Editing Archibald Cox (section)

===Staffing up===
After he was sworn in on May 25, 1973, Cox returned to Cambridge where he recruited two professors, [[James Vorenberg]] and [[Philip Heymann]], to join his staff. The three arrived in Washington on May 29. Cox was faced with reports that the team of federal prosecutors under [[Earl J. Silbert]] was about to resign unless given a vote of confidence.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5030149/cox_faces_resignation_by_federal|last=AP wire service|title=Cox Takes Over Watergate Case|work=Beckley [W.V.] Post-Herald The Raleigh Register|date=May 26, 1973|page=8|access-date=April 22, 2016|via=newspapers.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604055314/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5030149/cox_faces_resignation_by_federal/|archive-date=June 4, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Cox appealed to their sense of professionalism without comment on how the case was handled.{{efn|Silbert believed he was unfairly accused of failing to follow-up leads and confining the investigation for political reasons.{{sfn|Gormley|1997|p=257}} He believed that his strategy of prosecuting the burglars, seeking maximum sentences and then after conviction requiring them to testify under immunity ultimately produced first the disclosures of McCord, then the cooperation of Magruder and Dean.{{sfn|Silbert|1992|pp=76, 100–101, 112–113}} But as Heymann pointed out, the purpose of the appointment of a Special Prosecutor was precisely to "substitute his credibility" for that of Silbert's.{{sfn|Gormley|1997|p=257}}}} A bigger problem was Silbert's boss, [[Henry E. Petersen]], a career FBI/Justice Department employee appointed Assistant Attorney General by Nixon, who had regular meetings with Nixon, but would only provide vague descriptions to Cox, and point blank refused to turn over his memorandum of one such meeting, claiming executive privilege on behalf of Nixon.{{efn|The meeting between Petersen and the president that was the focus of the first conversation took place on April 15, 1973. Cox and Vorenberg were concerned about leaks and whether confidential grand jury information was being misused. Petersen insisted that the president agreed that he should not receive any grand jury material. During the course of the interview Petersen mentioned that Nixon had a tape of a conversation he had with Dean (during which Dean claimed the Justice Department was about to give him immunity). Cox did not follow-up on that clue.{{sfn|Doyle|1977|pp=55–58}} Later proceedings would show that Petersen had kept Dean informed of grand jury testimony,{{sfn|Emery|1994|pp=213–214}} brief the president on Dean's testimony,{{sfn|Emery|1994|pp=325–326}} and gave Nixon a written summary of the evidence against Haldemann and Ehrlichman.{{sfn|Emery|1994|pp=341–342}} Nixon discussed these materials with both his aides. As for the April 15 meeting, when the tapes were finally produced, the tape for that meeting was missing.{{sfn|Doyle|1977|p=57}}}}

Cox concluded that a top priority was to hire a pre-eminent criminal trial attorney to supervise the prosecutors until the office was up and running and then try the cases after indictment. He persuaded [[James F. Neal]], the U.S. attorney who obtained the conviction of Jimmy Hoffa in 1964 for jury tampering, now in private practice, to come aboard for several weeks to stabilize the ship. Neal would stay to the end, at the end of each promised period promising only a few more weeks; he became Cox's number two man, picked to be the chief trial attorney.<ref>{{harvnb|Doyle|1977|p=52}}; {{harvnb|Gormley|1997|pp=261–162}}.</ref> Vorenberg became number three and spent much of the early period recruiting lawyers. Vorenberg divided the mission into five task forces:{{sfn|Doyle|1977|pp=61–65}} the first to sign on was [[Thomas F. McBride]] who would head up the task force on campaign contributions and would obtain the conviction of [[George Steinbrenner]];<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-nov-05-me-mcbride5-story.html|title=Thomas F. McBride, 74; Watergate prosecutor|work=Los Angeles Times|date=November 5, 2003|access-date=April 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513215251/http://articles.latimes.com/2003/nov/05/local/me-mcbride5|archive-date=May 13, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> [[William Merrill (Watergate prosecutor)|William Merril]] would head up the [[White House Plumbers|Plumbers]] task force;<ref>{{cite book|last=Merrill|first=William H.|title=Watergate Prosecutor|location=East Lansing, Michigan|publisher=Michigan State University Press|year=2008|isbn=9780870138058}}</ref> [[Richard J. Davis]] would handle the task force investigating "dirty tricks;"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2013/10/40_years_after_water.html|title=40 years after Watergate, lawyers involved reflect on political scandal|work=ABA News|date=October 2, 2013|access-date=April 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160922222656/http://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2013/10/40_years_after_water.html|archive-date=September 22, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> [[Joseph J. Connolly]] headed up the force investigating the ITT antitrust settlement; and James Neal headed the largest group, the Watergate task force, which dealt with the cover up and included [[George Frampton (Watergate prosecutor)|George Frampton]], [[Richard Ben-Veniste]], and [[Jill Wine-Banks|Jill Wine Volner]]. [[Henry S. Ruth]] became Cox's deputy and [[Phil Lacovara]] became Cox's counsel.{{sfn|Gormley|1997|p=262}} With a view toward establishing better relations with the press, Cox designated James Doyle his spokesman.{{sfn|Doyle|1977|pp=66–68}}