The Watergate Complex Is A Series Of Modern Buildings With Essay Example For Students

The Watergate Complex Is A Series Of Modern Buildings With Essay balconies that looks like filed down Sharks Teeth (Gold, 1). Located on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. it contains manyhotel rooms and offices. What happened in the complex on June 17,1972 early in the morning became a very historical event for ournation that no one will ever forget. The Watergate Scandal and constitutional crisis that began onJune 17, 1972 with the arrest of five burglars who broke into theDemocratic National Committee (DMC) headquarters at the Watergateoffice building in Washington D.C. It ended with the registration ofPresident Richard M. Nixon on August 9, 1974. (Watergate)At approximately 2:30 in the morning of June 17, 1972 five menwere arrested at the Watergate Complex. The police seized a walkietalkie, 40 rolls of unexposed film, two 35 millimeter cameras, lockpicks, pensized teargas guns, and bugging devices. (Gold, 75)These five men and two co-plotters were indicated in September1972 on charges of burglary, conspiracy and wire tapping. Four monthslater they were convicted and sentenced to prison terms by DistrictCourt Judge John J. Sercia was convinced that relevant details hadnot been unveiled during the trial and offered leniency in exchangedfor further information. As it became increasingly evident that theWatergate burglars were tie d closely to the Central IntelligenceAgency and the Committee to re-elect the president. (Watergate)Four of these men, that were arrested on the morning of June 17, 1972,came from Miami, Florida. They were Bernard L. Barker, Frank A. Sturgis, Virgillio R. Gonzalez, and Eugenio R. Martinez. The otherman was from Rockville, Maryland named James W. McCord, Jr. The twoco-plotters were G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt. (Watergate)The senate established and investigative committee headed bySenate Sam Ervin, Jr., to look into the growing scandal. As they wereinvestigating, they related that the famous break-in was far moreinvolved than what everyone had expected. (Watergate) The White Housesinvolvement of that morning first became evident when James McCordwrote a letter to Judge Sirca. In this letter McCord explained thathe wanted to disclose the details of Watergate. He made it apparentthat he would not speak to a Justice department official of an FBIagent. Although his letter did unveil details, it made serverchargers. McCord justified that Political pressure (Westerfled 36)had generated many defendants to plead guilty and remain silent. Healso claimed that there had been whiteness at the trail who hadcommitted perj ury in order to protect the people who headed thebrake-in. McCord declared that he, his family, and his friend may bein danger if he spoke out. (Westerfled 36-37)The Senate Watergate Committee saw their chance to unravel themystery of this scandal. The offered James McCord a chance to speakpublicly. In his first meeting with representatives of this committeehe named two more people that he claimed were involved in the burglaryand cover-up. Theses two men were John Dean and Jeb Margruder. Margruder was the second-in-charge of the CRP and Dean was a WhiteHouse aid. After hearing these substantial accusations the SenateWatergate Committee promptly subpoenaed John Dean and Jeb Margruder. (Westerfled 37-38). After the next session with James McCord he took the whitenessstand and explained how Liddy had promised him an executive pardon ifhe would plead guilty. This began to question the a White Houseinvolvement since only the president could present such a pardon. (Westerfled, 40) Jeb Margruder was the next witness to testify. Headmitted his own perjury to the Grand Jury and verified what McCordhad said. While on the stand he also revealed another name to add tothe list of those involved, John Mitchell. (Gold, 246-247)The next witness scheduled to appear was John Dean. In Deanstestimony he exposed that the Watergate burglary had been only a partof a greater abuse of power. He said that for four years the WhiteHouse had used the powers of the presidency to attack politicalenemies. They spied on and harassed anyone who did not agree withNixons policies. If a reporter wrote stories criticizing the WhiteHouse they would be singled out for tax investigations. The WhiteHouse also kept an Enemies List (Westerfled 43) of people that thepresidents men wanted revenge on. After being fired, dean keptofficial documents that supported his statements. (Westerfled 43-44;Gold 309-330)John Dean said, is his opening statements, that he had discussedthe cover-up with president Nixon in several meetings. At the firstmeeting, in September 1972, he told the president how he and othermembers of the White House had handled the cover-up so far. Deanclaimed that in another important meeting with Nixon, on March 21,1973, the president agreed $1 million should be raised to silence theburgalers. However Dean said that he dealt with the president mostlythrough H.R. Haldman and John Ehrlichman. (Gold 266-308; Westerfled43)Dean faced the committee for four days of Questioning, after hisopening statement. During these four days the republicans focused onwhat happened in these meetings between Dean and the president, whichwas the only evidence the president. The question that Senator bakerasked and was being wondered throughout the nation was, what did thepresident know and when did he know it? (Westerfled, 43) The Nixonadministration tackled Deans reports of the two meetings. Theyclaimed that the March 21, 1973 meeting was the first Nixon had heardof th e cover-ups. The White Houses version was they the presidenthad rejected the burglars blackmail. (Hearings 02)For the first time in this intriguing scandal the presidenthimself had been accused. This was the greatest blow the Nixon WhiteHouse had sustained. polls showed that 70 percent of TV viewersbelieved Deans version of the event (Westerfled, 43). But who was tobe believed? It was John Deans Word against Richard Nixons. (Gold669-670; Westerfled, 43) The committee then made a shocking discovery,only a few weeks after Deans testimony. As the committee was managinga routine aid, they asked him how the White House administration cameup with their version of what happened in the meeting s of Dena andNixon. His response was that the meetings had probably been recordedon tape. (Westerfled 43)Alexander Butterflied explained that the White House had beenequipped with a recording system. They were installed in his twooffices, the Oval Room The taping device was spring load to a voiceactua tion situation. (Gold 436) In Alexander Butterfields testimonyhe said that the recording system was installed to help preserve alldocuments. The only people who knew of these recording devices werethe president, Haledman, Kigbe, Butterfield, and the secret servicepeople. (Gold 434-442)Now the committee had stumbled across exactly what they werelooking for, a way to prove the presidents innocence of guilt. Thetapes of the meeting s between Dean and Nixon were lying some where inthe White House. These tapes would show which of these men were lyingand if the president of the united States had been involved in acriminal conspiracy. Although when the senate asked him for the tapesthe President refused, but why?On July 17, 1973 the Senate Committee went directly to thepresident about their request. Congress wanted the tapes of all theimportant meetings. President Nixon refused. The Committee decidedto subpoena the tapes that afternoon. (Westerfled 45) On the same day,July 17, 1973, specia l Prosecutor Archibald Cox had also subpoenaedthe tapes. He declared that they were significant for the grandjurys criminal investigation. This was the first time anyone hadever subpoenaed the president of the United States, and Nixon has twosubpoenas in one day. Although the White House claimed that neitherCongress nor the special prosecutor had the right to demand evidencefrom the executive branch and refused to obey. (Westerfled 45)This started a powerful struggle. The Senate Committee wonderedif they could find the president in contempt of congress which wouldbe a serious legal charge. But they didnt know who would be aserious legal charge. But they didnt know who would arrest him sincethe president controlled the Department of Justice, the FBI, and theArmed Forces. The committee had to think quick and come up withanother way to get the tapes. Cox and the grand jury was going to suefor the tapes in federal court. The committee decided to follow thespecial prosecutors lead. (West erfled 43) Both lawsuits went to JudgeJohn Sirca, the same judge who presided the trials of the Watergateburglars. Judge Sirca charged the president to turn over the tapes tothe special prosecutor. When the White House Appealed the decisionthe case went to the Federal Court of appeals. (Westerfled 43)Another scandal in the White House shocked the nation. The Departmentof Justice announced that they had been investigating Vice PresidentSpiro T. Anew for taking large bribes in return for governmentcontracts. He then resigned from office October 10, 1973. (Westerfled47)On October 15, 1973 the court of appeals sustained Judge Sircasruling and demanded that the president give the subpoenaed tapes tothe Special Prosecutor, Archibald Cox. Nixon ordered Cox not tosubpoena any more tapes, although Cox said he would do so. Cox alsotold him that if he refused he would find him in contempt of thecourt. (Westerfled 45) Nixon was beyond furious. Cox was a employeeof the executive branch and quest ioning the authority of thepresident. Nixon ordered Richardsons deputy attorney general WilliamD. Ruckelshavs to fire Cox. He also refused and was fired. Thethird-ranking Justice Department official, Solicitor General Robert H. Prejudgment of the world EssayBork, was now acting as Attorney General. He agreed to fire Cox. This event was called the Saturday Massacre. (Westerfled 48)The nation raged in anger. So Nixon agreed to hand the tapesover to Sircas court and appoint a new Special Prosecutor. The newprosecutor was Leon Jaworski. Jaworski was a very well known lawyerand accepted the offer on the one condition that Nixon could not firehim. (Westerfled 48-49) As the presidents lawyers were going over thetapes preparing them for the special prosecutor they made an alarmingdiscovery. During a conversation between Nixon and Haldman there wasan 18-minute gap. This made the nation lose even more faith in theirpresident. (Westerfled 49)On April 11, 1974 Special Prosecutor Jaworski demanded the WhiteHouse turn over 69 more tapes. Once again the Supreme Court ruledthat Nixon had to supply the subpoenaed tapes. (Westerfled 51-54)On July 27-30, the House Judiciary Committee, whose public hearingshad disclosed evidence of illegal White house activities, recommendedthat Nixon be impeached on three charges: obst ruction of Justice,abuse of presidential power, and trying to impede the impeachmentprocess by defying committee subpoenas. (Watergate) Millions ofpeople watched the committee vote on television. There weretwenty-seven votes for the impeachment and only eleven against it. Hewas accused of misuse of his authority and also violating theconstitutional rights of citizens by ordering the FBI and SecretServices to spy on American citizens. The last thing he was chargedwith was refusing to obey congresss subpoenas. Nixon had broken hisoath to up hold the law. (Watergate)With the impeachment vote against him, Nixon would have to standtrial before the U.S. senate. Two-thirds of the senate would have tovote for impeaching the president. Nixon would be removed fromoffice. (Westerfled 46) On August 5, 1974 the White House released anoverdue transcript of the tapes. The recording was from June 23,1972, only a week after the break-in. This tape told how Nixonordered Haldeman to tell the CIA to ce ase the FBIs investigation ofWatergate. These tapes made it clear that Nixon was involved in thecover-up from the beginning. (Westerfled 56)At nine oclock August 8, 1974 Nixon made his last speech aspresident Richard M. Nixon. He only admitted loosing the support hehad from Congress. He said I have never been a quitter, to leaveoffice before my term is complete is abhorrent to ever instinct in mybody. But, as president, I must put the interest of America first. America needs a full-time president and a full-time Congress. Therefore, In shall resign the presidency effective at noon tomorrow.(Westerfled 57)The next morning Nixon addressed a tearful White House staff. He then boarded a helicopter and began his journey home to SanClemente, California. (Westerfled 57) At noon the Vice President,Gerald R. Ford, was inaugurated. He became the thirty-seventhpresident of the United States. He told the American people in hisfirst speech Our long national nightmare is over. (Westerfled 57)BibliographyGold, Gerald ed. Watergate hearings. New York: Bantam books, 1978. Westerfled, Scott. Watergate. Englewood Cliffs: Silber Burdett,1991. Watergate. Grolier Electronic Publishing. 1992. The New grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Danbury, CT: GrolierElectronic Publising Inc., 1993. Microsoft Encarta. Microsoft Corporation: Funk WagnallsCorporation, 1993.