Most of us know that a political situation went down in America, called Watergate – some of us have an inkling that it involved Richard Nixon (the president at the time) and that it happened in the 1970s. But if you want to really know what it was all about, read on.
‘Watergate’ is the term used to describe a complex web of political scandals between 1972 and 1974. The word specifically refers to the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C. Initially when Nixon was elected (by a landslide election) his major task was to deal with the Vietnam War. Watergate was about corruption of power, and the belief that Nixon and his minions were above the law. Gripped by paranoia that he had enemies everywhere, Nixon (and associates) authorized burglaries, wiretappings and covert surveillance operations – all paid for by secret funds! Part of all this included Nixon recording all his conversations in the Oval office – you can listen to some of the taps that surfaced at: here.
And, one such authorized burglary – at the Watergate Hotel – got bungled bringing Nixon and his mates down (hence the BIG scandal). The Watergate Hotel is one of Washington's flashest hotels. Even today, it is home to Bob Dole and was once the place where Monica Lewinsky laid low. It was here that the burglars broke into the Democratic Party's National Committee offices on June 17, 1972 (to steal political information). If it had not been for the alert actions of Frank Wills, a security guard, the scandal may never have erupted.
There were 5 burglars arrested on June 17, 1972 at the Watergate offices of the Democratic National Committee:
1. Bernard L. Barker
2. Virgilio R. Gonzales
3. James W. McCord
4. Eugenio R. Martinez
5. Frank A. Sturgis
Initial investigations of Watergate were heavily influenced by the media, particularly the work of two reporters from the Washington Post, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, along with their mysterious informant, Deep Throat! John Dean (Richard Nixon's White House lawyer) was privy to most of the big secrets at the Oval Office before the ‘big bungle’. By 1972 he knew Nixon was in deep trouble, he urged Nixon to root out the wrongdoers – instead they tried to frame Dean as the guy trying to cover up the criminal scandal! Dean ended up having to do jail time for his trouble and gave evidence in the state trial.
Nixon's last days in office came in late July and early August, 1974. The House Judiciary Committee voted and evidently came to the decision of impeachment of the President.
At 9pm on the evening of August 8, 1974, Nixon delivered a nationally televised resignation speech. Watergate had profound consequences in America. There was a long list of convictions and other casualties. For example, the aftermath of Watergate ushered in changes in campaign finance reform and a more aggressive attitude by the media. By the time the 25th anniversary of Watergate occurred in 1997, a vast library of books and films on the incident existed.
Most of us know that a political situation went down in America, called Watergate – some of us have an inkling that it involved Richard Nixon (the president at the time) and that it happened in the 1970s. But if you want to really know what it was all about, read on.