Uncrooked Political Ambition - the Effects of Watergate on the Media and Politics

Unprincipled Political Ambition: The Watergate Scandal

Written by Kristian Mennill Submitted to: Pavey, B. CHA-3U1-02 Waterloo Collegiate Institute
5/25/2013

Topic Proposal

i. Crooked Political Ambition: The Watergate Scandal

ii. Did the Watergate Scandal shift the general public’s trust away from the Government and more towards the media?

iii. In my essay, I plan on inquiring about the legality of actions committed by President Nixon’s party and how it demonstrated an abuse of power by the American Government. Furthermore, I intend on discussing how the media’s ability to take action following the corrupt actions by the Government shifted the general public’s trust from the Government to the media.

iv. This topic was chosen following the viewing of the film All the President’s Men. The video inspired me to pursue a deep research on the topic, and learn about what actually happened throughout and subsequent to The Watergate Scandal.

Works Cited

" Watergate scandal: secret files released | World news | guardian.co.uk ." Latest US news, world news, sport and comment from the Guardian | guardiannews.com | The Guardian . N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2013. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/01/watergate-scandal-secret-files-revealed>. In this article, the release of 850 secret files from the Government is presented. "Many of these articlesshow that Judge John J Sirica aided the prosecution in pursuing the White House connection to the Democratic headquarters break-in at the Watergate Hotel in 1972. Sirica provided the special prosecutor information from a probation report in which one of the burglars said he was acting under orders from top Nixon administration officials"
All the President 's men. Dir. Alan J. Pakula. Perf. Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford.... Distributed by Warner Home Video, 2006. DVD. This timeless film gave me an inspiring take on how The Watergate Scandal led to the resignation of President Nixon. The classic film uncovered many facts and opinions regarding those closest to the scandal, many of which are used in my research paper. Much of this film was proven to be true later in time, and is good evidence to base my thesis on.
Bernstein, Carl, and Bob Woodward. All the President 's men. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1974. Print. This novel gave me two accurate sources of information describing their experience investigating The Watergate Scandal. Furthermore, the use of their opinions and investigative revelations were used in an attempt to help support my thesis. Finally, this book provided in depth analysis of all that followed the scheme and various quotes from highly credible sources.
"Columbia Scholastic Press Association : How Watergate changed what journalists do." Columbia University in the City of New York. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2013. <http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cspa/docs/spr/2007-03/03-Alicia-Shepherd-Watergate/index.html>. This website provided me with a glimpse on how Watergate affected journalism for years to come. Professor Alicia Shepherd gave me a few quotes on the effects. She explains how Woodward and Bernstein changed journalism forever.
Finney, Daniel P., and The Des Moines Register. "Watergate scandal changed the political landscape forever – USATODAY.com." USA TODAY: Latest World and US News - USATODAY.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2013. <http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-06-16/watergate-scandal-changed-political-landscape/55639974/1>. This article from USA Today provided an in depth look at how the Watergate Scandal affected America as we know it. Our society has changed, and now we question our government 's more than ever. Dennis Goldford 's quotes help validate my argument, and thus I used this article.
Kilpatrick, Carroll. "WashingtonPost.com: Nixon Tells Editors, 'I 'm Not a Crook." Washington Post: Breaking News, World, US, DC News & Analysis. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2013. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/watergate/articles/111873-1.htm>. This website provided quotes from Richard Nixon regarding his innocence. He states 'I 'm not a crook. ' This quote goes down in history as one of his biggest lies.
Stretch, Jesse. "Top 10 Hunter S. Thompson Quotes - Toptenz.net." The Best Top 10 Lists : Toptenz.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2013. <http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-hunter-s-thompson-quotes.php>. This website provided me with popular quotes from the humorous American journalist Hunter Thompson. Thompson 's hatred of Richard Nixon was well known and provided some hilarious quotes on the former President. One of his more popular quotes on crime and society is what I used to begin my research paper.
The Economist. "Down memory lane: scandals. (Watergate 20th anniversary) (American Survey)." The Economist 20 June 1992: 12,13. Print. This magazine article from the Economist was used to deliver an interesting perspective on The Watergate Scandal. Although it was written on the 20th anniversary of the scandal, it still provides a different view on the event, as it was published prior to the release of the 850 government files. This article allowed me to collect quotes from more relevant personalities at the time of the event.
"Watergate Scandal — History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts." History.com — History Made Every Day — American & World History. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2013. <http://www.history.com/topics/watergate>. This article 's main use was to assist me in developing a broad thesis on what happened in the aftermath following the Watergate Scandal. In addition, the article provided an accurate portrayal of the Government 's attempt at covering up Nixon. At last, the article contained many pictures, videos and surprising facts that helped expand my knowledge of the transgression.
"Watergate: The Scandal That Brought Down Richard Nixon." Watergate: The Scandal That Brought Down Richard Nixon. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2013. <http://watergate.info>. This website was used mainly for an accurate depiction of The Watergate Scandal. With the help of this website, I found many dates, names and explanations for all that occurred throughout the event. With the help of the chronological order of events advertised by the website, my understanding of the event was significantly enriched. line:"". " Watergate Scandal Has Had Lasting Impact." VOA - Voice of America English News - VOA News. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2013. <http://www.voanews.com/content/a-13-2005-06-01-voa50-67392157/382817.html>. This website provided quotes from Richard Nixon regarding his innocence. He states 'I 'm not a crook. ' This quote goes down in history as one of his biggest lies.

Outline

Thesis: The Watergate Scandal forever changed how the society will view and trust their government.

Introduction: Thesis, introduction to people involved as well as key arguments and a brief chronological summarization of the Watergate Scandal.

WS Acts/Nixon
WS Acts/Nixon
Paragraph 1: Acts and amendments put in place

Paragraph 2: Nixon’s conspiracy to obstruct justice

Paragraph 3: Abuse of power (government)

Paragraph 4: How free press impacted the scandal
Media changes

Media changes

Paragraph 5: How Americans look to the media for trust now, not their government

Paragraph 6: WP provided inspiration for all journalists; how media now questions their government.

Paragraph 7: Suspicion towards government
No trust

No trust

Paragraph 8: Conspiracy theories

Paragraph 9: American trust

Conclusion: Summarization of text & arguments, ending quote (American population trust).

Unprincipled Political Ambition: Watergate’s Impact on American Society As American journalist Hunter Thompson once said, “In a closed society where everybody’s guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity.” In the midst of possibly the biggest lie in American history, this quote summarizes Richard Nixon and the Government of the United States involvement in the Watergate Scandal with striking accuracy. In the following text, I will be elucidating on how former President Richard Nixon and the Government’s involvement in the Watergate Scandal forever re-shaped how American citizens view their Government and how the trust of the public shifted considerably from trusting the Whitehouse to trusting no one, or even worse, the media. To begin, the US Government’s role in the Watergate Scandal led to the passage of various laws and acts into the U.S Constitution, designed to enhance the population’s view of Government morals. Furthermore, the pro-active journalism and investigative reporting of the Watergate Scandal (specifically performed by two Washington Post reporters, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward) dramatically revolutionized our modern media’s portrayal of events concerning the White House. Finally, the Watergate Scandal integrated a sense of distrust and suspicion towards American leaders into the roots of American society, sentiments that carry on to this day. As evidenced by the preceding arguments, the Watergate Scandal forever changed the world’s perception of modern America.

Firstly, I will begin with a brief chronology of what transpired prior to the burglaries, what actually occurred at the Watergate Hotel on July 17 of 1972, as well as what emanated from the Watergate Scandal. It all began in November of 1968, when Richard Milhous Nixon reclaimed presidency for the Republicans in 1960, as he conquered Democrat Hubert Humphrey in what was one of the closest elections in American history. Almost two years into his presidency, on July 23 of 1970, Nixon passed a proposal to significantly broaden intelligence gathering by the CIA and the FBI, among a few other agencies. However, shortly after, he abrogated his approval of the plan. A year later, American’s most popular source of journalism, The New York Times, published the Department of Defense’s secretive recollection of the Vietnam War, the Pentagon Papers. The papers were released by the Washington Post shortly after. Later that year, on September 9 of 1971, the White House’s ‘plumbers’ unit (they were named the ‘plumber unit’ as their role was to plug leaks in the administration) broke into a psychiatrist’s office, in an attempt to gain information on Daniel Ellsburg. Ellsburg was the former defense analyst who leaked the Pentagon Papers to the media. The following year, five men were arrested in the middle of the night for trying to bug offices belonging to the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate Hotel, in Washington on June 17 1972. It is believed that one of the five men used to work for the CIA. Two days later, the Washington Post reported that a Republic Party security guard was among the culprits. In spite of that, the Nixon party denied any involvement with the break-ins. Suspiciously enough; over a month later the Washington Post reported that one of the Watergate intruders procured a $25,000 cashier’s check, that was allegedly earmarked for the Nixon campaign. It was later developed by the Post that John Mitchell, the attorney general at the time, directed a secret Republican fund used to financially support ‘widespread intelligence-gathering operations’ against the Democrats. Months later, FBI agents asserted that the Watergate Scandal emanated from a vastly corrupted campaign of dishonorable tactics generated by the Nixon re-election campaign, as reported by the Washington Post. In November of 1972, Nixon was reelected as President of the United States. Not only did the Grand Old Party win the election, they absolutely overpowered the Democratic nominee, Senator George McGovern; securing over 60 percent of the vote, in what is known as one of the most substantial political landslides in American history. Nixon subordinates G. Gordon Liddy and James W. Mccord Jr. were found guilty of wiretapping, burglary and conspiracy in the Watergate Scandal, and White House counsel John Dean was fired. Also, two of Nixon’s highest ranked men, H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, as well as Attorney General Richard Keindienst accepted resignations. Many controversial interviews and incidents ensued following the scandal, as President Nixon plead ‘"I have earned every cent. And in all of my years of public life I have never obstructed justice. People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook. Well, I 'm not a crook. I 've earned everything I 've got." Ironically enough, the White House can’t clarify why there’s an 18 ½ minute gap in one of the subpoenaed tapes. Clouded in suspicion, the Supreme Court rules unanimously that the tape recordings of sixty-four conversations held at the White House were to be turned over, denying Nixon of his claims of executive privilege. On July 27 of 1974, the House Judiciary Committee passes the first of three articles of impeachment, leading to the first ever resignation by a President of the United States. Taking over for Nixon is Republican Gerald R. Ford, who later controversially pardoned Nixon of all his charges associated to the Watergate Scandal. Throughout the scandal, the Republican Party demonstrated an abuse of power, dishonesty and a lack of principals, and the public still has not forgotten.
Now that the Watergate Scandal has been presented and explained, I will now elucidate on how Nixon and his Government’s actions forever changed American society. To begin, throughout the duration of the Watergate Scandal, the actions of former president Richard Nixon demonstrated to the American population corruption at the highest level of the power in the United States, arguably for the very first time in the American history. Not only was the Government’s reputation severely tarnished by unprincipled decisions and actions in the White House, but the manner in which Richard Nixon lied to the all of the American people, is an inexcusable act that was a detriment to once loyal Americans’ trust in their powers. Nixon’s successor, Vice-President Gerald Ford, began launching persistent attempts to heal the political wounds caused by the Watergate affair, as he is quoted saying “"My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over. Our Constitution works. Our great republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here, the people rule," Despite the futile attempts to regain the trust of American citizens, it is quite evident that the Republican Party’s actions inflicted a wound in the hearts of America, so severe that the trust of the American Government is something that hasn’t been restored, not even to this day.
Moreover, as a result of the US Government’s corrupt role in this notorious scandal, the passing of various laws and acts into the US Constitution was inevitable as the Government looked to restore their squeaky clean image and regain the American populations’ trust. Here is a list of the multiple acts instated as a result of the scandal:
- House and Senate Open Meeting Rules (1973, 1975)
- Federal Campaign Act Amendments (1974)
- Freedom of Information Act Amendments (1974)
- The Government in the Sunshine Act (1976)
- FBI Domestic Security Investigation Guidelines (1976)
- Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (1977)
- Congressional Ethics Act (1977)
- Ethics in Government Act (1978)
- Special Prosecutor Provision of the Ethics in Government Act (1978)
- Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (1978)
- Intelligence Authorization Act (1980)

Evidently, following the American populations’ first up close glimpse of government corruption, the White House exerted significant changes in the Constitution to mandate greater public accessibility to Government actions; but mostly to enrich American citizens’ view of their Government’s morals. This sense of distrust encapsulated into the hearts of the American population is a feeling that has yet to cured to this day.

Furthermore, the pro-active journalism and investigative reporting of the Watergate Scandal dramatically revolutionized our modern media’s portrayal of events concerning the White House. Two Washington Post reporters, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, forever changed the way in which journalism is viewed by the public, as the young duo were thrust into the spotlight, rather than presenting the spotlight to viewers. Their heroic efforts in covering the Watergate Scandal and discerning the actions of all those involved in the case, was assisted by the help of ‘Officer Deep Throat’, who was revealed to be former Federal Bureau of Investigation Associate Director Mark Felt. Felt had been a good friend of Bob Woodward long prior to Woodward’s investigative journalism on the Watergate Scandal. In the film All the President’s Men, based off of the book All the President’s Men, written by Woodward and Bernstein, Officer Deep Throat (Felt) is first mentioned on page 71. Felt secretively provided crucial information regarding the Watergate Scandal with Woodward and Bernstein, allowing the two reporters to take action on their own premise. According to American University professor Alicia Shepherd, “The reporting that Woodward and Bernstein did during the case inspired countless people to go into journalism,” Shepard said. “It was the courts, the FBI and the tapes that proved Nixon knew about the cover-up, but Woodward and Bernstein kept the story alive. They never gave up in the face of the White House denying their allegations.” As evidenced by the effects Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward had on journalism, journalists have become increasingly aggressive and antagonistic towards all of the White House’s endeavors. Shepherd also said; “Before Watergate, reporters were cowed by the White House and accepted everything that they spat out at them,” Undeniably, the hard work of two young Washington Post journalists has perpetually impacted the way in which the media approaches the Government’s activities. For that, there is one slightly positive repercussion for the fraudulent work of America’s political powers in the Watergate Scandal. Finally, the Watergate Scandal has significantly altered the manner in which American society views the Government’s actions. No longer does the American population believe all that travels through the White House, Americans now take all they hear from their powers with a grain of salt. This sense of suspicion and conspiracy emanating from the Watergate Scandal has forevermore shaped the way we view our Government’s actions. For instance, Drake University political science professor Dennis Golford states, "everybody believed what the government said "People disagreed over policy, but not over honesty. The myth of the president as always a great, trustful, moral leader ended. You went from taking what a politician said with a grain of salt to a huge block of salt."

Undoubtedly, the American population’s view on government issues has now become one encompassed with suspicion as a result of the Watergate Scandal. One of the more significant topics in US politics has become that of conspiracy theories. The fabrication of conspiracy theories on government-related issues such as the New World Order, the ‘Clinton Body Count’, the 911 conspiracy theories and weapon testing conspiracies have become the topic of conversation for many US citizens whose trust in their powers is simply not there. Perspicuously, American society has changed significantly as a result of the Watergate Scandal; Americans are always now listening to their government with an insinuation of suspicion and are questioning their government’s actions more than ever.

At last, President Richard Nixon and the Government’s involvement in the Watergate Scandal forever re-shaped how American citizens view their Government, and how the government will be trusted. Firstly, the Watergate Scandal forced upon the government the addition of several acts in the US Constitution, revolutionizing our freedom of information from the government. Furthermore, the display of dynamic reporting and investigative journalism by two young Washington Post forever changed how the media will cover government issues, and inspired many journalists to take action. At last, the Watergate Scandal has significantly altered the manner in which citizens view their government’s initiatives. To summarize, the fraudulent events that occurred throughout the early 1970’s have perpetually shaped our society’s view on our government’s with suspicion and controversy. Looking back on the events that occurred inside the rooms at the Watergate hotel, one must wonder how different our world would be in this instant if it weren’t for five security guards.

Officer Deep Throat - Mark Felt [ 1 ]
Officer Deep Throat - Mark Felt [ 1 ]
President Nixon [ 1 ]
President Nixon [ 1 ]
Bob Woodward [ 1 ]
Bob Woodward [ 1 ]
Nixon Resignation [ 1 ]
Nixon Resignation [ 1 ]
Watergate Bug [ 1 ]
Watergate Bug [ 1 ]
All the Presiden 's Men - Film [ 1 ]
All the Presiden 's Men - Film [ 1 ]
ATPM - Book [ 1 ]
ATPM - Book [ 1 ]
Carl Bernstein [ 1 ]
Carl Bernstein [ 1 ]
Pictures

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[ 1 ]. Kilpatrick, Carroll. "WashingtonPost.com: Nixon Tells Editors, 'I 'm Not a Crook." Washington Post: Breaking News, World, US, DC News & Analysis. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/watergate/articles/111873-1.htm (accessed May 31, 2013).
[ 2 ]. Watergate Scandal Has Had Lasting Impact." VOA - Voice of America English News - VOA News. http://www.voanews.com/content/a-13-2005-06-01-voa50-67392157/382817.html (accessed May 31, 2013).
[ 3 ]. All the President 's men. DVD. Directed by Alan J. Pakula. Burbank, CA: Distributed by Warner Home Video, 2006.
[ 4 ]. Bernstein, Carl, and Bob Woodward. All the President 's men. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1974.
[ 5 ]. "Columbia Scholastic Press Association : How Watergate changed what journalists do." Columbia University in the City of New York. http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cspa/docs/spr/2007-03/03-Alicia-Shepherd-Watergate/index.html (accessed May 31, 2013).
[ 6 ]. Finney, Daniel P., and The Des Moines Register. "Watergate scandal changed the political landscape forever – USATODAY.com." USA TODAY: Latest World and US News - USATODAY.com. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-06-16/watergate-scandal-changed-political-landscape/55639974/1 (accessed May 31, 2013).

Cited: - House and Senate Open Meeting Rules (1973, 1975) - Federal Campaign Act Amendments (1974) - Freedom of Information Act Amendments (1974) - The Government in the Sunshine Act (1976) - FBI Domestic Security Investigation Guidelines (1976) - Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (1977) - Congressional Ethics Act (1977) - Ethics in Government Act (1978) - Special Prosecutor Provision of the Ethics in Government Act (1978) - Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (1978) [ 2 ]. Watergate Scandal Has Had Lasting Impact." VOA - Voice of America English News - VOA News. http://www.voanews.com/content/a-13-2005-06-01-voa50-67392157/382817.html (accessed May 31, 2013). [ 3 ]. All the President 's men. DVD. Directed by Alan J. Pakula. Burbank, CA: Distributed by Warner Home Video, 2006.