The Watergate Hotel, Washington DC
The Watergate Hotel has been stirring up trouble since day one. When it opened in 1965, architect Luigi Moretti’s strange wavy design made Washington’s old guard furious.
But VIPs flocked there anyway, creating a power center that would change American politics forever.
Here’s how a luxury hotel hosted one of American history’s biggest political mess.
The Fateful Break-In
On June 17, 1972, Security guard Frank Wills noticed tape covering door latches in the complex during his midnight rounds.
After alerting authorities, police caught five men inside the Democratic National Committee headquarters: James McCord, Bernard Barker, Virgilio Gonzalez, Eugenio Martinez, and Frank Sturgis.
McCord worked as security coordinator for President Nixon’s reelection committee. The others had CIA training and connections to anti-Castro Cuban exile groups.
The team carried sophisticated photographic equipment and wiretapping devices. This June break-in marked their second attempt to spy on Democrats, after successfully planting listening devices in Democratic offices on May 28, 1972.
Room 214 Command Center
E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy directed the operation from Room 214 of the Watergate Hotel. Liddy brought FBI experience to the operation while Hunt contributed CIA tradecraft skills.
Their walkie-talkies crackled with updates from the burglary team throughout the night. Hunt, a former CIA operative, shouted ‘Go home and get yourself an alibi’ into his radio when police arrived, then he rushed to the White House to hide evidence in his office safe.
The Cover-Up Begins
Nixon met with Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman in the Oval Office six days after the break-in. They planned to block the FBI investigation by having the CIA claim national security concerns.
Around this time, FBI agents discovered a $25,000 check in burglar Bernard Barker’s bank account linked directly to Nixon’s Midwest finance chairman. White House spokespeople publicly minimized the incident while privately coordinating hush money payments to the defendants.
Woodward and Bernstein’s Investigation
Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein began investigating the Watergate connections at ages 29 and 28. Their editor assigned them to follow money trails and interview reluctant witnesses.
Their breakthrough story on October 10, 1972, exposed ‘a massive campaign of political spying and sabotage’ directed by White House officials.
At the same time, American voters reelected Nixon in November 1972 despite growing evidence of scandal. Nixon won 49 states in one of the largest landslides in presidential election history.
Woodward and Bernstein continued gathering evidence as Nixon celebrated his victory.
Deep Throat’s Secret Assistance
Woodward relied on a confidential source nicknamed ‘Deep Throat’ for confirmation of their discoveries. Meetings occurred at 2:00 a.m. in an underground parking garage at 1401 Wilson Boulevard in Rosslyn, Virginia.
Mark Felt, FBI Deputy Director, revealed himself as Deep Throat in 2005 at age 91. His leaked information guided Woodward through the complex web of White House deception for over two years.
The White House Tapes
Nixon installed a voice-activated taping system in the Oval Office without most staff members’ knowledge. Sony TC-800B machines recorded on thin tape at slow speed, capturing 3,700 hours of conversations between 1971 and 1973.
White House aide Alexander Butterfield revealed the system’s existence during Senate Watergate Committee questioning on July 13, 1973. His testimony transformed the investigation from reliance on witnesses to hunting for recorded evidence.
Only Nixon, Haldeman, Butterfield, Haldeman’s assistant Lawrence Higby, and Secret Service technicians knew about the recording system.
Senior advisors like Henry Kissinger never realized their conversations with Nixon went to tape.
The Smoking Gun Tape
Investigators sought a June 23, 1972 recording where Nixon instructed Haldeman to halt the FBI’s Watergate investigation.
Nixon told Haldeman to have the CIA falsely claim national security concerns. Nixon stated clearly: ‘Play it tough. That’s the way they play it and that’s the way we are going to play it.’ This conversation occurred just six days after the break-in.
This recording earned the name ‘Smoking Gun’ tape for its irrefutable proof of Nixon’s obstruction of justice. Nixon had repeatedly denied involvement in cover-up efforts for nearly two years.
Prosecutors now possessed recorded evidence of Nixon’s direct participation in a criminal conspiracy.
The Supreme Court Rules
Nixon refused to surrender the tapes, claiming executive privilege protected presidential communications. Special Prosecutor Leon Jaworski challenged this claim in court.
Supreme Court justices ruled 8-0 against Nixon on July 24, 1974. Chief Justice Warren Burger wrote the unanimous opinion rejecting absolute executive privilege.
Justice William Rehnquist recused himself due to previous work in the Nixon Justice Department. This landmark ruling established limits on presidential power.
Constitutional scholars consider United States v. Nixon one of the most significant Supreme Court decisions in American history regarding separation of powers.
Nixon’s Resignation
Republican support for Nixon collapsed after the Smoking Gun tape became public on August 5, 1974. Ten Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee who opposed impeachment reversed their position.
Senators Barry Goldwater and Hugh Scott visited Nixon to deliver grim news. No more than 15 senators would vote against conviction in an impeachment trial. Nixon announced his resignation in a televised address on August 8, 1974.
He left office at noon the following day. Americans watched as Nixon boarded Marine One on the White House lawn, gave his final wave, and became the only president in U.S. history to resign.
The Watergate Legacy
Courts convicted 48 government officials for their roles in Watergate. Prosecutors charged 69 people total, with most pleading guilty or receiving convictions at trial.
Attorney General John Mitchell served 19 months in prison for conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and perjury. White House Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman spent 18 months behind bars. President Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon on September 8, 1974, for any crimes committed while in office.
Visiting The Watergate Hotel
Renovators reopened the Watergate Hotel in 2016 after a $125 million transformation. Room 214, aka the Scandal Suite, costs between $1,600-$2,000 nightly depending on the season.
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