This is CBS I on the World. I'm John Batchel.

I welcome John U. from Civitas Institute at the University of Texas,

as well an esteemed professor of law.

But writing most recently about an event that is deeply buried in my memory,

October 20th, 1973, known forever after as the Saturday Night Massacre, President Richard M. Nixon,

comfortably re-elected by millions of votes the year before, ordered the firing of a special prosecutor named Archibald Cox,

who was investigating the allegations that we now know as Watergate. The firing was to be done by Elliot Richardson, the Attorney General, who resigned rather than

follow the order of the President.

Then the duty passed to the Deputy Attorney General, William Ruckelshaus, who also resigned,

falling eventually to a man named Bork, you've heard of him,

who did follow through on the President's Order and fire Archibald Cox.

That became a crisis in government, and the end of that was Richard Nixon's resignation from the presidency

the following year. The Saturday Night Massacre took place in a time of great anxiety for the world.

There was a confrontation in the Middle East, the 73 war,

and there was the fear of the Soviets interfering with combat troops,

at which case there was a consideration we know now, we didn't know then,

of having to go to nuclear conflict it was

also mr agnew and whether he did or did not take inducements while he was governor of maryland

all of that anxiety was floating around in addition to the pursuit of richard nixon's what

did he know and when did he know it about the Watergate

break-in and the attempt to, you'd have to say in some fashion spy on the Democratic National

Committee. I mention all that because it's background for an article that John is published

...