Watergate: Nixon's Downfall

1. How were the "plumbers" connected to President Nixon?

The Plumbers, named thus because they were hired to "plug up" the leaking of information about the break-in to the public. The Plumbers were made up of many government officials, including E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Libby. Hunt was a former CIA member and then later worked under Nixon in the White House; Libby was a key member of the CRP and had worked for the Nixon administration for several years.

2. Who was the judge? Why did he hand out maximum sentences?

The judge was John Sirica; from the very beginning, he had been sure that the men who committed the break-in had not acted alone, and for that reason was never doubtful of any proof against Nixon and his men.

3. How were Mitchell and Dean connected to Nixon?
Mitchell was Nixon's former Attorney General; Dean was a presidential counsel.

4. How were Haldeman and Erlichman connected to Nixon?
Haldeman was the White House Chief of Staff; Erlichman was the Chief Domestic Advisor.

5. What did the following men tell the Senate about Nixon?

a. Dean

Dean told the Senate that Nixon had been firmly involved in the cover-up; he specifically mentioned one meeting during which he and the president and several other government higher-ups sat around planning strategies for continuing the cover-up.

b. Butterfield

Butterfield alerted the Senate the fact that Nixon taped all of his presidential meetings and conversations, allegedly to help him write his memoirs.

6. Who was fired or forced to resign in the "massacre"?

Attorney General Richardson resigned after Nixon ordered him to fire Cox, the prosecutor in charge of obtaining Nixon's tapes.

7. Why weren't investigators satisified with the transcripts?

The transcripts had been edited - who knows how much - and were therefore not truly useful. They wanted the unedited tapes, which would tell all.

8. What did the tapes reveal?

The tapes did have a few gaps - including one 18.5 minute one that was blamed on the secretary accidentally deleting it - but one tape, from 6 days after the break in, contained a conversation between Haldeman and Nixon that told the HJC exactly what they needed to hear. The president had both known about the roles that his members of office played in the cover-up, and had agreed to block the FBI's investigation of the break-in.

9. Why did Vice President Spiro Agnew resign?
It was revealed that, during his time as Governor of Maryland, he had accepted bribes from engineering companies.

10. What did the House Judiciary Committee charge President Nixon with?

The HJC charged Nixon with "obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress".

11. How did the Watergate scandal create a constitutional crisis?

Throughout his trials and the scandal, Nixon argued that releasing information would put national security at risk. This excuse, which he cited over and over again, created a constitutional crisis in that yes, it was the President's duty to protect national security at all costs; however, it was eventually ruled that even the President cannot hide evidence involving criminal activity.