Nixon White House compiles "enemies list" naming journalists

Published 2026-09-22. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 2 sources.

Status: in effect, as of 2026-09-22.

What we don't know: The complete final roster of journalists on the various iterations of the list, and the extent to which any individual reporter was actually audited under the list is not fully documented in the sources reviewed this session.

White House Counsel John Dean's office compiled a memorandum, later called the "enemies list," naming political opponents including journalists, for potential use of federal resources such as IRS audits against them.¹

Country: United States
Where: United States
Level of government: National
Outcome: Unknown
Era: The 1970s

What happened

On September 9, 1971, Charles Colson's office sent a memorandum, drafted by aide George T. Bell, to White House Counsel John Dean naming twenty individuals as an initial "enemies list"; a longer master list of hundreds of names was compiled over the following years and became public during the Watergate investigations. Dean had separately written in an August 16, 1971 memo about using "the available federal machinery to screw our political enemies," including through tax audits, denial of federal grants and contracts, and litigation. Journalists were among those named on the various iterations of the list. IRS Commissioner Donald C. Alexander refused to authorize the politically motivated audits the White House sought, limiting the practical damage the list could do even as its existence became a lasting symbol of the Nixon White House's adversarial approach to the press.¹²³⁴

Historical; the lists became public during the Watergate investigations and are documented in the historical record.⁴

What reason was given

Not stated in the sources reviewed as a public justification; internal White House memoranda described the purpose in the terms quoted above rather than as a stated public policy.²

What changed for reporting

Named journalists faced the prospect of federal scrutiny, including tax audits, intended to disadvantage them for their coverage, though the IRS's refusal to act limited the list's practical effect.³

Timeline

1971

September 9, 1971

Nixon White House compiles "enemies list" naming journalists

Who acted

Name	Role in this incident	Office at the time
Charles Colson	ordered	Special Counsel to the President (Nixon administration)
Richard Nixon	other	President of the United States (1969-1974)

Sources

Nixon's Enemies ListWikipedia, reporting. Source record
Richard M. NixonThe Free Speech Center, MTSU, reporting. Source record

Claims cited

Colson's office sent the initial enemies-list memorandum to John Dean. sent in memorandum form to John Dean on September 9, 1971 Nixon's Enemies List, Wikipedia. Claim 59, checked 2026-09-22.
No public justification was issued; internal memos described the intent privately. how we can use the available federal machinery to screw our political enemies Nixon's Enemies List, Wikipedia. Claim 60, checked 2026-09-22.
Journalists were among the political opponents named for potential tax audits and other federal action. Daniel Schorr, journalist Nixon's Enemies List, Wikipedia. Claim 61, checked 2026-09-22.
The lists are part of the public historical record from the Watergate era. sent in memorandum form to John Dean on September 9, 1971 Nixon's Enemies List, Wikipedia. Claim 62, checked 2026-09-22.