President Nixon and Watergate
By: Hayden Calloway
Richard Nixon Involvement
- The watergate scandal started when 5 men broke into the democratic party office and got arrested. One person was James McCord who worked with president nixon reelection committee.
- Evidence was found that several of the top white house aids were involved in the efforts or to cover it up. But Nixon still said that he had no part of the watergate scandal.
- Senate learned that Nixon had a secret tape recordings of conversations in his office. When asked to hand it over and Nixon refused.
- The House started finding ways to impeach nixon in that year and he later turned it over. But there were conversations missing, the white house told them that recording system failed to work during a couple of meeting and that he third was accidentally erased.
- Then they told Nixon they wanted the original tapes but Nixon refused agin saying he had constitutional rights to protect the document. The court ruled against him and he had to give the tape over. Then realizing he had pretty much was going to be removed from congress nixon resigned.
Summary
President Nixon was going for reelection. Even though most of the country wanted him in office agin he was afraid he was going to lose the election so he organized the watergate scandal. It started with 5 people being arrested and one worked with the president to help him get reelected. Nixon said the the white house or him was not involved. As it got more interesting they found evidence that tied to top white house aids with there efforts in the scandal or trying to cover it up. The white house officials told the CIA to tell the FBI to conceal the evidence saying that it was at stake of national security. Nixon still said that he had no part of this scandal. Then John Dean III testified against Nixon going on for 30 hours telling in detail how he played and role in this and that nixon knew everything that was going on.
Then the senate found out that nixon had a secrete tape recording of conversations that he had in his office. Prosecutor Cox asked the president to give him a copies of the tape and Nixon refused. Then the actions of the president angered many americans when he asked his attorney general to fire cox. The House of Representatives stepped in and Nixon turned over the tapes. But it was not in full affect. Three meeting were gone from this tape. The white house said that 2 of them was when it was the system that failed to record it and that the third was accidentally erased.Leon Jaworski who was the new special prosecutor told nixon to hand over the tape recordings. Nixon complied but with edited transcripts. He refused to give over the original tape. 7 people from Nixon administration in the 1972 election committee was convicted. Knowing that it was almost certain he was going to be removed Nixon resigned in 1974.
Connection between Nixon, Bob Woodward and Gerald Ford
Nixon and Gerald Ford: One connection you can make is that they were both Presidents. They also are back to back Presidents. But this might not have been the case if the watergate scandal did not play out. Nixon Vice President resigned because a lot of things were not looking in his favor. Then Nixon resigned which made the 25 amendment come into play where if a President resigns or is killed in office then the Vice President is then the President. But if the Vice President resigns then it is the speaker of the house after. Ford was the Speaker of the House. One last connection was that he pardoned nixon for the watergate scandal because he wanted the country to move on and the he felt that he could not govern with the distraction of the pending criminal action of Nixon.