Master list of Nixon's political opponents explained

The master list of Nixon's political opponents was a secret list compiled by US President Richard Nixon's Presidential Counselor Charles Colson. It was an expansion of the original Nixon's Enemies List of 20 key people considered opponents of Nixon. In total, the expanded list contained 220 people or organizations.

The master list was compiled in mid-1971^[1] in Charles Colson's office and sent in memorandum form to John Dean. On June 27, 1973, Dean provided to the Senate Watergate Committee this updated "master list" of political opponents.^[2] The original list had multiple sections, including a section for "Black Congressmen".^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}

The purpose of the list was to "use the available Federal machinery to screw [their] political enemies." One such scheme involved using the Internal Revenue Service to harass people on the list.

Response

Carol Channing stated that inclusion on the list was her greatest accomplishment. Talk show host and journalist Lou Gordon, who was also on the list, considered his inclusion to be a "badge of honor".^[7] Tony Randall was similarly proud, according to Jack Klugman in his memoir on Randall.

In The Great Shark Hunt (1979), Hunter S. Thompson expressed disappointment in not having been included on the list, writing "I would almost have preferred a vindictive tax audit to that kind of crippling exclusion."^[8]

Carl Djerassi's 1992 autobiography The Pill, Pigmy Chimps, and Degas' Horse stated that President Nixon awarded him the National Medal of Science when he was on the Enemies List. Djerassi attributed his inclusion to his opposition to the Vietnam War.^[9]

Entries

Members of the House of Representatives

Black Congressmen and Congresswomen^[3]

Academics

External links

• Records of the Watergate Special Prosecution Force 1971 to 1977 via National Archives and Records Administration

Notes and References

1. News: Times. David E. Rosenbaum Special to The New York. 1973-06-28. SCORES OF NAMES (Published 1973). en-US. The New York Times. 2020-11-17. 0362-4331.
2. News: Staff report . June 28, 1973 . Lists of White House 'Enemies' and Memorandums Relating to Those Named. New York Times. https://web.archive.org/web/20131219031231/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F2061EFE3F5F10738DDDA10A94DE405B838BF1D3 . 2013-12-19 . 38.
3. Knappman Edward W. (1973). Watergate and the White House. Facts on File,
4. Welsing, Frances Cress (1973). Build a World Without Racism. Equity & Excellence in Education, Volume 13, Issue 1 January 1973, pages 20 - 26.
5. Garza, Hedda (1982). The Watergate Investigation Index: Senate Select Committee Hearings and Reports on Presidential Campaign Activities. Scholarly Resources,
6. Book: Presidential Campaign Activities of 1972, Senate Resolution 60: Watergate and Related Activities . U.S. Government Printing Office . Presidential Campaign Activities of 1972, Senate Resolution 60: Watergate and Related Activities : Hearings, Ninety-third Congress, First-[second] Session . v. 4-6 . 1973 . 2023-12-18 . 1689.
7. Deborah L. Gordon on DVD / Television Show "Motor City Celebrities - Lou Gordon" (c) Copyright 2008 Dream World Enterprises All Rights Reserved. DreamworldEnterprises.net
8. Thompson, Hunter S. (2011). The Great Shark Hunt: Strange Tales from a Strange Time. Simon and Schuster,
9. Web site: Archived copy . 2015-01-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160827154953/http://djerassi.com/J_Chem._Edu_Set-2011..pdf . 2016-08-27 . dead .