The Watergate

Scandal

• 1968 Richard Nixon was elected President.• 1971 Pentagon Papers were published revealing

governments “real intentions” for staying in war. “Honorable peace”

• Papers were leaked to New York Times by Defense Departments’, Dr. Daniel Ellsberg.

• Publication was challenged by Nixon. Found Constitutional. United States v. New York Times

• Special Investigations Unit of the White House was established known as the “plumbers.”

Background

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The top ‘plumbers’

• “plumbers” job to investigate Nixon’s political enemies and critics (people on his enemy list).

• Broke into Ellsberg's psychiatrist’s office to try to discover evidence to void Ellsberg’s actions.

• 1971 tape recorders installed in President’s office and phone.

• Democrat’s vice president candidate forced to drop position due to information published about previous mental illness.( Coincidence?)

Plumbing Problems?

DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE

HEADQUARTERS

WATERGATE HOTEL

WASHINGTON D.C.June 17, 1972

May 27-28, 1972• Nixon’s administration successfully broke into the DNC

headquarters to tap room and photograph documents.

June 17, 1972• Five burglars broke into the Democratic National Committee

headquarters to fix wiretaps not working.• Security guard, Frank Wills, noticed a piece of tape preventing the

door from locking• Thought it was from the cleaning crew and removed it, but came

back to find it there againsuspicious, he called the D.C. police

• Bernard Barker, Virgilio González, Eugenio Martínez, James W. McCord, Jr. and Frank Sturgis were discovered and arrested for breaking into the DNC Headquarters

Woodward and Bernstein1972

• Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of the Washington Post investigated further into the Watergate break-in when it was overlooked by the media.

• Thanks to Woodward and Bernstein, and the media, the Watergate scandal was able to be brought out publicly.

• Before the Watergate, newspapers and television covered up government mishaps or ignored them.

• The Watergate brought the true U.S government out for the country to see.

• After the Watergate scandal, the number of newspaper reporters and investigators jump to incredible numbers, still even today.

• 85% of Americans watched the televised Trials of the Watergate.

Media!

Deep Throat

• Deep Throat was a a secret source that leaked information to Woodward and Bernstein about the involvement of Nixon in the Watergate scandal.

• The identity of Deep Throat was only known by Woodward and Bernstein who vowed secrecy.

1973

• On May 31, 2005, after 33 years of mystery, W. Mark Felt Sr. was identified as the Deep Throat source.

• Felt was the Associate Director of the FBI.

• At one point during the investigation, Felt was suspected for being the secret source but was never investigated further or even taken seriously.

2005 age 91

Nixon digs a hole1973

• Nixon says all white House Staff will appear before Senate Committee.

• Nixon forces Haldeman and Ehrlichman, his closest aides, and Attorney General Kleindienst, to resign. (They all were later found guilty of involvement).

• Nixon fired White House counsel John Dean who has been working with Watergate prosecutors and would later testify against Nixon.

• Senate Committee begins televised trials.• Nixon refuses to go before the Senate Committee or release

Presidential documents to them.• Nixon does more firings and tells the FBI to stop investigations of

the scandal. • Nixon’s tax returns investigated and various bank accounts are

traced to government officials.

July 13,1973, former Presidential

appointments secretary, Alexander

Butterfield, tells Senate Committee about

White House recording system Nixon had

installed.

The Beginning of the End…

The Famous 18 1/2-Minute Gap

• On tape 342, President Nixon and his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman are meeting on June 20, 1972, just three days after the Watergate break-in.

• When they got to tape number 342, a crucial 18.5 minute segment of the tape had been erased.

• As the two men talk, their conversation is suddenly replaced by 18 ½ minutes of silence broken only by electronic-sounding clicks and hisses.

• The White House blamed this on Nixon's secretary, Rose Mary Woods, who said she had accidentally erased the tape by pushing the wrong foot pedal on her tape player while answering the phone.

• It was then found very unlikely because it would require an awkward position.

• Forensics also revealed that the tape had been taped over in other segments further invalidating the explanation.

On November 17, 1973, allegations of wrongdoing led Nixon to famously

state, “I am not a crook” in front of 400 Associated Press managing editors at Walt Disney World in

Florida.

• The issue of the tapes continued all the way to the Supreme court. United States vs. Nixon.

• Nixon finally handed over all the tapes requested by the court on July 30, 1974.

More Tapes!

Smoking GunAugust 1974

• The smoking gun was a tape of Nixon and his aide Haldeman. It was their conversation six days after the break-in and they were discussing a plan to stop investigations by having the CIA tell the FBI it was a matter of National Security.

• That was the end of any possible hope of Nixon being innocent of involvement.

Impeachment

• House Judiciary Committee recommends articles of impeachment to House but Nixon resigns before vote.

• Articles voted on were obstruction of justice, abuse of power, contempt of congress.

1974-Nixon (Only President ever to resign)

“In the past few days, however, it has become evident to me that I no longer have a strong enough political base in the Congress to justify continuing that effort. As long as there was such a base, I felt strongly that it was necessary to see the constitutional process through to its conclusion…”

Nixon never admits to being involved. Only apologizes for the way he dealt with the incident.

• One presidential resignation

• One vice-presidentialresignation

• 40 government officials indicted or jailed

Aftermath

•What comes to mind when you hear the words government and politicians?

Corrupt? Manipulative?

Liars? Bureaucracy?

• Due to the Watergate Scandal, all trust in government was lost.

• Confidence and aggression

of the media increases

Long Term Impacts

President Ford

• Vice president Ford was sworn into presidency on August 9, 1974.

• “My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.”

Ford’s Pardon• On September 8, 1974 President Ford

pardoned Nixon. • He claimed Nixon’s situation was “an

American tragedy in which we all have played a part. It could go on and on and on, or someone must write the end to it. I have concluded that only I can do that, and if I can, I must.“

• Ford’s pardon caused huge controversy.

• Wire-taping, break-ins• Harassment• Bribery, payoffs• Destruction of evidence• Burglary• Illegal use of CIA and FBI• Public money for private

use• Extortion• Obstruction of justice

Nixon’s Crimes

And that’s the Watergate Scandal.