The Watergate was a complex in Washington, D.C. On June 17, 1972, five people were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Headquarters inside the building. Subsequent investigations revealed that the Nixon administration had taken a series of actions to disrupt the election process, of which the Watergate break-in was only one. The result was the imprisonment of several government officials and the resignation of a president for the first time in U.S. history.
A few days after the arrest of the five men, former White House aide Hunter Jr. and General Counsel Liddy of the Committee for the Re-election of the President were charged with burglary and wiretapping, and in January 1973 Chief Judge Serica of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia presided over the trial of the seven defendants. In the months between the arrests and the trial, White House Press Secretary Ziegler called the Watergate break-in a "third-degree burglary" and President Nixon denied that anyone in the administration was involved, although the Washington Post continued to report on the case. Attorney General Clandins promised a full and thorough investigation, but the evidence was not vigorously presented by the prosecution during the trial of the "Watergate Seven." Judge Serica personally questioned witnesses and publicly stated his belief that the case had not yet been fully uncovered. Five of the seven defendants pleaded guilty and two were convicted by a jury, and at sentencing on March 23, 1973, Judge Serica read a letter from one of the defendants, McCord. The letter charged that the White House was still covering up its involvement in the Watergate break-in. McCord also said the White House had pressured the seven defendants to plead guilty and remain silent. With the White House apparently implicated, President Nixon announced on April 17, 1973, that he had begun a new investigation.On April 30 Nixon publicly stated that he was responsible for the actions of the White House staff involved in the case. He accepted the resignations of advisers Haldeman and Ehrlichman and Attorney General Clandinest and announced Dean's dismissal. However, Nick Public balked at the fact that he had no knowledge of the political espionage activities and the efforts to cover up the mistakes. The same day Richardson replaced Clandinest as Attorney General. He chose Cox, a Harvard law professor, to be the special prosecutor for Watergate. The center of the investigation then shifted to the Senate, where televised public hearings began to be held by the chamber's Special Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities (headed by Senator Irving Jr.). The Irving committee convicted members of the White House and campaign committees on the basis of testimony. Yet Dean alone testified to President Nixon's direct involvement in the cover-up.On July 16, 1973 former White House staffer Butterfield revealed that conversations in the Oval Office were taped. The Cox and Irving Committee immediately (July 23) ticketed the tapes. Nixon refused to turn them over, citing executive privilege and national security. When Judge Serica ordered Nixon to turn over the tapes, Nixon offered to provide a transcript synopsis of the faulty tapes in exchange for an agreement not to seek further presidential papers. Cox refused to accept the offer.On October 20 the President ordered Attorney General Richardson to remove the Special Prosecutor. Richardson and Undersecretary Rackershaws resigned rather than carry out the order. Eventually Cox was relieved of his duties by the Deputy Attorney General. The angry waves of mass protest forced Nixon to turn over the tapes on October 24th. But Serica had asked for nine disks, and he turned over only seven. The White House claimed that the other two never existed.On May 20 Judge Serica ordered Nixon to submit the other tapes to Special Prosecutor Jaworski.Between July 27-30 the House Judiciary Committee passed impeachment.On August 5 the President submitted transcripts of three tapes which clearly showed the President's involvement in the cover-up. Thus Nixon lost his last supporters in Congress. He announced his resignation on August 8 and left the White House the following day at 11:35 a.m. On September 8, 1974, succeeding President Ford granted Nixon an unconditional pardon from further punishment.
On May 31, 2005, Mark Felt, the former deputy director of the FBI, admitted that he was "Watergate" in the person once known as "Deep Throat", who had provided President Nixon with a reporter from the Washington Post. "In 1972, Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Burns relied on information from Deep Throat to uncover the Watergate scandal. "which led to the resignation of then President Richard Nixon. The two journalists have refused to reveal the identity of their source, but managing editor Simmons cited the title of a well-known pornographic movie, Deep Throat, as the pseudonym of the informant
He brought down the president of the United States
He made former President Richard Nixon leave office in 1974, becoming the first "presidential ousting" in U.S. history. "For more than 30 years, he was unnamed, leaving only his nickname, Deep Throat, open to speculation.
For most living Americans, the 1972 "Watergate scandal" gradually faded, and uncovered the U.S. government's key figure in this scandal - "Deep Throat". "Who is it, until May 31, 2005 to reveal, fill a blank spot in U.S. history.
Late Praise
On the afternoon of May 31, local time, in a suburban residential area north of San Francisco, Calif. The Washington Post confirmed that the former FBI number two, Mark Felt (Mark Felt) "is" Deep Throat "news reached here, Felt's neighbors ran to tell, jumping with joy.
A large number of reporters quickly gathered on Felt's front lawn, trampling the plants in his yard and clogging the streets of the neighborhood.
Felt's grandson, Nick Jones, spoke to the press, calling his grandfather a "hero" and a "patriot". 30 minutes later, the door facing the lawn opened, and Felt, dressed in a thin black sweater and with a full head of gray hair, walked out accompanied by his daughter, leaning on a metal support frame. accompanied by his daughter, leaning on a metal support frame, slowly walked out. The flashbulbs flashed, and Felt smiled happily and made a strong thumbs-up gesture.
Neighbors, many of whom were supporters of former President Nixon, praised Felt for coming forward with the truth.
"I don't think he's a hero or a slanderer. I think he did his duty according to the means he saw fit," neighbor Ronald Fiore told the Associated Press, "but I'm glad he spoke out before he died, and that Americans should have known him."
Jim Baker, who was Felt's neighbor for 20 years, said, "He showed courage, and I hope he'll be an example to others to continue the democratic process and to oversee government."
Even Josh Hickey, a 12-year-old neighbor and a wall away from Felt, seemed to understand, asking adults, "Is he the one who embarrassed Nixon?"
Yet there are also accusations that Felt, who once asked for secrets to be made public only after his death, now opens his mouth in order to get money.
'Ideal man'
A month before Watergate, the legendary head of the FBI, Edgar Hoover, died, and Felt, the No. 2 man, was seen as the obvious successor. In his 1979 book, "The FBI Pyramid," Felt admitted that at the time, he thought he was on track for promotion, "I had a good track record, and I think I waited until I had the perfect opportunity."
Nixon, then President of the United States, and his close associates also felt that Felt's "ambition". They thought that since Felt's mind in the promotion above, will be to avoid the FBI too much involvement in the "Watergate" investigation of the "ideal person". They were very wrong.
In the end, Nixon insisted on inserting "his own people" in the FBI, appointing Assistant Secretary of Justice Patrick Gray to take on this important role, over Felt. Felt was furious at the White House's attempts to control the FBI, and he became one of the FBI officials who protested the White House's obstruction of the investigation.
Tapes later released to the public record that White House Chief of Staff H. R. Haldeman told President Nixon in 1972 that Felt was responsible for most of the information that came out.
Felt revealed a great deal of inside information to a Washington Post reporter and told him to "start with that money" and track down the sources of Nixon's campaign funds to finally uncover the truth.
The year after Watergate, in 1973, a year before Nixon left office, Felt resigned from the FBI and retired.
In 1978, he was indicted for authorizing a search of the home of a member of the radical group Weather Underground. Felt pleaded guilty, and President Reagan pardoned him in 1981. "Deep Throat disappeared for nearly a quarter of a century.
30 Years of Mystery
Felt has been suspected of being Deep Throat countless times over the past 30 years, and he has never admitted it.
A 1992 issue of The Atlantic Monthly reported that in January 1972, Bob Woodward, a 29-year-old reporter for the Washington Post who handled the city's news, contacted Felt for an interview about "corruption within the Washington police department.
A few months later, Woodward broke several scoops about an assassination attempt on presidential candidate George Wallace. As for the source, Woodward used a pseudonym to hide the fact that Felt was the real source.
After Watergate, Woodward approached Felt again. Only Woodward, his colleague Carl Bernstein and Ben Bradlee, then editor-in-chief of the Washington Post, knew who Deep Throat was. They agreed never to publicize the mystery while Felt was alive.
"The number two man in the FBI, who gave us excellent information," Ben Bradlee was quoted as saying in the May 31 issue of the Washington Post, "the only thing that surprises me is that this damn secret has been kept this long."
The White House had pursued Deep Throat, and Nixon himself had suspected Felt. Felt has always denied that he tipped off the Washington Post. "Pat (Patrick's nickname), I never leaked anything to anybody," Felt told his new superior, Patrick Gray, "They're all wrong!"
Felt was briefly mentioned in a 1997 Washington Post retrospective on Watergate, but the mystery was not solved; in 1974, Felt was "cornered" by a reporter who asked him if he was "Deep Throat" or not. In 1974, Felt was "cornered" by a reporter who asked him if he was Deep Throat or not. Instead of saying "no," Felt said, "Whether Deep Throat is a real person or a 'composite' of several people, I don't think that question will ever be answered. will never be answered."
For more than 30 years, Americans have been guessing between several possible Deep Throats.
In 1999, 25 years after Nixon's resignation, journalists trying to get the truth out of Felt, one of the Deep Throat possibilities, were still unsuccessful. Woodward was the only one who could get the truth out of Felt. Woodward was the only one who could visit Felt in his California apartment.
A man in fashion
Born in Idaho in 1913, Felt rose through the ranks after joining the FBI in 1942. Initially, he worked in the Houston, Texas division, where he was highly accomplished in fighting crime.
In the 1960s, Felt rose to the FBI's Washington headquarters. He was recognized by Hoover for his competence and was soon promoted to be his right-hand man.
In the 1970s, the handsome Felt often spoke to the media on behalf of the FBI, impressing the public with his black, wide-rimmed glasses.
Felt had a taste for whiskey. However, perhaps to create an air of mystery, Woodward and Bernstein's The President's Men and the movie of the same name describe Deep Throat as an "old smoker", when in fact Felt didn't smoke at all.
Woodward once made it clear that Deep Throat was a single person, not a composite of several, who held a key position in the executive branch and favored cigarettes and scotch. ("Watergate" before and after
The Watergate scandal began with a break-in in 1972, which did not attract much attention. But two years later, the political fallout from the case led to the first and only presidential resignation in U.S. history.
The Watergate is a complex in Washington, D.C. On June 17, 1972, five people were arrested for breaking into the building's Democratic National Headquarters. Subsequent investigations revealed that the men were employed by Nixon's staff.
The investigation revealed that Gordon Liddy, the general counsel of the Committee to Secure the Re-election of the President, was given $250,000 to carry out a plan to disrupt the election. Liddy had worked for the FBI when he served as a financial adviser to Nixon's reelection campaign. His dirty tricks included installing a telephone wiretap at the Democratic National Headquarters in the Watergate Building and accessing Democratic Party documents.
The five men who infiltrated the Watergate building were no ordinary burglars, including former CIA agent Howard Hunt and James McCord, a technician who had served in the CIA for 20 years. McCord was in charge of security for Nixon's re-election committee at the time.
Two young reporters at the Washington Post, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, had been tracking the break-in since it first happened. They were sensitive enough to sniff out that the scandal had been connected to the White House. In the courtroom where the five intruders were being tried, McCord was asked to identify himself, and Woodward heard him whisper "CIA".
However, despite the fact that Woodward and Bernstein kept the Watergate break-in out of the public eye with their own reporting, Nixon won the election in a landslide and was re-elected.
But the Watergate investigation didn't stop there either. McCord sent a letter to the court accusing the White House of trying to cover up its involvement in the Watergate break-in. McCord also said the White House had pressured the defendants to plead guilty and keep quiet.
At this stage, the center of the investigation shifted from the administration to the Senate, where televised public hearings began to be held by the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, headed by Senator Irwin Jr. Nixon's aides began to be investigated. Pressure mounted on the White House, and Nixon ordered two aides to resign. He has since fired White House counselor John Dean after the latter publicized how the White House tried to gag the Watergate building intruders with money.
President Nixon insisted he knew nothing about the Watergate cover-up, saying he never encouraged his staff to use any improper tactics on the campaign trail. But the Irving Commission convicted members of the White House and the campaign committee based on testimony.
The lies were eventually exposed. In addition to Dean, Alexander Butterfield, Nixon's former White House staffer, came forward with revelations that conversations in the Oval Office were taped. The Senate demanded that the White House turn over the tapes, and Nixon initially insisted that they not be turned over, even using his power to remove Cox, the independent prosecutor in charge of investigating the case. Amid the fury of public protests, Nixon was eventually forced to hand over the tapes. The tapes confirmed the president's direct connection to Watergate. Nixon resigned in August 1974.
The Fate of Key Watergate Figures
President Richard Nixon: Nixon, who was twice elected president in 1968 and 1972, resigned in disgrace in 1974, becoming the first and only resigning president in U.S. history. He lived for 20 years afterward, writing several books on international affairs as well as a biography of his life and political career. Nixon died in 1994 at the age of 81.
Senator Sam J. Irwin Jr: A Democratic senator from North Carolina, he was then chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaigns, which was known simply as the Watergate Committee. He later retired from the Senate and returned to his hometown of Morganton, North Carolina. He authored three books. and died in 1985 at the age of 88.
Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein: at the time were Washington Post reporters investigating the break-in and other Nixon administration activities. After Watergate, the two authored numerous books. Bernstein went on to become an editor at Vanity Fair magazine, and Woodward is currently an assistant managing editor at the Washington Post.
Charles Colson: then Special Counsel to President Nixon, who set up the so-called "Plumbers" group to investigate White House leaks. Served several months in prison. Currently, he is a writer and founder of the Prison Fellowship, which in February 2005 was recognized by Time magazine as one of the 25 most influential Protestants in the United States.
John Ehrlichman: He was President Nixon's domestic policy advisor at the time, and personally led the "Plumbers" group. Served 18 months in prison. He became a writer and business consultant, and died in Atlanta in 1999 at the age of 73.
H.R. "Bob" Haldeman, then President Nixon's White House Chief of Staff, served 18 months in prison. Wrote an autobiography and later became a real estate developer in California. died in 1993 at age 67.
E. Howard Hunt: A member of the White House "plumbers" team that organized the wiretapping of the Democratic National Headquarters in the Watergate building, he served nearly three years in prison. He currently lives in Florida and writes spy novels.
G. Gordon Liddy: then a former FBI agent who helped plan the Watergate break-in. Served more than four years in prison. Later became an actor, writer, and radio talk show host.