Incident
Nixon White House compiles an enemies list naming journalists for official pressure
White House Counsel John Dean wrote a memo on how to use federal agencies against President Nixon's political opponents, and the resulting list of more than 200 names included journalists such as CBS News correspondent Daniel Schorr. It became public during the 1973 Senate Watergate hearings.123
What happened
Staff in President Richard Nixon's White House began compiling a list of political opponents in June 1971. On August 16, 1971, White House Counsel John Dean wrote a memo titled 'Dealing with our Political Enemies,' describing how the administration could use the machinery of the federal government, including the Internal Revenue Service, the United States tax-collection agency, to conduct tax audits and other scrutiny of people and organizations it considered critical. The list grew to more than 200 names by September 1971 and included a media category naming journalists alongside politicians, activists and business figures. CBS News correspondent Daniel Schorr discovered he was number 17 on the list; The Washington Post columnist Mary McGrory was included for what an internal notation called her 'daily hate Nixon articles.' Dean revealed the list during his testimony to the Senate Watergate Committee, the Senate panel investigating the Watergate scandal, on June 27, 1973, making it public for the first time.123
What reason was given
Stated justificationDean's memo described the effort as a way to use the available machinery of the federal government against people the administration regarded as its political enemies, without citing any specific conduct by the journalists named.1
What changed for reporting
Journalists named on the list, including Daniel Schorr and Mary McGrory, learned their reporting or commentary had made them targets for the same federal pressure, including possible tax audits, that the administration considered using against other political opponents.2
Timeline
1971
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel Schorr | other | Correspondent, CBS News |
| John Dean | enforced | Counsel to the President of the United States |
| Mary McGrory | other | Columnist, The Washington Post |
| Richard Nixon | announced | President of the United States (1969-1974) |
Outlets and journalists
| Name | Kind | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| The Washington Post | outlet | affected |
Sources
- Nixon's Enemies List (original page no longer resolves; no archived copy is available)
- What Was Richard Nixon's 'Enemies List', and Who Was on It? archived copy
Claims and evidence
Each numbered claim quotes the source it rests on.
- White House Counsel John Dean's August 16, 1971 memo described how the Nixon administration could use the machinery of the federal government against people it considered political enemies.
how we can use the available federal machinery to screw our political enemies
Nixon's Enemies List (original page no longer resolves; no archived copy is available), University of North Carolina Library, A Southern View of Watergate exhibit.Claim 129, checked 2026-09-22. - The same effort discussed using the Internal Revenue Service to harass people and organizations on the list, which included a media category.
using the Internal Revenue Service to harass people and organizations
Nixon's Enemies List (original page no longer resolves; no archived copy is available), University of North Carolina Library, A Southern View of Watergate exhibit.Claim 130, checked 2026-09-22. - CBS News correspondent Daniel Schorr found he was number 17 on the list, one description of him on it calling him a real media enemy.
a real media enemy
What Was Richard Nixon's 'Enemies List', and Who Was on It? archived copy, HISTORY (A&E Networks).Claim 131, checked 2026-09-22.