USA: Nixon and Watergate

Question 1

Why was the group “White House Plumbers” set up?

Answer 1

To prevent more leaks of sensitive information and bring down Daniel Ellsburg

Question 2

Role of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in the Watergate Scandal:

Answer 2

They played a key role in bringing the affair to the public’s attention.

They were also largely responsible for raising the suspicions of Democrat members of Congress

Question 3

Role of the FBI and the Democrats in Congress in uncovering the truth about the break-in:

Answer 3

FBI found links to CREEP and that Howard Hunt and Gordon Liddy played a role in planning the break-in; and that this campaign had been financed by CREEP

Question 4

American public’s initial reaction to the break-in and links to CREEP:

Answer 4

• They believed it was a bizarre incident
• Even when connections to CREEP had been proven, most believed they were acting alone
• When Nixon stated that John Dean had investigated and found no involvement from anyone in the White House, most believed him
• Nixon was widely seen as an effective president and he easily won the presidential elections

Question 5

Impact of Watergate on politics:

Answer 5

• Many government officials were tried and over 30 received prison sentences. This meant that there was a massive change in staff
• The Republican Party tried to distance itself from Nixon and his advisers but still suffered badly at the next elections: losing a large no. of seats in the House and some seats in the Senate
• Jimmy Carter was chosen as the next presidential candidate and won even though he lacked the skills to be a president but was religious, honest, and not seen as part of the “Washington set”
• It caused the American people to lose trust in the government. Both parties were believed to be corrupt and possibly even criminal.
• Many politicians began publishing their financial records and opening meetings to the public to show that they were honest. However, fewer Americans voted and wanted to become politicians. It also became more difficult to recruit officials to work for political parties or the Federal govt.
• It also had a significant impact on media. More journalists focused on trying to uncover more scandals in the following years. Political parties and individuals were subject to more focus than previously.
  However, journalists were often quick to publish ‘scandals’ without having evidence to support them.

Question 6

Laws passed to prevent anything like Watergate from happening again and to prevent future presidents from acting without Congress’s approval:

Answer 6

1973 House and Senate Open Meetings Rule
1973 Election Campaign Act - set limits on election campaign sending and contributions
1974 Privacy Act
1974 Congressional Budget Control Act - set rules on how the President could use govt. money

Question 7

What did the Watergate recordings reveal?

Answer 7

Provided enough evidence that he had tried to cover up the initial investigation from the beginning, abused his power, and failed to obey laws that required him to allow access to evidence.

“smoking gun” from June 1972: tried to stop the FBI from investigating the break-in at the Watergate complex