Watergate - 670 Words

Very few American’s over the age of 20 do not know about Watergate. They have seen the plots in movies, history books, TV shows, and Made for TV movies. Some of the media plots are real and some not so much. Contrary to popular belief â€Å"Forest Gump† was not the person to crack open Watergate [ (Groom, 1994) ]. That honor goes to a simple security guard at the Watergate Complex, Frank Wills [ (AHC, 2012) ]. Mr. Willis was making his rounds when he became aware of tape covering the locks on the doors to several different stairways. This allowed the doors to close but not lock. Mr. Wills removed the take and went on his way. Later on when Mr. Wills was once again on his rounds, he found that the tape was back. This time Wills called the†¦show more content†¦When asked to turn over the tapes, initially the President refused, his reasoning was that the Constitutional principle of executive privilege extends to the tapes. He also stated that it could compromise National Security [ (Miller Center University of Virginia, 2003) ]. Eventually Nixon relented but after reviewing the tapes there was an 18  ½ minute gap in the recordings. President’s Nixon’s secretary, Rose Mary Woods claimed that while transcribing the tapes she had accidently hit record and recorded over five minutes of the tapes. Nevertheless, she insisted she was not responsible for the additional 12 minutes of lost information. The Notes taken during the time of the lost information showed one of the topics discussed was the arrest at the Watergate Hotel [ (Miller Center University of Virginia, 2003) ]. Nixon was the first to launch an investigation on how the tapes were erased though nothing came of it. To this day, exactly what was on the tapes is unknown and as of now cannot be recovered [ (Collins, 2003) ]. Reference AHC. (2012, July 19). Watergate Scandal Timeline. Retrieved from AHC: http://www.authentichistory.com/1961-1974/6-nixon/3-watergate/timeline/ Cam, S. (2013, November 14). What Was the Watergate Scandal? Retrieved from WiseGeek: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-was-the-watergate-scandal.htm Collins, D. (2003, July 27). Watergate Tape Gap Still A Mystery . Retrieved from CBS News:Show MoreRelatedWatergate Of The Watergate Scandal1135 Words   |  5 PagesWatergate Scandal The Watergate Scandal happened almost 43 years ago; the event will never be forgotten. The Watergate scandal defined, perhaps for the first time, that a president of the United States could be portrayed as untrustworthy. Richard Nixon ran for a second term in 1972, in which he won by a huge margin. The Democratic Party had their headquarters at the high-end Watergate hotel. The break-in happened on June 17th, 1972, in which a security guard noticed the tape on the door lockRead MoreWatergate643 Words   |  3 PagesWatergate Student’s Name Professor Course Institution Date The Watergate Scandal was considered one of the most of disturbing political scandals in the history of America. This Scandal brought down a President and his administration, also made the American public distrust the government which still goes on today. In 1972 there were two break-ins at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee, located in the Watergate office and apartment complex located in WashingtonRead MoreWatergate740 Words   |  3 PagesWatergate Lucia San Nicolas HIS/145 October 19, 2011 Marciano Flores Watergate The Watergate scandal shocked millions of Americans when it was revealed in 1972. The president at that time was Richard M. Nixon, who himself was involved within the scandal. The Watergate scandal took place in 1972 when a group of five men broke into the offices of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate office complex in Washington. The five men involved in this burglary were eventuallyRead MoreWatergate637 Words   |  3 PagesWatergate Scandal Ever since the beginning of time, scandals have occurred. But one of the biggest and infamous scandals is the Watergate. Approximately forty years ago from date, a Watergate protector found a small portion of tape attached on the lock of on the National Democratic Headquarters door. Then it all began. The Watergate’s attempted break in was a part of a bigger operation by President Nixon. The rumor was Nixon’s supporters and people involved in the scandal wanted to tarnish theRead MoreWatergate722 Words   |  3 Pagesstory of Watergate is both historically and politically interesting. It began to occur from the Pentagon Papers, in which Daniel Ellsberg handed over to the press. The Pentagon Papers contained secret documents outlining the history of U.S. involvement in Vietnam (p.848).These secret documents would bring to light the deception of the the morning of June 17, 1972, at 2:30 a.m. 5 burglars were arrested inside the office of the Democratic National Committee, located inside of the Watergate buildingRead MoreWatergate3095 Words   |  13 PagesRunning head: WATERGATE 1 WATERGATE DEVRY UNIVERSITY ONLINE. OCTOBER 20, 2014 WATERGATE 2 INTRODUCTION Watergate is a word that will forever be connected to the 37th President, Richard Nixon. What started out as a botched robbery at the Democratic Reelection headquarters would later become know for bringing down the Presidency. The American public would be able to see and hear firsthand what actually occurred in the Whitehouse behind closed doors, becauseRead MoreThe Watergate Scandal1543 Words   |  7 Pagestrustworthy – or so they thought. Unfortunately, shortly after Nixon was elected to his second term of presidency in 1972, the Watergate Scandal changed America forever by creating a sense of mistrust toward the government for the American people because of The Nixon Administration’s actions. It all began on Sunday, June 18, 1972 when Frank Wills, security guard at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., found a piece of tape that was preventing a door from locking. After removing the pieceRead MoreWatergate Complex After The Watergate1781 Words   |  8 Pagesin the Watergate complex after signs of breaking in were found on the doors. No one at that time knew this subtle crime would lead to the greatest scandal in the US history and the resignation of the current President, Richard Nixon. Evidences later showed that the Watergate Incident was only a mere part of the ugly crimes the Nixon Administration had committed to achieve their ultimate goal of reelection, and Nixon had intentionally attempted a cover up to save his reputation. The Watergate incidentRead MoreThe Watergate Scandal2082 Words   |  9 PagesThe Watergate Scandal Richard Milhous Nixon was the thirty-seventh President of the United States of America from 1969 until 1974. Nixon completed his first term as President in 1973 and was re-elected for the position for the next four years. However, Nixon would have his time in the White House cut short by the series of events that occurred in the twenty-six months that followed the Watergate burglary. On June 17, 1972 five men, one White House employee and four Cubans, broke into the WatergateRead MoreWatergate Scandal2036 Words   |  9 PagesThe Watergate Scandal Essay written by Unknown The Watergate Scandal was a series of crimes committed by the President and his staff, who were found to spied on and harassed political opponents, accepted illegal campaign contributions, and covered up their own misdeeds. On June 17, 1972, The Washington Post published a small story. In this story the reporters stated that five men had been arrested breaking into the headquarters of the Democratic National Commi ttee. The headquarters was located in