<p>Forensic investigators have now been called in to investigate exactly what Nixon knew about the Watergate break- in, particularly the extent of his knowledge of the raids on the Democratic National Committee's offices in Washington.<br /><br />Investigators appointed by the US National Archives are to analyse notes taken by the White House chief of staff HR Haldeman at a meeting with the late President just three days after Nixon campaign members were arrested for breaking into the Watergate building.<br /><br />Their mission is to find out what Nixon and Haldeman discussed during the 18-and-a-half minutes missing from tape recordings of the meeting and from the aide's large yellow note book, the online edition of British newspaper 'The Daily Telegraph' reported. <br /><br />Experts have given up trying to unlock the mystery from the erased tape. The search will instead scour Haldeman's notes for incriminating clues.<br /><br />Investigators will use electrostatic detection analysis, which is capable of detecting and highlighting indented images, such as those left on a sheet of paper when a pen has written on a sheet above it. This might show evidence that certain pages were destroyed and even point to words so far lost to history, the report said.<br /><br />Techniques known as hyperspectral imaging and video spectral comparison also will be used. And, the test results are expected early next year.<br /><br />The prospect of confirming that a gap exists in the notes, corresponding with the gap in the recording, has Nixon historians on tenterhooks.<br /><br />"My best scholarly guess is that Nixon asked Haldeman if anyone in the White House had advance knowledge of the Watergate break-in," Luke Nichter of Texas A&M University was quoted as saying</p>
<p>Forensic investigators have now been called in to investigate exactly what Nixon knew about the Watergate break- in, particularly the extent of his knowledge of the raids on the Democratic National Committee's offices in Washington.<br /><br />Investigators appointed by the US National Archives are to analyse notes taken by the White House chief of staff HR Haldeman at a meeting with the late President just three days after Nixon campaign members were arrested for breaking into the Watergate building.<br /><br />Their mission is to find out what Nixon and Haldeman discussed during the 18-and-a-half minutes missing from tape recordings of the meeting and from the aide's large yellow note book, the online edition of British newspaper 'The Daily Telegraph' reported. <br /><br />Experts have given up trying to unlock the mystery from the erased tape. The search will instead scour Haldeman's notes for incriminating clues.<br /><br />Investigators will use electrostatic detection analysis, which is capable of detecting and highlighting indented images, such as those left on a sheet of paper when a pen has written on a sheet above it. This might show evidence that certain pages were destroyed and even point to words so far lost to history, the report said.<br /><br />Techniques known as hyperspectral imaging and video spectral comparison also will be used. And, the test results are expected early next year.<br /><br />The prospect of confirming that a gap exists in the notes, corresponding with the gap in the recording, has Nixon historians on tenterhooks.<br /><br />"My best scholarly guess is that Nixon asked Haldeman if anyone in the White House had advance knowledge of the Watergate break-in," Luke Nichter of Texas A&M University was quoted as saying</p>
