Why did the Plumbers break into Watergate?
To Martinez, and perhaps some other Plumbers, the Watergate break-in had little to do with preserving Nixon’s power. It was about ending Castro’s. The Campaign Man: James McCord. On the opposite end of the spectrum is James McCord, the sole member of the Watergate burglars to have been formally employed by the White House.
Who went to prison for Watergate?
Frank Sturgis — military serviceman, spy, and guerrilla trainer; convicted of conspiracy, burglary, and wiretapping, and separately on a charge of transporting stolen cars to Mexico; sentenced to 1 to 4 years in prison for Watergate, and sentence for the transport charge was folded into the Watergate sentence due to cooperation; served 14 months in prison.
Who resigned as president after Watergate?
The Watergate scandal refers to a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington and the subsequent chain of events that led to the spectacular resignation of President Richard Nixon.
Who were the burglars in the Watergate break in?
There were 5 burglars arrested on June 17, 1972 at the Watergate offices of the Democratic National Committee. From left to right, the burglars were: James W. McCord (Jan 26, 1924 – Jun 15, 2017 – age 93) – a security co-ordinator for the Republican National Committee and the Committee for the Re-election of the President.
Who ordered the Watergate break-in quizlet?
In order to get Nixon reelected, Nixon advisors ordered the break-in at the Democratic Party's headquarters at the Watergate on June 17, 1972. Which two tasks were assigned to them?
Who snitched on the Watergate scandal?
Mark FeltBornWilliam Mark FeltAugust 17, 1913 Twin Falls, Idaho, U.S.DiedDecember 18, 2008 (aged 95) Santa Rosa, California, U.S.SpouseAudrey Isabelle Robinson ( m. 1938; died 1984)Children212 more rows
Who was involved in the Watergate scandal quizlet?
Terms in this set (19)Bob Woodward. Investigative journalist for the Washington post. ... Carl Bernstein. Investigative journalist for the Washington post. ... Ben Bradlee. Executive editor of the Washington post from 1968-1991. ... Richard Nixon. ... John Mitchell. ... Charles Colson. ... Ken Clausen. ... Clark Mcgregor.More items...
What was Martha Mitchell's cause of death?
Suffering the advanced stages of multiple myeloma, on May 31, 1976, Mitchell slipped into a coma and died at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York City. She was 57 years old.
Who was Deep Throat during Watergate?
The character never identified himself as "Deep Throat" – the name was used by other characters when referring to him. It was never specifically mentioned whether he was initially intended to be the same Deep Throat from Watergate; eventually, the character was revealed to be a government official named Ronald Pakula.
Who exposed the Watergate scandal quizlet?
Who were the two reporters in the Watergate story for the Washington Post? -Bob Woodward. -Carl Bernstein. What was the initial crime that uncovered Watergate?
What had the Watergate burglars broken into quizlet?
Who were Gordon Liddy and Howard Hunt working for when they paid five burglars to break into the Democratic National Committee headquarters in May to June 1972? Gordon Liddy and Howard Hunt were working for the committee to re-elect Nixon.
What caused the Watergate scandal quizlet?
- It was caused by an attempt to bug the offices of the Democratic Party in the Watergate buildings in Washington. - 5 men were arrested in June 1972. - The men were employed by CREEP, Committee to re-elect the President.
How did the Watergate burglars get caught quizlet?
How do the burglars get caught on the second break in? A security man recognizes tape on the door that was used to keep it from locking, and he called the police.
What caused the Watergate scandal?
The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continual attempts to cover up its involvement in the June 17, 1972, break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Washington, D.C., Watergate Office Building.
Who are Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein?
Carl Milton Bernstein (/ˈbɜːrnstiːn/ BURN-steen; born February 14, 1944) is an American investigative journalist and author. While a young reporter for The Washington Post in 1972, Bernstein was teamed up with Bob Woodward, and the two did much of the original news reporting on the Watergate scandal.
Where is John Dean today?
He resides in Beverly Hills, California. In 2001, Dean published The Rehnquist Choice: The Untold Story of the Nixon Appointment that Redefined the Supreme Court, an exposé of the White House's selection process for a new Supreme Court justice in 1971, which led to the appointment of William Rehnquist.
What was the Watergate scandal?
The Watergate scandal was a series of interlocking political scandals of the U.S. President Richard M. Nixon's administration. The scandal included...
Who were the five burglars at the DNC office in the Watergate office complex?
Police apprehended five burglars at the office of the DNC in the Watergate complex. Four of the five burglars were formerly active in Central Intel...
Who was Deep Throat in the Watergate scandal?
Deep Throat was the anonymous source who provided leaks to reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Only after some 30 years later, it was reveal...
Which U.S. president granted a pardon to Richard Nixon in connection to Watergate?
On September 8, 1974, U.S. President Gerald Ford chose to grant Richard Nixon a full and unconditional pardon for any crimes he may have committed...
What was the outcome of the Watergate scandal on the presidency of Richard Nixon?
On August 9, 1974, facing likely impeachment for his role in covering up the scandal, Nixon became the only U.S. president to resign.
Who were the Watergate burglars?
In January 1973, five of the Watergate burglars pleaded guilty, and two others, Liddy and McCord, were convicted. At their sentencing on March 23, U.S. District Court Judge John J. Sirica read a letter from McCord charging that the White House had conducted an extensive “cover-up” to conceal its connection with the break-in.
Who was the fifth person to be found at Watergate?
Three of the men were Cuban exiles, one was a Cuban American, and the fifth was James W. McCord, Jr., a former CIA agent.
When did Nixon release the Watergate tapes?
On July 30, under coercion from the Supreme Court, Nixon finally released the Watergate tapes. On August 5, transcripts of the recordings were released, including a segment in which the president was heard instructing Haldeman to order the FBI to halt the Watergate investigation.
What were the items that were stolen at the Watergate?
In their possession were burglary tools, cameras and film, and three pen-size tear gas guns.
Who was the security coordinator for Nixon's reelection committee?
On June 18, however, it was revealed that James McCord was the salaried security coordinator for President Richard Nixon’s reelection committee. The next day, E. Howard Hunt, Jr., a former White House aide, was linked to the five suspects. In July, G. Gordon Liddy, finance counsel for the Committee for the Re-election of the President, was also implicated as an accomplice. In August, President Nixon announced that a White House investigation of the Watergate break-in had concluded that administration officials were not involved. In September, Liddy, Hunt, McCord, and the four Cubans were indicted by a federal grand jury on eight counts of breaking into and illegally bugging the Democratic National Committee headquarters.
Who was the finance counsel for the Committee for the Re-election of the President?
In July, G. Gordon Liddy, finance counsel for the Committee for the Re-election of the President, was also implicated as an accomplice. In August, President Nixon announced that a White House investigation of the Watergate break-in had concluded that administration officials were not involved.
What were the three articles of impeachment against Nixon?
Public confidence in the president rapidly waned, and by the end of July 1974 the House Judiciary Committee had adopted three articles of impeachment against President Nixon: obstruction of justice, abuse of presidential powers, and hindrance of the impeachment process. On July 30, under coercion from the Supreme Court, Nixon finally released the Watergate tapes. On August 5, transcripts of the recordings were released, including a segment in which the president was heard instructing Haldeman to order the FBI to halt the Watergate investigation. Four days later, Nixon became the first president in U.S. history to resign. On September 8, his successor, President Gerald Ford, pardoned him from any criminal charges.
What was the Watergate scandal?
The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of U.S. President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continuous attempts to cover up its involvement in the June 17, 1972 break-in of the Democratic National ...
Who was the burglar in Watergate?
Address book of Watergate burglar Bernard Barker, discovered in a room at the Watergate Hotel, June 18, 1972. Within hours of the burglars' arrests, the FBI discovered E. Howard Hunt 's name in Barker and Martínez's address books.
What happened to the five burglars at Watergate?
Rather than ending with the conviction and sentencing to prison of the five Watergate burglars on January 30, 1973, the investigation into the break-in and the Nixon Administration's involvement grew broader. "Nixon's conversations in late March and all of April 1973 revealed that not only did he know he needed to remove Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and Dean to gain distance from them, but he had to do so in a way that was least likely to incriminate him and his presidency. Nixon created a new conspiracy—to effect a cover-up of the cover-up—which began in late March 1973 and became fully formed in May and June 1973, operating until his presidency ended on August 9, 1974." On March 23, 1973, Judge Sirica read the court a letter from Watergate burglar James McCord, who alleged that perjury had been committed in the Watergate trial, and defendants had been pressured to remain silent. In an attempt to make them talk, Sirica gave Hunt and two burglars provisional sentences of up to 40 years.
What was the DNC's headquarters?
Two months later, Mitchell approved a reduced version of the plan, including burglarizing the Democratic National Committee 's (DNC) headquarters at the Watergate Complex in Washington, D.C.—ostensibly to photograph campaign documents and install listening devices in telephones.
What channel was the Watergate hearings broadcast on?
The resulting Senate Watergate hearings were broadcast "gavel-to-gavel" nationwide by PBS and aroused public interest. Witnesses testified that the president had approved plans to cover up administration involvement in the break-in, and that there was a voice-activated taping system in the Oval Office.
What network was the Watergate hearings on?
On February 7, 1973, the United States Senate voted 77-to-0 to approve 93 S.Res. 60 and establish a select committee to investigate Watergate, with Sam Ervin named chairman the next day. The hearings held by the Senate committee, in which Dean and other former administration officials testified, were broadcast from May 17 to August 7. The three major networks of the time agreed to take turns covering the hearings live, each network thus maintaining coverage of the hearings every third day, starting with ABC on May 17 and ending with NBC on August 7. An estimated 85% of Americans with television sets tuned into at least one portion of the hearings.
Where are the Watergate files?
Watergate Trial Conversations – Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. The Watergate Files, at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, National Archives. Official and unofficial documents on the Watergate scandal from the Presidential collection of President Nixon's successor, Vice President Gerald R. Ford.
What was the origin of the Watergate break in?
The origins of the Watergate break-in lay in the hostile political climate of the time. By 1972, when Republican President Richard M. Nixon was running for reelection, the United States was embroiled in the Vietnam War, and the country was deeply divided.
What happened at Watergate in 1972?
In May 1972, as evidence would later show, members of Nixon’s Committee to Re-Elect the President (known derisively as CREEP) broke into the Democratic National Committee’s Watergate headquarters, stole copies of top-secret documents and bugged the office’s phones.
How many conspirators were indicted for the Watergate scandal?
Meanwhile, seven conspirators were indicted on charges related to the Watergate affair. At the urging of Nixon’s aides, five pleaded guilty to avoid trial; the other two were convicted in January 1973.
When did Nixon's aides get indicted?
Early in 1974, the cover-up and efforts to impede the Watergate investigation began to unravel. On March 1, a grand jury appointed by a new special prosecutor indicted seven of Nixon’s former aides on various charges related to the Watergate affair. The jury, unsure if they could indict a sitting president, called Nixon an “unindicted ...
Why did Nixon get pardoned?
Six weeks later, after Vice President Gerald Ford was sworn in as president, he pardoned Nixon for any crimes he had committed while in office. Some of Nixon’s aides were not so lucky: They were convicted of very serious offenses and sent to federal prison.
How did Watergate affect the American political system?
His abuse of presidential power had a long-lasting effect on American political life, creating an atmosphere of cynicism and distrust. While many Americans had been deeply dismayed by the outcome of the Vietnam War, and saddened by the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and other leaders, Watergate added further disappointment to a national climate already soured by the difficulties and losses of the previous decade.
How long did Nixon serve as Attorney General?
Nixon’s Attorney General of the United States John Mitchell served 19 months for his role in the scandal, while Watergate mastermind G. Gordon Liddy, a former FBI agent, served four and a half years.
What was the Watergate scandal?
The Watergate scandal was a series of interlocking political scandals of the U.S. President Richard M. Nixon's administration. The scandal included a break-in at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters in the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C., on June 17, 1972, and subsequent cover-up by people who worked for or with ...
Who were the coconspirators in the burglary?
Soon after, Woodward and Bernstein and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigators identified two coconspirators in the burglary: E. Howard Hunt, Jr. , a former high-ranking CIA officer only recently appointed to the staff of the White House, and G. Gordon Liddy , a former FBI agent working as a counsel for CREEP.
What evidence did the conspirators destroy?
Meanwhile, the conspirators destroyed evidence, including their burglary equipment and a stash of $100 bills. Jeb Magruder, deputy director of CREEP, burned transcripts of wiretaps from an earlier break-in at the DNC’s offices.
When did Nixon resign?
On August 9, 1974, facing likely impeachment for his role in covering up the scandal, Nixon became the only U.S. president to resign.
Who was the FBI deputy director for Nixon?
Throughout the 1972 campaign season, Woodward and Bernstein were fed leaks by an anonymous source they referred to as “Deep Throat,” who, only some 30 years later, was revealed to be FBI deputy director W. Mark Felt, Sr. They kept up a steady stream of scoops demonstrating (1) the direct involvement of Nixon intimates in Watergate activities, (2) that the Watergate wiretapping and break-in had been financed through illegally laundered campaign contributions, and, in a blockbuster October 10 front-page article, (3) that “the Watergate bugging incident stemmed from a massive campaign of political spying and sabotage conducted on behalf of President Nixon’s re-election and directed by officials of the White House,” part of “a basic strategy of the Nixon re-election effort.”
Did the Nixon administration have any involvement in the Nixon reelection campaign?
The preponderance of early media reports, driven by a successful White House public relations campaign, claimed that there had been no involvement by the Nixon administration or the reelection committee. Meanwhile, the conspirators destroyed evidence, including their burglary equipment and a stash of $100 bills.
Who was the FBI deputy director for the 1972 campaign?
Throughout the 1972 campaign season, Woodward and Bernstein were fed leaks by an anonymous source they referred to as “Deep Throat,” who, only some 30 years later, was revealed to be FBI deputy director W. Mark Felt, Sr.
What happened at Watergate?
Aerial view of the Watergate complex, site of June 17, 1972 burglary of Democratic National Committee Headquarters that became synonymous with the President Nixon cover up and eventual resignation. The break-ins occurred in the office building in the center. In the early morning hours of June 17, 1972, a night guard at a D.C.
What does the word "Watergate" mean?
More than 40 years later, the word Watergate is synonymous with political crime and corruption. In fact, it has become so ingrained in our collective conscience that just adding “-gate” to the end of a word instantly signifies a scandal.
When did the break ins happen?
The break-ins occurred in the office building in the center. In the early morning hours of June 17, 1972, a night guard at a D.C. hotel and office complex was making his rounds when he noticed a suspiciously taped-open exit door. He quickly alerted authorities, setting off a series of events that would forever change the nation.
Who was the FBI director who was arrested for the break in?
On the day of the break-in at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee, Acting FBI Director L. Patrick Gray was notified by teletype of the incident and that one of those arrested was the security officer for the Committee to Re-Elect the President.
Was Watergate a burglary?
It was clear from the beginning that this was no ordinary burglary, and the FBI immediately found itself involved in the most politically sensitive investigation in its history. In the end, despite some issues in its own ranks, the Bureau’s exhaustive efforts were invaluable to unraveling the Watergate saga.
Who made Watergate an epic?
15 Figures Who Made Watergate an American Epic. On May 17, 1973, Sen. Sam Ervin, D-N.C., gavelled in the first public hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, better known as the Senate Watergate Committee. The impending result was almost unfathomable.
Who was the anchor for the Watergate hearings?
Robert MacNeil and Jim Lehrer. In the summer of 1973, Robert MacNeil and Jim Lehrer led public broadcasting’s gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Senate Watergate hearings — co-anchoring all 250 hours of the proceedings, and launching the beginnings of what the PBS NewsHour is today.
What did Caulfield tell McCord?
In January 1973, Caulfield had told McCord the White House would grant him clemency, money and a job if he accepted his prison sentence and didn’t testify against members of the administration. When McCord relayed he had been offered clemency “from the highest levels of the White House” before the Senate Watergate committee on May 18, 1973, Nixon’s ties to the efforts of the White House to break into Democratic National Committee Headquarters surfaced — eventually leading to the president’s downfall. In 1974, McCord would publish a book about the scandal called “A Piece of Tape — The Watergate Story: Fact and Fiction.”
What happened to Nixon in 1972?
What had started out as a story about a bungled break-in to Democratic National Headquarters in the Watergate complex the previous summer eventually ended in the downfall and resignation of President Nixon on Aug. 9, 1974.
What crimes did McCord commit?
He was later convicted of burglary, wiretapping and conspiracy. McCord had been hired by White House security liaison Jack Caulfield in January 1972 to provide security for the Republican National Committee and the Committee to Re-Elect the President.
How long was Jeb Stuart Magruder in jail?
For his involvement in the Watergate scandal and cover-up, then-deputy director of the Committee to Re-Elect the President Jeb Stuart Magruder spent seven months in prison. A former aide to Chief of Staff Haldeman, Magruder was charged with perjury and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Why did Donald Segretti go to jail?
Segretti spent four-and-a-half months in prison in 1974 for spreading illegal political campaign literature.
When did the Watergate scandal start?
But the chronology of the scandal really begins during 1972, when the burglars were arrested.
What investigation led to Nixon's resignation?
The investigations into Watergate that led to the resignation of Richard Nixon are a case study in the operation of the American Constitution and political values. MORE
How many speeches did Nixon give on Watergate?
Nixon made three major speeches on the Watergate scandal during 1973 and 1974. The first was on April 30, 1973, in which he announced the departure of Dean, Haldeman and Ehrlichman. A more defiant speech was delivered on August 15, 1973.
What was the final blow to Nixon?
The final blow came with the decision by the Supreme Court to order Nixon to release more White House tapes.
When did Nixon resign?
Around the country, there were calls for Nixon to resign. At 9pm on the evening of August 8, 1974, Nixon delivered a nationally televised resignation speech.
When did Richard Nixon become president?
Following a year of turmoil, including two political assassinations, Nixon became the nation’s 37th President on January 20, 1969. Later that year, he delivered his ‘Silent Majority’ speech on the Vietnam War, articulating his belief that the bulk of the American people supported his policies and programs.
When did Richard Nixon die?
Richard Nixon died on April 22, 1994. This is a video produced by the Richard Nixon Foundation to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his death.
A team of former FBI and CIA operatives, the "White House plumbers" were tasked with stopping information leaks that made the president look bad and fighting back against his enemies. Then things went terribly wrong
On June 17, 1972, a night security guard at the Watergate complex in Washington D.C. noticed that a door had a piece of tape on the latch. This was not usually a cause for concern, as this door was occasionally taped or propped open to allow staff to come and go on breaks.
Prelude: A Paranoid President
To fully understand what initiated the Watergate break-in, what it meant, and what its motives were, one needs to begin with Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th president of the United States of America.
So Close And Yet So Far From Power
John Adams famously called the vice presidency “the most insignificant office that ever the Invention of Man contrived or his imagination conceived.”
The Setting: Why Then And Why Nixon
It’s been argued that 1968, the year of Richard Nixon’s successful presidential election, was the worst year in American history since the Civil War.
Inside The White House Special Investigations Unit, AKA The White House Plumbers
Charles Colson was the Special Counsel to Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1970. What Colson called himself, however, was Nixon’s “hatchet man.”
More Than One Kind Of Burglar
By and large, the men Hunt assembled had certain shared traits. Three were born and raised in Cuba. Two were formal CIA agents, while all of the others were at least arguably affiliated with the agency. All had been involved in the Bay of Pigs invasion or other anti-Castro activity.
The Mystery Man: Frank Sturgis
Frank Sturgis, born Frank Fiorini, has one of the most complicated stories to consider of any of the conspirators. It is also the most likely to be wrong. For context, the FBI has yet to fully declassify the file on Sturgis. It is over 75,000 pages long, more than four times the length of their file on Watergate.
Overview
Wiretapping of the Democratic Party's headquarters
On January 27, 1972, G. Gordon Liddy, Finance Counsel for the Committee for the Re-Election of the President (CRP) and former aide to John Ehrlichman, presented a campaign intelligence plan to CRP's acting chairman Jeb Stuart Magruder, Attorney General John Mitchell, and Presidential Counsel John Dean that involved extensive illegal activities against the Democratic Party. Accordin…
Cover-up and its unraveling
Within hours of the burglars' arrests, the FBI discovered E. Howard Hunt's name in Barker and Martínez's address books. Nixon administration officials were concerned because Hunt and Liddy were also involved in a separate secret activity known as the "White House Plumbers", which was established to stop security "leaks" and investigate other sensitive security matters. Dean later tes…
Final investigations and resignation
Nixon's position was becoming increasingly precarious. On February 6, 1974, the House of Representatives approved H.Res. 803 giving the Judiciary Committee authority to investigate impeachment of the President. On July 27, 1974, the House Judiciary Committee voted 27-to-11 to recommend the first article of impeachment against the president: obstruction of justice. The Comm…
President Ford's pardon of Nixon
With Nixon's resignation, Congress dropped its impeachment proceedings. Criminal prosecution was still a possibility at the federal level. Nixon was succeeded by Vice President Gerald Ford as President, who on September 8, 1974, issued a full and unconditional pardon of Nixon, immunizing him from prosecution for any crimes he had "committed or may have committed or take…
Aftermath
Charles Colson pled guilty to charges concerning the Daniel Ellsberg case; in exchange, the indictment against him for covering up the activities of the Committee to Re-elect the President was dropped, as it was against Strachan. The remaining five members of the Watergate Seven indicted in March went on trial in October 1974. On January 1, 1975, all but Parkinson were found guilty. In 1976, the U.S. Court of Appeals ordered a new trial for Mardian; subsequently, all char…
Purpose of the break-in
Despite the enormous impact of the Watergate scandal, the purpose of the break-in of the DNC offices has never been conclusively established. Records from the United States v. Liddy trial, made public in 2013, showed that four of the five burglars testified that they were told the campaign operation hoped to find evidence that linked Cuban funding to Democratic campaigns. The longtime hypothesis suggests that the target of the break-in was the offices of Larry O'Brien, …
Reactions
Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam referred to the American presidency's "parlous position" without the direct wording of the Watergate scandal during Question Time in May 1973. The following day responding to a question upon "the vital importance of future United States–Australia relations", Whitlam parried that the usage of the word 'Watergate' was not his. United States–Australia relations have been considered to have figured as influential when, in N…
Summary
Impact
Security
- The wiretaps failed to work properly, however, so on June 17 a group of five men returned to the Watergate building. As the prowlers were preparing to break into the office with a new microphone, a security guard noticed someone had taped over several of the buildings door locks. The guard called the police, who arrived just in time to catch the spies red-handed.
Investigation
- It was not immediately clear that the burglars were connected to the president, though suspicions were raised when detectives found copies of the reelection committees White House phone number among the burglars belongings.
Aftermath
- In August, Nixon gave a speech in which he swore that his White House staff was not involved in the break-in. Most voters believed him, and in November 1972 the president was reelected in a landslide victory. It later came to light that Nixon was not being truthful. A few days after the break-in, for instance, he arranged to provide hundreds of thousands of dollars in hush money to the b…
Trial
- Meanwhile, seven conspirators were indicted on charges related to the Watergate affair. At the urging of Nixons aides, five pleaded guilty to avoid trial; the other two were convicted in January 1973. A handful of Nixons aides, including White House counsel John Dean, testified before a grand jury about the presidents crimes; they also testified th...
Issue
- Nixon struggled to protect the tapes during the summer and fall of 1973. His lawyers argued that the presidents executive privilege allowed him to keep the tapes to himself, but Judge Sirica, the Senate committee and an independent special prosecutor named Archibald Cox were all determined to obtain them.
Background
- In July, the Supreme Court ordered Nixon to turn over the tapes. While the president dragged his feet, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Nixon for obstruction of justice, abuse of power, criminal cover-up and several violations of the Constitution.
Legacy
- His abuse of presidential power had a long-lasting effect on American political life, creating an atmosphere of cynicism and distrust. While many Americans had been deeply dismayed by the outcome of the Vietnam War, and saddened by the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and other leaders, Watergate added further disappointment to a national climate alr…