“Another important precedent was set when Burr boldly subpoenaed Jefferson himself. Jefferson’s papers held nothing to exonerate Burr, but Burr apparently hoped to discover damaging or embarrassing information that would help him in the court of public opinion. Jefferson compromised by allowing court officials to see relevant documents, but cited “executive privilege” to prevent their public release. This sensible doctrine held that presidents could not fulfill their duties, particularly diplomacy, without a modicum of secrecy; it would be both used and abused by many future presidents, most notably in Richard Nixon’s final attempt to prevent release of his Oval Office recordings.”