1. Watergate

2. Timeline
Read pages “Watergate: Nixon’s Downfall” on pages and create a timeline of 14 events in the Watergate scandal
All events should be between June of 1972 and August of 1974

3. June 17th, 1972: Five men are caught trying to break in to the campaign headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate Complex in Washington DC
The group planned to copy documents showing the Democratic campaign strategy and bug the offices and telephones
The leader of the men, James McCord, was a former CIA agent who worked for the Committee to Reelect the President (CRP)

4. September of 1972: The Watergate burglars are indicted while Nixon’s people work on the cover-up
The CRP paid them $450,000 to keep quiet
Nixon’s Chief of Staff had all evidence shredded
The White House asked the CIA to urge the FBI to stop investigating on national security grounds
The administration consistently denied any involvement with the burglary

5. March 20th, 1973: James McCord sends a letter to the judge shortly before sentencing begins
Indicated that he lied under oath
Hinted that powerful people in the Nixon administration were involved

6. April 30th, 1973: Nixon responds to renewed investigations into Watergate
Fired his chief legal advisor, John Dean
Announced the resignation of his Attorney General, Chief of Staff, and Chief Domestic Adviser
Went on national television to deny any attempt at a cover-up
Appointed a new Attorney General and authorized him to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Watergate

7. May of 1973: The Senate begins an investigation of Watergate
Called Nixon’s current and former advisers to testify

8. June of 1973: John Dean testified that the President was deeply involved in the cover-up

9. July of 1973: A Presidential aide tells the Senate that Nixon routinely taped almost every conversation he had
The battle to gain access to the “Nixon Tapes” begins

10. October of 1973: the special prosecutor picked to investigate Watergate takes Nixon to court to obtain the tapes, resulting in the Saturday Night Massacre
Nixon orders his Attorney General to fire the special prosecutor
The Attorney General refuses and resigns
The deputy Attorney General refuses and is fired
Eventually, the special prosecutor is fired and replaced by somebody equally determined to get the tapes

11. March of 1974: Several Presidential aides are indicted on charges related to Watergate

12. July 24th, 1974: The Supreme Court ruled in Nixon v
July 24th, 1974: The Supreme Court ruled in Nixon v. The United States that the President had to turn over the tapes

13. July 27th, 1974: The House Judiciary Committee votes to impeach the President

14. August 5th, 1974: Nixon releases the tapes
They contained evidence that Nixon had knew about the break-in and had agreed to the cover-up
Also contained a number of mysteriously erased segments

15. August 8th, 1974: Nixon resigns before he can be impeached

16. August 9th, 1974: Nixon’s Vice President, Gerald Ford, is sworn in as President
The Vice President that Nixon ran with in 1972, Spiro Agnew, had resigned over an unrelated corruption scandal
Nixon appointed Ford as his Vice President in 1973 with Congress’ approval
Gerald Ford issued a presidential pardon for Nixon so that he could not be prosecuted