Nixon and Watergate

Crisis in the Presidency Dark Secrets• 1971-Nixon-told his staff to compile an “enemies list” of critics

as well as organized a group of “plumbers” to stop leaks and to carry out a variety of illegal actions in the name of national security.

• June- 5 men were caught with wiretap equipment and spying devices breaking into the offices of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate office in D.C.

• Funded by Nixon’s campaign Committee to Re-elect the President

• Washington Post Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein received information from “Deep Throat,” and informant in the federal government. They leaked the information to the public.

• Plumbers

CREEP

(W. Mark Felt, FBI Deputy Director, came out in 2005)

The Investigation– “The Impeachment”

• Despite the Watergate scandal, Nixon was re-elected in 1972 by a landslide.

• Spring of 1973, the executive and the legislative branch began their investigations into the scandal.

• Senator Sam Ervin led an investigation of a scandal know as Watergate• James McCord, a former CIA agent who was involved in the break-in

had linked the cover-up to “the very highest levels of the White House.”• May 1973, the Senate trials were televised and several top officials

were eventually convicted and jailed.• Was the president involved? John Dean, White House attorney, said

that he was involved and another witness said that there were White House recordings to prove it.

The Nixon Resignation• The White House Tapes• Justice Department special prosecutor Archibald

Cox demanded that the president hand over the tapes. Nixon refused citing “executive privilege.”

• Vice President Spiro Agnew, at the same time, was charged with tax evasion and resigned. Nixon appointed the Republican leader in the House of Representatives, Gerald Ford, as his vice president.

Saturday Massacre• President Nixon, after refusing to hand in the

recordings once again, demanded that Attorney General Elliot Richardson fire Archibald Cox.

• Both the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General resigned rather than fire Cox.

• Solicitor General Robert Bark complied.• Outraged, the public led to calls of impeachment.

Final Days • Not until July 1974, when the Supreme Court rejected

executive privilege, did Nixon hand over the tapes.• With release of the tapes, America discovered the truth.• Vice President Gerald Ford was sworn in as president. It

was the first the president and the vice president were appointed and not elected

Ford Tries to Reunite the Nation

• Pardon and clemency• September, 1974 Gerald Ford granted Nixon a

full pardon.• Later, he also granted pardons to draft evaders

in exchange for 2 years of community service.• Ford’s approval rating dropped from 71% to

505 as a result.