The Watergate Scandal Of President Nixon

In the 1970’s, America not only witnessed the worst political scandal of the twentieth century, but also one of the most successful acts of investigative journalism to ever be done in America. The Watergate Scandal included a series of illegal activities initiated by members of President Nixon’s administration, the most significant crime being the break in and wiretapping of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in 1972. CREEP (Committee to Reelect the President) funded these illegal projects by hiring people like the White House Plumbers to carry on missions to stop the leaking of classified information. The Watergate Scandal’s origins lay in the Fielding and DNC Headquarter’s break in, then the illegal activities were uncovered

President Nixon not only abused his powers as president of the United States, but he also completely disregarded the Constitution and the oath of office of the President of the United States. President Nixon is most famous for his involvement in the infamous Watergate scandal, which took place on June 17th, 1972 (Timeline). Nixon hired six burglars to break into the Democratic National Committee’s offices, which were located inside the Watergate office, complex in Washington. The burglars’ mission was to plant audio transmitters, but they were arrested after being discovered by an on duty watchman (Bodenner). President Nixon vehemently denied any involvement by White House staff or Nixon administration members. Nixon also implemented

In 1972, Richard M. Nixon hired five ex-cuban trained agents to break into the Watergate complex to gain information on George McGovern. The scandal started when Nixon hired Gordon Liddy and Howard Hunt to re-elect Nixon. Nixon knew he was going to win the Presidential campaign, but he didn’t he wanted to win by a landslide.

The Watergate Scandal and crisis that rocked the United States began on the early morning of June 17, 1972 with a small-scale burglary and it ended August 9, 1974 with the resignation of Republican President Richard Milhous Nixon. At approximately 2:30 in the morning of June 17, 1972, five burglars were discovered inside the Democratic National Headquarters in the Watergate office building in Washington DC. The burglars, who had been attempting to tap the headquarters’ phone were linked to Nixon’s Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP). Over the next few months, what had began as a minor break-in quickly escalated into a full-blown political scandal. It was

As president, Nixon's achievements included forging diplomatic ties with China, the first president to do this, and the Soviet Union. He was responsible for withdrawing US troops from an unpopular war in Vietnam. However, Nixon's involvement in Watergate tarnished his legacy and deepened American cynicism about government. Richard Milhous Nixon's born on January 9 1913, in Yorba Linda, California. He was the second of five sons of Francis Anthony Nixon (1878-1956). FRANCIS NIXON STURGGLED TO EARN A LIVING RUNNING A GROCERY STORE AND GAS STATion with his wife, Hannah Milhous Nixon (1885-1967). His mother was a Quaker, who had a strong influence on her sons. Richard Nixon's early life as hard. The family experienced tragedy twice early

During the early 1970’s, a scandal took place at the hands of former president, Richard Nixon. Richard Nixon wanted to ensure that he got the chance to get reelected. He took extreme measures to do so, one of those extreme measures included espionage. On June 17, 1972, five burglars were taken down to the police station after breaking into the Watergate complex buildings in Washington, D.C. The five burglars; James McCord, Virgilio Gonzalez, Frank Sturgis, Eugenio Martinez, and Bernard Baker. “These five men broke into Headquarters for the Democratic National Committee, which was located in the Watergate hotel. This triggered the entire scandal and eventually led to Nixon’s demise.”

One of the only presidents in United States history to almost be impeached, is Richard Nixon. Richard Nixon is most famously recognized for his watergate scandal, in which Nixon’s administration was accused of committing acts in secret that are against the American constitution. However, this scandal is not the only thing America’s 37th president has to remember about him. During his short time in the White House, the republican Richard Nixon was able to accomplish many things such as signing one of the first environmental protection bills, introducing the famous War on Drugs, which legacy continues to be practiced in America today, as well as officially ending the Vietnam War.

The Watergate Scandal was the downfall of Richard Nixon. It made Americans put less trust in the government and built trust in the media. It all takes place at the Watergate Hotel. He led an extremely corrupt administration to get him re elected. He also was the first President to resign. The unethical organization that was formed was called the CRP (later creep). They helped Nixon get re elected in 1972. They used illegal tactics to get him re elected. They paid lawyers for the burglars who broke into the Watergate Hotel. These people were known as the Plumbers. That was directed by John Ehrlichman. They were the White House investigation unit. They prevented information leak and burglarize any of Nixon reveals. Watergate seven was Richard Nixon closest comrades. They were in charge of the Creep and the plumbers that carried out many illegal activities. Christ the Transformer of Business culture is a good trait to obtain. “These people are intimately involved with those in the business, but their distinctive Christian standards are not lost” (Ruddell, 2004, p. 40). The people that were involved in the Watergate scandal should have had this trait.

When Dean learned of the break in he wrote it was somewhat sickening and did not want to learn more about Watergate (Colondy and Gettlin 164). Dean did however learn more about Watergate because John Erlichman, chief domestic affairs advisor to President Nixon, ordered Dean to find out the entire story by any means possible (White 161). Dean was the best choice to head up a cover-up scandal because he had worked in Congress and for the Justice Department. Dean subsequently held a meeting with Gordon Liddy, counsel member to the CRP, in a park where Liddy informed Dean of all the ins and outs of the Watergate burglary. Dean learned that Bob Haldeman, White House Chief of Staff, had received transcripts from wiretaps in the DNC. Dean later testified to Watergate investigators that he spoke to Richard Kleindiest, U.S. Attorney General, that the investigation could lead to the White House and cause problems in an election year for President Nixon. He realized that if Haldeman was drawn into the picture Nixon also would be put in the spotlight after a short period.

In the years leading up to 1971, America saw the rise of a new president, Richard Nixon elected in 1968, who would ultimately become one of the most infamous men in American history. This was coupled with the rising resistance against the Vietnam War, resistances like the Kent State shooting in 1970 and the 1967 march to the pentagon. Overall, this was a pivotal time in wartime America to keep moral high among citizen in order for the government to have the support to finish out the war in Vietnam. However, Nixon was soon faced with a leak inside the government that captivated the nation. In 1971, the Pentagon Papers were published in the New York Times. The Pentagon Papers were a classified study by the United States Government officially

“Watergate was a major political scandal that occurred in the United States in the 1970s, following a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. and President Richard Nixon’s administration’s attempted cover-up of its involvement (Google, 1). It was such a unexpecting event, due to how we thought the president actually was. We thought of Nixon as a smart, and loyal president. After this event it made several people second guess him as a person, not just as a president. The Watergate scandal happened forty years ago, but it is yet one of the biggest things that has happened in America (Zelizer, 1). In July 1974, the Supreme Court ruled 8-0 that the White House had to turn

still unresolved. But what began as a third-rate burglary on June 17, 1972 escalated into a full-

Richard Nixon’s six year stint in the White House is and was reviewed as a pivotal and influential time period in various aspects of American infrastructure. Nixon had come into office after the consistent twenty year dominance of presidential politics by a left-winged Democratic coalition. America coming out of conflicts across the globe was universally known as a global police force which was notorious for large-scale pre 21st century military conflict. When Nixon resigned, (The first United States president to do so) a conservative Republican regime was born that would in turn dominate the next twenty years of presidential politics. The post-Nixon Republican Party was known for delivering aid to our allies across the globe, and staying

As time progressed and the investigation began to uncover the truth about what transpired at the Watergate apartment complex several things became evident: most of the burglars were ex-CIA and ex-FBI personnel, the burglars were paid with money directly from the re-election campaign and President Nixon not only knew about and sanctioned the break-in but deliberately attempted to cover it up. When called before Congress to testify about his knowledge, White House staffer John Dean testified that Nixon and his aides attempted to “stonewall” the investigation. As Congress continued its inquiry, it became clear

Watergate, the greatest scandal of the 20th century, remains a shrouded mystery. Early on the morning of June 17, 1972, there was a break-in and several burglars were arrested inside the office of the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters in the Watergate Office complex building located in Washington, D.C. Thus began a series of events that would shake the public’s confidence in its most visible symbol of American authority and prestige: the presidency of Richard Nixon. A seemingly random robbery at a Washington, D.C. building leads to the first presidential resignation in American history. We will discuss the following events surrounding the Watergate break-in: when did the break-in occur, how was Nixon connected to the break-in. We will also discuss the events surrounding the discovery of the tapes, the issues involved in trying to get the tapes from President Nixon and what is the "18 1/2 minutes of silence". Finally, throughout this paper we will also include Archibald Cox the first Watergate special prosecutor.