# Rose Mary Woods hangs up for the last time.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rose-mary-woods-hangs-up-for-the-last-time/286320>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [January 23, 2005, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rose-mary-woods-hangs-up-for-the-last-time/286320 "2005-01-23T23:44:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rose-mary-woods-hangs-up-for-the-last-time/286320/1 "2005-01-23T23:44:31Z")

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[Link](http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/01/23/obit.woods.ap/index.html)

> [@](#):
>
> COLUMBUS, Ohio – Rose Mary Woods, the devoted secretary to President Nixon who said she inadvertently erased part of a crucial Watergate tape, has died. She was 87.
> 
> \<snip\>
> 
> The 18 1/2-minute gap in the tape of a June 20, 1972, conversation between Richard Nixon and chief of staff H.R. Haldeman was critical to the question of what Nixon knew about the break-in at Democratic headquarters in the Watergate complex three days earlier – and when he knew it.
> 
> \<snip\>
> 
> She accidentally hit the record button. A picture in which she demonstrated her action – stretching one foot forward while reaching back to get the phone – became one of the most famous images of the era.

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**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\
**Post date:** [January 24, 2005, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rose-mary-woods-hangs-up-for-the-last-time/286320/2 "2005-01-24T00:05:28Z")

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Well, at least there’s no chance of her running into Nixon in the afterlife.

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**Author:** ![Rhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/59ef9b/32.png) [@Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhubarb)\
**Post date:** [January 24, 2005, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rose-mary-woods-hangs-up-for-the-last-time/286320/3 "2005-01-24T01:52:34Z")

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> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#):
>
> Well, at least there’s no chance of her running into Nixon in the afterlife.

Really? You don’t think Tricky Dick is roasting, or just that they’ll end up in a different circle of hell?

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**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\
**Post date:** [January 24, 2005, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rose-mary-woods-hangs-up-for-the-last-time/286320/4 "2005-01-24T02:01:56Z")

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> [@Rhubarb](#):
>
> Really? You don’t think Tricky Dick is roasting, or just that they’ll end up in a different circle of hell?

Oh, Dick’s a’roasting alright. I don’t think she’d go that direction.