Why Is Richard Nixon Important
Richard Milhous Nixon served as vice president to Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953-1961. After that Richard Nixon decided to run for president but he lost to John F. Kennedy by a very close margin. Nixon then ran for governor of California but was unsuccessful. This loss made Nixon very angry so he announced that he was leaving politics. However in 1968 Nixon came back and ran for president, this time he ran a successful campaign against Hubert Humphrey. After four years, his term was over so he decided to campaign for reelection.
On the morning of June 17, 1972 five burglars by the names of James W. McCord, Frank Sturgis, Bernard Barker, Virgilio Gonzalez and Eugenio Martinez were arrested inside an office of the Democratic National Committee …show more content…
The FBI also found the name of white house consultant E. Howard Hunt on a check from his bank account with one of the burglars. Suspicions began to raise even higher when it became known that McCord who was one of the burglars was the chief of security at the reelection committee and the other four burglars were veterans of the Anti-Castro operations.
In August of 1972 Nixon gave a speech where he said "no one in the White House staff, no one in this administration, presently employed, was involved in this very bizarre incident.” People believed Nixon’s words and reelected him in November of 1972.
Soon it became known that Nixon was lying about what he said in his speech because he tried to cover up the break-in by raising hush money, trying to stop the FBI from looking into the crime, and he was destroying any evidence he found and firing uncooperative staff members. Shortly after that seven conspirators were charged with the watergate scandal, five pleaded guilty at the request of Nixon’s aides and avoided trial but the other two were convicted in January
On the morning of June 17, 1972 five burglars by the names of James W. McCord, Frank Sturgis, Bernard Barker, Virgilio Gonzalez and Eugenio Martinez were arrested inside an office of the Democratic National Committee …show more content…
The FBI also found the name of white house consultant E. Howard Hunt on a check from his bank account with one of the burglars. Suspicions began to raise even higher when it became known that McCord who was one of the burglars was the chief of security at the reelection committee and the other four burglars were veterans of the Anti-Castro operations.
In August of 1972 Nixon gave a speech where he said "no one in the White House staff, no one in this administration, presently employed, was involved in this very bizarre incident.” People believed Nixon’s words and reelected him in November of 1972.
Soon it became known that Nixon was lying about what he said in his speech because he tried to cover up the break-in by raising hush money, trying to stop the FBI from looking into the crime, and he was destroying any evidence he found and firing uncooperative staff members. Shortly after that seven conspirators were charged with the watergate scandal, five pleaded guilty at the request of Nixon’s aides and avoided trial but the other two were convicted in January