Watergate

The Pentagon Papers

Published by the New York Times in 1971

Classified Defense Department history of U.S. involvement in Vietnam

Leaked by former Pentagon official Daniel Ellsburg

Documents showed that Kennedy and Johnson misled the American public about their intentions in Vietnam

The Plumbers

Secret group created by Nixon to stop leaks from his administration

Put wiretaps on phones of administration officials and reporters

They would bug Daniel Ellsburg’s psychiatrist and the headquarters of the National Democratic Party at the Watergate building in Washington

How did Watergate develop?

Attorney General Mitchell asked the courts to stop further publication of the Pentagon Papers stating that it was a matter of national security

On June 30, 1971, in New York Times v. U.S., and U.S. v. Washington Post, the Supreme Court upheld the right of freedom of the Press allowing the papers to be published

At 2:30 am on June 17, 1972, five men were caught breaking into the head quarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate apartment complex in Washington D.C. The men were intending to wiretap and bug the offices

In late 1972, the Watergate burglars went on trial and the courts found them guilty in January 1973

Judge John Sirica, the judge in charge of the burglary case, released a letter from James McCord, watergate burglar, in which McCord told that he and the other defendants had lied under oath and had been paid by high Nixon officials to conceal the truth and plead guilty

By April 1973 investigations revealed that other Nixon officials had misused campaign funds and had covered up illegal activities

It had also been found that Nixon officials burned important Watergate documents

Archibald Cox would be appointed as a special prosecutor to investigate Watergate

Cox would seek an order directing Nixon to turn over tapes containing conversations between Nixon and his aides

Judge Sirica ordered the release of the tapes but Nixon appealed on the grounds of executive privilege and separation of powers. A federal appeals court would rule against Nixon

Nixon would try to prevent the release of the tapes by having Cox fired. This became known as the “Saturday Night Massacre.”

Calls for impeachment forced Nixon to release tapes with missing info.

In April 1974, Nixon was ordered to release more tapes but Nixon refused claiming again executive privilege

In U.S. vs. Nixon the Supreme Court ordered Nixon to release the tapes saying that evidence in a criminal case was more important than executive privilege

The released tapes showed that Nixon was involved in the Watergate burglary and in its cover-up

On August 8, 1974 Nixon announced his resignation since it was certain that the House would vote for impeachment

On August 9, 1974 Gerald Ford became the first unelected President