1

The Watergate Scandal

Objective

Examine the circumstances surrounding theWatergate scandal and the impact on thepresidency.

**Show Watergate Part 16 (“Nixon, ThePlumbers and the Enemy List”)

Watergate

• Hotel/Office buildingin Washington, DC.

• 1972: DemocraticParty nationalheadquarters

• June, ‘72: Break-in• **Watergate Part 18

(“President NixonGoes to Russia”)

2

Republican Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP)

• Raised money, etc. toget Nixon re-elected.

• Former AttorneyGeneral John Mitchellwas director

The Plumbers

• 5 men caught breaking into Democratic offices atWatergate.

• Plumbers “stopped leaks” to press, spied on enemies, etc.• Plumbers had ties to CIA & FBI• Most famous are G. Gordon Liddy Howard Hunt• **Watergate Part 19 to 1:45 (“President Nixon Instructs

Haldeman to turn the F.B.I.”)

Evidence against CREEP• Plumber had little black book with John Mitchell’s phonenumber.

•Plumbers were paid $10,000. Money traced back to CREEP.

•Attorneys (employed by CREEP) showed up to defend thePlumbers despite the fact that the Plumbers hadn’t made a phonecall yet.

3

Nixon orders cover-up• Nixon meets with key

advisors about Watergatenext day

• **Show Part 19(“President Nixoninstructs Haldeman to turnthe F.B.I.”) after 1:45

• Nixon orders John Deanto cover-up Watergatebreak-in.

• Nixon publicly announcesWhite House had nothingto do with break-in.

Senate Investigation begins

• 7/72: Senate asks CIAto investigate thebreak-in.

• Nixon orders two ofhis aides to block theCIA investigation.

• Nixon Crime #1:Obstruction of Justice

Washington Post• Bob Woodward and Carl

Bernstein investigatebreak-in.

• Publish stories.• Main Source: “Deep

Throat”– In 2008, Mark Felt of the

FBI admitted he was DeepThroat

• Uncover the cover-up andNixon’s involvement.

4

Watergate Uncovered•Nixon wins 1972 Presidency in a landslide.

•Dean giving bribes to people to keep quiet. Promises pardons ifcaught.

•March, 1973: Senate says that there is enough evidence of a cover-up but cannot link Nixon to the cover-up.

•Big break comes at the trial of the “Plumbers”.

Plumbers Trial• Burglars (Plumbers)

sentenced to 6-40 years.• James McCord, a

Plumber, names people inthe White House who areinvolved in cover-up tosave himself, includingJohn Dean.

• Nixon orders thosementioned by McCord toresign.

John Dean makes deal•Nixon trying to distance himself from cover-up and put blame onJohn Dean.

•**Show rest of Watergate Part 22 (“Vietnam War Ends and theWatergate Investigation Escalates”) and Part 23 (“President Nixoncontinues to cover up and fight his critics”)

•Nixon fires Dean. Dean makes deal and testifies against Nixon.

•Dean testified before the House Committee that wasinvestigating the Watergate conspiracy.

•Nixon’s word against Dean’s

5

The Turning Point

• Nixon secretary tells ofNixon tapingconversations.

• **Show Part 24(“Congress Continues toinvestigate WatergateBurglary”) (3:48-6:26)

• Nixon still has tapes thattell of his involvement incover-up

The Nixon Tapes• Oct. ‘73: Nixon ordered to

hand over tapes toprosecutor.

• **Watch rest of Part 24• Nixon refuses citing

Executive Privilege andNational Security.

• He turns in typed, editedsummaries instead.

• **Watch Part 25 (“Nixonfires the specialprosecutor”) to 7:00

Talks of Impeachment

• 1,000,000 letters sent to Congress demanding Nixon’s resignationor impeachment.

•**Finish Part 25 (“Nixon fires the special prosecution”) from 7:00

•11/73: Nixon turns over 7 of 9 tapes. There is 18 minutes missingout of one that talks specifically about Watergate. Nixon says it waserased by accident.

•11/73: House of Reps. begins hearings to decide if they willimpeach Nixon on Obstruction of Justice.

• Further investigations show there are a total of 64 tapes (not just 9)made after Watergate break-in and Nixon kept them all.

6

Battle with House• Nixon ordered to turn over

all tapes to House of Reps.• Nixon refuses. Sends

edited transcripts.• **Watch Part 26

(“Congress Moves toImpeace Nixon”to 3:37)

• House approved 3 articlesof impeachment:Obstruction of Justice,Abuse of PresidentialPower, Contempt ofCongress and Court.

Nixon Problems get worse•5/74: Supreme Court orders Nixon to release those tapes.

•Tapes show that Nixon did indeed order a cover-up and obstructedjustice.

•Will face impeachment charges and possibly charges as a civilian.

Problems with IRS

• Gerald Ford becameVice-President in 1973after Spiro Agnew hadresigned due to taxfraud.

• IRS announced Nixonowed $432,000 inback taxes.

7

Nixon Resigns

• Watch Part 27• 8/6/74: Nixon resigns

before he can beimpeached.

• Nixon never admittedwrong doing.

President Gerald Ford

• Ford becomespresident after Nixonresigns.

• Ford gives Nixon afull pardon, endingWatergatecontroversy.