Watergate: Nixon's Downfall

Read Chapter 32-2 in your online history textbook

1. How ere the "plumbers" connected to President Nixon?

2. Who was the judge? Why did he hand out maximum sentences?
John Sirica. Because James McCord sent him a letter saying that he lied under the oath.

3. How were Mitchell and Dean connected to Nixon?
Mitchell was Nixon's former attorney general and played a key role in Nixon's 1968 election victory. Dean was the White House counsel.

4. How were Haldeman and Erlichman connected to Nixon?
These two were apart of Nixon's group of three loyal advisors. Haldeman was his White House chief of staff and Erlichman was the chief domestic adviser.

5. What did the following men tell the Senate about Nixon?

a. Dean: Nixon was deeply involved in the cover-up and they had discussed strategies for continuing the deceit.

b. Butterfield: Nixon had taped virtually all of his presidential conversations.

6. Who was fired or forced to resign in the "massacre"?
Archibald Cox

7. Why weren't investigators satisified with the transcripts?
They weren't satisfied because all of the tapes that Nixon was giving them were edited.

8. What did the tapes reveal?
A disturbing 18 1/2 minute gap and Nixon knew about the role of members of his administration in the burglary and had agreed to the plan to obstruct the FBI's investigation.

9. Why did Vice President Spiro Agnew resign?

10. What did the House Judiciary Committee charge President Nixon with?
Obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of congress for refusing to obey a congressional subpoena to release the tapes.

11. How did the Watergate scandal create a constitutional crisis?