Watergate Scandal, 1972

What was Watergate?

Watergate was a political scandal involving President Richard Nixon, leading to his resignation in 1974.

When did the Watergate scandal happen?

The events of Watergate took place between 1971 and 1974. The burglary at the centre of the scandal happened on 17th June, 1972. Details were first published in the media during that month, and eventually it led to Nixon's resignation on 9th August, 1974.

Who was involved with the Watergate scandal?

There were 4 main individuals or groups involved in Watergate:

• ❖ President Richard Nixon, who lied about interfering with the investigation.
• ❖ The Committee to Re-elect the President, or CREEP.
• ❖ Washington Post journalists Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, who investigated the events.
• ❖ The FBI, who investigated what happened.

How was Nixon involved in Watergate?

President Richard Nixon was involved in the Watergate scandal in 5 main ways:

• ❖ CREEP, or the Committee to Re-elect the President, was created to raise money for his 1972 re-election campaign. It committed crimes by spying on his opponents, the Democrats.
• ❖ He provided funds for CREEP that enabled its members to spy. Some of the money was used to fund a break-in at the National Democratic Committee offices.
• ❖ He blocked the initial investigation, attempted to cover up the wrongdoing, and interfered with the FBI's investigation.
• ❖ He initially refused to hand over tapes of conversations held in the Oval Office to the FBI which contained evidence relevant to their investigation.
• ❖ He resigned as president on 9th August, 1974, before he could be impeached for his involvement in the scandal.

Who were the White House Plumbers in the Watergate scandal?

The White House Plumbers was a group created by President Nixon to prevent sensitive information being leaked.

What did CREEP do in the Watergate scandal?

There are 3 main facts to note about CREEP:

• ❖ CREEP, or the Committee to Re-elect the President, was created to raise money for Nixon's 1972 re-election campaign.
• ❖ John Mitchell, a former attorney general, was made director of the committee. Nixon had secretly provided Mitchell with a fund to pay the White House Plumbers to spy on and damage his opponents.
• ❖ CREEP successfully disgraced a number of potential Democratic candidates.

What happened at the Watergate complex?

Five men were arrested while breaking into the National Democratic Committee offices on the Watergate complex in Washington DC on 17th June, 1972. They were caught trying to repair bugging devices.

Who were the Washington Post reporters investigating the Watergate scandal?

The Washington Post played 3 main roles in the Watergate scandal:

• ❖ Two reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, investigated the break-in and found connections to CREEP.
• ❖ John Mitchell denied any link between CREEP and the burglary, but the reporters continued investigating.
• ❖ They played a key role in bringing Watergate to the public's attention and also persuading the Democrats that investigation of the issue was needed.

What did the FBI investigation into the Watergate scandal find?

The FBI played 3 main roles in Watergate:

• ❖ Sources inside the FBI provided evidence to Woodward and Bernstein, showing the break-in was linked to CREEP.
• ❖ The FBI also carried out its own investigation and discovered links between two of the White House Plumbers (who had planned the break-in) and CREEP.
• ❖ Over the next two years the FBI uncovered the extent of the campaign to spy on and damage the Democrats, and found it had been financed by CREEP.

What was the Watergate scandal?

There were 5 main reasons Watergate was a scandal:

• ❖ At first, most people did not believe government officials would be involved in illegal activity, especially when President Nixon publicly stated on 30th August, 1972 that White House lawyer John Dean had investigated and found no links to anyone inside.
• ❖ In January 1973, the trial of the five burglars and two White House Plumbers began. Two of the defendants were found guilty and five pleaded guilty. Before sentencing, the judge received a letter from one of the burglars claiming White House officials had told them to lie during the trial.
• ❖ Nixon denied involvement and ordered an investigation led by a special prosecutor. After this, the White House announced on 30th April, 1973 that both Chiefs of Staff had been sacked and the head of the White House Plumbers had resigned for their involvement in the burglary and subsequent cover-up.
• ❖ In May 1973, the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities opened to investigate the scandal. Their meetings were televised across the US.
• ❖ The nation was particularly shocked by testimony from one of the fired White House Chiefs of Staff, which suggested Nixon had been involved.

What did the Watergate recordings reveal?

The White House recordings revealed 5 main issues:

• ❖ All conversations and phone calls in President Nixon's office were recorded. The investigation's special prosecutor and the select committee demanded access to the recordings but Nixon refused every time, saying to release them would be a national security concern.
• ❖ In October 1973 Nixon eventually released some edited scripts. More followed in April 1974, unedited but with bad language removed and replaced with the words 'expletive deleted'.
• ❖ Nixon's reluctance to allow access to the actual recordings, and the fact some scripts had been edited, led the Senate to consider impeaching Nixon.
• ❖ Nixon eventually released the recordings on 5th August, 1974, which revealed the extent of his involvement. This included blocking the initial investigation, abusing his power and failing to follow the law.
• ❖ A recording from 23rd June, 1972, revealed Nixon had tried to prevent the FBI investigating the break-in and proved he was involved from the beginning.

Who became president after Nixon resigned over Watergate?

Gerald Ford was the 38th US president, holding the office from 1974-77. He was sworn in as president following Richard Nixon's resignation.

Why did Ford pardon Nixon for Watergate?

Nixon was pardoned by Gerald Ford for any crimes he may have committed. Ford said it was the only way America could move on from Watergate.

What were the consequences of Watergate?

Watergate impacted both Nixon and US politics in 6 key ways:

• ❖ It ended Richard Nixon's political career. Although he resigned stating it was for the good of the country, in reality he had no choice as he would likely have been impeached. It also destroyed his reputation.
• ❖ The White House recordings showed the public how the president's office behaved. Many were shocked at how the president spoke about others and the bad language used.
• ❖ Many government officials were sent to prison, resulting in a big change in government staff.
• ❖ The next presidential election saw Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, become president. He was honest, religious and well-liked, but lacked the skills needed to be a strong leader.
• ❖ Many Americans lost trust in the government and fewer people voted or wanted to become politicians.
• ❖ A series of laws were passed to prevent Watergate happening again and stop presidents acting without the approval of Congress.

What laws were introduced because of the Watergate scandal?

There were 5 main laws introduced because of the Watergate scandal:

• ❖ The War Powers Act of 1973 meant the president could not go to war without the support of Congress.
• ❖ The Elections Campaigning Act of 1974 set limits to the size of the contributions that could be made for elections and how much political parties could spend.
• ❖ The Congressional Budget Control Act of 1974 meant the president could not use government money for personal use.
• ❖ The Freedom of Information Act of 1974 meant people had the right to access documents held on them by the federal government.
• ❖ The Privacy Act of 1974 stated the rules government had to follow when collecting people's private data.

What was the impact of the Watergate scandal on the Vietnam War?

The scandal hugely eroded the public's trust in American politics and people began to wonder how many cover-ups there were in the Vietnam War. People simply did not trust what they were being told and the anti-war movement was further strengthened.