Watergate: Presidential Scandal

  • Richard Nixon Wins Election

    Nixon campaigned to get the U.S. out of Vietnam, which won many votes.
  • Sanctuary Bombings in Cambodia

    Nixon ordered bombs to be dropped to stop the flow of goods to the Vietnam Congress. This was seen as an escalation of the war.
  • Daniel Ellsberg Publishes Pentagon Papers

    Daniel Ellsberg sent 7,000 pages of Top Secret info to New York Times, making him Nixon's No. 1 enemy.
  • Ellsberg's Psychiatrist Office Burglarized

    A group called the "plumbers" did the job, and they were set up by Nixon to stop leaks.
  • Watergate Apartment Break-In

    Five men were arrested while trying to plant bugs in the office of the Democratic Party. These men were part of the Committee to Re-Elect the President.
  • Watergate Burglars are Connected to Nixon for 1st time

    AG John Mitchell denied involvement.
  • Burglars Again Connected to Nixon

    $25,000 check from the reelection campaign was found in the bank account of one of the burglars.
  • Nixon Re-Elected

    Even after all the speculation, Nixon was still re-elected as President.
  • White House Aide Reveals Existence of Nixon Taping System

    Aide Alexander Butterfield tells Senate that Nixon has recorded every conversation in Oval Office since 1971. Prosecutor Archibald Cox requested the tapes.
  • Investigators Request Tapes from Nixon

    Nixon refuses to hand over tapes, saying he has "executive privilege."
  • Saturday Night Massacre

    Nixon told AG Elliot Richardson to fire Archibald Cox in an attempt to get him off the case. Richardson refused to do so, so Nixon fired him.
  • Gerald Ford Becomes Vice President

    After former Vice President Agnew resigned, Nixon named Gerald Ford as the new vice president.
  • Supreme Court Forces Nixon to Turn Over Tapes

    Court ruled that Nixon's claim of "executive privilege" did not apply, and forced him to hand over the tapes.
  • Nixon Resigns

    After realizing that impeachment or resignation were the only two options, Nixon resigned making Gerald Ford the 38th President of the United States.
  • Ford Pardons Nixon

    Vice President Gerald Ford decides to Pardon President Richard Nixon.