...Very few American’s over the age of 20 do not know about Watergate. They have seen the plots in movies, history books, TV shows, and Made for TV movies. Some of the media plots are real and some not so much. Contrary to popular belief “Forest Gump” was not the person to crack open Watergate [ (Groom, 1994) ]. That honor goes to a simple security guard at the Watergate Complex, Frank Wills [ (AHC, 2012) ]. Mr. Willis was making his rounds when he became aware of tape covering the locks on the doors to several different stairways. This allowed the doors to close but not lock. Mr. Wills removed the take and went on his way. Later on when Mr. Wills was once again on his rounds, he found that the tape was back. This time Wills called the police and two plainclothes cops, in an unmarked car sat outside the complex looking out for anything strange [ (AHC, 2012) ]. Despite the lookout trying to warn his coconspirators, they were caught and booked. Discovered on the 5 perpetrators, “wire-tapping equipment, two cameras, several dozen rolls of film, and a few thousand dollars” in traceable $100 bills [ (AHC, 2012) ]. G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt were back at the Watergate hotel acting as lookouts. However they quickly evacuated their hotel room, when they saw their co-defendants were in trouble. G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt, both worked for the White House, making the Nixon Connection much more compelling [ (AHC, 2012) ]. Between February 16, 1971 and July 12, 1973...
Words: 677 - Pages: 3
...Watergate Student’s Name Professor Course Institution Date The Watergate Scandal was considered one of the most of disturbing political scandals in the history of America. This Scandal brought down a President and his administration, also made the American public distrust the government which still goes on today. In 1972 there were two break-ins at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee, located in the Watergate office and apartment complex located in Washington D.C. The first was 27, 1972 and was performed by G. Gordon Liddy the leader of the group called “ The Plumbers”, E. Howard Hunt, and James W. McCord along with six members of a group known as “the Plumbers”. The break- in was used to place wiretaps and make copies of documents. Although the first break-in was successful some of the wiretaps were not working correctly or placed in the wrong place. So on the night of 17 June, 1972 another break-in was conducted to fix the problems encountered from the first Break-in. While on patrol on the night Frank Wills a security guard for the Watergate complex discovered several doors in the office complex noticed several door were taped open and removed them. When he made another round he found that were re-taped, upon discovery he called the Washington police and the burglars were arrested. While being booked the police discovered E. Howard Hunt’s White House telephone number on 2 of the burglars. This was the first step in discovering...
Words: 632 - Pages: 3
...Sandra Johnson HIST101 25 January 2015 Watergate: The Stain in American History About 40 years ago on August 8, 1974, five men dressed in suits were arrest for breaking into the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Offices in the Watergate Hotel. They were charged with burglary and attempting to wire the DNC offices. This event in history would later be known as "Watergate." After a string of other scandals connected to this robbery took place, President Richard Nixon chose to resign his presidency. During this time, President Nixon maintained his innocence. After reading the two articles in the assignment, I believe American development mixed emotions about the event that took place after the Watergate incident. After reading the Washington Post Editorial,"Watergate: The Unfinished Business", it leads me to believe that President Nixon had some part in the incident that took place. This article totally supports my opinion. The article points out how President's Nixon top officials resigned to aid in the cover-up of his involvement of the Watergate crime and the official could have possibly been forces to resign. My conclusion was different after reading the Harvard Crimson article,"In the Defense of Richard Nixon." This letter was sent to the Chicago Tribune by the Special Assistant to the President after the paper called for President Nixon's resignation. This letter presents a more human side to the President. This letter supports the actions of President...
Words: 549 - Pages: 3
...Running head: WATERGATE 1 WATERGATE DEVRY UNIVERSITY ONLINE. OCTOBER 20, 2014 WATERGATE 2 INTRODUCTION Watergate is a word that will forever be connected to the 37th President, Richard Nixon. What started out as a botched robbery at the Democratic Reelection headquarters would later become know for bringing down the Presidency. The American public would be able to see and hear firsthand what actually occurred in the Whitehouse behind closed doors, because of the national media that it created and the broadcasting of the Watergate Senate Hearings. This would bring to light the illegal activity that occurred during this time affecting many and changing politics as they were known. This paper will discuss the events that lead up to the Senate hearings and the fall of an American President. The careers that were made and the ones destroyed. The outcome and how it affected the American public and the future of politics. WATERGATE 3 WATERGATE At a time when the American population was dealing with the devastation of the Vietnam War and the loss of many loved ones a robbery at the Watergate hotel hit the papers. Many people did not know or even care what this meant, but later it would be found to affect the entire nation. On June 17, 1972 five men broke into the Democratic Reelection headquarters that was located at the Watergate hotel in Washington, DC (Watergate Info, 2012). They were caught with more...
Words: 3084 - Pages: 13
...The story of Watergate is both historically and politically interesting. It began to occur from the Pentagon Papers, in which Daniel Ellsberg handed over to the press. The Pentagon Papers contained secret documents outlining the history of U.S. involvement in Vietnam (p.848).These secret documents would bring to light the deception of the the morning of June 17, 1972, at 2:30 a.m. 5 burglars were arrested inside the office of the Democratic National Committee, located inside of the Watergate building in Washington, D.C.. Being connected to President Richard Nixon’s reelection campaign, and they had been caught while attempting to wiretap phones and steal secret documents. It was not immediately clear that the burglars were connected to the president, though suspicions were raised when detectives found copies of the reelection committee’s White House phone number among the burglars’ belongings.While historians are not sure whether Nixon knew about the Watergate espionage operation before it happened, he took steps to cover it up afterwards, raising “hush money” for the burglars, trying to stop the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from investigating the crime, destroying evidence and firing uncooperative staff members. In August 1974, after his role in the Watergate conspiracy had finally come to light, the president resigned. His successor, Gerald Ford, immediately pardoned Nixon for all the crimes he “committed or may have committed” while in office. Although Nixon was never...
Words: 732 - Pages: 3
...Watergate Lucia San Nicolas HIS/145 October 19, 2011 Marciano Flores Watergate The Watergate scandal shocked millions of Americans when it was revealed in 1972. The president at that time was Richard M. Nixon, who himself was involved within the scandal. The Watergate scandal took place in 1972 when a group of five men broke into the offices of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate office complex in Washington. The five men involved in this burglary were eventually identified as Virgilio Gonzalez, Frank Sturgis, Eugenio Martinez, Bernard Barker and James W. McCord Jr. were arrested and plead guilty to charges. Later, it was revealed the burglary was arranged plot to plant bugs in the offices of the Democratic Committee. President Nixon was linked to the scandal when a check for $25,000 dollars, which was intended for the campaign of Nixon’s reelection, was found deposited into an account of one of the five burglars involved in the Watergate scandal. The Watergate scandal was revealed over a two year span and the media coverage kept the American people informed through it all. The media coverage started the day after the events took place. June 18, 1972 Washington Post reported the burglary. Two reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were assigned to investigate the Watergate cover-up and would reveal that former Central Intelligence officer, who had worked in the White House when Nixon was in office E. Howard Hunt and Federal Bureau Investigator...
Words: 754 - Pages: 4
...Watergate Scandal Ever since the beginning of time, scandals have occurred. But one of the biggest and infamous scandals is the Watergate. Approximately forty years ago from date, a Watergate protector found a small portion of tape attached on the lock of on the National Democratic Headquarters door. Then it all began. The Watergate’s attempted break in was a part of a bigger operation by President Nixon. The rumor was Nixon’s supporters and people involved in the scandal wanted to tarnish the name of the Democratic parties. Democratic contenders were hassled and even two of National Democratic Headquarters were cracked into. When people became aware of the scandal, Nixon enclosed the issue. Even though the cover up was attempted, it was obvious that the presidents had been a part of the incident and have been using his power incorrectly. Huge amounts of money from his followers were used to compensate the cover-up from the Nation and the Congress. After a while, investigation came into the picture. It exposed people like John Ehrlichman and Bob Haideman. Both men held high end positions. John Chief of the Domestic Council, and Bob, Chief of Staff. In conclusion, both men were fired. Eventually, the Watergate investigation exposed that the president, Nixon was aware of the attempted interruption since the start and was actually involved in the attempted scheme to hide it. In the beginning of the scandal, the media conveyed the story as insignificant. This was continuous...
Words: 644 - Pages: 3
...The Watergate Scandal Richard Milhous Nixon was the thirty-seventh President of the United States of America from 1969 until 1974. Nixon completed his first term as President in 1973 and was re-elected for the position for the next four years. However, Nixon would have his time in the White House cut short by the series of events that occurred in the twenty-six months that followed the Watergate burglary. On June 17, 1972 five men, one White House employee and four Cubans, broke into the Watergate Office Building in Washington, DC in an attempt to bug the Democratic National Committee (DNC) office. The break in and the events that took place afterwards led to the resignation of Richard Milhous Nixon on August 8, 1974. The morning of June 18, Nixon was at his home in Key Biscayne, FL. when he read a headline about the Watergate break in. The idea was out of this world and Nixon did not believe what he was reading. Nixon dismissed the story as a political prank (Nixon 625-626). James McCord, Bernard Barker, Virgilo Gonzalez, Eugenio Martinez, and Frank Sturgis had been arrested and charged with second-degree burglary by the Washington police (WHT 820). McCord, a former CIA officer, was employed by the Committee to Re-elect the President (CRP) as a security consultant. Ironically McCord was supposed to prevent the very things he was doing to the DNC. Nixon telephoned Charles Colson, a special counsel to President Nixon, that evening to discuss the Watergate break in. Colson said...
Words: 2069 - Pages: 9
...The Watergate Break-in took place on June 17 of 1972, during Nixon’s Presidency. This was also an election year during which Nixon was running for a second term. James McCord was part of Nixon’s campaign party as chief security officer. James McCord was a major player in the Watergate Break-in, which took place in June of 1972. McCord was a former CIA employee that had started his own security agency after leaving his government role. He was then recruited to Nixon’s Campaign as a security consultant. He participated in the Watergate Break-in along with other campaign party members. McCord was the one in charge of bugging the room to try and collect any evidence that would help Nixon with his re-election for president. He is considered the one that botched the break-in by taping the doors in the Watergate building after they had been removed once by a security guard. This raised suspicion and the security guard called police which showed up in plain clothes and arrested 5 burglars that night. (Watergate Scandal Timeline, 2012) McCord was one of the first to take the fall, and was convicted on 6 counts. He claims he was told that Nixon and the white house knew about and approved the Watergate attempt. He also wrote a letter to the judge after being convicted but before his sentencing that he had committed perjury during his trial, because of pressure from John Dean and John Mitchell, among others, by pleading guilty. This led to more investigations into the people behind the...
Words: 527 - Pages: 3
...over the 22yr long lasting Vietnam War. When Nixon took office he made it clear the United States would continue their activeness in the war to end the battle between the U.S and Vietnam and to secure the ‘Peace with Honor.” On June 17th, 1972 in Washington, D.C five men (Donald L. Barker, Virgilio Gonzalez, Eugenio R. Martinez, James W. McCord, Jr. and Frank Sturgis) wearing gloves to avoid leaving any fingerprints or evidence behind they slid into the stairwell of the Watergate Hotel making their way to the sixth floor where the Democratic National Committee kept their records. They managed to break in stealing archives, video cameras and plant bugging devices in the ceilings. The men were recruited by former FBI agent G. Gordon Liddy and Howard Hunt a former CIA agent. Both were employed at the White House in 1971 while Nixon was president. Gordon obtained a high office in 1972 and Howard became a consultant for the White House. Frank Willis was the security officer on duty that night at the Watergate Hotel found the taped door and called the police. When the authorities arrived they searched the building vigorously until they stumbled upon the eighth floor where there was a light on. There five men surrendered carrying bugging devices, cameras, tools and film. The seven men were arrested and charged with breaking-in. With the two...
Words: 585 - Pages: 3
...It was suggested that the President had tried to repair the damages that were caused the Watergate scandal in the first article. From a speech President Nixon had given, it showed that there were a lot things that still needed to be done regarding the scandal. The article stated that the officials under the Watergate scandal were cheating, lying and engaging in illegal activities while in high positions of the government. The people believed that the president did not stand up to the crisis and that he had only done the bare requirements for the situation at hand. The people stongly believed that President Nixon should have done something more to eliminate the Watergate scandal as soon as it was leaked. The article had also showed that the people were not happy with President Nixon’s actions by only accepting the resignations of H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, (Genovese, 1999). He had also accepted the resignation of Attorney General Kleindienst and appointed Elliot Richardson and instructed him to handle the crisis. Finally, the President had made the correct decision by dismissing his White House Counsel John Dean. The second article portrays President Nixon as a good, moral leader. It tried to defend the President from being impeached by acknowledging his achievements. The article also showed that he was human and not perfect. The actions of the President by trying to resolve the crisis, led to speculations by the Chicago Tribune's editorial to leave office...
Words: 780 - Pages: 4
...Watergate Paper 03/19/2012 His/145 Cynthia Grant Watergate Paper By 1968 the unpopularity of Lyndon B. Johnson due to the Vietnam War, ushered in yet another American President, Richard M. Nixon. Thought the United States was in the middle of a cultural revolution the change was welcomed. President Richard Nixon could relate to the average American. A product of the hard working middle class, President Nixon rose to prominence through his own will and determination. While not the ideal time to become the President of the United States of America, President Nixon would project a stern image that supported traditional Values. President Nixon inherited the Vietnam conflict and an economy that was weakening the greatest scandal that would send an American President packing. was about to unfold. An obscure break in at the Democratic National Committee Headquarters in Washington D.C. in 1972 would create one of the most serious crises in the history of the United States Presidency’s. In 1961 we learned that the first presidential debate was televised live so media coverage of the scandal would surely steer up the American People. The Watergate Scandal would occupy the American Nation for the next two years beginning in 1972; and ultimately, in the summer of 1974. On June 17, 1972 police arrested 5 men who had broken into the offices of the Democratic National Committee’s Headquarters and would eventually arrest 2 additional men who were responsible for the break in. The Washington...
Words: 738 - Pages: 3
...POL 241 – American Government Group Assignment 03 Suranga Sarukkali #1093 The Watergate Scandal from the media angle Introduction The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex inWashington, D.C. Effects of the scandal ultimately led to the resignation of the President of the United States, Richard Nixon, on August 9, 1974, the first and only resignation of any U.S. President. It also resulted in the indictment, trial, conviction and incarceration of several Nixon administration officials. While a young reporter for The Washington Post in 1972, Woodward was teamed up with Carl Bernstein; the two did much of the original news reporting on the Watergate scandal Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were assigned to report on the June 17, 1972 break-in of the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee in a Washington, D.C. office building named Watergate. Their work, under editor Benjamin C. Bradlee, became known for being the first to report on a number of political "dirty tricks" used by the Nixon re-election committee during his campaign for reelection. Their book about the scandal, All the President's Men, became a #1 best-seller and was later turned into a movie. The 1976 film, starring Robert Redford as Woodward and Dustin Hoffman as Bernstein, transformed the reporters into celebrities and inspired a wave of interest...
Words: 448 - Pages: 2
...The Watergate Scandal is one of the most serious political crimes committed by the President of the United States and his staff. Richard Nixon, anxious of losing his reelection, made an unacceptable move to place himself and the Republicans above of the Democratic party. The Watergate Scandal started with a few men , who broke in to the Democratic National Committee building, in order to plant listening devices, and stop leaks of any information regarding his earlier Presidency. The first article Watergate: The Unfinished Business, makes the reader willing to look deeply into the innocence of President Nixon. The author decided to present an important key events, rather than make a direct statement about Nixon's guilt. As a society, we want...
Words: 649 - Pages: 3
...Watergate Paper Paul Salabarria HIS/145 June 26, 2012 Jeff Wilson Watergate Paper Watergate was a scandal that involved a break-in into the offices of the Democratic National Committee during the Nixon administration. Watergate was one of the most famous political scandals in American history. Decades after Watergate historians and others continue to argue about its causes and significance (Brinkley, 2007). It marked a period that both weakened our relationships with other countries as well as weakened the public’s belief in the President. A majority of Americans believe that newspapers, radio and television are devoting too much space and time to covering the Watergate scandals (“53%,” 1974). Both Time and Newsweek reported that John Dean, counsel to the president, was ready to say that the President knew of the Watergate cover-up. Newsweek put out an advance press release of this story first, and this became the basis of stories elsewhere. The Washington Post, however, reported the story carefully framed to put the charges in a proper context. Their articles carefully “pointed out the key fact that the statements by Mr. Dean were made while negotiating for immunity” (“Watergate,” 1973). The whole Watergate case is surely an example of why the press is important to a free society. With due respect for Judge Sirica’s persistence in breaking down those convicted in the break-in, it’s doubtful that the story of the scandal would ever have come out as completely if there had...
Words: 1426 - Pages: 6
