Nixon and Watergate

Watergate Questions?
1. 2. 3. 4. Who/what are the plumbers? What is CREEP? What option did you choose? What happens? What does Nixon choose?

Watergate- Timeline
1971- Nixon installs improved recording system in the White House 6/13/1971: The Pentagon Papers is released to the New York Times; Nixon creates the plumbers 6/7/1972: 5 men arrested for breaking and entering the Democratic National Committee; members of CREEP (Committee to Re-Elect the President) 11/1972: Nixon wins in a historic landslide victory for reelection 5/1973: Senate Watergate Committee begins nationally televised hearings

Watergate: Timeline
7/1973: Nixon refuses to turn over White House tapes 10/1973: V.P Spiro Agnew resigns due to charges of tax evasion while he was Gov. of MD; Gerald Ford replaces 4/1974: 40 hours of tapes released, including the smoking gun tape, where Nixon and Haldeman discuss using the CIA to disrupt the FBIs investigation of the Watergate break-in 8/1974: Nixon announces his resignation in the face of impeachment charges; Ford takes office

Watergate: Background
June 17th, 1972, men arrested for breaking into the DNC HQ in the Watergate complex
Newspapers report it as a third-rate burglary Actually was members of CREEP planting surveillance systems

Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward connected the burglars to CREEP

All the Presidents Men

Has Nixon done anything wrong yet?

Nixon and Watergate

Nixon had no prior knowledge to planning break-in
Nixon didnt need to spy on opposition; had a 30-point lead

Has Nixon done anything wrong yet? Nixons fault then becomes his attempt to cover it up
Given the multiple investigations of the scandalit would have been suicidal to lie. The problem was that as the events were unfolding I was never able to get the whole truth. Richard Nixon, In the Arena

The Tapes
Irony
Nixon installed the recording system so that he could dictate how the future would view him Was obsessed with his image; didnt trust the press

Was asked to release the tapes to the prosecutors

Nixon and White House release typed transcripts of the tapes, with [expletive deleted] sprinkled throughout

Smoking gun tape

Ordered his aides to demand the CIA to stop the FBI from continuing its investigation After this, faced impeachment from the House: obstructing justice; abuse of power, unconstitutionally defied congressional demands for evidence

18 1/2 minute gap

Not sure what was on it- or how it was deleted

Saturday Night Massacre

Nixon argued that executive privilege gave him the right to withhold the tapes. Investigators rejected Nixons claim of executive privilege and Special Prosecutor Cox and the Senate Watergate committee issued subpoenas demanding the tapes.

In response, Nixon executed the so-called Saturday night massacre.

Nixon directed attorney general Elliot Richardson to fire Cox. He refused and quit. Nixon then ordered Richardsons assistant to fire Cox. He refused and resigned. Finally, the third-ranking official in the Justice Department fired Cox.

The presidents actions shocked the

public.

Nixon Resigns
On August 8th, 1974, Nixon gives a short speech on t.v. announcing he would resign the presidency at noon the following day To this day the only President to resign
He would have been impeached if not

The Pardon
Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon from any illegal acts in office
55% disagreed Fords decision Led to Nixon being innocent of any involvement in Watergate One of the most painful decisions in my life