Watergate (eBook)

A new afterword by Max Holland details developments since the original 2003 publication, including the revelation of Mark Felt as the infamous Deep Throat, the medias role in the scandal, both during and afterwards, including Bob Woodwards Second Man. Arguably the greatest political scandal of twentieth-century America, the Watergate affair rocked an already divided nation to its very core, severely challenged our cherished notions about democracy, and further eroded public trust in its political leaders. The 1972 break-in at Democratic National Headquarters in the Watergate Hotelby five men acting under the direction of a Republican president's closest aides and his staffcreated a constitutional crisis second only to the Civil War and ultimately toppled the Nixon presidency. With its sordid trail of illegal wiretapping, illicit fundraising, orchestrated cover-up, and destruction of evidence, it was the scandal that made every subsequent national political scandal a gate as well. A disturbing tale made famous by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in All the Presidents Men, the Watergate scandal has been extensively dissected and vigorously debated. Keith Olson, however, offers for the first time a laymans guide to Watergate, a concise and readable one-volume history that highlights the key actors, events, and implications in this dark drama. John Dean, John Ehrlichman, H. R. Haldeman, G. Gordon Liddy, John Mitchell, Judge John Sirica, Senator Sam Ervin, Archibald Cox, and the ghostly Deep Throat reappear herein a volume designed especially for a new generation of readers who know of Watergate only by name and for teachers looking for a straightforward summary for the classroom. Olson first recaps the events and attitudes that precipitated the break-in itself. He then analyzes the unmasking of the cover-up from both the presidents and the publics perspective, showing how the skepticism of politicians and media alike gradually intensified into a full-blown challenge to Nixons increasingly suspicious actions and explanations. Olson fully documents for the first time the key role played by Republicans in this unmasking, putting to rest charges that the liberal establishment drove Nixon from the White House. He also chronicles the snowballing public outcry (even among Nixons supporters) for the presidents removal. In a remarkable display of nonpartisan unity, leading public and private voices in Congress and the media demanded the presidents resignation or impeachment. In a final chapter, Olson explores the Cold War contexts that encouraged an American president to convince himself that the pursuit of national security trumped even the Constitution. As America approaches the thirtieth anniversary of the infamous Watergate hearings and the overreach of presidential power is again at issue, Olsons book offers a quick course on the scandal itself, a sobering reminder of the dangers of presidential arrogance, and a tribute to the ultimate triumph of government by the people.