Dear Mr. Chairman:
Thank you for your letter of April 19 on behalf of the Special Subcommittee of the Committee on the Judiciary which is considering a resolution of impeachment of Associate Justice William O. Douglas [H. Res. 920] and requests information relevant thereto that may be in the possession of the Executive Branch.
The power of impeachment is, of course, solely entrusted by the Constitution to the House of Representatives. However, the Executive Branch is clearly obligated, both by precedent and by the necessity of the House of Representatives having all of the facts before reaching its decision, to supply relevant information to the Legislative Branch, as it does in aid of other inquiries being conducted by committees of the Congress, to the extent compatible with the public interest.
Therefore, in accordance with the Subcommittee's request, I shall authorize and direct appropriate officials of the Executive Branch to furnish information within the jurisdiction of their departments and agencies relevant to the charges against Justice Douglas and otherwise to cooperate with the House of Representatives in this matter. As you know, there are limitations to the President's authority with respect to independent regulatory agencies, but I shall express to such agencies my desire that they cooperate to the extent permissible by law.
Sincerely,
RICHARD NIXON
[Honorable Emanuel Celler, Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515]
Note: The President's letter, dated May 13, 1970, was made available to the press, along with Representative Celler's letter, on May 19. Representative Celler's letter is printed in the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents (vol. 6, p. 658).
Richard Nixon, Letter to the Chairman of the House Committee on the Judiciary. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/239745