On this day Nixon delivered the famous "There will be no whitewash at the Whitehouse" address to the nation.

Earlier this day, Attorney General Richard G Kleindienst, chief White House advisers, H R Haldeman and John D Ehrlichman and counsel to the president, John W Dean III, had all resigned.

Nixon then charged the new Attorney General, former Defence Secretary Elliott L Richardson, with responsibility for uncovering the full extent of the Watgerate scandal. Nixon said:

"America, in its political campaigns, must not again fall into the trap of letting the end, however great that end is, justify the means."

The Democrats demanded an impartial inquiry.