The Last of the President's Men

By: Bob Woodward

Narrated by: Campbell Scott

Bob Woodward exposes one of the final pieces of the Richard Nixon puzzle in this “intimate but disturbing portrayal of Nixon in the Oval Office” (The Washington Post).

“Four decades after Watergate shook America, journalist Bob 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…Woodward re-creates 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). In The Last of the President’s Men, Woodward reveals the untold story based on forty-six hours of interviews with Butterfield, supported by thousands of documents—many of them original and not in the presidential archives and libraries—and uncovered new dimensions of Nixon’s secrets, obsessions, and deceptions.

“This volume…amplifies (rather than revises) the familiar, almost Miltonian portrait of the thirty-seventh 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” (The New York Times). Today, 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? This is “yet another fascinating gift to history by DC’s most relentless reporter” (Politico).

history never ends

this was a fascinating read it is a great book if you're interested in history and how it continues to have reach today

A good book

I had no idea about Alex Butterfield and the pivotal role he’s played in the history of our democracy. I want to thank Bob Woodward for his wonderful and insightful book about this time. I encouraged anyone with an interest in our democracy to read this book. It gives me hope that we will survive what we’re going through now with the MAGA republicans trying to overthrow our government and democracy.

Glad to know this story now

I never seem to go wrong with Bob Woodward’s works, and this was no exception. There’s so much we never knew! I learned about the book from Cassidy Hutchinson mentioning it. She and Alex Butterfield are very different but with what they did have in common, I’m glad she was able to find him and make a connection. The country needed Alex Butterfield and it needs Cassidy Hutchinson now.

Honesty

His courage and authenticity. Rare these days. And for that we suffer and our country is poorer for it.

interesting back story

Typical good writing and story telling from Woodward, fills in a lot of the Watergate details.