A Notorious Team: The Infamous "White House Plumbers"
Watergate Scandal: Exclusive Unit within Nixon's White House Devised Secret Plan, Unintentionally Leading to Downfall of His Presidency
Turn back the clock to the tumultuous 70s and find yourself in the crosshairs of political drama like never before! With Nixon's presidency under siege, a secretive clique of former FBI and CIA operatives took center stage. This shadowy group, known as the "White House Plumbers," was tasked with dousing any information leak that tainted the president's image and battling his enemies. However, their mission took a disastrous turn with the infamous Watergate burglary.
The Watergate incident unfolded on June 17, 1972, when a security guard at the Watergate complex in Washington D.C. noticed a door with a piece of tape on the latch - a sight suspiciously familiar, as he had spotted a similar door earlier in the night. He reported the issue to the police.
In a nearby hotel room, two members of the White House Special Investigations Unit - G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt - were monitoring the infiltration team's progress via radio. The team was carrying out their covert mission on the sixth floor of the Watergate complex, aiming to photograph files and install listening devices in the Democratic National Committee headquarters.
But their operation took an unexpected turn when their lookout spotted unfamiliar movement and light from a floor above the headquarters. Alerting Liddy, the lookout inquired about anyone wearing "hippie clothes." Liddy responded negatively, assuring him that all team members were dressed in business suits.
However, the lookout proceeded to describe what he could see: "They're on the sixth floor now. Four or five guys. One's got on a cowboy hat. One's got on a sweatshirt. It looks like... guns! They've got guns."
Upon realizing that an unknown group had infiltrated their operation, Liddy attempted to contact the infiltration team, ordering them to respond. He received no answer, and a tense silence ensued. The radio crackled, and a weak, defeated voice finally spoke, "They got us."
The local burglary incident was initially treated as a mere curiosity by the media; however, certain peculiarities set it apart from standard capers. The suspects were in possession of $2,300 in $100 bills, held connections to intelligence work, spy-grade listening equipment, and direct ties to Nixon's reelection committee. As the pieces began to fall into place, it was clear that this was no ordinary crime.
Fast-forward several months, and the story has metamorphosed into the Watergate scandal, which would irrevocably alter Nixon's presidency and reshape America's history.
The Man Behind the Mystery: Richard Nixon
To understand the roots of the Watergate break-in, one must first delve into Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th president of the United States. Raised by working-class Quaker parents in Southern California, Nixon served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After returning to civilian life, he embarked on his political journey, winning a seat in the House of Representatives in 1946.
The anti-communist "Red Scare" of the 40s provided Nixon with a golden opportunity to ascend to power. On August 3, 1948, growing Cold War anxieties reached a fever pitch with the testimony of former U.S. Communist Party member Whittaker Chambers before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Chambers accused a prominent U.S. official, Alger Hiss, of secretly working as a communist spy for the Soviet Union.
Nixon seized this opportunity to attack Hiss relentlessly, earning himself the nickname "bulldog" and the attention of future Republican presidential nominee Dwight D. Eisenhower, who ultimately selected Nixon as his running mate.
On the Path to Power, Yet So Far
Nixon's vice presidency provided him with a perfect platform for honing his political skills, and he quickly became embroiled with the National Security Council. Nixon proved to be an effective ally of the CIA, sharing their hatred for communism and frequently attending and participating in planning meetings for the botched attempt to invade Cuba following Fidel Castro's successful communist revolution in the 1950s.
Nixon faced adversity when he lost the 1960 presidential election to John F. Kennedy. Feeling that Kennedy had used "dirty tricks" to secure the presidency, Nixon vowed to become a master of the same schemes.
The Perfect Storm: The Late 60s and Nixon's Ascension
Historians often argue that 1968 was the worst year in American history since the Civil War. Nixon's first term coincided with an atmosphere that tested even the best of presidents, with events such as the escalation of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, and widespread civil unrest.
The Vietnam War continued to grow unpopular, giving rise to a vocal and visible political opposition. Known for his temperamental nature, Nixon's paranoia, drinking habits, and lingering Red Scare fears about subversive plots within the government began to manifest themselves in his administration.
Faced with a chaotic and tumultuous political landscape, many Americans felt that Nixon, with his quiet, pragmatic demeanor and promise of "law and order," was most likely to restore stability to the country. And so he was elected that November.
Inside the White House Special Investigations Unit, AKA the White House Plumbers
Charles Colson, Nixon's Special Counsel, was the driving force behind the creation of the White House Special Investigations Unit, later known as the "Plumbers." Colson, Nixon's unofficial hatchet man, set out to establish a clandestine intelligence organization under the authority of the executive branch, dedicated to stopping information leaks and digging up dirt on Nixon's enemies.
To lead this team, Colson enlisted the help of a "retired" CIA agent named E. Howard Hunt. Initially recruited to write educational children's television shows, Hunt soon found himself tasks with assembling the necessary crew for the Plumbers.
Hunt's right-hand man within the Plumbers was G. Gordon Liddy, a former FBI agent known for his fascination with Hitler and his predilection for eating rats. Liddy would go on to serve as the operational manager and idea man for the group, and is purportedly referred to as the "mastermind" behind Watergate.
More Than One Kind of Burglar
The team Hunt assembled included individuals who shared certain key traits: three were born and raised in Cuba, two were formal CIA agents, and all had been involved in the Bay of Pigs invasion or other anti-Castro activity. However, it's essential to understand the motivations of the individual burglars, as their varying backgrounds and agendas played a crucial role in the outcome of the Watergate break-in.
The Mystery Man: Frank Sturgis
Frank Sturgis, born Frank Fiorini, has one of the most intricate and questionable stories of any of the conspirators. His tale is further complicated by the FBI's ongoing withholding of large portions of his file, making it challenging to ascertain the truth.
It's officially stated that Sturgis served with the U.S. Marine Corps in the Pacific Theater during World War II. In 1942, his battalion was tapped by intelligence officer William "Wild Bill" Donovan for the purpose of creating a "guerilla" corps better suited to the conditions of the Pacific Front and more versed in psychological warfare. Sturgis was taught guerilla tactics but was never officially brought into intelligence work.
To this day, authorities question Sturgis' association with the CIA, especially given his striking similarity to a character in Hunt's 1949 novel who shared his last name. Despite Hunt's initial claim that he had met Sturgis shortly before the 1972 Watergate break-in, he later admitted that wasn't true.
The Cubans: Martinez, Barker, and Gonzalez
Also of intrigue are the intertwined stories of Eugenio Martinez, Bernard Barker, and Virgilio Gonzalez, the Cuban nationals with CIA connections who were captured during the Watergate break-in.
The most detailed account of Watergate from the perspective of one of the burglars comes from Eugenio Martinez, who provided his perspective in an article he published in Vanity Fair in 1974. Martinez was recruited by the CIA in 1961 to assist in "maritime activity" against the Castro regime. He was tasked with over 350 missions to Cuba for the CIA and continued working as an informant in the Cuban ex-pat community, reporting people of interest to the agency.
Martinez's connections to the CIA make it puzzling that he joined the Plumbers, raising questions about whether there was an overlap between his service as an active CIA asset and his activities with the team. According to Martinez's account, he treated the Plumbers' operations as any other mission, following orders and performing tasks without asking too many questions.
The Campaign Man: James McCord
James McCord, the sole member of the Watergate burglars officially employed by the White House, had a background in the FBI and CIA, including stints as an agent, being in charge of physical security at the CIA headquarters, and likely playing a role in planning the Bay of Pigs invasion.
McCord officially retired from the CIA in 1970, after which he started a private security firm. He was approached to provide "solely defensive security work" for both the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP) and the upcoming Republican National Convention.
Despite the turbulent political climate, it's interesting to note that McCord was seldom seen at the convention site, committee headquarters, or convention planning meetings. It is said that his "defensive work" for CREEP was used as a cover for his role in the Plumbers and their bugging operations.
Bungling a Burglary
One of the Plumbers' most critical mistakes was using James McCord as part of the office infiltration team for the Watergate break-in. Being a proven employee of the Nixon administration with connections to the CIA, FBI, and CREEP, McCord created direct links between the break-in and the White House. This connection eventually led investigators back to the White House and Richard Nixon himself.
Breaking Down a Presidency
Richard Nixon initially maintained that he had no involvement in the burglary; however, it wasn't long before the tables began to turn. Investigative journalists such as Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein started piecing together the story on the morning after the burglary.
Within just a couple of months, journalists found a major piece of evidence: a $25,000 cashier's check intended for the Nixon reelection campaign fund had been deposited in Bernhard Barker's bank account back in April 1972. As more and more information came to light, it became clear that the administration had orchestrated a series of illegal activities to gain an edge in the upcoming election.
The revelations contained in subpoenaed Oval Office audio recordings, the testimonies from conspirators like Hunt and McCord, and, ultimately, Nixon's retaliatory responses against the press forced public opinion against him. Facing almost certain impeachment and pressure from his own party, Nixon made the historic decision to resign on August 8, 1974.
- Despite their initial mission focused on politics and maintaining Nixon's image, the White House Plumbers' involvement in crime and justice, as seen in the Watergate burglary, significantly altered the course of American history and education-and-self-development, sparking discussions about ethics and leadership.
- The Watergate scandal, with its roots entwined in the political history of the United States and the presidency of Richard Nixon, transcended general-news boundaries, becoming an entertaining saga of power, betrayal, and the consequences of criminal actions, captivating entertainment audiences worldwide.
- In sports metaphor, one could say that the Watergate scandal was like an unexpected own goal, with the ball of political power inexplicably finding its way into Nixon's net, drastically altering the game of politics.
- The Watergate scandal, aside from its impact on politics and history, also shed light on the importance of a free and vigilant press in uncovering corruption, making it a critical aspect of crime-and-justice reporting, demonstrating the vital role of the media and its investigative journalists in ensuring transparency and accountability.
