Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Letters to Hal Stoltz from Mark Hatfield and Wendell Wyatt, 1973 November 16
Overview of the Collection
- Correspondent
- Stoltz, Hal (Harold D.), 1943-2023
- Title
- Letters to Hal Stoltz from Mark Hatfield and Wendell Wyatt
- Dates
- 1973 November 161973-11-161973-11-16
- Quantity
- 0.1 cubic feet, (1 folder in shared box)
- Collection Number
- Coll 1055
- Summary
- Letters from U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield (1922-2011) and U.S. Representative Wendell Wyatt (1917-2009) to Hal Stoltz of Portland, Oregon, regarding the possible impeachment of U.S. President Richard Nixon for his actions in the Watergate scandal. In October 1973, Nixon's attempt to fire special prosecutor Archibald Cox led to the resignation of Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus before Solicitor General Robert Bork carried out Cox's dismissal. The U.S. Congress began the impeachment process ten days later. In August 1974, Nixon resigned from office to avoid impeachment and conviction.
- Repository
-
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Harold D. "Hal" Stoltz (1943-2023) was born in Wendell, Idaho, and grew up in Jerome, Idaho. He earned a degree in sociology from the University of Puget Sound in 1965. Soon after, he was drafted into the U.S. Army; he mainly served in Würzburg, Germany. After his two-year tour, he worked for the Boy Scouts of America in Portland, Oregon. He later earned a master's degree in counseling from Lewis & Clark College, and worked as a high school counselor in Newberg, Oregon, and then at Bothell High School and Woodinville High School north of Seattle, Washington. Stoltz was passionate about the history of the fur trade in the Pacific Northwest, and participated in living history activities for the Champoeg Historical Pageant and at Fort Clatsop.
Source: Information provided by Greg Stoltz, Hal Stoltz's son, in 2023.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
In 1972, members of United States President Richard Nixon's re-election campaign organization, Committee for the Re-Election of the President (CRP), burglarized the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate Complex in Washington, D.C., to photograph documents and install listening devices. Police caught and arrested five burglars. The Nixon campaign unsuccessfully tried to cover up its involvement with the break-in, and actively impeded the investigation. The attempted cover-up included an incident known as the "Saturday Night Massacre," when on October 20, 1973, Nixon ordered Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox, who had subpoenaed the administration for audio recordings of conversations in the White House, and Richardson resigned in protest. Nixon then ordered Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelhaus to fire Cox, and Ruckelshaus also resigned, before Nixon successfully had Solicitor General Robert Bork fire Cox. On October 30, 1973, Congress began impeachment proceedings against Nixon. In August 1974, when incriminating evidence had made impeachment and conviction almost certain, Nixon resigned.
Sources: "Watergate scandal," Wikipedia, accessed September 13, 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watergate_scandal; "Saturday Night Massacre," Wikipedia, Wikipedia, accessed September 13, 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night_Massacre
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection consists of two letters to Hal Stoltz of Portland, Oregon, one written by U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield and one by U.S. Representative Wendell Wyatt, both dated November 16, 1973. They are in response to letters Stoltz had written to Hatfield and Wyatt (not included in the collection) regarding recent developments in the Watergate scandal and the potential impeachment of U.S. President Richard Nixon. Hatfield expresses distress at Nixon's firing of Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox and the related resignations of Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus, and stresses the need for a special prosecutor free from executive pressure. Wyatt writes that he had repeatedly stated that Nixon ought to release audio tapes of White House conversations, and says that the release of the tapes will influence the direction Congress takes. Both letters thank Stoltz for having shared his opinions.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Preferred Citation
Letters to Hal Stoltz from Mark Hatfield and Wendell Wyatt, Coll 1055, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Restrictions on Use
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Impeachments--United States
- Watergate Affair, 1972-1974
Personal Names
- Hatfield, Mark O., 1922-2011--Correspondence
- Nixon, Richard M. (Richard Milhous), 1913-1994
- Stoltz, Hal (Harold D.), 1943-2023--Correspondence
- Wyatt, Wendell William, 1917-2009--Correspondence
Form or Genre Terms
- correspondence
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Hatfield, Mark O., 1922-2011 (correspondent)
- Wyatt, Wendell William, 1917-2009 (correspondent)
