When we think of the Fourth of July, we think about people like the Founding Fathers, but it’s just as important to remember those who have helped preserve our freedom.
Fifty years ago this month, Alexander Butterfield testified of the presence of a recording system in the Oval Office before the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaigns.
Butterfield had watched other aides to President Nixon, seeking to protect him or the office of the presidency, lie or provide misleading answers to the committee. Many were his friends, and he respected them. He understood their loyalty, but was firm in his conviction that he would not lie.
Butterfield did not volunteer information on the presence of the tape system, but he answered truthfully when asked. He was one of the few people who knew about the system because he had ordered the Secret Service to install it at the request of the president. He dreaded being asked about it, but, if he was, he felt bound by his oath as a military officer to “support and defend the Constitution” and answer the question honestly.
Butterfield understood he would pay a high price. He realized his career in government was over. He also would be shunned by many of his old Air Force and White House friends who would view him as disloyal to the president. Butterfield dared to be true to the Constitution despite the personal costs.
Preserving our liberties is as important as their creation. Sometimes sacrifices are needed to preserve our system of government.
Greg Fulton
Denver, Colo.
The writer is a New Castle native.