Watergate: The Presidential Scandal That Shook America

Read this for graduate American history course. Keith Olson's book "Watergate" describes the events that led up to the scandal that shook the American public like nothing it had ever experienced. When the public elects officials into office they do not anticipate such scandalous happenings as the one that tore our nation apart. The Watergate scandal left the American population feeling distrustful and pessimistic at one of the most vulnerable times in this nation's history. Everyone wondered how the nation would recover from something as tragic and polarizing as Watergate. Nixon detested the media. He sought to control everything the press had to report about him and his administration. Nixon's turmoil began when he insisted that the Pentagon Papers stay out of the press. Despite his efforts, the Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment took precedence over what Nixon maintained was a compromise of national security. While the Pentagon Papers tainted some officials' reputations, there is no evidence to suggest the papers were a threat to national security (18). Nixon's grave concern regarding re-election in 1972 was driven by three characteristics: his concern about public image, his desire for knowledge about the plans and activities of his opponents, and his heavy reliance on public opinion polls in order to gauge public reactions and to guide future decisions (23). He relied heavily on his White House staff to obtain the information he thought necessary to attain his goal of being re-elected. Although Nixon's aides took great initiative in attempting to thwart any chance of the Democratic Party winning the election, they crossed the fine line which separates what is acceptable and what is unacceptable. The Plumbers, who were initially formed to stop unauthorized leaks of government information, overstepped their bounds which led to the Watergate scandal (18). Nixon was overwhelmingly reelected in 1972. This pushed Watergate out of the mind of the public. However, in January the defendants were on trial. Judge Sirica concluded that the defendants of the Watergate break in were withholding knowledge. He threatened stiff penalties if they did not cooperate. Resignations of Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Dean and the acting director of the FBI were the result of James McCord (chief security for CREEP)disclosing information. (CREEP) was the Committee to Re-elect the President.) McCord testified against dean to receive a lesser sentence. Dean turned over names and as a result wanted immunity and continued to give information. The Washington Post was the major paper that covered Watergate. Watergate played no role in the 1972 elections. People did not yet equate Nixon to Watergate. The journalists reported that CREEPfunds helped pay for Waterate. The Watergate break-in was initiated by the Plumbers with G. Gordon Liddy, who had been hired by John Mitchell, at the helm. Although Nixon was unaware of the events at the time they occurred, he did lear

Taut summary account of the Watergate tale. This era remains in memory as a series of journalistic fragments and television images half-remembered. It is useful to redo the tape to assemble a fully coherent image and this work is an excellent short history and analysis, from the Plumbers to Deep Throat to nervous breakdown and resignation, exeunt omnes, quite a few, save but one, with no get out of jail free card. The book brings in a theme by way of diagnosis in terms of the corrosive effect of the 'imperial presidency' and the covert perversions of 'presidential will' proceeding in Cold War prerogative as progressive Machiavellian disease to the Nixonesque fatal dosage. As a mere peon here not fooled for once, one is struck by the curious impudence of incompetent villainy, and the strange fortune that a picture of rank dishonesty starting as routine business as usual as if this were all presumed is what finally led to exposure. One gets the bad feeling the other smiling faces in the photo ops are less incompetent, no proof of virtue.