More Nixon tapes available to public

YORBA LINDA, Calif., June 23 (UPI) -- The Richard Nixon Presidential Library has opened up access to 154 hours of White House tapes and other documents the U.S. government once classified.

In a statement, the library in Yorba Linda, Calif., said some of the materials made available to the public Tuesday include conversations about the Vietnam War, Nixon's second inauguration, the Supreme Court's landmark abortion decision, Roe v. Wade, and the first Watergate trial. The recordings from January and February 1973 consist of approximately 994 conversations, the library said.

The new Nixon tapes and documents will be available on the Internet and at the Richard Nixon libraries in California and Maryland.

"This is the 13th opening of Nixon White House tapes since 1980 and with this release, approximately 2,371 hours of tape recordings from the Nixon White House are now available to the public," the statement said.

Nixon was president from Jan. 20, 1969 to Aug. 9, 1974, when he resigned over the Watergate cover-up, becoming the first U.S. president to resign from office. He was pardoned by his successor, President Gerald Ford, who said the pardon was necessary to help heal the nation.

Nixon died April 22, 1994.