September 9, 2011--Watergate Redux

Things in Washington these days can look very bleak, even depressing. But then there was something much worse--Watergate, the generic name for a series of crimes and dirty tricks carried out by President Richard Nixon and his henchmen. These occurred during the months and years leading up to his reelection bid in 1972. The ensuing coverup--additional crimes--took up more than a year of his second term.

Breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex was just one of many felonious activities. It was this event and Nixon's attempt to hush it up that brought down his presidency and ultimately forced him to resign, but his administration was replete with corruption and criminality.

Here is a partial list:

--Breaking into Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office. Ellsberg was "guilty" of giving the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times.

--Attorney General Mitchell gave approval to the break-in at the Watergate.

--Special counsel to the President Charles Colson proposed firebombing the Brookings Institution.

--Bay of Pigs veteran E. Howard Hunt fabricated documents implicating John Kennedy in the assassination of South Vietnamese President Diem.

--Assistant to the president for domestic affairs, John Ehrlichman ordered FBI Director L. Patrick Gray to take possession of the files in Hunt's safe, keeping them secret from prosecutors.

--Gray destroyed the evidence from Hunt's safe.

--Watergate investigator Henry E. Petersen gave White House Counsel John Dean secret grand jury testimony.

--Gray at the FBI gave Dean access to all FBI investigation files.

--Creation of the White House Plumbers to plug leaks through the use of illegal wiretaps.

Sandwedge: The Jack Caulfield's operation designed to orchestrate a massive campaign to spy on the Democrats. Caufield was an agent working for the Committee to Reelect the President (CREEP).

--Ehrlichman claimed he did not know in advance about the Ellsberg break-in; he knew.

--Gemstone: The Liddy operation to kidnap students who might disrupt the Republican convention in 1972 used prostitutes to compromise Democratic politicians. Attorney General Mitchell objected to the plan on the grounds it cost too much; he later approved a scaled-down plan. Mitchell, presidential chief-of-staff Haldeman, and special assistant to the president Jeb Magruder approved of Gemstone. J. Gordon Liddy was a White House aide and worked for CREEP.

--Hush money paid to Watergate break-in defendants.

--Nixon promised clemency to Watergate criminals.

--Caulfield sent to Chappaquiddick Island to pose as a reporter to dig up dirt on Edward Kennedy before all the leaks.

--Nixon is heard on the tapes telling Ehrlichman in April 1973 that he should hint to Dean to "stay on the reservation" because in the end the only man who can grant Dean clemency and save his ability to practice law is the president.

--Charles Colson was guilty of offering clemency to Hunt at Nixon's orders.

--Nixon told Petersen to stay out of the Ellsberg psychiatrist's break-in on the grounds that an investigation would compromise national security.

--Nixon proposed to chief-of-staff Alexander Haig and special White House counsel Fred Buzhardt that they manufacture evidence—a missing dictabelt tape—wanted by

--Judge John Sirica; both refused.

--Nixon ordered the IRS to audit the tax returns of Larry O'Brien, head of the Democratic National Committee.

--Nixon ordered the IRS to stop an investigation of billionaire and Nixon-supporter Howard Hughes.

--Huston Plan: In June 1970 White House aide Tom Huston, persuaded the heads of the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the National Security Agency to approve a plan for black bag jobs against "enemies" of the Nixon administration. (J. Edgar Hoover opposed the Huston Plan; Nixon, fearful Hoover would blackmail him by leaking word of the plan, dropped it.)

I thought this recounting might help cheer you up.