Watergate: Was The Nixon White House Involved? :: essays research papers

Watergate Was The Nixon sportsmanlike shack Involved?What was Watergate? "Watergate" is a term used to describe a complexweb of political scandals occurring between 1972 and 1974. On January 20, 1969,Richard M. Nixon had become the thirty-seventh president of the United States.As Nixon entered the White House, he was full of bitterness and anger aboutpast defeats, and about years of sensed slights from opposites in the politicalestablishment. Nixon, a Republican, once stated that, Washington is a cityrun primarily by Democrats and liberals, dominated by like-minded newspapers andother media. Nixons obligation to consider his political destiny and toforestall the damaging of his agenda by incumbents urged him toward thedevelopment of what was, in effect, a secret government (Gettlin and Colodny6). The word, Watergate, refers to the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C.In addition to the hotel, the Watergate complex houses many business offices.It was here that the offices of the Democratic National Committee wereburglarizedon June 17, 1972. Five individuals were arrested at the Watergatecomplex after the burglary. Charges were also pressed on G. George Liddy and E.Howard Hunt the Watergate Seven were sentenced by Judge John Sirica.Although Nixon was worried about the break-in, he advised the White House presssecretary, Ron Ziegler, to dismiss the incident as a third-rate burglary(Cannon 107). In the years ensuing the invasion at the Watergate building,questions and controversy have surfaced consequent to whether or not the WhiteHouse, under the control of President Nixon, was either directly or discursivelyinvolved in the planning and/or performing of any illegal deeds. As theWatergate scandal unfolded, the Nixon nerve was quick to mitigate theresponsibility for the occurrences, however, in actuality, numerous facts andparticulars ascertain White House involvement and justify the repercussions.The arrests of the "Watergate Seven" eventually uncovered a WhiteHouse-sponsored plan of espionage against political opponents and a trail ofcomplicity that led to many of the highest officials in the land (Jacobs, Watergate). These high political executives included former United StatesAttorney universal John Mitchell, White House Counsel John Dean, White HouseSpecial Assistant on Domestic Affairs John Ehrlichman, White House Chief ofStaff H.R. Haldeman, and President Nixon himself. Evidence corroborating WhiteHouse involvement was ample and immense. On April 30, 1973, close to a yearafter the burglary and subsequent to a grand jury investigation of the break-in,President Nixon affirmed the resignation of H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichmanand announced the dismissal of John Dean United States Attorney General RichardKleindienst resigned as well. The resignations and dismissal were all results