there is to know about Richard Nixon . . . but journalist Bob Woodward . . . has one more Watergate card to play: The Last of the President’s Men is a short and riveting look into the files and memory of Alexander Butterfield, who was Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman’s deputy during that time. Probably best known to political junkies as the one who revealed that Nixon taped all conversations in the Oval Office, here Butterfield gives Woodward access to files and photos even the seasoned journalist had never seen before . . . [the book] recalls his behavior with such specificity you can’t help but be upset all over again. This is more engaging, in its disturbing way (Nixon’s vulgarities and general ugliness of manner somehow shocked this usually unshockable reader), than the more wonky of Woodward’s recent tomes -- and it’s plenty enlightening about an era we thought we already knew."
– Sara Nelson, An Amazon Best Book of October 2015
"Hard as it maybe to believe after all this time, there is still more to the story of President Richard Nixon and Watergate. . . . It was the biggest bombshell of the biggest political scandal in American history: White House aide Alexander Butterfield revealing the existence of the White House taping system. . . . now he’s back to teach us all one of the basic lessons of journalism: there is always more to the story."
– CBS News
"Full of new insights for the public and scholars . . . [A] largely overlooked window into the Nixon personality . . . a service to history."
– Tim Naftali, former director of the Nixon Presidential Library
"The best reporter in town at getting top government officials to spill their secrets . . . a cringe-worthy portrayal of the 37th president . . . Woodward puts the petty Nixon on vivid display."
– Evan Thomas, The Washington Post
"Full of revelations about the late President Richard Nixon."
– Newsmax
"Four decades after Watergate shook America, journalist Woodward returns to the scandal to profile Alexander Butterfield, the Richard Nixon aide who revealed the existence of the Oval Office tapes and effectively toppled the presidency. . . . [the book is] pure Woodward: a visual, dialogue-heavy, blow-by-blow account of Butterfield's tenure. The author uses his long interviews with Butterfield to re-create detailed scenes, which reveal the petty power plays of America's most powerful men. . . . a close-up view of the Oval Office in its darkest hour."
– Kirkus Reviews
"Praise for ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN The work that brought down a presidency . . . perhaps the most influential piece of journalism in history. (Time, All-Time 100 Best Non-Fiction Books) Maybe the single greatest reporting effort of all time. (Gene Roberts, former managing editor of The New York Times) One of the greatest detective stories ever told. (The Denver Post) A fast-moving mystery, a whodunit written with ease. . . . A remarkable book. (The New York Times) An authentic thriller. (Dan Rather) Much more than a 'hot book.' It is splendid reading . . . of enormous value. . . . A very human story. (The New Republic)" "Praise for BUSH AT WAR Remarkable . . . Bush at War is akin to an unofficial transcript of 100 days of debate over war in Afghanistan. (Thomas Powers, The New York Times Book Review) Human and convincing in its telling detail. (Evan Thomas, Newsweek) Woodward has produced the best book yet written about the September 11 terrorist attacks on America and how Bush fought back. (Steve Neal, Chicago Sun-Times) Woodward . . . is the best pure reporter of his generation, perhaps ever. He uncovers more things than anyone else. (Fred Barnes, The Weekly Standard ) Praise for PLAN OF ATTACK A remarkable book, one that fulfills the too often ephemeral promise of what has come to be called investigative journalism . . . .The American people seldom have been given this clear a window on their government’s most sensitive deliberations. (Tim Rutten, Los Angeles Times) Engrossing . . . Woodward uses myriad details to chart the Bush administration’s march to war against Iraq. His often harrowing narrative not only illuminates the fateful interplay of personality and policy . . . but underscores the role that fuzzy intelligence, Pentagon timetables and aggressive ideas about the military and foreign policy had in creating momentum for war. (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times) Instantly essential . . . By far the most intimate glimpse we have been granted of the Bush White House, and the administration’s defining moment. (Ted Widmer, The New York Times) Praise for STATE OF DENIAL Woodward’s trilogy on the Bush administration at war is essential, and compelling, reading. (Foreign Affairs) Serious, densely, even exhaustively reported, and a real contribution to history in that it gives history what it most requires, first-person testimony. . . . This is a primer on how the executive branch of the United States works, or rather doesn’t work, in the early years of the 21st century. (Peggy Noonan, The Wall Street Journal) The most revealing in-the-room glimpse of the Bush administration that we have so far. (Walter Shapiro, Salon.com) Praise for THE PRICE OF POLITICS A highly detailed dissection of the debt-limit negotiations. . . . A remarkable achievement. . . . Woodward, being Woodward, digs deeper and draws more out of the protagonists than anyone else has. (Jeff Shesol, The Washington Post) Required Reading (Elizabeth Titus, Politico) A book everyone is talking about. (Diane Sawyer, ABC)"
