Nixon resigns and signs the Sampson agreement claiming ownership of his records

President Nixon resigned the presidency effective August 9, 1974, then signed a depository agreement with GSA Administrator Arthur Sampson granting Nixon personal custody of approximately 42 million pages of documents and 880 tape recordings. The agreement required both parties' approval to access materials, gave Nixon the right to order tape destruction after September 1, 1984 or his death, and stored records near his California home. Congress immediately challenged the agreement and drafted legislation to transfer the records to federal custody.