The Wars of Watergate: The Last Crisis of Richard Nixon

If your goal is to understand the depth of Richard Nixon's involvement in the Watergate scandal, Stanley Kutler's `The Wars of Watergate' is the book for it. It's a great introduction to Watergate without that qualifying caveat, of course, but Kutler perches his narrative squarely on Nixon's shoulder. This book doesn't take extended side trips to the creation of the Plumbers, to that dirty trickster Donald Segretti, or the back desks in the Special Prosecutor's offices. The wars of Watergate, Kutler writes, are "rooted in the lifelong political personality of Richard Nixon," a personality that is marked by political paranoia, a determination to wreak vengeance on his enemies, and an overweening concern with winning his own elections. For those who dismiss Watergate as a third-rate burglary, or a vague `everyone else does it,' Kutler provides a substantial "discussion of the abuses of power that precede the burglary and the obstruction of justice that followed it." Kutler sets the stage with brief chapters on the LBJ Administration, Vietnam, and a biographical sketch of Richard Nixon prior to the presidential election of 1968. We're taken closer to our subject with Kutler's next few chapters on Nixon's first term as president, where Nixon's relationship with the media (antagonistic,) and congress (disdainful,) as well as his executive style (obsessive micro-management) are surveyed. Providing as they do a context for the crimes of Richard Nixon, these prelude-to-war sections properly prepare us for the battles of Watergate. An American constitutional historian, Stanley Kutler is well qualified to guide us through the battleground that was the second term of Richard Nixon. The war analogy is apt. For Nixon the Wars of Watergate officially begins with the immediate Administration response to the break-in at the DNC headquarters by the Watergate burglars. The first phase may be called "The War of the Burglars' Silence," a phase that is marked by Nixon's active participation in those acts that would lead to his resignation less that two years later. One gets the strong impression that `The Wars of Watergate' is Kutler's response to future revisionist historians. The revisionist template was already being hammered out by Nixon, and others, when this book was published in 1990. If Kutler is forestalling an alternate interpretation, he does so with a well-coordinate, thoughtful, balanced, and overwhelmingly convincing presentation of facts. His interpretation - that Nixon was at the center of the Watergate cover-up from the beginning - is, with the evidence he provides to back it up, irrefutable. Although `The Wars of Watergate' is not a complete history of the scandal, it's a good chunk of it - the heart of it, if you will. It would make a good introduction for the uninitiated. Even for Watergate wonks its expanded chapters on the Rodino chaired House Judiciary Committee, which considered impeachment, will provide fresh insights an

Finally, a book with an analysis of Watergate as a historical event. The problem with previous books about Watergate is that they were all written from the perspective of the author and his/her view of reality. Kutler writes as a historian. Attempting to set the stage for the event and detailing the issues with careful analysis. It is an amazing work really. Sunday historians or "picture-book" readers will lose patience with the work due to the painstaking detail of the book. Kutler starts with a careful analysis of Nixon's political past then moves on to the reasons (or lack thereof) for the arrogrant presumption that whatever the President does is OK (except perhaps for getting a BJ in the White House). Since the President is basically in charge of National Security issues, he cannot break the law in protecting those interests. Until reading Kutler's brilliant book, I was confused as to where this concept originated and how Nixon and his staff could be so stupid to justify the actions surrounding Watergate. Kutler puts it all into perspective. It can be a tough read, however, since Kutler assumes that the reader knows something about 20th Century American History as well as posessing a basic understanding of the american political system. If you are looking for a "light" read, pass this one by. If you are prepared to be engrossed in the Watergate saga through a well-written, intelligent, and researched book, then buy this one. You will be happy you did.

There is no scholar better versed in the matters of Watergate than Stanley Kutler, and this is his definitive account of the subject. In it he lays out in painstaking detail the course the crisis took, from its origins in the Nixon presidency to its legacy today. I expected such an account to be dull; instead, I found it impossible to put down. No reader can walk away from this book - with its extensive evidence and clearly-reasoned arguments - and not have a deeper understanding of what Watergate was and how it effected the nation, both then and now.

Most books on Watergate were written not long after the scandal broke by either journalists or by the participants. Stanley I. Cutler is one of the first to look at the scandal from a "historical" perspective. He does an excellent job of presenting the events in the proper historical context, removed as they now are from the political passions that bolied over at the time. Nixon then was a discraced figure with a core of ardent supporters. He managed to partly rehabilitate himself before his death by outlasting many of his enemies. This book shows, in all grim detail, why Nixon should never be allowed to complete his quest for rehabilitation. It shows clearly the dangers of electing a President willing and able to deliberately misuse his power.

This is the clearest, most concise, most accesible book on Watergate I have ever come across. Its most important feature is providing the reader with a deepr understanding of Watergate beyond the mere surface aspects of the cover-up, but instead lets one understand the implications the Nixon Administartions activities had for the nation. At times, the book may seem too partisan, and the large "cast of characters" can be hard to juggle. These minor criticisms aside, it as an important book to read, particlulary for young people in light of the recent Clinton impeachment hearings, so that they may judge for themselves whether or not that scandal in fact had the gravity and import of Watergate.