The Watergate Scandal

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Break-in at the Watergate! Nixon was up for reelection against democratic George McGovern when things got interesting. Watergate is a hotel in Washington, D.C. that in addition held many business offices and, at the time, the Democratic National Committee headquarters. On June 17, 1972, five members of the “plumbers,” a top secret organization that was authorized by Nixon, were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters. Their purpose was to stop news leaks to the media, after earlier in his Presidency when disclosed military information leaked to the press. They broke into Watergate with a goal of planting a listening device in the Democratic National Committee headquarters to listen to their tactics for the reelection. Soon after the break-in before being impeached, Nixon resigned from the presidency. Although it is not known if Nixon was involved in the Watergate scandal, his resignation from office before being impeached leads to a suspicion of guilt. On the night of the break-in at DNC headquarters, located in the Watergate office complex, five men were found in the act. Frank Wills, the security guard on duty that night, found that a piece of “tape had been placed over the lock on a door that was located between a stairwell and the basement garage” around 1:00 am (Edelman 11). This kept the door unlocked but Wills went on with his nightly shift, assuming the cleaning staff had done it, and simply took off the tape. Later that night, going through his routine, he passed the door for the second time and noticed the tape was back over the lock. Wills called the police because everyone was supposed to be out of the building by then. Around 2:30am they arrested the five men who were found bugging t... ... middle of paper ... ... significant to the fact that Nixon must have been involved in the Watergate Scandal. There is no reason to try so hard to cover up something you were not a part of, which is why the president seemed to have been the reason behind the scandal. Works Cited Aron, Paul. Unsolved Mysteries. New York: MJF Book, 1997. Print. The Authentic History Center. “Watergate Scandal Timeline.” Authentichistory.com 19 July 2012. Web. 3 February 2014. Edelman, Rob. Watergate. Farmington Hills: Blackbirch Press, 2005. Print. The History Channel. “Watergate Scandal.” History.com. 1996-2014. Web. 26 January 2014. Holland, Max. Leak. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2012. Print. Olson, Keith W. The Presidential Scandal that Shook America. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2003. Print. Tracy, Kathleen. The Watergate Scandal. Hockessin: Mitchell Lane Publishers, 2007. Print.

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