54 Facts About Alexander Butterfield

Alexander Porter Butterfield was born on April 6,1926 and is a retired United States Air Force officer, public official, and businessman.

Alexander Butterfield served as the deputy assistant to President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1973.

Alexander Butterfield revealed the White House taping system's existence on July 13,1973, during the Watergate investigation but had no other involvement in the scandal.

Butterfield was born April 6,1926, in Pensacola, Florida, to Susan Armistead Alexander Butterfield and United States Navy pilot Horace B Butterfield.

Alexander Butterfield grew up in Coronado, California, and left home in 1943.

Alexander Butterfield left the university to join the United States Air Force in 1948.

Alexander Butterfield later served as the operations officer of a fighter-interceptor squadron in Knoxville, Tennessee, before being promoted to commander of a fighter squadron at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan.

Alexander Butterfield flew 98 combat missions and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Alexander Butterfield gained extensive experience working at the White House, where he spent half his time.

In late 1968, Alexander Butterfield learned that he would be stationed in Australia for another two years, delaying any potential promotion and potentially harming his military career.

The ambitious Alexander Butterfield wanted to be in "the smoke", and wanted to leave Australia.

Haldeman as Nixon's White House Chief of Staff, Alexander Butterfield wrote to Haldeman asking for a job.

Alexander Butterfield retired from the Air Force a few days later, and his appointment as deputy assistant to the president was announced on January 23,1969.

Alexander Butterfield, who came to like Nixon immensely, nevertheless felt the president was an "ignorant boor, a bumpkin".

Everything Haldeman and Alexander Butterfield did was designed to make Nixon feel comfortable and relaxed, never surprised or "spooked".

Alexander Butterfield met with Nixon and Haldeman every day at 2 pm to plan the following day's activities.

Alexander Butterfield "completely controlled" what paperwork Nixon saw and logged memos.

Alexander Butterfield accompanied Haldeman on all domestic trips, co-supervised traveling White House staff with Haldeman, and ran the White House when Haldeman and Nixon went on foreign trips.

Every meeting the president attended required "talking points" for Nixon written by an appropriate staff person as well as an after-meeting summary by that person, and Alexander Butterfield oversaw the process by which both documents were completed and filed.

Alexander Butterfield oversaw all FBI investigations requested by the White House, which included routine background checks of potential employees as well as politically motivated investigations.

Alexander Butterfield was the person who primarily managed people as they met with Nixon.

Late in 1970, the president's aides lost confidence in Constance C Stuart, Pat Nixon's staff director and press secretary, and Butterfield was assigned responsibility for overseeing the First Lady's events and publicity.

Deputy assistant to the president Dwight Chapin and later Alexander Butterfield were appointed to act as liaison between the two staffs.

Alexander Butterfield oversaw installation of the taping system which Nixon ordered for the White House.

Alexander Butterfield worked with the Secret Service to install five hidden microphones in Nixon's desk in the Oval Office, two in lamps on the mantel over the fireplace, two in the cabinet room, and on all telephone lines in the Lincoln Sitting Room and Oval Office.

In March 1973, Alexander Butterfield was confirmed as administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration and resigned from his position at the White House.

Alexander Butterfield was brought before the committee because he was Haldeman's top deputy and was the only person other than Haldeman who knew as much about the president's day-to-day behavior.

Alexander Butterfield's testimony lasted from 2 pm to 6:30 pm The four investigators swore themselves to secrecy and agreed to tell only the Chief Counsel and Chief Minority Counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee.

Alexander Butterfield asked Baker to use his influence to cancel the testimony, but Baker declined.

Alexander Butterfield then called the White House and left a message for Special Counsel Leonard Garment, advising him of the content of his Friday testimony and the committee's subpoena for him to testify on Monday.

Alexander Butterfield was not contacted, and Nixon was not told about Alexander Butterfield's testimony until either Monday morning or late Monday afternoon.

Alexander Butterfield then met with Baker Sunday morning, but Baker told him the chances were slim that he would be called to testify.

Alexander Butterfield was not involved in the Watergate cover-up and was never charged with any crime.

Strachan then asked Alexander Butterfield to handle the cash by giving it to someone Alexander Butterfield trusted.

Alexander Butterfield voluntarily revealed his role in "the 350" to United States Attorneys shortly after leaving the White House in March 1973.

Alexander Butterfield played a very limited role in some of the surveillance conducted by the Nixon White House.

Haldeman suggested Alexander Butterfield handle the details, and Alexander Butterfield, Ehrlichman, and Haldeman met with Nixon later that day to discuss planting a mole.

Nixon offered him a position in the State Department, but Alexander Butterfield was not interested in it.

On December 19,1972, President Nixon nominated Alexander Butterfield to be the new Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Subsequently, in February 1973 Alexander Butterfield resigned from the Air Force Reserves, giving up a $10,000 a year pension.

Alexander Butterfield was confirmed on March 12,1973, and he resigned as Deputy Assistant to the President on March 14.

The Washington Post, quoting anonymous White House sources, said Alexander Butterfield's dismissal was not retaliation for his role in revealing the White House taping system, and allowed Alexander Butterfield to make a case for keeping his job with new White House Chief of Staff Donald Rumsfeld.

Alexander Butterfield did not retain his position, although the White House allowed him to take several months before resigning.

Alexander Butterfield resigned on March 25,1975, and left the government on March 31,1975.

Alexander Butterfield struggled for two years to find employment after leaving the federal government.

Alexander Butterfield eventually worked for a flight service company in San Francisco, California.

Alexander Butterfield then found work with a financial holding company in Los Angeles.

Alexander Butterfield was among those who correctly guessed the identity of Watergate informant "Deep Throat" prior to the disclosure in 2005.

Alexander Butterfield is a major source for Bob Woodward's 2015 book The Last of the President's Men.

Alexander Butterfield retained an extensive number of records when he left the White House, some of them historically important, including the "zilch" memo, which helped form part of the basis for the book.

On July 11,2022, Alexander Butterfield was a guest on Lawrence O'Donnell's MSNBC show, The Last Word.

Alexander Butterfield said that Cassidy Hutchinson will be an inspiration to other young people, and asked Hutchinson to promise to help out someone if they are in a similar situation in the future.

Alexander Butterfield moved to La Jolla, California, in 1992, where he was a close friend of Audrey Geisel, the widow of Theodor Geisel.

Alexander Butterfield returned to school, obtaining a master's degree in history from the University of California, San Diego.