Alexander Butterfield, who revealed Nixon Watergate tapes, dies

Alexander Butterfield, the former White House aide who revealed the existence of damaging recordings related to the break-in at the Watergate hotel in Washington DC, died aged 99 on Monday, according to his wife. During questioning by a Senate committee in 1973, Butterfield made the bombshell disclosure that then-President Richard Nixon had a recording system in the Oval Office. The revelation ultimately provided proof of Nixon's role in the Watergate scandal, which led to the only resignation of a US president in history. Butterfield was chief of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) at the time, and had previously served as White House deputy chief of staff. His death was confirmed to US media on Monday by his wife, Kim. Watergate was one of the most notorious political scandals in US history. It centred around the cover-up of a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in 1972. Five men with links to the White House attempted to bug the offices of Nixon's Democratic opponent. Butterfield, an Air Force veteran, was responsible for White House security and had overseen the installation of an audio recording system in the White House under Nixon's orders. Durin