The Haldeman Diaries
These diaries landed immediately on the best-seller list after their publication (no prepub galleys were available for review). Historians, however, won't extract much beyond daily reminders of Nixon's bark-off persona, especially his habit of airing all options, from the ludicrous to the realistic. Chief of Staff Haldeman was the PR guy, the scheduler, the enforcer (the lord high executioner, Nixon once said) who, though totally trustworthy as a sounding board for his boss, was a nonsubstantive decision maker. Haldeman dramatically tells, for example, of the August 1971 demolition of the world financial system without exhibiting much understanding of the economic ramifications. At bottom, Haldeman's diary is another thimbleful poured into the huge vat of Nixonia; however, the book's juicy quotations (such as thoseNightlineran) boost interest dramatically.Gilbert Taylor--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.