Family tree by Sienna Katz

Richard Nixon

knechtj — 2024-06-04 12:49:55 UTC

Mark Felt

katzs7 — 2024-06-04 12:50:26 UTC

Felt leaked investigatory and prosecutorial information to Bob Woodward and created the false impression the government was not moving quickly to close out the cover-up case. He was a deputy director of the FBI and had been the notorious anonymous source known as "Deep Throat", who provided The Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.

Maurice Stans

termottoav — 2024-06-04 12:56:45 UTC

Stans was Commerce secretary in the Nixon Cabinet and also the treasurer for CREEP who was accused of being involved in the Watergate scandal and election of 1972. He was accused of trying to influence and bribe the exchange commission and Secretary. He was also a strong fundraiser for Nixon and his campaign. He was indicted on charges of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and perjury.

CREEP

termottoav — 2024-06-04 12:57:10 UTC

This was a fundraising organization for Richard Nixon's upcoming campaign and re-election. Members of this committee broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters, stole documents, and bugged phones. The members of this committee were tasked to do whatever it took to get Nixon a second term. CREEP also hired and paid a man to do dirty tricks and make the Democratic nominees look bad.

H.R. Haldemen

knechtj — 2024-06-04 12:57:38 UTC

Nixons White House chief of staff. Participation in Watergate involved spreading alibis around Washington with Charles Colson. He became the "gatekeeper" and worked with Ehrlichman to protect Nixon. The June 20, 1972 ("Smoking Gun") tape that had an 18 1/2 minute gap was due to a conversation between Haldeman and Nixon. John Ehlichman

H.R. Haldemen

knechtj — 2024-06-04 13:02:08 UTC

Nixons Chief of Staff who spread alibis around Washington with Charles Colson. Worked with Ehrilchman to protect Nixon - Haldemen referred to himsels as the “gatekeeper” and was a part of many critical moments in the watergate scandal. The “Smoking Gun” tape that held an 18 ½ minute gap occured because of a conversation between Haldeman and Nixon. He had a close relationship with Nixon, who even told Haldemen that he loves him like a brother.

18 Missing Minutes

termottoav — 2024-06-04 13:04:59 UTC

His loyal secretary, Rose Mary Woods, testified that she lifted her foot off the pedal of the recorder and by mistake recorded over the original tape and therefore erased the information. The public wanted to think that the gap was Nixon's cover up story, but we still aren't sure.

John Ehlichman

knechtj — 2024-06-04 13:07:21 UTC

The top domestic affairs advisor during administration of Nixon. Formed the palace guard with H.R. Haldemen to guard the president from the public and government. They filtered information from the government (effort to stop military information from leaking) and acted as figures of authority. Ehrlichman established the “plumbers” - he instructed the plumbers to raid the Califonia Office in search of incriminating evidence. He also helped cover up the Watergate scandal until his complicity started to become clear and he resigned.

Saturday Night Massacare

termottoav — 2024-06-04 13:09:14 UTC

On October 20, 1973 Nixon fired special prosecutor Archibald Cox and accepted the resignations of Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus. Nixon was so scared that everyone was out to get him that he wanted to fire his own cabinet and government members. The men who were fired or who resigned were all involved in the Watergate scandal and didn't want to be involved any more.

Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward

katzs7 — 2024-06-04 13:10:19 UTC

Berstein was a young reporter for The Washington Post in 1972 and was teamed up with Woodward. They were the two people who did the original news reporting on Watergate. The two leaked Watergate and connected all of the information together as they continued researching and pursue leads after the 5 men got arrested. Woodward and Bernstein continually wrote front page stories exposing links between Watergate and the CRP, but were unable to directly connect the burglars to anyone close to Nixon. Woodward discovered that one of the burglars, James McCord, Jr., was a former CIA employee.

Charles Colson

knechtj — 2024-06-04 13:12:49 UTC

Served as a Sprecial Counsel to Nixon and was known as his “hatchet man.” He gained notoriety as one of the “Watergate Seven” (Haldeman, Ehrilichman, Mitchell, Colson, Stracgan, Mardian, Parkinson) for attempting to hinder the Watergate investigation. He also plead huilty to obstruction of justice because of his attempt to defame Pentagon Papers defendant Daniel Ellsberg.

Charles Colson

knechtj — 2024-06-04 13:14:08 UTC

Served as a Special Counsel to Nixon and was known as his “hatchet man.” He gained notoriety as one of the “Watergate Seven” (Haldeman, Ehrilichman, Mitchell, Colson, Strachan, Mardian, Parkinson) for attempting to hinder the Watergate investigation. He also plead guilty to obstruction of justice because of his attempt to defame Pentagon Papers defendant Daniel Ellsberg.

E Howard Hunt

termottoav — 2024-06-04 13:14:53 UTC

Hunt helped plot the Watergate burglaries and other clandestine operations for the Nixon administration. In the Watergate scandal, Hunt was convicted of burglary, conspiracy, and wiretapping, and was sentenced to 33 months in prison. He was a former CIA operations officer. He also hired Cuban Americans as helpers. Hunt played the lead role in cover-up, relaying monetary and clemency requests.

Donald Segretti

termottoav — 2024-06-04 13:16:03 UTC

Segretti served four and a half months in prison after investigations related to the Watergate scandal revealed his leading role in extensive political sabotage efforts against the Democrats. He was a former military prosecutor and civil lawyer. He ran the campaign of political sabotage against the democrats for Nixon's reelection effort.

Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward

katzs7 — 2024-06-04 13:16:21 UTC

Bernstein was a young reporter who worked for The Washington Post in 1972. He was teamed up with Woodward to start researching. They both were the original news reporters on Watergate. They leaked out the information and connected the leads they had to try and get more. Woodward and Bernstein continually wrote front page stories exposing links between Watergate and the CRP, but were unable to directly connect the burglars to anyone close to Nixon. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, continued tracking down sources and pursuing leads, Woodward discovered that one of the burglars, James McCord, Jr., was a former CIA employee.

Jeb Stuart Magruder

termottoav — 2024-06-04 13:16:45 UTC

Archibald Cox

knechtj — 2024-06-04 15:26:58 UTC

During the Watergate scandal, Attorney General Ellito Richardson appointed him as an independent counsel to investigate. After revelations that Nixon taped phone calls and conversations in the White House, Cox subpoenaed the key tapes. Nixon refused to comply with the subpoenas and ordered Richardson to fire Cox. The firing of Cox and the resignations of Richardson and Ruckelshaus became known as the “Saturday Night Massacre.”

Senate Watergate Committee Investigation

termottoav — 2024-06-04 23:57:31 UTC

This committee was established in order to investigate watergate. Testimonies and evidence presented showed that watergate was extremely illegal. These were public hearings that significantly eroded the trust that Americans had in the government because they were told that Nixon was indeed always lying to them. Videotapes and other evidence incriminated Nixon leading to his eventual resignation. The main three things recommended from the findings were: regulation of campaigns, establishment of a special prosecutor and creation of permanent congressional legal service. They felt that this would be the best way to prevent another scandal.

Sam Ervin

termottoav — 2024-06-04 23:57:47 UTC

Senate majority leader Mike Mansfield chose Ervin to chair the select committee on Presidential campaign activities, known as the Watergate Committee. Millions of Americans watched the televised hearings, and Chairman Sam Ervin became a folk hero. He even wrote a book on his committee. He also investigated campaign practices from the 1972 presidential election.

Katherine Graham

termottoav — 2024-06-05 00:06:38 UTC

Graham was a prominent journalist and reporter of her time becoming the first female CEO at a fortune 500 company; she essentially made the Washington Post what it is today. Graham provided strong support to Bernstein and Woodward and helped reveal the scandal to the public. She defied the US government when she allowed the Pentagon papers and watergate scandal to reach mainstream newspapers (like the Washington Post).

Judge John Sirica

termottoav — 2024-06-05 00:12:25 UTC

He presided over the Watergate scandal trial. He ordered that the tape recordings from the White House the day of the scandal be made available to the prosecutors. Sirica took an investigative approach to the case and didn't let his personal feelings get in the way of the verdict. Sirica got the members involved in watergate to plead guilty or be convicted for their crimes; he played a crucial role in making Nixon not run for president again.

Elliot Richardson

termottoav — 2024-06-05 00:15:24 UTC

Richardson was one of the men who went against Nixon and stood for what he believed in. He was ordered to fire Cox, but defied that order and did not do so. He then resigned himself and left Nixon doubting his self-confidence and leadership style.

Ben Bradlee

katzs7 — 2024-06-05 22:16:10 UTC

He became a public figure when the Post joined The New York Times in publishing the Pentagon Papers and gave the go-ahead for the paper's extensive coverage of the Watergate scandal in the 1970s. Bradlee presided over The Washington Post’s Watergate reporting that led to the fall of President Richard M. Nixon and that stamped him in American culture.

Robert Bork

katzs7 — 2024-06-05 22:29:05 UTC

Bork who as solicitor general was the department's top ranking official fired Cox for defying Nixon's order that he drop his subpoena for White House tapes. Bork claimed that he fired Cox to stop mass resignations at the Justice Department and that the Watergate investigation was never in jeopardy. His role in Watergate was never a major focus.

John Dean

katzs7 — 2024-06-05 22:31:59 UTC

John Dean was a minority counsel to House Judiciary Committee and Associate Director of Brown Commission before her became an Associate Deputy AG in John Mitchell’s Department of Justice. He became the key figure in events leading to Watergate break-in and cover-up. He also became chief accuser of President Nixon and principal government witness in Cover-up trial.

John Mitchell

knechtj — 2024-06-06 12:03:07 UTC

Nixons former law partner who later served as an attorney general. Resigned in 1972 to head the Commitee for re-election of the president. He was also linked to a secret campaign fund that funded the Watergate burglary.

Spiro Agnew

termottoav — 2024-06-06 12:04:32 UTC

Agnew was Nixon's VP. He pleaded no contest (meaning he accepted the charges but didn't plead guilty) to a single felony charge of tax evasion during his VP term and then resigned. Nixon was not the biggest fan of Agnew because he was very outspoken and accused of being involved with counter culture by the public.

Jeb Stuart Magruder

knechtj — 2024-06-06 12:06:39 UTC

Nixons deputy campaign director - formerly an aide to the Chief of Staff (Haldemen). Magruder was charged with perjury and conspiracy to obstruct justice because of his role in covering up Watergate.

Gerald Ford

termottoav — 2024-06-06 12:08:40 UTC

He was the President elect who won in 1974 after Nixon's resignation. Getting into office, he pardoned Nixon which means he granted Nixon full and unconditional pardon from any crime he committed. He was the first (and only) President to not be elected traditionally as he was asked to replace Agnew and then eventually Nixon (nominated by Nixon).

James McCord

knechtj — 2024-06-06 12:09:42 UTC

Security director of CREEP and had formerly worked as an officer in the CIA and FBI. McCord was one of the first men to take the fall for Watergate after leaving the famous piece of tape on a door in the Watergate building. After being convicted on six counts he later claimed that the defendants plead guilty under pressure from John Dean and John Mitchell.

Hugh Sloan

katzs7 — 2024-06-06 12:12:45 UTC

Sloan was a former treasurer of Nixon's reelection campaign. He quit his job at the Committee for the Re-election of the President less than a month after the burglary. Sloan worked at the Republican National Committee and as a scheduling aide to the president. After Watergate he left Washington and got involved the Woodbridge Group.

G. Gordon Liddy

knechtj — 2024-06-06 12:16:08 UTC

Liddy was a leading member of “The Plumbers” which plugged leaks in the publication of the Pentagon Papers. When the Plumbers disbanded (1971), Liddy became general counsel of CREEP. He created a proposal that was code-named Gemstone (including wiretaps, break ins, kidnapping, mugging, and blackmail) to Mitchell and Dean who denied the initial and scaled - back proposal.

Richard Kliendienst

knechtj — 2024-06-06 12:18:52 UTC

He assumed the job of attorney-general five days before the Watergate burglars were arrested. As the FBI began to investigate the White House, Kliendienst chose to protect Nicon over staying loyal to the law. Ge resigned the same day that Nixon forced Haldeman and Erlichman to quit.