1. Scandal at the Watergate
Cover up in the Nixon Administration

2. What is the Watergate?
The Watergate is an upscale hotel, office, and apartment complex overlooking the Potomac River in Washington D.C.
In 1972, it was the Headquarters for the Democratic National Committee
On June 17, 1972, the offices were broken into and burglarized
The burglars all had connections with the Nixon Administration

3. The Burglary
On the evening of the burglary, a security guard noticed tape on the locks of several doors, which he removed
Upon returning later, he noticed that the tape had been replaced, and the offices had been disturbed
The police were called, and five men were arrested inside the offices of the DNC
Bernard Baker
Virgilio Gonzalez
Frank Sturgis
James McCord
Eugenio Martinez
All five, plus E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy were indicted on burglary, conspiracy, and wiretapping charges
All had thousands of dollars in their possession when they were arrested, which came from questionable sources

4. The “Plumbers” Frank Sturgis E. Howard Hunt G. Gordon Liddy
Bernard Baker

5. Conspiracy
All seven me indicted had connections, either directly or indirectly, to the Committee to Reelect the President (CRP)
McCord wrote a letter to the trial judge saying that he was being pressured by high ranking government officials to plead guilty to the charges, including United States Attorney General John Mitchell
Pleading guilty would remove any further investigation that may lead to the White House
This letter raises the event to a national political scandal

6. Investigation Investigation began with the money
Irregularities were found with the processing of donations to the CRP
It was discovered that, on orders from Liddy, the donations were used to finance the break in
Using the money trail, investigators were able to tie all of the burglars to the White House
As more connections were made, the story grew larger and larger

7. Woodward and Bernstein
Carl Bernstein
Bob Woodward

8. Woodward and Bernstein
Investigative Reporters for The Washington Post
Discovered, mostly through anonymous sources, that the highest ranking officials knew of the break-in, and were involved in a cover-up to mask the President’s involvement
The cover-up involved The Justice Department, The FBI, the CIA, and the White House

9. The Pentagon Papers Study on the Vietnam War
Proved that Presidents Johnson and Nixon lied to Congress and the people about the war
Released by Activist Daniel Ellsberg

10. “Deep Throat”
Woodward and Bernstein’s main anonymous source was a high ranking government official, whom they only knew as “Deep Throat”
His methods of contact with the reporters are unclear and a subject of controversy
In the film Watergate film All the President’s Men, he would only meet the reporters in dark spaces, usually parking garages, and would always whisper, or disguise his voice, which is probably not accurate
Woodward’s only information to the public about Deep Throat was that it was a man, and that he smoked heavily. Woodward often referred to his informant as “My Friend”
His information fueled Woodward and Bernstein’s investigation

11. William Mark Felt, Sr.
In 2005, on of the greatest political mysteries of all time was solved when Deep Throat revealed himself to be W. Mark Felt, Sr.
Associate Director of the FBI
Denied that he was “My Friend” for most of his life
Had access to the most sensitive and damaging information from the Nixon White House
Was suspected of leaking by Nixon himself, but that suggestion was shrugged off as absurd
It should be noted that Felt did not use his first name, making his common initials M.F., the same as “My Friend”.

12. Nixon Contemptuous references to the crime and its perpetrator
Third Rate Burglary
Hanky Panky
Clowns
As more an more people were implicated, he simply fired them to create distance from himself

13. Fired by Nixon H. R. Haldeman John Ehrlichman John Dean III
Archibald Cox

14. Senate Watergate Hearings
John Dean testimony revealed bombshell after bombshell
Fired after testimony
Self-preservation
Became the key witness against the President
Committee asked White House Deputy Assistant to the President Alexander Butterfield if he knew of any recordings of White House conversations
When he answered “yes”, the fire was fueled to get the tapes for the hearings
Archibald Cox subpoenaed the tapes

15. “I’m not a crook!”

16. Executive Privilege
Nixon refused to release his tapes, citing Executive Privilege
As pressure mounted, Nixon released edited transcripts of these tapes
The Committee was not satisfied
Cox put the pressure on
The American people were insistent

17. Saturday Night Massacre
Nixon ordered the firing of Archibald Cox for refusing to withdraw his subpoena of the tapes
Attorney General Elliot Richardson refused, and Nixon demanded his resignation
Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus also refused, and was also asked to resign
Robert Bork, upon getting the job, fired Cox
Cox’s replacement, Leon Jaworski, continued the investigation

18. Transcripts? Seriously?

19. The United States v. Richard M. Nixon
The tapes were the major source of controversy
Nixon knew that if they were released, his career would be over
The Committee knew that, too…
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Executive Privilege did not apply in this case, and ordered Nixon to turn the tapes over to the special prosecutor

20. The End…
Using the tapes as evidence, the House of Representatives prepared articles of Impeachment against Richard Nixon
Rather than being impeached, Nixon chose to resign
Gerald Ford replaced Richard Nixon as President on August 9, 1974
One of Ford’s first actions was to pardon Richard Nixon of any wrongdoing
Controversial decision

21. Nixon Resigns https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEOGJJ7UKFM

22. This is the letter that President Nixon sent to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger announcing his resignation from the Presidency