Today marks the 40th anniversary of the start of hearings by the Senate Watergate Committee that investigated criminal activity by White House officials and the Committee for the Re-Election of the President. While the hearings played out on national television and radio, President Richard M. Nixon continued to carry on with his job and enjoy time with his family. Featured below are a couple of images from the Oliver F. Atkins photograph collection that illustrate the continuation of normal activities for Nixon and his family.
Richard Nixon and his family share a laugh (May 1973). Oliver F. Atkins photograph collection, Box 22, Folder 1. George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections & Archives. Copyright not held by George Mason University Libraries. Restricted to personal, non-commercial use only. For permission to publish, contact Special Collections and Archives.
Richard Nixon and Pele pose with a soccer ball in the Oval Office (May 1973). Oliver F. Atkins photograph collection, Box 30, Folder 6. George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections & Archives. Copyright not held by George Mason University Libraries. Restricted to personal, non-commercial use only. For permission to publish, contact Special Collections and Archives.
Atkins was the Chief White House Photographer, and through 1973 and until Nixon’s resignation and departure from the White House in August 1974, he captured a side of White House life that was increasingly at odds with the ongoing turmoil outside. Over the course of the next year, we’ll look back at some of those images from the collection.
Nixon during Watergate