Just a bit of trivia to begin the day--did you know that the Smithsonian consists of 19 museums, 9 research centers, 4 cultural centers and the National Zoo? Wish I could say I've checked them all off my list but alas...!
The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal that occurred in the 1970s as a result of the June 17, 1972, break-in at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement.
When the conspiracy was discovered and investigated by Congress, the Nixon administration's resistance to its probes led to a constitutional crisis. The term Watergate has come to encompass an array of clandestine and illegal activities undertaken by members of the Nixon administration. Those activities included such "dirty tricks" as bugging the offices of political opponents and people of whom Nixon or his officials were suspicious. Nixon and his close aides ordered harassment of activist groups and political figures, using the FBI, the CIA, and IRS. The scandal led to the discovery of multiple abuses of power by the Nixon administration, articles of impeachment, and the resignation of Nixon.
The scandal also resulted in the indictment of 69 people, with trials or pleas resulting in 48 being found guilty and incarcerated, many of whom were Nixon's top administration officials.
The affair began with the arrest of five men for breaking and entering into the DNC headquarters at the Watergate complex on June 17, 1972. The FBI connected cash found on the burglars to a slush fund used by the Committee for the Re-Election of the President (CRP), the official organization of Nixon's campaign. In July 1973, as evidence mounted against the President's staff, including testimony provided by former staff members in an investigation conducted by the Senate Watergate Committee, it was revealed that President Nixon had a tape-recording system in his offices and that he had recorded many conversations. After a protracted series of bitter court battles, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the president had to hand over the tapes to government investigators. Eventually, he complied. Recordings from these tapes implicated the president, revealing he had attempted to cover up the questionable goings-on that had taken place after the break-in. Facing near-certain impeachment in the House of Representatives and equally certain conviction by the Senate, Nixon resigned the presidency on August 9, 1974. On September 8, 1974, his successor, Gerald Ford, pardoned him.
The name "Watergate" and the suffix "-gate" have since become synonymous with political scandals in the United States and in other English- and non-English-speaking nations.
Bill and I took a guided walking tour that was fascinating and really added intrigue to what we'd already learned about Watergate. Pointed out to us were some of the actual sites associated with the break-in and we learned more about the book and film, "All the President's Men."
While all large cities have a history museum, a zoo, art galleries, and sports teams - Washington, DC is unique in that you can see the exact places where so many important events in our nation's history took place. Watergate is a perfect example. It was the biggest political scandal in American history. The subsequent book and film, "All the President's Men" highlights one of the greatest detectives stories in journalistic history.
A look-out guy was stationed on the 7th floor of the then Howard Johnson's, now under renovation.
He had a no-fail view (if he were paying attention) of the front of Watergate and his assignment was to keep watch while the burgulars did their business, however he became ingrossed in a TV movie when the plain clothes policeman arrived in their unmarked car.
Time to watch "All the President's Men" again!
Bill and Laura
Washington, DC
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