Watergate

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• Understand who the “plumbers” were, and know what their backgrounds were, as well as what they were generally tasked with.

After the release of the Pentagon Papers, the White House created a unit to ensure internal security. The plumbers were a unit tasked with stopping leaks. Many of the “plumbers” were former CIA agents with connections to the Bay of Pigs.

• What event began the “plumbers” political espionage efforts?

They began in 1971 and burglarized the office of Daniel Ellsburg’s psychiatrist. Some members of the “plumbers” transitioned to the Committee to Re-Elect the President. Some of the “plumbers” organized a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters, and their goal was to wiretap phones and steal documents.

• Understand the status of the 1972 election campaign in terms of who was winning going into the summer before the election

Nixon had a double digit lead leading into the summer of 1972. The Democratic challenger George McGovern had a rocky start when he lost his running mate.

• How did the Nixon campaign initially describe the Watergate break-in?

On June 17, 1972, 5 men were arrested while attempting to bug the headquarters of the Democratic Party (Watergate Building). James McCord, head of security for the Republican Party was arrested. The Nixon campaign described it as a “third rate burglary.”

• Who were Woodward and Bernstein, and what role did they play in this event?

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were Washington Post reporters who broke the story of the Watergate break-in. They connected the burglars to the Committee to Re-Elect The President. Their report relied heavily on a secret source at the FBI referred to as “deep throat.” They revealed the involvement of hush money and White House officials.

• What was CREEP, and what role did it play in this event?

CREEP stood for Nixon’s “Committee to Re-Elect The President,” which was a fundraising organization for Nixon’s re-election campaign. CREEP funded, organized, and covered-up the Watergate scandal. The break-in was eventually tied to CREEP through laundered money (used for spy equipment). The check was laundered through to avoid connection to the White House. Former Attorney General John Mitchell, head of CREEP, controlled a secret fund for political espionage.

• Who won the election of 1972, and by what margin?

Despite Watergate, Nixon won by the largest electoral margin in presidential history (520 - 17).

• What three levels was Watergate investigated at?

Watergate was investigated by a special prosecutor, senate committee, and a federal district judge in the original break-in case. Judge Sirica believed that the break-in was part of a larger conspiracy, and james MCord sent a letter to the judge confirming this. Sirica’s demands led to the expansion of Watergate.

• What was the “smoking gun” of the Watergate investigation?

The Senate began Watergate hearings in May 1973, and they were televised and focused on “what the president knew and when he knew it.” In June 1973, former White House legal counsel John Dean delivered a testimony implicating Nixon in a coverup. The Nixon White House made efforts to discredit John Dean. During the hearings, a White House aide revealed the existence of recording devices in the Oval Office. These tapes became the focus and ultimately the “smoking gun.”

• Describe the “Saturday Night Massacre.”

Archibald Cox wanted to access the tapes, but Nixon suggested a conservative Democrat listen to them, and then transcripts would be handed over to Cox. He refused to accept the transcripts instead of the tapes. Nixon went on to order Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire Cox, but he refused and was fired himself. Then, one other firing occured before Cox was fired.

• What pieces of evidence were on the audio tapes that implicated Nixon from the earliest days?

The Surpreme Court forced Nixon to surrender the tapes. He was implicated from the earliest days of the coverup: authorizing the payment of hush money and attempting to use the CIA to interfere with the FBI investigation. One tape had an 18 ½ minutes gap. “The Smoking Gun Tapes” were released in August 1974 just after Articles of Impeachment.

• Was Nixon fully impeached?

On July 27, 1974, the House Judiciary Committee approved Articles of Impeachment. Nixon believed that impeachment in the Senate would fail. ON August 5, 1974, when the “smoking gun tape” became public, Republican leadership told Nixon that impeachment was likely. On August 9 1974, Nixon became the first president to resign. He left office before impeachment took place.

• What step did he take to leave office?

Richard Nixon resigned from office, and was the first president to do so. 

• What, if any, legal punishment did Nixon face?

More than 30 government officals went to prison for their involvement in the Watergate scandal, but Nixon wasn’t one of them.

• What did President Ford do for Nixon shortly after he left office?

 In September of 1974, Gerald Ford gave Nixon a full pardon.