The Watergate Scandal The Collapse of the Nixon Administration

June 1972-August 1974

Watergate Complex, Washington, DC

Watergate Complex

The Burglars: Who Are These Men? James McCord Frank Sturgis Virgilio Gonzalez Bernard Barker Eugenio Martinez

The Burglars: Who Are These Men? James McCord Frank Sturgis Virgilio Gonzalez Bernard Barker Eugenio Martinez Bay of Pigs Connections

The Burglars: Who Are These Men? James McCord, Former CIA Agent, Head of Security for the CREEP E. Howard Hunt, Former CIA Agent, Apptd to White House Staff, 1971 Hunt’s phone number in McCord’s wallet G. Gordon Liddy, White House Staff, CREEP Staff Worked for…

Nixon Whitehouse: Are they involved? President Richard Nixon HR Haldeman, Chief of Staff John Erhlichman, Domestic Policy Advisor Former Attorney General, head of CREEP

Convicted January-March 1973 James McCord Frank Sturgis Virgilio Gonzalez Bernard Barker Eugenio Martinez E Howard Hunt G Gordon Liddy

Convicted January-March 1973 James McCord Frank Sturgis Virgilio Gonzalez Bernard Barker Eugenio Martinez E Howard Hunt G Gordon Liddy

Unraveling, March-May 1973 March 1973: McCord claimed CREEP and White House knew of break in and coverup April 1973: Haldeman, Ehrlichman resign; Nixon fired White House Counsel John Dean May 17, 1973: Senate Select Committee (Watergate or Ervin Committee) began hearings May 19, 1973: Nixon appted Archibald Cox Special Prosecutor; Elliott Richardson, Atty Genl.

Watergate Hearings: Who are these people? Introduced New Players: Donald Segretti, Gordon Strachan, Hugh Sloan, Charles Colson, Maurice Stans, Jeb Magruder…

Unraveling, June-July 1973 Watergate Hearings: “Dirty Tricks” campaign and “Plumbers” revealed June 1973: Dean testified Nixon knew of break in and ordered coverup July 17, 1973: Ervin Committee and Cox learned of White House taping system July 1973: Ervin Committee and Cox subpoena tapes; Nixon resisted subpoenas

Unraveling, July – Nov Court battles over tapes; Nixon lost October 20, 1973: Saturday Night Massacre. Richardson, Ruckelhaus resign; Cox fired. Firestorm erupted October 21, 1973 and later: Impeachment proposed. November 1973: Nixon appted Leon Jaworski Special Prosecutor

Unraveling, March 1974 March 1, 1974: Special Prosecutor indicted Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell for obstruction of justice; Nixon an “unindicted co conspirator” March 1974: House Judiciary Committee began impeachment hearings; subpoenaed tapes

Nixon Whitehouse: Are they involved? Indicted, March 1974 President Richard Nixon HR Haldeman, Chief of Staff John Erhlichman, Domestic Policy Advisor Former Attorney General, head of CREEP

Unraveling, March-July 1974 Continued court battles over tapes April 30, 1974: Nixon released some transcripts July 1974: Nixon lost in Supreme Court; tapes released July 1974: House Judiciary Committee voted 3 articles of impeachment

August-September, 1974 August 5: “Smoking Gun” tape released“Smoking Guntape August 8: Nixon resigned August 9: Gerald R. Ford sworn in as President September 8: Ford pardoned NixonFord pardoned Nixon

So what….. The system of checks and balances worked. The nation’s political system was almost immobilzed for a year and a half The Democrats made large gains in Congress in the fall 1974 midterm elections Congress passed laws regulating the CIA, FBI, campaign finance, strengthened the Freedom of Information Act

So what…. Republican efforts to create and electoral majority were damaged Meanwhile…. –Vietnam War continued as US disengaged. –October 1973: Yom Kippur War in Middle East –October 1973: OPEC embargoed sale of oil to US