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The Watergate Break-In
In March 1972, a group within the committee to re elect the President made the plans to wire tap the phones at the Democratic National Committee Headquarters at the Watergate apartment complex in Washington D.C. The group's first attempt failed. During the second attempt on June 17, 1972 five men were arrested. The money they carried was traced directly to Nixon's re election campaign linking the break-in to the campaign. -
The Watergate Trial
At the trial of the Watergate burglars in early 1973, all the defendants either pleaded guilty or were found guilty. Judge John J. Sirica, presiding over the trial, was not convinced that the full story was told. He sentenced the burglars to long prison terms, suggesting that their terms could be reduced if they cooperated with the upcoming senate hearings on Watergate. -
The Watergate coverup
Few days after the break-in, for instance, Nixon arranged to provide hundreds of thousands of dollars in “hush money” to the burglars. Then, he and his aides hatched a plan to instruct the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to impede the FBI’s investigation of the crime. This was a more serious crime than the break-in. -
Investigation by the Senate
Aided by Woodward and Bernstein and by the testimony of one of the Watergate burgulars a Senate Select Committee on Presidental Campaign Activities began to investigate the Watergate affair. Millions of Americans watched the Senate Hearings unfold on national television. Nixon attempted to protect himself by forcing two top aides to resign and by proclaiming that he would take the final responsibility for the mistake of others. -
The Saturday Night Massacare
The Saturday Night Massacre was the term used by political commentators to refer to U.S. President Richard Nixon's dismissal of independent special prosecutor Archibald Cox, and as a result the resignations of Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus on October 20, 1973, during the Watergate scandal. -
Impeachment Hearings
After the Saturday Night Massacre the Congress began the process of determining whether they should impeach the President or charge the Prseident with misconduct while in office. In the summer of 1974 the House Judiciary Committee voted to impeach Nixon on various charges. Conviction and removal from office seemed likely. -
Release of White House Tapes
On August 5th 1974, Nixon released the White House Tapes, with an 18 and 1/2 minutes gap. Even with this gap, the tape revealed his involvement in the Watergate coverup. -
Nixon's Resignation
The scandal escalated, costing Nixon much of his political support, and on August 9, 1974, he resigned in the face of almost certain impeachment and removal from office. After his resignation, he was issued a pardon by his successor, Gerald Ford.
