Watergate President Richard Nixon's involvement in the Watergate scandal forces him to resign from office. (Corresponds to 24.2)

Basic Information This was a chain of political scandals between 1972 and 1974. “Watergate” comes from the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. Involved the Nixon administration and President Nixon himself.

Scandal June 17, 1972 Burglary occurs at the Watergate hotel Burglars broke into the Democratic National Committee offices Security guard Frank Wills caught the burglars Burglars were anti-Castro Cuban refugees and former FBI & CIA agents

Frank Wills If it wasn’t for him the burglary may have never been stopped Wills’s security log the night of the incidents is right

Scandal The night of the burglary five men arrested Two other men arrested that evening All seven men tried & convicted in Jan 1973 All were directly or indirectly employees of Nixon’s re-election committee

The Seven Bernard Baker Virgilio Gonzales James McCord Eugenio Matinez Former CIA operative, was involved with Bay of Pigs Virgilio Gonzales Miami locksmith, Cuban refugee James McCord Security co-worker for the Committee to Re-Elect the Presdient (CREP) & former FBI & CIA agent Eugenio Matinez CIA connections and was anti-Castro Cuban Exile Frank Sturgis CIA connections and involved in anti-Castro activities

The Seven Gordon Liddy Howard Hunt Former FBI agent & White House staffer Refused to answer questions about the burglary – was fired Howard Hunt Former White House staffer & former CIA employee Worked to declassify the Pentagon Papers

The Investigation Begins Judge John Sirica presides over burglars' trial Burglar leader James McCord says lied under oath - says advisers involved White House Counsel John says Nixon involved in cover-up Nixon dismisses Dean Senator Samuel J. Ervin heads investigative committee Alexander Butterfield says Nixon tapes presidential conversations

The Investigation Investigation highly influenced by media Two Washington Post reporters at the forefront: Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Woodword & Bernstein received all info from an anonymous informant - “deep throat” Committee discovered secret tape recordings leading to a legal battle b/w Congress & the President

The Investigation Bernstein & Woodward learned That the burglars came from Miami Wore surgical gloves Carried thousands of dollars in cash Bernstein & Woodward relied upon “deep throat” Bernstein learned that a $25,000 check for Nixon’s re-election had been deposited in a banking account of one of the burglars

“Deep Throat” 31-year FBI agent Some stories were half fictional and half truth. Felt’s identity was one of the best kept secrets Identity was revealed in 2005 - 30 years after the burglary Felt is now 91 years old

Saturday Night Massacre October 20, 1973 Prosecutor Archibald Cox subpoenaed tapes Nixon refuses Nixon orders the firing of Cox Attorney General Elliot Richardson refuses; resigns Deputy A.G. William Ruckelshaus refuses; resigns Solicitor General Robert Bork ordered; complies

Nixon Reacts to Watergate Nixon re-elected in November of 1973 Nixon releases partial transcripts of the tapes on April 29, 1974

Nixon’s Last Days Judiciary Committee accepts 3 Articles of Impeachment Nixon ordered to release tapes by the Supreme Court One tape the day after the break-in had an 18 minute gap…erased August 9, 1974, Nixon resigns

A Brief Timeline of Events November 1968 Nixon wins presidency July 23, 1970 Nixon approves a plan for expanding domestic intelligence-program for FBI, CIA June 13, 1971 New York Times publishes Pentagon Papers

A Brief Timeline of Events June 17, 1972 5 men arrested at 2:30 a.m. trying to bug the offices of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate hotel August 1, 1972 $25,000 cashier's check is discovered in the account of a Watergate burglar

A Brief Timeline of Events November 11, 1972 Nixon re-elected with 60% of the vote January 30, 1973 Nixon aides G. Gordon Liddy and James W. McCord are convicted of conspiracy, burglary and wiretapping

A Brief Timeline of Events April 30, 1973 White House staffers H.R. Haldeman, John Ehrlichman & Attorney General Richard Kleindienst resign White House counsel John Dean fired July 18, 1973 Nixon orders White House taping system disconnected July 23, 1973 Nixon refuses to turn over tape recordings to the Senate October 1973 Saturday Night Massacre

A Brief Timeline of Events April 30, 1974 White House releases 1,200 pages of edited tape transcripts to the Judiciary Committee Committee insists that they must have the tapes themselves July 24, 1974 Supreme Court rules unanimously that Nixon must turn over the tapes of White House conversations Rejects the president’s claim of executive privilege

A Brief Timeline of Events July 27, 1974 Judiciary Committee passes one of three impeachment articles August 8, 1974 Nixon is the only U.S. president to resign V.P. Gerald Ford assumes presidency Ford later pardons Nixon of all charges