The thesis of “Breaking into Watergate” is an examination of the impact of the Nixon tapes on the Watergate trial and a further examination of Presidential tapes as historical documents. The Nixon tapes were the “smoking gun” in the Watergate trial. The tapes provided prosecutors with definitive proof of Nixon’s knowledge and involvement in the Watergate scandal. The tapes were Nixon’s undoing and ironically were created by him. The Presidential ideal is a role model, a father figure, a protector, a person a great character and integrity. Everyone at least wants that in our leader of our country. However, this image has continually been shattered by when these men have exhibited human weaknesses. As our media has become less protective of our leaders and our technology filters images and words worldwide at an almost instantaneous speed level, it has been difficult for these leaders to hide their human frailties and personal life. Nixon became one of the biggest examples of this in Presidential history, or at least up until this period of time. I believe like the author that the tapes are a glimpse into the world of the Presidency like no other. However, as the author states there are limitations to their value on their own. The tapes like most historical documents must be viewed or analyzed with reference to other documents. Alone they will often be difficult to understand. The author does a good job of illustrating this point by showing a conversation without historical references and then showing the same conversation with references. Also, I do not believe these tapes should be released because of the controversy it may cause with the American people. At first thought you would assume a taped conversation would give you a complete story or historical record, but the author shows us how this is not true. The tapes are certainly a valuable historical document, but they must be studied along with other items to get the complete story. Other limitations of the tapes are the ability to understand the recorded words, such as the example given about LBJ’s Texan accent. Other concerns relate to validity, such as if the people know they are being recorded, how candid are they? Each of the Presidents discussed almost always consciously determined what and when a recording took place. While the Nixon Presidency will almost certainly by defined by Watergate or at the very least clouded by it, the tapes themselves only show a limited view of this man and his Presidency. As future tapes are released and studied a more complete picture of the man may emerge. Only time will tell. His actions following his resignation show his determination to redeem himself in the eyes of the American people. He fought hard however to keep the remaining tapes private. It will be interesting to see if in the end the remaining tapes redeem him or condemn him further.
The thesis of chapter 15, Breaking into Watergate, is that through having an advanced recording system in the White House, Nixon essentially incriminated himself, and despite the fact that the tapes were not meant for public ears, through the tapes Nixon revealed another side to his personality, one that was angry, vulgar, and vindictive. Nixon was not the first to bug the White House; however, he had the most advanced, voice-activated system installed when he decided to record everything. He said that he installed the system to protect himself, but ironically, he ended up doing the opposite, and incriminating himself with the tapes. In this chapter, the author points out that the tapes do not often reveal a whole story. The tapes are not only hard to understand, but must also be placed in context for the whole story to be revealed. The tapes do however, give an insight into the man who is speaking. Behind closed doors, Nixon spoke unguardedly and vented strong feelings. Through patterns in the tapes, Nixon’s true personality can be seen. By often referring to Jews in a negative way, it can be assumed that anti-Semitism was part of Nixon’s personality. Another pattern found was that Nixon blamed others for actions that history was likely to condemn. The tapes show a major contrast between the public Nixon, who was modest and upright, and the private Nixon. I agree with the author when he says that almost unconsciously Nixon will behave one way when Henry Kissinger is with him and another way when only Bob Haldeman is in the room. People in general tend to act differently around different people, and act differently in public than they do in private. The author also points out that the tapes can be misleading. I agree with Beschloss when he says that if the president knows the conversation is being taped, he can put on the best face for history. Nixon tried hard to keep the tapes a secret. He did not want to turn them over, but the tapes contained the evidence needed to prove that Nixon was part of the Watergate Scandal. Though Nixon’s image as the President had already been hurt by the accusations surrounding Watergate, more damage was done when transcripts were released. Nixon fought hard to keep his tapes unheard, and after he resigned from office, he fought to win back his reputation. Nixon will always be remembered for Watergate, and how he abused his power as president to cover up for the men who participated in the Watergate burglary.
“Breaking into Watergate” is probably my favorite chapter to read because I love how the author explains the Watergate scandal in a very easy way because in the past history books have confused me about what the Watergate scandal is really all about. I think the subject about having tape recorders is very interesting when it comes to presidents; it ended up being bad for Nixon but good for the American public that he recorded all of his meetings because the recorders give clear evidence that he played a major role in the Watergate scandal. I personally believe that it was right for the Court to take control of Nixon’s tape recorders because it gives final evidence that he was guilty of the crime. John Dean, the man who accused that Nixon played a major role in the Watergate Scandal, was thrilled the tapes were going to be released to the public while Nixon, on the other hand, was extremely upset he had to give the tapes to the public; Nixon’s unwillingness to give the tapes to the public gives off the impression that he has something to hide in these tapes, like information on the Watergate scandal. This chapter also covers on how politicians present themselves in public; I believe Nixon acting like a slimy, crude person in private but a warm, friendly person in public should be a good example for all people that they should never be fake in front of people and should be your true self all of the time. Politicians especially should learn from Nixon’s two-face personality that the American public wants someone who is genuinely a good person to lead the country, not someone who only pretends to be a good person to the public. Nixon was wrong to spend hours planning intense political strategy because in the end planning to blackmail other politicians and breaking into an enemy building was a waste of time and ended up being the reason he had to leave office; Nixon should have instead spent his time focusing on America and ways to improve the country and the average American’s life. Overall, this chapter shows how politicians can be very corrupt and two-faced, and that Americans should put a lot of caution and thought into deciding who to vote to be the next mayor, senator, or President of the United States.
The thesis of chapter 15: Breaking into Watergate is that the secret tapes of the White House proved to be invaluable historical documents from which historians have found important clues to several questionable events as well as an alternate personality of the modest and upright Richard Nixon. When the Watergate scandal first erupted, it was unclear whether President Nixon was actually involved or not. It was one man’s word against the president’s, and many people did not know who to believe. I found it very ironic that it was a Republican investigator, Donald Sanders, who asked about some sort of recording system in the White House. Sanders said that he never dreamed that Nixon would say anything incriminating while being taped, so he assumed that these tapes would prove Nixon’s innocence. How wrong he was because these tapes would prove that Nixon was in fact the instigator of the Watergate burglary and that this type of behavior was not uncommon for Nixon. There are two important things that historians have to consider when listening to the tapes: the fact that a man who knows he is being recorded may manipulate an unknowing party and can also present himself in the best way and the fact that Nixon could not have always have been so guarded when discussing heated topics and probably revealed his true feelings on many occasions. After reading this chapter I realized that the historians job are very hard because they have to decide what is just a cover up and what is true feelings. Last year I wrote a book report on Richard Nixon and never even realized how full of vengeance and vulgarity this man was in private. I saw what most of the American public saw: the man who gave the famous “Checkers speech” about his cute cocker spaniel, his darling daughters, and the family’s modest finances to gain public sympathy. Nixon wanted to be portrayed as compassionate, honest, dignified, fair to opponents, moral, all of which in his private personality he was not. Nixon wanted to politically embarrass and destroy his enemies and had no problem breaking the law to advance himself. Nixon mentioned once that he had the tapes specifically for future purposes. They were to protect himself and a means by which to attack others. I was shocked by the radical differences between the public and private Richard Nixon. Nixon’s vulgarity and anti-Semitism became very apparent when he was around the people he trusted. Nixon had a tendency to blame others for what he knew history would look down upon, but honestly don’t we all do this sometimes. We try to find a way to shift the blame away from ourselves. In addition, just like Nixon did we all change our attitudes based on who we are around and who could be listening. Now of course, none of us are the President of the United States and none of us have been involved in a scandal quite as big as the Watergate, but we have all experienced a similar situation, probably just on a lot smaller scale. Fortunately for us, our mistakes will be forgotten by the few people who know, but Nixon’s involvement in the Watergate scandal will follow him well past his lifetime and will live on in history.
James La Russa said... The thesis of "Chaper 15: Breaking into Watergate" includes the irony that one's way of trying to take the upper hand in a situation could easily turn on him if not used in a fair and equitable manner. Richar Nixon, born and raised in California, rose to the presidency at age 56 to impress the United States of Amerca with his wonderously loved personality, filled with valor and dignity; correct? Unfortunately Nixon was not the man the American people saw him to be, yet he put on an act, which fooled the entire nation and more. Ironically, after displaying to the general public that he had been acting during his time in the presidential seat, the "intelligent" and "clever" American people reelected the most scandalous and flagrant president who had ever set foot in the white house itself. I was appalled that Richard Nixon, the President of the United States whom the people of America trusted as a role model, practiced strict and grave anti-semetism. It is hard to understand that this rascist man was supposed to be looking over the people who he despised and insulted. Even so, I do take much greater offence to this act of prejudice because I do indeed practice Judaism, but understand that the Klu Klux Klan was quite prevalent during this time period. No, the microphones in the white house did not catch Nixon saying anything about the "certain secret society," but I suppose it would not be so secret if he talked of his aquaintence in this secret society. The reason I bring up this topic is to help others understand that he was not only rascist to Jews, but also to other religions and races whoch the Klan was prejudiced toward. I hope I am wrong about Nixon's aquaintence with this society, but if he was involved, how could anyone ever trust the rest of America to choose a trustworthy leader, who was unbiased to all races and religions. However, Nixon's involvement in the Watergate Scandal was almost as disrespectful to the nation as his racist comments picked up by his own microphones. I find it comical that Nixon's association with the Watergate burglary was sought out mainly by one of his associates, Donald Sanders, who tried to use these tape recordings as evidence that Nixon had nothing to do with the scandal. Unfortunately, the wise and astute Nixon, which his followers originally saw him as, did not think to shut off the recording when talking about something as serious as a burglary. At least the nation now understands the mistake they made in electing the "dignified" and "optimistic" leader, which Nixon claimed to be, for he will go down in history as the "real" Nixon, a scandalous and corrupt character.
After reading this section, my outlook on President Nixon has changed greatly. I never knew that he behaved in such a manner. Normally, a president is viewed as a humble, intelligent, and bold leader who not only leads America but represents it. However, the Watergate scandal contradicts this. Though Nixon tried hard to cover up White House connections to Watergate, he failed. I believed that a part of Nixon’s personality was shown by how he furiously tried to prevent his tapes from being heard and by firing his cabinet members. Ironically, the device he implemented turned out to be more harmful than beneficial. Nixon often sought out to present his best face for history, but instead he presented his worst. I found it quite funny that Sanders believed that Nixon would never have said anything incriminating on the record, but truthfully Nixon said many incriminating things. The tapes revealed much about Nixon that I did not know. After reading what was recorded in the tapes, I feel that Nixon should never have been elected President because he does not fit the image properly. Even before the Watergate incident, Nixon had approved and encouraged illegal operations like the break-in at Brookings. The guy had his own secret security unit, the Plumbers, which carried out all his illegal operations. When I think of the President, I don’t think of a man who breaks the law to advance his own political agenda. Not only that, Nixon’s personality was extremely crude. He had few friends, spent many solitary hours, and was varying in the image he presented to the people. He was also anti-Semitic, a characteristic that the President should not have. He also blamed others for his actions that history was likely to condemn instead of accepting responsibility. I understand that the President may not always act the way he does in public, but Nixon’s backstage personality is unfitting for his role. His personality in public and private are so contrasting, almost like good and evil. I can’t help but wonder why Nixon was not aware of what he was saying in his office. He implemented his recording device to help him, so he should be aware of it and watch what he says. Nixon should’ve known that he couldn’t speak freely and get away with it. I agree with the author that though Nixon may have done some good in his presidency, he will always be remembered for his involvement with Watergate.
Chapter fifteen: Breaking into Watergate was my over all favorite of the three chapters we read. The thesis of this chapter is the evidence from the tapes that tell whether Richard Nixon had been involved in the efforts to cover up the White House in the Watergate burglary. The first time I had ever really heard anything about Watergate was after watching the movie Forest Gump so I was genially interested in reading more about this major event in American history. One of the main things discussed in the chapter is the use of recording devices in the White House and whether or not they should be used or released. I personally think after reading this chapter that the American citizens should have the right after the death of the president to have access to these tapes unless of course it could put the country as a whole in danger. I don’t think it is right that the president would not release the tapes until under major pressure did so only there was a crucial eighteen and a half minute gap missing. This is very strange to me that the president has these rights. All of this dishonesty and sneaky spying can only make you wonder if the same type of thing goes on today. The more and more you read in chapter fifteen you see how sneaky president Richard Nixon actually was and almost at time seemed to be more concerned with himself rather than the safety of the well being of others. I find it pretty ironic the way Richard Nixon didn’t want the recording devices in the White House, but later had a change of heart for an unknown reason only to back fire on him later revealing his involvement in the burglary at Watergate, almost like he was meant to get caught. I think my over all idea of Richard Nixon as a president has changed mostly because I didn’t know much about him, but because when you think of a president you think of a person that does the right thing and will do anything for his country. Richard Nixon really just doesn’t give off this vibe to me. He seems self centered and I am sure there are some wonderful things about him, but after the break in at Watergate and the tapes to prove it, Richard Nixon was not a great president.
James, I completely agree with everything that you said. I was just as surprised as you that the man whom America trusted as a role model was a racist. I am in disbelief that the American people could elect such a man unknowingly. I do not think that Nixon had any involvement in the Klu Klux Clan or ever wanted to join them, but I’m sure that if he was anti-Semitic then he was anti-Indian too, and I sympathize with your feelings. It is puzzling that the American people reelected a man who showed three different faces in public and had a completely different personality in private. I can’t help but wonder what was going through their minds during this period. I also found it funny that Sanders was trying to help Nixon out, but instead ended up getting him into a graver situation. I wonder what Nixon’s reaction was when Sanders brought the idea up. Concerning his microphone, I too do not understand why Nixon did not shut off his microphone when he discussed things that could get him in trouble. Did he just forget to turn it off, or did he not care? Due to his carelessness, I think he got what he deserved. I agree with you that Nixon will always be remembered for the scandalous Watergate incident over everything else that he accomplished.
President Richard Nixon abused the power of the Executive branch and believed that his actions were permissible because he held the office of commander-in-chief. He overstepped the boundaries of his office by interfering with the opposing party’s campaign in an illegal manner. Republicans and Democrats were appalled at the guile and blatant offenses that the Nixon Administration and the Nixon Re-election Committee engaged in. President Nixon was considered a shoe in for re-election to the presidency; so, the attempted break in at Watergate, aside from being illegal, was a “nothing to gain” situation. He may not have been an extremely popular president; however, he was widely considered an effective president. In addition, the Democratic candidate George McGovern was a left wing liberal and a poor campaign manager. The odds for re-election were clearly in Nixon’s favor throughout the entire process. Yet, President Nixon and his staff felt the need to resort to espionage and burglary in order to gain intelligence about the democratic presidential candidate and other officials who might pose an additional threat to President Nixon or to his reelection campaign. President Nixon simply became paranoid that he might lose his office and everything that he had worked for during his presidency. Before his presidency, he had failed to win elections and had come so close on so many occasions. President Nixon had served as the Vice President under Dwight D. Eisenhower, and in addition, he had previously run for president against John F. Kennedy in the election of 1960. The race with Kennedy was considered the narrowest win since 1916 when Woodrow Wilson pulled out a victory against Charles Evans Hughes. In 1962, Nixon ran for Governor of California and again Nixon suffered defeat at the hands of Pat Brown. Following his loss, Nixon announced to the public that he would no longer be involved in political life. Subsequent to his two terms of Vice President, Richard M. Nixon was the biggest name in the Republican party. However, with his loss in the presidential race and the gubernatorial race, Nixon’s star was quickly falling. So, when elected president, six years after losing the gubernatorial election, Nixon was back on top. His fear of not being reelected was rational; however, his methods for easing his fears were not. By participating and signing off on illegal activities, Nixon destroyed himself and his career. I believe that Nixon should have been put on trial to discover the extent of his misdeeds instead of receiving a presidential pardon from President Gerald Ford. President Nixon may not have been the first president to participate or to be involved in illegal or sketchy endeavors. However, President Nixon was the first president to have been caught. The tapes prove his guilt and the guilt of other high-ranking government officials. For this reason, President Nixon should have been indicted. The American people need to see and know that even presidents are not above the law and that justice will prevail.
The thesis of the chapter, “Breaking Into Watergate,” is that in one man’s way to become more informed and aware of a situation, it turned ironically against him and led to his downfall as a leader, as seen with President Richard Nixon and his interaction with the Watergate scandal in the early 1970s. Shortly after President Richard Nixon arrived at the White House, he installed a recording system in several different rooms and on telephone lines in order for “future purposes” because he “was prepared to believe that others, even people close to [him,] would turn against [him] just as [John] Dean had done, and in that case the tapes would give [him] some protection.” The tapes, in the long run, led to the downfall of President Nixon because the tapes proved that he was the instigator of the Watergate crisis, and the tapes also showed shocking details about Nixon’s character. The tapes showed a different side to President Nixon; they showed him as vengeful, vulgar, and even worse anti-Semitic. Was this the man who Americans saw as honest, compassionate, dignified, and respectful? Yes it was; this double-faced man gave his famous “Checkers speeches” about his dog, daughters, and finical situation to gain the hearts and votes of the American public. While reading this chapter, I have realized how difficult a historian’s job can be, especially uncovering the truths hidden deep within the audiotapes of Nixon. I found it interesting the ways historians find the truth in the tapes. Historians are genius to be able to find habitual habits within the speaker and listen for them in different speeches to determine a truth or a lie. Before reading this chapter, I have never read any of the tapes manuscripts, and only after reading a few of the many, it now hits me that the President of the United States could be and was a two-faced liar. In my opinion, not knowing who the president of your country actually and truthfully is frightens me. I, as a student, have studied the Watergate scandal, but I have never actually understood the severity of Nixon’s actions, until reading this last chapter. While reading this chapter, one fact struck me as interesting and ironic: a Republican investigator, Donald Sanders, asked for Nixon’s tapes. It seems like in today’s politics, members of the same party, especially the Democrats, support their party in right and wrong, which I believe is not the wise thing to do. With Nixon’s unwillingness to hand the tapes over to the public, the fact that the court did not take quicker action surprised me because Nixon’s unwillingness points out that he is guilty. In the end, I have especially enjoyed reading this chapter because I have learned many new and interesting facts that I was unaware of before.
Comments for Emily DuVall Emily, I agree with every word you said in your post about President Richard Nixon and Watergate. I was scouting for something to disagree with you about, but I cannot find a single sentence where our views change on this interesting subject. Your points came across clear and to the point throughout your entire post. The entire time while I was reading this chapter, all my thoughts about not understanding the reasons for Nixon’s actions can be summed up into your statement, “His fear of not being reelected was rational; however, his methods for easing his fears were not.” I also do not understand why Nixon came to the conclusion where he believed espionage was the best way for reelection, even though he had the majority of the vote. I guess fear and power can corrupt anybody. Again, I agree with your statement that President Nixon should have received a trail for his actions of burglary. I believe Nixon should have been treated the same as every other American who committed a crime. Nixon committed a crime, and he should receive punishment just like everyone else. I agree one hundred percent that the American people need to see and know that even presidents are not above the law and that justice will prevail. In the end, this was an excellent post. You are a great writer.
Watergate Breaking into Watergate centers around the historical evidence, mainly the tape recordings from the White House, of the notorious Nixon scandal. The author presents in depth analysis of the tapes and truly allows the reader to enjoy an intimate view into the Oval Office. Richard Nixon's main defense for his innocence in the Watergate scandal was that he was not informed of the proceedings leading to the break in of the Democratic headquarters. The tape recordings from the White House proved the opposite. Richard Nixon knew that the break in was imminent and he also played an intricate part in the planning of the operation. But the author also focuses much of this chapter on the fact that the tape recording system was installed by none other than Richard Nixon. How ironic that a system installed by the President proved to be his downfall. The author does however prove that the tapes alone can not be viewed as ultimatums, they must be viewed, or listened to in connection with other historical documents and research in order to have a full spectrum of understanding. On several occasions he shows that the tapes require a lot of notes and background information to make sense or have any relevance. The tapes do more than just incriminate President Nixon in the Watergate break in. They also prove to destroy a public image of the office of President. For the majority of The United States young history the office of President and the man that has filled the position has been viewed as superhuman or untouchable by the common man. The tapes truly serve to show the President as just a man. The President was no longer a perfect super being that was above the law. He was subject to the law. The tapes showed President Nixon to be an insecure, vulgar, profane man. He also on many occasions in the tapes proved himself to be a racist. The President of the USA, the leader of the free world, the commander and chief of the melting pot should by no means be a racist. The White House recordings show President Nixon to be very prejudice against other religions and peoples. I believe that the tapes are detrimental to the United States. The people of the United States need to have respect for the office of president and the tapes serve only to degrade the president in the opinion of the everyday American. We all love a good reality show and to know all of the intricate details about people that we need not know. Let's face it… we are a nosy society! I would argue that further release of the tapes would only further erode public opinion of the office and person of the President.
Sriram, I agree with your sentiment on Nixon's dual personality. I don't think that anyone, especially a president, should act differently in public to impress people. The president should be someone who has upstanding moral character, which Nixon did not possess. Nixon was clearly dishonest, involved in criminal events, and was two faced. This should never be the case with our President. I can't believe that no one found out about this earlier. He had been saying this the whole time and never let something slip out. To me, this is quite amazing. He concealed his true self incredibly well under the pressure of being the president. I don't know about you, but this section made me wonder about all of our presidents. Were they the men that we thought them to be or irresponsible liars with a private agenda? I found it ironic that the thing that he put in place to preserve his legacy ending up corrupting his legacy. I still do not understand why he would reveal the taping system to anyone, and why he would record incriminating things like these comments on Watergate.
“Breaking into Watergate was most definitely my favorite chapter of the three we were assigned to read. I have been taught bits and pieces of the Watergate scandal, but I never fully understood it. The way that Davidson and Lytle explained and described the scandal helped me finally be able to understand everything that really happened. I was very surprised to learn that there were recording devices throughout the White House. It was very unfortunate that Nixon was being taped during his presidency because it exposed the kind of man he really was. Right after the Watergate Scandal America was not sure what to believe when it became public that President Nixon was possibly a major part of the Watergate Scandal. Luckily the tapes that had been recorded in the White House were pretty much full evidence that Nixon was involved in the Watergate Scandal. It is ironic that Nixon is the one who insisted on installing all the recording devices in hopes of protecting himself, because in the end he actually exposed everything that caused him to be proven guilty. I found it very interesting that Sanders was determined that Nixon would never even think about saying anything incriminating on the recorded tapes when in reality he did the exact opposite. Nixon said several things that automatically incriminated him to being a part of the Watergate Scandal. Nixon apparently did not know what he was doing when he was being sneaky in the White House because in the end we all now know his secrets. Richard Nixon is a prime example of a two faced person. He acted like a pleasant, respectful man in front of the people of the United States but was a dark, secretive person when no one could see or hear him, or so he thought. The president of the United States should be first and foremost honest. He should also be respected, dedicated, and committed to the safety of our country. Richard Nixon does not fall into any of these categories. Nixon was in my opinion not the best candidate to run our country. Hopefully though by Nixon being president the people of the United States have learned to be more cautious and opinionated when choosing whom they want to run out country. Prior to reading “Breaking into Watergate” I did not really have an opinion on President Nixon, but I now disrespect him for everything he did and said behind the doors of the White House.
I did not see the addition of the Thesis... so here is my idea on that: I believe the thesis of Breaking into Watergate is that everyone is prone to making mistakes, and sometimes what may seem at the time to be an excellent idea will later prove to be a downfall.
Sriram, I also did not know about this vindictive, anti-Semitic side of Richard Nixon. Throughout our history and social studies classes in school, we have been taught about how great men our presidents are. We have all written book reports and taken tests on the achievements of these men, but we seldom focus on their failures. I also agree with you about how ironic it is that the tool Nixon planned to use against others, in the end, was used against him. He wanted the recording system for future uses against his political enemies. He tried to manipulate the system by making others look bad and presenting himself as a hero. Obviously, his plan did not go as he wanted because he was the one who on the Watergate tapes was caught with incriminating evidence. I too thought about why Nixon did not guard his words since he knew he was being recorded. A simple answer that I could come up with is that sometimes we cannot control our strong emotional feelings and if Nixon got fired up about a topic he may have forgotten about the recording system entirely. Another idea is that maybe Nixon knew he was being recorded but simply did not think that anyone other than himself would ever listen to the tapes and therefore he would not be busted for the obvious crimes that he had committed. Just some thoughts.
The thesis of "Chapter 15 Breaking into Watergate" is that the presidential tapes led to Nixon's downfall, but at the same time it put a good perspective one what happens in the oval office. The tapes were able to reveal the true personality of Nixon to the world. As my fellow classmates have already stated before me, this chapter was the most intriguing to me. I had little knowledge of the affair, but after reading the novel it became a little bit clearer. However, I was greatly amazed at the number of people the authors put into the chapter. I had no clue that the number of people involved was this great. I found the opening quote, “a third-rate burglary attempt (referring to the break in at the Watergate apartment complex)…certain elements may try to stretch this beyond what it is” to be rather funny, but at the same time I could sense the foreshadowing. I also found it surprising that the president prior to Nixon had also used some type of audiotape recordings. I was very confused with Nixon’s actions on “Saturday Night Massacre”. I would have tried to keep people I was familiar with, or someone that Nixon could have possibly talked out of obtaining the tapes. However, I was quickly able to pick up that Nixon had two different personalities. In front of the people of United States, he changed his personality into what the people wanted. I had thought that he was kind and compassionate human being after learning about his “Checkers speech”, but he kept his true personality locked inside the doors of the oval office. However, the tapes truly did act like a window in the real lifestyle of Nixon. The younger Nixon was more “modest and upright”, while the Nixon during the trials was “angry, vulgar, and vindictive.” It is actually amazing that we had a president who acted like teenagers. I mean if Nixon was president, I could easily get in the White House. Instead of worrying about other politicians and planning political strategy, Nixon should have been focused on the needs of the country. I was also unaware that Nixon was anti-Semitic. The most shocking news was the way he spoke of them. He said some things that presidents should not even think about saying. How can he be a fair leader of the nation if he hateful of diverse religions in the United States. But at least he got off easy when he was pardoned.
The Watergate Scandal is something that has always been really interesting to me, and something that I have been wanting to learn more about. Well, the authors of After the Fact taught me everything I could have possibly dreamed of learning about it in the “Breaking into Watergate” chapter, with incredible detail and insight into the entire scandal. I interpreted the thesis of”Breaking into Watergate” as one that told the reader that the chapter would be walking them through the scandal, and showing viewpoints that are often not considered. To me, the most interesting bit of the chapter and scandal is the irony within. Granted, the recording system was already in place when Nixon became president, but he had it advanced in a way that the recording devices would be activated by voice, and therefore record everything said in the White house. Nixon had planned on using this well kept secret to his advantage in numerous ways. He could coax unknowing people into saying undesirable things, and then use it as blackmail against them. He could also bring up specific quotes that someone he was arguing with said. But ironically, the recording system led to the undoing of President Nixon, as his plans to cover up the break in were also recorded. The recordings seemed to show the person that President Nixon truly was. I am not only referring to his plans to conceal the “third rate burglary attempt”, but also his vulgar use of language and his very questionable blackmailing schemes. Seeing these things helped me realize that even the President makes mistakes and has bad judgment. But this was the most powerful man in the world, the man that our country chose to lead us to the best of his ability, and so I undoubtedly hold Nixon to a much much much higher standard. There is absolutely no excuse for his actions. I also thought it very interesting where the author of “Breaking into Watergate” shows a recorded conversation between President Nixon, Haldeman, and Kissinger with only the dialog. The conversation seems kind of mysterious and it was hard to know exactly what was going on. A few paragraphs later the same conversation is shown, but an annotated version. The situation appeared much clearer, just by a few simple annotations. Nixon abused his power as president, and will forever be remembered for the Watergate Scandal above anything else. We can only hope that no other presidents ever abuse their power in such a corrosive way as this in the future.
“With great power comes great responsibility.” In the movie Spiderman, Uncle Ben says these wise words to Peter Parker, Spiderman, during a deep talk. This quote applies greatly to this chapter “Breaking into Watergate” since it revolves around a man who has great power and many responsibilities, but chooses to take advantage of his extensive power and neglect his responsibilities. My interpretation of the thesis of “Breaking into Watergate” is that when one holds enormous power and abuses it, there are often severe consequences. In this case, President Nixon holds enormous power by controlling America and having a voice activated recording system in the white house. Nixon ends up mistreating his power by plotting blackmail against those recorded and “…sponsor[ing] break-ins as a part of domestic counterintelligence operations…(385)” I always heard that Nixon was known for this Watergate dishonor, but I never really understood what happened. Well, this book provided ample views, evidence, and stories as to what truly happened between Richard Nixon and Watergate. After reading for a little bit, I noticed how much Nixon desired to keep a moral appearance for the public before this whole outrage spread. Nixon would drag down his comrades in order to keep himself looking upright such as when he was telling Alexander Haig about his innocence; Nixon proclaimed, ““Let me say this, Al. I am not concerned myself about anything incriminating in anything that I’ve done. I mean, I know what I’ve done. I mean, I’ve told you everything that I did. You know what I mean. I frankly-I was not informed and I don’t blame people for not informing me.” Here, Nixon is hinting that someone else in the White House is going behind his back and is responsible for the scandal. For wanting to seem such an ethical man, Richard Nixon was definitely the opposite when he felt threatened. Another way Nixon showed having almost two distinctly different personalities was when his recordings were released. In the private White House rooms, Nixon uses “colorful” language, blackmail, and prejudice, but in his famous “Checkers Speech” Nixon yearns for sympathy from the public regarding his poor financial situation. I was shocked to find out that several preceding presidents had also used some forms of less advanced recording systems in rooms of the White House. It seems like an invasion of privacy for the workers, but I do understand the former presidents concern for checking up on their workers’ loyalty to their country and superior. Another interesting fact I learned about Watergate was that there was a night called the “Saturday Night Massacre” because Nixon’s attorney general and his immediate subordinate resigned as a sign of protest after Nixon fired Archibald Cox. I was proud that two people who had been working for Nixon decided to do what they knew was right instead of what was easy. In the end, Richard Nixon escapes his impeachment by resigning, but still receives justice for his actions by being thought of as a dishonest, immoral man even after his death.
It appears that we had nearly the same reaction and thoughts on Nixon and the Watergate Scandal. We all like to think of the President of our country as being the noblest of us all, and Nixon surely destroyed that image that many must have had of him. We all saw the true image of President Nixon in the recordings of the White house, in which he was foolishly caught in his own ploy attempting a cover up, and conspiring to blackmail. I also agree with you that Nixon should not have been put in a position where he could abuse that kind of power in the first place. Part of this is America's fault for electing President Nixon into office. He seemed very two-faced, but I suppose America only saw the good face of him. Finally, I agree with you that unfortunately, Nixon will be remembered most prominently for his involvement in Watergate.
Sriram- Yea I would have to agree that my perspective of Richard Nixon has changed greatly after reading this chapter. I always knew of Watergate, but I was unaware of Nixon’s personality. I also agree that the audiotapes did more harm than good for Nixon. I am pretty sure he hated himself for putting it the White House. I was also amazed that he had his own security unit, the Plumbers to take care of the dirty stuff that needs to stay out of the news. I also agree that he should have been more careful about what he said in the office. I mean the dude knew that his conversations were being recorded. It is rather disappointing that his name will always be tainted with Watergate.
The thesis for this chapter can vary anywhere from "Nixon was not very bright to end up entrapping himself in audio tapes he insisted upon" to "the political irony (republican Sanders) that ended up forcing Nixon to abdicate the Presidency was a well deserved wake up call to the American public." To use Morgan Summers word, the "two-faced" president provided a shock to the nation. When one compares his speeches to the tapes, especially the ones that don't appear to be altered, we see two very different people; one caring and well spoken, the other egotistical,foul-mouthed, and slightly antisemitic. Previously, i had not taken the time to think that some of the infamous tapes could be purposefully planted to put forth a certain image of Nixon and the rest of his cabinet. If anything these questionable tapes, "lacking candor" and sincerity, only prove Nixon's guilt. Anger arises when i realize how he misused his presidential influence for political gain. At the partial judge in the Sacco case felt he was doing the country a service, and not self serving himself. I think, despite whatever international embarrassment it would have brought upon America, Nixon should have been criminally prosecuted and convicted. Why does Nixon, and many in power, get to misuse this power without being brought to justice. While reading this chapter i reminisced on the idea of time capsule videos and if current presidents still record there conversations. The former because i wonder how those videos will be interpreted in the future, will they understand the context and circumstances that the tapes were left in. Will they use these tapes to make a stereotype of that specific time and place. Concerning the latter, I would like to hear the current and last presidents' uncensored and unplanned words about policy, war, and economics. I found this chapter a bit confusing as compared to the other chapters, probably because i knew less on this subject than on the other two chapters (i wish someone had explained this earlier). I like how in this chapter the author mentions that Watergate is "Nixon at his worst." it is wise for us, and historians around the world, to note that Nixon was one of the best foreign policy presidents in USA history. I hope that the ALL the tapes telling of his presidency (and the ones from other presidents) will be released sooner rather than later. I will not be keeping audio tapes on myself.
The thesis for this chapter can vary anywhere from "Nixon was not very bright to end up entrapping himself in audio tapes he insisted upon" to "the political irony (republican Sanders) that ended up forcing Nixon to abdicate the Presidency was a well deserved wake up call to the American public." To use Morgan Summers word, the "two-faced" president provided a shock to the nation. When one compares his speeches to the tapes, especially the ones that don't appear to be altered, we see two very different people; one caring and well spoken, the other egotistical,foul-mouthed, and slightly antisemitic. Previously, i had not taken the time to think that some of the infamous tapes could be purposefully planted to put forth a certain image of Nixon and the rest of his cabinet. If anything these questionable tapes, "lacking candor" and sincerity, only prove Nixon's guilt. Anger arises when i realize how he misused his presidential influence for political gain. At the partial judge in the Sacco case felt he was doing the country a service, and not self serving himself. I think, despite whatever international embarrassment it would have brought upon America, Nixon should have been criminally prosecuted and convicted. Why does Nixon, and many in power, get to misuse this power without being brought to justice. While reading this chapter i reminisced on the idea of time capsule videos and if current presidents still record there conversations. The former because i wonder how those videos will be interpreted in the future, will they understand the context and circumstances that the tapes were left in. Will they use these tapes to make a stereotype of that specific time and place. Concerning the latter, I would like to hear the current and last presidents' uncensored and unplanned words about policy, war, and economics. I found this chapter a bit confusing as compared to the other chapters, probably because i knew less on this subject than on the other two chapters (i wish someone had explained this earlier). I like how in this chapter the author mentions that Watergate is "Nixon at his worst." it is wise for us, and historians around the world, to note that Nixon was one of the best foreign policy presidents in USA history. I hope that the ALL the tapes telling of his presidency (and the ones from other presidents) will be released sooner rather than later. I will not be keeping audio tapes on myself.
The thesis for this chapter can vary anywhere from "Nixon was not very bright to end up entrapping himself in audio tapes he insisted upon" to "the political irony (republican Sanders) that ended up forcing Nixon to abdicate the Presidency was a well deserved wake up call to the American public." To use Morgan Summers word, the "two-faced" president provided a shock to the nation. When one compares his speeches to the tapes, especially the ones that don't appear to be altered, we see two very different people; one caring and well spoken, the other egotistical,foul-mouthed, and slightly antisemitic. Previously, i had not taken the time to think that some of the infamous tapes could be purposefully planted to put forth a certain image of Nixon and the rest of his cabinet. If anything these questionable tapes, "lacking candor" and sincerity, only prove Nixon's guilt. Anger arises when i realize how he misused his presidential influence for political gain. At the partial judge in the Sacco case felt he was doing the country a service, and not self serving himself. I think, despite whatever international embarrassment it would have brought upon America, Nixon should have been criminally prosecuted and convicted. Why does Nixon, and many in power, get to misuse this power without being brought to justice. While reading this chapter i reminisced on the idea of time capsule videos and if current presidents still record there conversations. The former because i wonder how those videos will be interpreted in the future, will they understand the context and circumstances that the tapes were left in. Will they use these tapes to make a stereotype of that specific time and place. Concerning the latter, I would like to hear the current and last presidents' uncensored and unplanned words about policy, war, and economics. I found this chapter a bit confusing as compared to the other chapters, probably because i knew less on this subject than on the other two chapters (i wish someone had explained this earlier). I like how in this chapter the author mentions that Watergate is "Nixon at his worst." it is wise for us, and historians around the world, to note that Nixon was one of the best foreign policy presidents in USA history. I hope that the ALL the tapes telling of his presidency (and the ones from other presidents) will be released sooner rather than later. I will not be keeping audio tapes on myself.
Breaking Into Watergate I believe the thesis of Breaking into Watergate is that Nixon's bad decisions eventually lead to the destruction of the American population's faith in its government and the perfection of the Presidential office. The Watergate scandal was one of the most humiliating events in America's history, and should by no means be ignored;for it lectures society on the repercussions one's actions can have on something bigger than himself. Richard Nixon's actions reflected poorly on not only himself but what he represented. Nixon represented all of America's presidents when he was sworn into office. America's president is supposed to be person of noble beliefs, who puts the good of his country before himself. Nixon completely disregarded this responsibility. When he ordered the infiltration of Watergate, he relinquished everything he stood for in America. If his betrayal of his people was not bad enough, he often condemned and spoke poorly of differing religions and ethnicity. One can only wonder how someone of such poor character and morals managed to acquire the Presidential office. It is as much an insult to the American citizens as it is to Nixon's candidacy. The citizens of America were persuaded by Nixon into voting for a poor presidential candidate similarly to the way that Hitler took control of Germany. Nixon's original plans for the tape recordings were to exonerate him in case a political rival decided to challenge a certain statement he made. I do not understand why Nixon would say such incriminating things on tape, when his initial desires were to use them strictly clear his name. It is not only ironic that Nixon's tapes were used to incriminate him not exonerate him, but the infiltration of Watergate was also ultimately unnecessary. Nixon's victory was most definitely going to be clear and precise. The American public held so much vehemence towards Nixon that they even turned on Ford after his decision to pardon Nixon. Nixon's mistakes can now only be learned from and hopefully never repeated.
-Caleb I can definitely relate to your amusement over the fact that Nixon's tapes, originally meant for good, lead to his ultimate downfall. I also believe that your thesis statement is spot on and reflects the general idea of the whole chapter. Nixon's own arrogance lead to a humiliating scandal that affected something bigger than himself. He greedily rushed into a situation that could hardly result in anything greater than failure. It makes you wonder if America would have been better off not knowing about the scandal. In that case, at least American's trust in our government would be notably more resilient.
In my opinion, the thesis of Chapter 15: Breaking into Watergate is not about the kind of man Richard Nixon was or how his idea to tape White House conversations ricocheted, but that the historical evidence provided in the tapes does not reveal all there is to know about Nixon’s involvement in the Watergate scandal and his secret, misunderstood personality. When the American public first got a hold of the tapes and all the information they possessed, they were ecstatic. Not only would they have the chance to know exactly what part Nixon played in the Watergate scandal, they would be able to enter into the world of Nixon’s somewhat mysterious and withdrawn personality. The initial response of the investigators and the public was that the tapes would provide them with all the information they needed to judge Nixon on his involvement with the Plumbers, as well as the extent of his participation in the rest of the scandal. Besides, the tapes would reveal everything, wouldn’t they? In this chapter, the authors are trying to prove that, while the tapes did provide investigators with a great amount of needed information, they are not a source of complete and pure insight into the life of Richard Nixon. For instance, in the tape that recorded President Nixon with Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and Kissinger on June 17, 1971 it appears obvious to the uninformed listener that Nixon and his men are up to some kind of unprecedented evil and plan to enforce an urgent break-in and robbery. Only with the help of an informed historian can the uninformed listener know the real meaning behind Nixon’s words, which is exactly what historian Stanly Kutler did with this very tape. Although the tape provides the listener with an idea as to what the President’s intentions are, one needs a historian to put the conversation into context. Without a historian to put the conversation into context, the uninformed listener is liable to either let their imagination wander a little too far or jump to conclusions too quickly regarding the information given to them in the tape. Furthermore, since the President knew that he was constantly being recorded, it is very likely that he could fake his attitude or planned actions in order to appear innocent in case the tapes ever fell into the hands of the American public. Since the tapes cannot always reveal the absolute truth and fill all the gaps surrounding Nixon and his involvement in The Watergate Scandal, at least they can finally reveal the truth about his mysterious and misunderstood personality, right? Wrong. Although the tapes could be a potential window into President Nixon, they are not a source of perfect truth. Once again, Nixon, knowing that he was always being taped, could have curbed his attitude and personality in order to appear pleasing and righteous in case the public ever got a hold of the tapes. Furthermore, there are still thoughts and opinions that Nixon may have chosen to never express to anyone at all, so to judge him totally on what he appears to be on tape can never completely reveal what was really going on inside Richard Nixon’s mind. What I’m trying to say, and what I believe the chapter is trying to say, is that, although the tapes provide us with enough evidence to support Nixon’s involvement in the Watergate scandal and reveal a good deal about his personality, they are not a source of complete and honest truth. Without being put into context, the tapes could pretty much mean anything and seemingly reveal everything. All in all, the tapes are not solid historical documents, and should therefore be taken a little more lightly.
The thesis of "Breaking into Watergate" is that the government will never be completely honest, and it does not matter how high in ranking the person is they can always be corrupt. I am referring to President Nixon at the time. The public saw him as a great leader and a father to our country. What they did not know was that he was a scandalous. Before reading this book, I knew very little about the Watergate Scandal. Now, after reading these twenty-five pages I feel like I know all there is to know about it. The public knew about the idea of the new tapes in the White House, but did not hear what was on the tapes. After Nixon did not want the taped in public, I believe that the public knew something valuable was on these tapes. What the public did not know was that once these tapes were out that that was the beginning of the investigation. Some would call this the beginning of the end. Nixon was a great scandalous; by reading one paragraph in this book anyone could tell that. He used anything he could to get the public to sympathize him. I was surprised that he used his pay, family, and even his dog to get this sympathy. One thing I was most surprised about was that he had his wife pretend like he should not talk about these things, while in fact she was actually just trying to help him out by getting more sympathy. One cannot read this passage and not see the irony within it. In an analogy, Nixon had a gun, but he did not think the gun was good enough so he customized it to the best it could be. After he had used this gun, he then tried to clean it but killed himself while doing so. This analogy refers to the tapes Nixon had and made them better, but in the end the tapes lead to his downfall or "death." I believe, Nixon thought the public would not think he was guilty because he had made the tapes better. But this plan did not work for Nixon because he was associated with the Watergate Scandal. Nixon had the public running circles trying to figure him out. I think this was all in his plan so no one would no the truth. This plan, however, worked because still today no one knows the absolute truth on President Nixon.
Breaking into Watergate Chapter 15 thesis: I think that the thesis of this chapter is that when you try to do something underhanded in order to get ahead, it will most likely backfire on you. Richard Nixon was thought to be an honest and trustworthy man; however this was clearly not the case. The thing that shocked me the most was Richard Nixon was his blatant racism. How can a man that has sworn to protect and lead people, be expected to do so if he hates them? I don’t believe that he was in the KKK. The organization was not active at the time of his presidency and he was too young to have been involved in it in its prime. The other factor that I was not aware of was the recording system that he had put into the White House. This seems like a bad move for someone who is going to attempt a burglary. Nixon basically put himself in position for his downfall. Nixon wouldn’t release these tapes until he was put under an enormous amount of pressure. The fact that there is a twenty minute gap missing is evidence that the tapes have been edited. Tampering with evidence is also a crime. I think that if this sort of stuff happened thirty years ago, why can’t it happen today? Today we have more threats to our nation than ever. There’s Al Qaida for instance. What if someone was involved with Al Qaida and somebody had evidence of their dealings? If the evidence was released but it had been tampered with there would be an outrage among our nation’s population. But, if it were our president (any president) there still be anger, but no one would be able to convict him of treason because there would be an excuse for the break. Nixon wasn’t involved with a threat with our nation’s security; he was just trying to beat out a political opponent. When I picture a president, I think of someone who protects his country, is honest, and not a thief. Nixon could not be accused of opening our doors to terrorists, but he can be accused of being a liar and a thief. I didn’t know much about Watergate, but what I have learned from this book has certainly opened my eyes to a world of lies and deceit that I never thought a president of our nation would be the center of.
In the chapter “Breaking into Watergate”, I began to notice an underlying thesis deeper than any historical meaning. When we think of presidents, we think of powerful leaders, a “model citizen”, who should exemplify the perfect American. The thesis of this chapter is that however we may view Richard Nixon or any president in general for that matter; they are human and not perfect. This chapter talked a lot about the contrasts between a “public Nixon” and a “private Nixon” and the fact that no one knew which side was the legitimate Nixon. However, I didn’t really like how they compared the sides of Nixon as almost two different people, seeing as how he is the same person. There was a statement in the chapter, “We fine tune the presentation of our outward selves depending on whether we are in the company of a mentor, a parent, a pastor, or a lover.” In my opinion, this is about the only statement in the whole chapter that can be proven true time and time again. The transcripts of the tapes can be interpreted ten ways of Sunday, his statements and comments could have been doctored, incriminating evidence removed, and whether or not he actually was in direct control of the Watergate break-in will always be very hard to prove. The public was shocked when they released the transcripts and became infuriated about some of his crude comments and rude statements. But I would like to pose the fact that they may not have been so upset about his rude behavior, but because the tapes showed the side of Nixon the public didn’t want to see; the “private Nixon” who didn’t sugarcoat everything. The Nixon that was not perfect. This chapter taught me a lot about the scandal that I didn’t know before. To be such a national problem, I was very uneducated in the facts relating to it. This showed that Nixon had a motif to get the Watergate papers, and I believe that his insistence the papers be taken could somewhat assure he was guilty of other crimes; either minor or major. I believe the tapes did provide a window to the Real Nixon; one who was speaking in the confidence of his friends and close businessmen; not one at a press conference or public outing. Another part of the chapter I found intriguing would be the actually writing of the transcripts from the tapes. It was shocking to see how some could copy the story and have missing pieces; and yet some could fill in the spaces with what they fought the conversation was about. Overall, Nixon displayed in many ways that he was guilty of his crime and deserved to be impeached. This happening does not make me see Nixon as a bad man; however, he was just a man who could not live up the standards of an “American President.” If he knew he had to break laws to get his desired results, what man wouldn’t be bitter about that?
James Tyson, I agree with all that you said. the fact that this man used every available resource to gain sympathy points makes him seem more guilty than he already does. the only thing I feel sorry about is how desperate this man is.
I agree with your post, President Nixon had two sides. In the eyes of the public, he was the ideal politician, intelligent and politically knowledgeable. When accused of receiving illegal reimbursements for his political expenses, Vice-President Nixon gave his “Checkers” speech. In this speech, Nixon appealed to the American people as a modest family man who had been given a dog and because he loved his children would not return the gift. Yet, according to the tapes, President Nixon was not at all this man. He repeatedly voiced anti-Semitism remarks and feelings. James raises an interesting point. If President Nixon spoke so fervently against Jewish Americans and their religion, then how could the American citizens assure themselves that he was not as fervently prejudiced against other races and religions? Obviously, President Nixon was not afraid to voice his feelings about such things in front of his aides and his tape system. James, I am very glad you shared this viewpoint because I really had not thought that deeply into Nixon’s anti-Semitism remarks. For most people, myself included, the focus of Watergate is the break-in and tapes related to that activity.
The thesis of Breaking Into Watergate is that Chapter 15 shows that having a secret taping system in the White House proved disadvantageous and helped heighten the drama of Watergate. I liked this chapter a lot because unlike every other account of Watergate I understood this one. It made a complicated story a lot simpler and helped to break it down. It showed the president is human. One thought that ran through my mind was why anyone would want their private conversations taped. I can understand that keeping a record could prove useful if it was certain that nobody else would ever hear the tapes, but I would never feel comfortable speaking if I knew it was being recorded. I would be much more likely to filter my words and speak in a way that would make me look better. Clearly Nixon was fine speaking his mind into a microphone. I would have thought he would have the taping system turned off at least for conversations condoning illegal activity. If I was Nixon, I would have been highly offended at having my own recording system used against me. Even a man as public as the president deserves some privacy. I hate how the tapes capture a darker side of Nixon that was never seen. Not only did they incriminate the president, they also made him look completely vulgar. Everyone has moments where they feel strongly about something and come across as harsh or cruel. Nixon had strong feelings about some things, like getting into Brookings; he expressed these feelings through strong language. Though he plotted a course of illegal action to advance himself, Nixon was not an all-bad man. The only excerpts used from the tapes provided a foul image of Nixon, and I would be very interested to hear more of what he said. He could not have always talked like that if he managed to get himself into office. Through Watergate, Nixon was trying to advance himself. He wanted to be able to pull the strings with the Democrats. He was clearly often focused on having the upper hand in situations since he also wanted to blackmail Johnson. I think a lot of politicians try to beat out their opponents in this manner. By knowing what the other is going to say, it is easier to prepare an argument against them. Knowing that Nixon would use such tactics to advance the Republican party makes me have less respect for him. If he had been more confident in his own abilities he probably would not have been considering blackmail or spies as a way to win. Clearly Nixon had some political skill without illegal activity. His “Checkers Speech” gained him public support despite the criticism. I think this was the best possible way for Nixon to defend his secret campaign fund. It showed him as a man of humble means who had a family behind him. At the same time, I do not agree with all the money that is poured into campaigns. These days a ton of money is passed beneath the table in order to support candidates. It is my opinion that political campaigns should downsize. Instead of spending millions on advertisements, suits, and buttons, candidates should simply give speeches. I feel like this would make people listen to the actual words of the candidate instead of knowing that he represents a certain party or that he looks the nicest. Spending less money would show that the candidate does not want to waste America’s funds, and with less waste maybe taxes could be cut back.
Emily Espy, I agree with you whole-heartedly. I especially agree that this book was the first one that ever made Watergate clear to me. All the other times I have read about it I got confused and did not understand even the basics of what happened. This book allowed me to understand everything clearly. I also think Nixon was two-face, as are many other people. I find that to be very unfortunate. It is easier for me to feel compassion for someone who is mean all the time than someone who is nice in your presence then cruel when your back is turned. I agree that America needs someone who has a good heart to be our president. Strong morals are important to me, and I feel like having a leader with strong morals would help the country to mirror such values. I also think Nixon proved his own guilt by not wanting to release the tapes. If they had been proof of his innocence he would have volunteered them up without even being asked. I find it ironic that Sanders brought up the idea of there being tapes in order to proove Nixon's innocence when the tapes actually concluded that he was guilty.
James La Russa said, Tracy, I agree with you completely that this chapter created an environment of understanding for all who read it. This chapter summarized many of the events which occured and also helped me to understand what particular Nixon did break. I also agree with Tracy that it is overly comical, the way that Nixon beat himself out of his presidential seat, for his tapes were used against him by his own political party. Unfortunately, this nation was not ruled by this corrupt man much after his rascist remarkes were heard all over the country.
Government is corrupt. This is what I have been noticing after reading these three chapters. Chapter fifteen was probably my favorite because, until now, history books do not give much insight into this subject. The Watergate Scandal made America look foolish, since our elected leader is suppose to represent our values and principles. President Richard Nixon easily fooled many Americans, many thought of Nixon as humble, reaching all of the requirements for being a great president. However, the citizens of America were deceived. Nixon consequently showed the country his real side through his tapes. The American public were stunned to see the vindictive, small-minded personality of their once believed to be great leader. I believe the thesis of this chapter is to be, people can be easily deceived by the exterior view of our political leaders. Also, there is the ironic theme that what Nixon thought would be beneficial to him, in actuality, the recording system in his office turned out to be the beginning of his defamation. In my opinion, Nixon should have been worrying about other details instead of being concerned with his re-election. Also, millions of dollars are wasted away every election year to gain supporters. This money could be used to help find much more valuable things such as the following: a cure for cancer, saving the environment, or funding research for the creation of more medicine. Watergate has become synonymous with abuse of power. Nixon abused his role as president to try to cover up the White House’s involvement with the break in to the Watergate Hotel. The abuse of power was also evident by attempting to set the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency against one another. After reading this, my opinion of Nixon had completely shifted. At first, I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but turning his own agencies against one another to cover up such a scandal was a just imprudent. Nixon, after being pushed by the House Judiciary Committee left office on August 9, 1974. Before the summer of 1972, Watergate meant nothing to the citizens of America. It merely was a luxurious hotel used by the Democratic office. However, it became the focus of 1973 until 1974 after a “third-rate burglary.” As one of the greatest political scandals ever, Watergate, ruined many lives and reputations, forever changing the life of President Richard Nixon.
Trey Flynn Thesis of Chapter 15: Richard Nixon’s involvement in the conspiracy of Watergate has completely altered Americans’ perception of government to one of constant suspicion by the American people of political motives. Despite Watergate’s profound effect on the American political system, the absolute nature of the conspiracy remains undetected. The missing segments of the Watergate tapes continue to raise suspicions of Nixon’s role in the conspiracy. When analyzing the portions of the tape included in the transcript, Nixon is identified behind a reasonable doubt as aware of the operations and in favor of continuing the effort. This has always puzzled me because if his guilt is already established, then what could be included in the missing tapes that had to have been destroyed? I do not personally adhere to the theory in the movie JFK that both Nixon and Lyndon B. Johnson were in knowledge of the plans of the assassination of John F. Kennedy before its occurrence, but I remain suspicious as to the tapes’ content. Through its shocking revelation of a presidency corrupted by fear of lost office, Watergate marks one of the most damaging and embarrassing moments in American history. The lasting effects have completely shattered the relationship of trust between elected officials and citizens, and created a sense of paranoia to avoid any corruption from penetrating our country’s oval office ever again. The extent to which Davidson and Lytle analyze the Watergate transcript provides the reader with a connection between relevant portions of the tapes that is not offered when reading the transcript alone. The tapes revealed Nixon’s profane nature and vulgar outlook on the American public mocking how easily they can be deceived. Nixon’s careless comments on people of color and other religions are also startling coming from a man in knowledge of the recording system. Since Watergate, I feel the office of the president has been somewhat restored to represent a respectable office worthy of the American public’s faithful support. Nixon’s mishap is the biggest publicly known blunder ever for a president of the U.S., and his mistake has made every president since the constant victim of public scrutiny. However, such scrutiny can be considered a beneficial system of keeping any such mistake from being made ever again. Even though Nixon was ousted and publically humiliated for his crimes and his sleaziness, the public has acknowledged that political campaigns are dirty business, and that Nixon’s reputation should not be completely dominated by Watergate.
The thesis of “Chapter 15: Breaking into Watergate” is that the Watergate scandal provided more information than just a president’s political mistakes, but it delved into a president’s behavior to uncover his mysterious ways. The chapter demonstrates this thesis by using none other than President Richard Nixon. Although I have repeatedly heard of the Watergate scandal in history class and have read about it in history books, I could never truly define the Watergate scandal. I was so glad this chapter was assigned because I finally learned the truth behind Watergate and what a big deal it was in history. By reading the section “Presidential Tapes,” I learned a lot about the secrets of the White House. I never knew that there were recording systems installed in the White House. It is scary, as a citizen of this country, to not know what goes on inside the oval office. I thought that Nixon was the first president to be busted with use of a recording system, but I learned many presidents before Nixon practiced the same secret technology. However, Nixon was said to “not simply mirror his predecessors.” Unlike earlier systems, Nixon’s recording system turned on automatically every time someone spoke. Because of how extreme his recording system was, Nixon found it impossible to get out of the Watergate scandal. He had no reason why he recorded every meeting and conversation which took place in the White House. This sketchy habit led historians and politicians to dive deeper into the case to see what Nixon was doing and planning behind closed doors. More than anything else, I saw this chapter as an analysis of Nixon’s behavior and personality in public and in secret. Through the course of the story, Nixon is seen as several different types of people. It seems dangerous to have a president leading your country who is guilty of multi-personalities. He has been defined as “the humble man of modest means,” a “whiner,” and the “new” Nixon. Before reading this chapter, I had no clue about Nixon’s personality. I was surprised to find out from Henry Kissinger that Nixon “didn’t enjoy people.” Like me, Kissinger questions why Nixon went into politics. It is very rare for a politician not to enjoy crowds. Nixon is very mysterious to me. His tapes from Watergate uncover him as “vindictive, vulgar, and small-minded.” Although there is a question of to whether the Nixon discovered on the tapes is the “real” Nixon, I would agree that it was. Nixon was never comfortable, and often changed himself to please the public. I believe the way to find out who a person truly is, you watch him and listen to him when he has no clue others can see or hear him. What I took away from this chapter is that you can never know who a person truly is, especially in politics. From seeing what happened to Nixon, I hope all politicians were taught that uncovering a big secret can completely ruin your reputation.
Chapter 15 “Breaking into Watergate” tells the story of how recorders in the White House showed President Richard Nixon being a completely different man then what he appeared to be in public. When I first read the title of the selection, I honestly had never heard of the Watergate scandal but after reading, I know a lot more than what I might have picked up from a history textbook. Of all the selections we had to read, this one in particular was probably my favorite because it is the most recent and is written in a way in which you can easily understand what exactly happened in the Watergate scandal. The recorded tapes picked up the major role of Nixon in the Watergate trial which proved him guilty and provided the last piece of evidence prosecutors needed. The scandalous Nixon went to the extremes to find out information about his political opponents that would make him appear to be the better candidate; however, this turned out to be not what Nixon expected and cost him his Presidential position. While I was reading this selection, it surprised me that the leader of our country was such a selfish and dishonest man. I don’t understand how a person like him could be elected into office. It is ironic to know that Nixon installed a new voice activated recording system that started up when someone spoke. Nixon’s predecessor, Lyndon B. Johnson, also had recorders during his presidency but weren’t as technically advanced as the voice activated system Nixon installed. One historian, Michael Beschloss, noted that Johnson’s tapes were significant because they “allow us to listen in on an American presidency from beginning to end.” Unlike Johnson’s tapes, the Nixon tapes were evidence that he was not the image the American public had in mind. Because of these recordings, historians have a personal view of everything that was said and done in the Oval Office. They can distinguish not only the language but the intensity, tone, pronunciation, and other features of sound. Although these taped do reveal a lot, they do not tell the whole story without other evidence to back it up. The author believes that Nixon acts differently around different people which I tend to agree with. Some people do act differently around different groups of people sometimes to stand out or fit in. Instead of trying to blackmail his political enemies, Nixon should have spent his valuable time focusing on the ways to improve the American way of life. Overall, this chapter opened my eyes to the real President Nixon as seen behind closed doors.
Thesis of Chapter 15, “Breaking into Watergate:” Public perceptions of government officials are altered due to Richard Nixon and his involvement in the Watergate scandal. Before reading this chapter, I was unaware of what exactly happened. In my many years of schooling, I have never been presented with such a wealth of information about this topic as presented in this one chapter. All I knew was that the scandal had something to do with breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters, but that virtually all I knew about the subject. Little did I know, an automatic audio recording system was put in place during Nixon’s presidency. Eventually, this recorder led to Nixon getting busted in connection with a White House conspiracy that rocked the boat and tipped it over. After word of the scandal got out, citizens in every state were shocked to see the other side of their beloved president. Word also got out that Nixon was “small minded, vindictive and vulgar.” This just added to the surprise that Americans awoke to. It is somewhat amusing to think that Nixon decided that the recording system would be beneficial to the workings of the White House, when it actually led to his downfall. His downfall being his attempted cover up operation that was put into action in an effort to conceal the White House’s involvement in breaking into the Democratic National Committee’ s headquarters in Watergate office complex. Because of the audio recording system in the Oval Office, it was made clear what Nixon and his constituents were up to. Nixon was very concerned with being re elected, which is his main reasoning for covering up the break-in… obviously that wouldn’t look good to the citizens. Eventually, Nixon resigned though he denied any involvement in the issue. I, as well as many of my fellow classmates, feel that Nixon had complete knowledge as to what was going on with the break-in and preceding cover-up operation. In the end, Nixon still got the bigger end of the stick as he was pardoned by the new President, Gerald Ford.
Republican Richard Nixon’s scandalous presidency was centralized around the Watergate scandal during the 1970s, which ultimately led to the resignation of the thirty-seventh president of the United States. Although the secret tapes seemed to be a good idea at the time, end the end, the tapes led to Nixon’s collapse as a respectable, trustworthy politician. As president of the United States of America, most people automatically would think of him as man with top-notch trustworthiness, honesty, and overall integrity, but the public eventually considered him to be more corrupt and immoral than they expected. Although I have vaguely studied the Watergate scandal during my earlier years of schooling, Davidson and Lytle use greater detail and more facts, which elucidates all of the components that came together to form the reprehensible Watergate scandal. All of the time that I have known about the scandal, I never really understood why the president would take such a giant risk to merely listen to conversations between members of the opposing political party. The Watergate scandal began with a break-in into the Democratic National Convention and the installation of numerous tapes and recording cameras around doors and walls. Surprisingly, President Richard Nixon was related to the break-ins because he was obtaining secret information concerning conversations between members of the Democratic Party. In my opinion, this whole situation seems to be silly and foolish; it definitely does not seem like something the president of the United States would do. As I read this chapter, I could not help to think of how the American population reacted during that time period; for instance, if our president, Barack Obama, has been immorally obtaining information, I would be astounded yet almost embarrassed to know that someone that well respected could act that childish. Not only did our president corruptly hack into the Democratic Convention, but he also deliberately lied about his affiliation with the scandal as a whole. The audiotapes obviously did more damage to Richard Nixon than it benefited him. He continuously refused to hand over the tape recordings to Congress or in court; during this time, he attempted to rebuild his reputation as a determined politician. Richard Nixon finally revealed the tapes and recordings to the public after the Supreme Court ordered him to do so. Although he had a good reputation as a leader in foreign policy, his reputation as a respectable politician was quickly destroyed.
Their is one phrase that always applies to American politics: Watergate Scandal. Almost everyone in America has heard it. Everyone knows that it is the even that ended Nixon's presidency. What everyone doesn't know is that Nixon incriminated himself. The famous Watergate tapes are tapes of the President from inside the Oval Office, where he thought he could safely confide in his trusted assistants. Little did he know that the tapes he hoped to use for future memoirs would be his very downfall. The first thing that I though of after reading about Nixon is that Nixon was a complete idiot. Why would you record incriminating evidence? Why not shut off the recorder while doing things that could hurt your reputation? I understood why he would want to record important moments, but why should he reveal to anyone he had a taping system? That seemed to me like his first flaw. Obviously, not shutting them off when doing things that were illegal was his second flaw. Ironically, the thing he was using to preserve his legacy ended up destroying his legacy. He was a completely different person behind closed doors. In public, he was an honorable, moral, ethical man. In private, he was vulgar, unethical, and immoral. Seeing this sharp contrast between Nixon's personalities makes me wonder about all the other president's that we have had and currently had. What is Obama like behind closed doors? Is he the same man he wants us to believe he is? This calls into question the morals and ethics of every president. I also wonder if any of the more modern presidents have taping systems in the Oval Office. I really would like to see what these people are really like. Nixon was one of the most respectable presidents in public, but to see him as a foul mouthed, racist man is a complete change. I liked seeing how they used excerpts from the tapes used against Nixon. Ironically, it seemed like he tried to set up some sections of the tape to make him look better. He claimed that the wire tapping was "legal." I was intrigued at the sections that were omitted for "National Security." I really started to wonder about what the excerpts mentioned. It is these kinds of things that really make me wonder about what the government is actually doing. Why would they be wire tapping in the early 1970s? No matter what, the government will always control what we know. Despite the fact that they released the full tapes, some sections will never reach the eyes of the citizens. Some things we will just never know.
Bryce, You seemed to defend Richard Nixon and say that it was all right for his actions to be that morally low. I agree with you that he should not be considered a bad man just because of his scandalous actions. Your quote about him not living up to the normal standards of an “American President” really caught my attention. I personally believe that our presidents should possess the greatest sense of responsibility since they assumed the position of the most respected person in our country. You acted as if it did not matter that Nixon acted as two different men: publicly or privately. He should display the same behavior no matter who is watching him.
Chapter 15 of After the Fact showed me Nixon’s guilt and interesting fact about the Watergate Scandal. Before reading this chapter, I thought all this incident was about the taping of the Democratic Party’s phones. I now understand that this scandal also included the apartments of members of the Democratic Party being broken into. I also knew Nixon took no responsibility for any of the Watergate Scandal. In this chapter, I found that Nixon as I thought took no responsibility and he claimed to not know about any of the action that took place. This chapter was of great interest of mine because of the eye opening amount of people the scandal involved stated by the author. I previously thought that just five or six of the GOP leaders were involved but I was sadly mistaken. I also found that the author showed that the tapes did not necessarily convict or show the innocence of the GOP in case of the Watergate scandal. The tapes have to be used as evidence but it also has to be understood that the tapes could be doctored. Nixon and his men may have known the tapes could be used as evidence so they could have said things to disguise their crime. The tapes did show however certainly the president was no perfect and innocent man. They showed him to be vulgar and racist at times proving that he was unfit to be the leader of the United States as it is the melting pot of the world. The tapes also showed his knowledge of the action of the GOP in the Watergate Scandal. They show him with full knowledge and understanding of the phone taping, the apartment break-ins, and all other action taken to help out the GOP in the coming election. The President was thus proved to be no more above the law than anyone else. The Watergate Scandal had disadvantageous effect to the GOP and America as a whole. It changed peoples view inside and out of our borders. The American people lost their trust in our notions government. The governmental officials mislead the America public and then slapped in the face by Nixon by his audacity to cheat to win. Opinions around the world were also changed for the worse. People saw the leader of the supposed best country in the world as a liar and a cheat creating animosity towards all of America.
The thesis of this chapter is that appearances can be deceiving and that those in power are never what they seem to be. This is especially true of the chapters main focal point Richard Nixon and the watergate Scandal. This scandal forever changed America. Presidents were cast down from their kingly status to mere politicians. The presidency was undermined. Watergate however did provide a peek into the way the president really acted and thought. This was due to the secret recordings that Nixon kept of himself. I find that to be fairly stupid on his part. Of course other recordings are also revealed such as the ones about JFK. Regarding the tapes, I am baffled as to why Nixon took the large risk of recording everything he said. This risk didn't pay off at all, and Nixon wound up incriminating himself. I found myself being disgusted as to the kind of man Nixon really was. He was hotheaded and racist. He didn't deserve the presidency and the honor that came with it. He threw the office of president into the fire. I was disgusted as to the fact that Nixon seemed to commit more then one crime by sending in his secret force called the Plumbers. This not only hurt him, but made the American public distrust the presidency that much more. One thing that I find interesting though is the taping system itself. I am also surprised to find out how previous president also kept recordings of themslves. Nixon, though, took this to a whole new level. He placed the system all over the white house and made it voice activated as to record all of his conversations. These tapes of course provided insight to the everyday life of the presidency. It also showed a good point by the author that I agree with, that people are different around different people. This points to Nixon. Around the public, he was shy, reluctant, and humble. Around his aids however, he was a loud mouthed, racist man that belittled those around him. I dislike people that in essence fool the American public to believing one thing and doing the next. He is like many politicians in this part. Nixon has become one of my least favorite presidents and this chapter has revealed much to show how awful a president he really was. The president should be a man that leads by integrity. The president should be the leader of a nation and not involved in petty things such as Nixon was. Nixon will always live in infamy for his scandalous ways and abuse of power. Hopefully he will be a reminder to future presidents so history doesn't repeat itself.
I agree on many of the points you made about Nixon and Watergate. My view of Nixon has also changed greatly from this chapter. I never knew he possessed such a temper and how he tried to hide his true self from the public. I also coudn't believe he had his own secret force to commit these crimes he planned. This is something the president of this nation should never do. He was truely a digrace to the office. I also wondered why he wasn't more careful with his words around the many recording devices he implemented around the White House.
ALAN GUAN The Watergate incident truly marked the history of the nation with corruption within the government itself enlightening the people about the true nature of the government. When thinking of scandals, the Watergate is the first thing that pops up in my head. The government itself is run by humans who have natural human inclinations such as coveting, lying, stealing, and the whole nine yards, so why should the people trust it? The Watergate scandal proves that even the president whom the country elected is a human who is a thief. Now, courts have shown the power to even take on politicians. The evidence used against Nixon was primarily the audio recordings that he made himself which ironically resulted to his downfall. The idea of audio recording is a splendid idea, but it has some moral consequences. It is a good thing to have occasionally to make memoirs or to use for reference. The moral obstruction of having an audio recorder is that it can turn a private meeting into something more public as every word spoken can be used against the speaker if the recording gets to the wrong hands. After listening to the tapes of Nixon, I found that Nixon and his crew was substantially more corrupt than I have imagined. Even when the entire nation did not corner him, Nixon still had scandalous plots consisting of mainly a blackmailing scheme. I believe that such actions are unacceptable for a leader of a nation because I prefer to have a leader whom I know will give all his efforts to get the job done and whom I can trust. Luckily, Richard Nixon is not my leader, but nevertheless, I have my doubts about the presidents who served in my lifetime. Nixon’s scandal surely raised awareness among the citizens about the corruption of the government causing many negative sentiments to come up against the government. In the end, Nixon just threw in the towel and resigned from his office which concluded the Watergate incident. In my opinion, the impeachment process is not strong enough as it is far too complex to be efficient being that Nixon escaped the fate by resigning early.
ALAN GUAN The Watergate incident truly marked the history of the nation with corruption within the government itself enlightening the people about the true nature of the government. When thinking of scandals, the Watergate is the first thing that pops up in my head. The government itself is run by humans who have natural human inclinations such as coveting, lying, stealing, and the whole nine yards, so why should the people trust it? The Watergate scandal proves that even the president whom the country elected is a human who is a thief. Now, courts have shown the power to even take on politicians. The evidence used against Nixon was primarily the audio recordings that he made himself which ironically resulted to his downfall. The idea of audio recording is a splendid idea, but it has some moral consequences. It is a good thing to have occasionally to make memoirs or to use for reference. The moral obstruction of having an audio recorder is that it can turn a private meeting into something more public as every word spoken can be used against the speaker if the recording gets to the wrong hands. After listening to the tapes of Nixon, I found that Nixon and his crew was substantially more corrupt than I have imagined. Even when the entire nation did not corner him, Nixon still had scandalous plots consisting of mainly a blackmailing scheme. I believe that such actions are unacceptable for a leader of a nation because I prefer to have a leader whom I know will give all his efforts to get the job done and whom I can trust. Luckily, Richard Nixon is not my leader, but nevertheless, I have my doubts about the presidents who served in my lifetime. Nixon’s scandal surely raised awareness among the citizens about the corruption of the government causing many negative sentiments to come up against the government. In the end, Nixon just threw in the towel and resigned from his office which concluded the Watergate incident. In my opinion, the impeachment process is not strong enough as it is far too complex to be efficient being that Nixon escaped the fate by resigning early.
Breaking into Watergate The point of this chapter is to inform readers how Nixon basically set himself up for trouble because of his use of tapes in the White House, even though they were initially not meant for anyone to hear. He thought that if anything, they might help him someday. I was very interested in this chapter because it deals with how our president abused his power and got himself into trouble. Most people would probably agree with the statement that our president should be someone we can all trust. He (or she) should be someone whose main concern is the country. Our president should be someone we can count on to do the right thing. Nixon was the opposite of that image. He was involved in a scandal, and he tried to deny it. He thought that people would take his word over the word of John Dean just because he was president. This is why he didn’t immediately release the tapes. He knew that they would prove Dean truthful. They would also show what kind of a man he was himself. By listening to the tapes, people were able to see right through his kind façade and see that he was really rude and uncaring. In public, he was careful about how he acted, as many political figures are, and he made himself out to be as respectable as possible. But when he was in private and not around as many people, he dropped the mask and used foul language and let his temper show. This chapter was able to prove another point as well as Nixon’s involvement in the Watergate scandal. In this chapter, the reader learns that certain things such as tape recordings alone cannot always prove something. When you listened to the tapes without any other document, they are confusing and it is hard to tell what the people in the tapes are talking about. When played while comparing them to other concrete evidence, they are much easier to understand. Not only this, but the actual tapes were somewhat hard to understand. Some parts of the tapes were missing, and others were unintelligible. These tapes also caused a lot of controversy. When it was let out that there were tape recordings, most of Nixon’s followers abandoned him. They thought it was wrong to record private conversations, especially if the other people didn’t know they were being taped. This leads me to another question: If these tapes were not meant to be heard by anyone else, why did they exist? I can see that they could be used to document important dates and conversations, but I don’t really think that the tapes were a good idea. If Nixon knew he was being recorded, I don’t understand why he still acted the way he did and said the things he said. I have heard the advice that if something could someday get you into trouble, don’t do it. If you are going to do it, don’t document it. Simple as that. I think that Nixon should have considered that advice.
Emily Espy, I agree with you that it was much easier to understand the Watergate scandal by reading this chapter than it ever was in a history book. This book somewhat simplified things that might have been harder to understand. I also agree that it was right for the court to demand the tapes from him because if there wasn't anything wrong on the tapes, why wouldn't he release them? His actions showed that there must have been something on the tapes that would prove him guilty. They also proved him not to be the man he pretended to be, which is a legitimate reason not to want the public to hear what was on them.
Before beginning to read chapter fifteen, “Breaking into Watergate,” I had only heard of the Watergate Scandal but didn’t know much about it. This scandal is what led to the fall of Nixon’s presidency. During Nixon’s presidency he got himself in trouble, but he thought it would actually help him later in life. When someone is elected president they should be willing to help their country and be someone that everyone can count on, but Nixon was the complete opposite. Word got out and many different things were said that shouldn’t have been said and were spread all over the country. This stirred up controversy among many people. Even though all the presidents’ conversations are recorded I personally wouldn’t be able to have my private conversations caught on tape. In a way it almost isn’t fair that every conversation has to be recorded because sometimes you may have to say something that you can’t hold back, and then when it is replayed it could turn into a whole different story. I think it would be interesting hear exactly what was said because that could probably change a lot of peoples mind about Nixon if they what was exactly said. After the break in, Nixon was nervous and concerned about being re elected for president because he had kept the break in a secret. Shortly after Nixon resigned and revealed the recorded tapes for the public to hear. His reputation as a leader was ruined and he was thought of differently because this situation occurred. Some people looked at it as he had cheated our country, so therefore he had lost respect. Maybe this situation will be a lesson learned to the presidents in the future.
Breaking into Watergate was my favorite chapter out of the three selected from the book. I enjoyed it the most because everyone was so devious which made it very interesting to read. The purpose of this chapter is to inform the reader that Nixon's sneaky plans of making the tapes eventually backfired on him and caused him to resign from being the president. It also proves that corruption can exist even in the very high positions in the government, such as the president. One of the most shocking parts of this chapter was when it mentioned all of the presidents who also used some type of tape recording system. I had no idea that Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson all made secret recordings. Reading this chapter made me realize how secretive and corrupt politicians can be. Most of them are willing to do whatever it takes to beat their opponent and keep their political power. For example, "Nixon exposed the existence of the Johnson tapes as part of his own defense" (378) after Johnson died from a heart attack in 1973. Johnson had pre-arranged for the boxes of his tapes to be sent to the Johnson Library when he died. The Library director and chief archivist were not allowed to open the box until 2023. If Nixon had not already revealed the tapes, historians would still not know the contents of Johnson's tapes. It is strange to think that the box would still not be opened for another thirteen years. Nixon thought that by exposing the tapes, people would cut him a little slack about his scandalous actions; however, "the significance of the announcement was lost in the swirl of the Watergate revelations" (379). Nixon also encouraged breaking the law. In his conversation with Kissinger and Haldeman, he orders them to break into the Brookings Institute and steal the files from the safe. A president should never encourage criminal activity. He also wanted to use the files to blackmail Johnson. It almost appears as if Nixon thought he was above the law just because he was the president. I believe that no one is above the law. It is only fair if everyone has to follow them. Nixon was not setting a good example for people all around the country. It is unbelievable how corrupt, selfish, and ruthless Nixon was around the time of the scandal. It made me really angry when Nixon used the tapes to improve his reputation. During some recorded conversations, Nixon used the tapes for his advantage. For example, in a conversation between Nixon and Kissinger, it almost seems as if Nixon is speaking to the tapes. I believe that Nixon did this because there was always that small part of him that believed the tapes would someday be revealed. Therefore, he spoke to the tapes to influence the way people would view his actions in the future. He wanted to ensure that people remembered him as a good president. Once again, he abused his power, and he also planned to make people think he was a better person than he actually was. He used the tapes to deceive the people of the United States about his true personality. Nixon's scandalous and unscrupulous ways of dealing with business at the White House makes him one of the most corrupt presidents in the history of America. Nixon will always be remembered for his association with Watergate no matter how hard he tried to cover up his connections to the scandal.
When I began reading the “Chapter 15: Breaking into Watergate,” I had little knowledge about Nixon and the Watergate Scandal. Aside from the negative public opinion the American population still holds for Richard Nixon and the understanding that the Watergate scandal involved recordings of political opponents, I essentially knew nothing. I was fascinated to discover through the chapters thesis that both the Nixon involvement in the Watergate scandal and the vulgar and vindictive Nixon exposed on tape played key roles in the tainted opinion of government officials American’s hold today. At one point, Nixon actually had a reputation as a “tough, resilient, competent, and honest politician.” He labored much of his early political career to build a friendly persona and involve himself in successful dealing of foreign affairs. Ironically, he even had one of the most advanced recording systems installed in the White House to help him maintain that excellent political image. He hoped that voice recording could aid him in the decision making process and blackmail any power that threaten to destroy his public image. This decision eventually came back to haunt him, as the very tapes he used to protect himself incriminated him in the Watergate Scandal. When Nixon was forced to relinquish the tapes, not only did they show his vulgar personality as he shouted profanity, used racial slurs, and called for White House involvement in criminal acts, but they also showed his corruption as they were present doctored and incomplete to the court. The American population was shocked by the tapes and their revelations. The upright man they had elected to lead their country was nothing like his political persona at all. Who were they supposed to trust, if the leader of their nation was corrupt? Who could they trust? Since the exposure of Nixon’s wildly different private and public lives, the American public has been more skeptical of their presidents. In recent years, the personalities of Bush and Obama have come into question. Was Bush truly as intelligent as he led others to believe? Is Obama as charismatic out of the limelight? While these presidents may make the same revealing mistakes Nixon did, Nixon’s actions will always leave the public suspicious of presidents’ morals and principles. The American public has also begun to question government conspiracy since the Nixon tapes tied the White House to criminal activity. Why had the government edited the tapes? What were they not telling the public? If Nixon was capable of burglary, what had previous government officials been capable of and what could future officials be capable of? Although I personally tend to disagree, following the Watergate scandal, some people began to suspect that the government was involved in the execution of JFK and other unsolved mysteries. They felt that the government might be withholding certain information for a political advantage. Unfortunately, while Nixon and his tapes revealed a new corrupt side of politics to an unsuspecting public, they did not change the game of politics. As the chapter points out, these tapes cannot fully explain the complexities of Nixon the man and the situations he found himself in, so the public cannot write the government off as completely corrupt. They can only question its control over information, examine its other actions, and insist its power be limited by checks and balances.
Elizabeth Maples, I agree that Nixon's mistakes should be a lesson to future president. Hopefully, the suspicion the American public now has of the government will make presidents more wary of their actions and discourage them from taking part in any more criminal activity. Additionally, I agree that recordings can be easily manipulated to portray messages far different from their original meeting. We see this every day as politically slanted news television shows edit sound bites to discredit and defame politicians. However, I do not share your sympathy for Nixon or believe his recordding are "unfair." He installed the recording system himself, and he knew when he was being recorded. If he did not want to be caught, he should have stopped recording while he discussed his criminal activities.
After reading chapter 15, "Breaking into Watergate," I've come to the conclusion that the overall thesis is to prove to Americans the evident role of President Nixon's contribution to the Watergate scandal and to show how beneficial the tapes were in proving his guiltiness to historians. As many times as I've heard about the Watergate scandal, I never could quite grasp it until I read this chapter. The Breaking into Watergate scandal is in fact the ultimate event that led to President Nixon's resignation as the thirty-seventh president. At first, I was shocked to read about Nixon playing a role in the Watergate scandal through the white house and about his resignation as president; however, my thoughts of him were completely altered after learning of his attitude and actions as president. It's almost ironic to read about a President, who is supposed to lead our people and endure such great responsibilities, that lies and corrupted his position as president. To me, Nixon fooled us all. He fooled the members he worked with and he fooled all of us Americans who believed in his ideas and beliefs, simply because he was our leader and seemed to be a loyal and meek man. It is amazing to think of a politician being secretive and deceitful, only for all of his plans to blow up in his face and make him look unreliable. Apparently, Nixon's attitude and secret scandals were not out of the ordinary for him, but it still shocked leaders and members of the house to become aware of Nixon's instigation with the Watergate scandal. I think this event in history goes to show how important hidden cameras are for people who are under the control of a great amount of power. What struck me the most was how Nixon actually tried to involve some of his close members into crime and later tried to set Johnson up for defeat. What kind of leader does he prove to be now? Also, I found it odd that he recorded more than one tape. I feel like if I was trying to get away with something as big as being involved in the Watergate scandal, I would do my best to avoid any evidence. No matter of the things President Nixon did before his dealings with the Watergate scandal and his numerous lies when he thought he was safe against his closest politicians, President Nixon will always be remembered as the man who let down his country and shamed his name as president by being corrupt.
After reading chapter fifteen – Breaking Into Watergate, I actually had to set aside a full five minutes to laugh at former president Nixon. The fact that the President of the United States of America would tape himself in the act of breaking the law is both hilarious and unfortunate at the same time. It’s hilarious in a sense that American citizens vote these people into public office to fix problems with our country, but in return are frequently slapped in the face by the outrageous, unthinkable acts of a person like Nixon. It’s truly people like Richard Nixon that give me that small glimmer of hope that maybe one day I might could do something that holds a hefty amount of responsibility (like being the President of the United States of America). It seems to me that with every presidential election that passes comes a larger amount of ignorant, unqualified candidates that are more determined to fix what they think is wrong with the country, rather than what the people who voted them into office think is wrong. It is like every four years the American public sit back and watch the person they voted into public office, steadily take our country’s top priorities and move them to the bottom of the list, while simultaneously filling the gaps with their own personal desires. It’s sad to think that when a Tuesday election rolls around, a large percentage of the voting public are torn between two candidates, not because they are both of good quality, but instead because they are forced to chose between the lesser of two evils. It makes me wonder where we get our political candidates sometimes, and how in the world did these people make it up onto this imaginary pedestal that is American politics. Over time the image of the President of the United States has been morphed into a Pop Culture Icon instead of the old fashioned Great American Hero.
Chapter 15 breaking into Watergate is about not only a crime but also the release of scandalous tapes that revealed the corrupt side of President Nixon. Out of all the chapters this was by far my favorite. I thought it was very informative about not only the Watergate incident but also about the tapes. In the past I have read about breaking into Watergate but it has never been made this clear to me. I thought Davidson and Lytle did an admirable job at informing the reader of everything that really went on. I never knew that other presidents such as Kennedy and Johnson also taped meetings and conversations. The way the presidents were so secretive by hiding microphones and cameras back then is what surprised me the most in this chapter. After reading what was said in these tapes I do not think that Nixon should have ever been elected for the presidency. The tapes that were revealed showed what Nixon was really like- incriminating, a fraud, and a very corrupt man. Without the testimony of John Dean I am not sure if all of this would have ever even happened. This changed my outlook on President Nixon completely. Presidents are known for their exemplary behavior, intelligence, and their fearless ruling. In my opinion, Nixon was everything but those three things. He was not fit for the high honor of being president of the United States. I thought it was very wrong that Nixon would not release the tapes until he was put under an immense amount of pressure to do so. Once some of the tapes were released, I still did not think that everything was there. They had no real explanation as to why there was 18 whole minutes missing from one tape. I think Nixon abused his power because he thought he was the man in charge. To mess with another parties election is just beyond horrible. Instead of helping him, Nixon’s tapes eventually became the downfall of his entire career. The tapes could tell all. A tape was even known as the smoking gun because it showed without a doubt that he was involved with the cover-up from the beginning. After everything was revealed Richard Nixon announced his resignation on August 9, 1974. I think one of the main things you can take away from this chapter is that no one is above the law. True justice will always come out on top.
I found this chapter very interesting as the United States find fault within a so called leader. I agree with what Reed was saying about the qualities of a leader that people are looking for. So, why is hard for the people of the United States to find a very good leader who's true colors does not come as a surprise? The author does a very good job of allowing the reader to recognize the seriousness of committing a crime; especially in the position of a leader in a very high position. I see why and how it is important for us Americans to stay involved in politics even though the discussion can get heated at times. But, we have a right to know what goes on in our government and expectations we seek from that type of environment. Nixon appeared to be a very wise and brave man who was put in charge of the United States. But here he is taping himself and letting all his dirty little secrets fall from his lips. He partaked in something that seem so childish because he is already president; and if he was doing what he was suppose to do, then he would have nothing to worry to about concerning how his behavior. This whole section makes reading about the Watergate incident even more exciting to read.
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ReplyDeleteReed Hancock
ReplyDeleteAP Government
Belcher
Summer 2010
Breaking into Watergate
The thesis of “Breaking into Watergate” is an examination of the impact of the Nixon tapes on the Watergate trial and a further examination of Presidential tapes as historical documents. The Nixon tapes were the “smoking gun” in the Watergate trial. The tapes provided prosecutors with definitive proof of Nixon’s knowledge and involvement in the Watergate scandal. The tapes were Nixon’s undoing and ironically were created by him.
The Presidential ideal is a role model, a father figure, a protector, a person a great character and integrity. Everyone at least wants that in our leader of our country. However, this image has continually been shattered by when these men have exhibited human weaknesses. As our media has become less protective of our leaders and our technology filters images and words worldwide at an almost instantaneous speed level, it has been difficult for these leaders to hide their human frailties and personal life. Nixon became one of the biggest examples of this in Presidential history, or at least up until this period of time.
I believe like the author that the tapes are a glimpse into the world of the Presidency like no other. However, as the author states there are limitations to their value on their own. The tapes like most historical documents must be viewed or analyzed with reference to other documents. Alone they will often be difficult to understand. The author does a good job of illustrating this point by showing a conversation without historical references and then showing the same conversation with references. Also, I do not believe these tapes should be released because of the controversy it may cause with the American people.
At first thought you would assume a taped conversation would give you a complete story or historical record, but the author shows us how this is not true. The tapes are certainly a valuable historical document, but they must be studied along with other items to get the complete story. Other limitations of the tapes are the ability to understand the recorded words, such as the example given about LBJ’s Texan accent. Other concerns relate to validity, such as if the people know they are being recorded, how candid are they? Each of the Presidents discussed almost always consciously determined what and when a recording took place.
While the Nixon Presidency will almost certainly by defined by Watergate or at the very least clouded by it, the tapes themselves only show a limited view of this man and his Presidency. As future tapes are released and studied a more complete picture of the man may emerge. Only time will tell. His actions following his resignation show his determination to redeem himself in the eyes of the American people. He fought hard however to keep the remaining tapes private. It will be interesting to see if in the end the remaining tapes redeem him or condemn him further.
The thesis of chapter 15, Breaking into Watergate, is that through having an advanced recording system in the White House, Nixon essentially incriminated himself, and despite the fact that the tapes were not meant for public ears, through the tapes Nixon revealed another side to his personality, one that was angry, vulgar, and vindictive. Nixon was not the first to bug the White House; however, he had the most advanced, voice-activated system installed when he decided to record everything. He said that he installed the system to protect himself, but ironically, he ended up doing the opposite, and incriminating himself with the tapes.
ReplyDeleteIn this chapter, the author points out that the tapes do not often reveal a whole story. The tapes are not only hard to understand, but must also be placed in context for the whole story to be revealed. The tapes do however, give an insight into the man who is speaking. Behind closed doors, Nixon spoke unguardedly and vented strong feelings. Through patterns in the tapes, Nixon’s true personality can be seen. By often referring to Jews in a negative way, it can be assumed that anti-Semitism was part of Nixon’s personality. Another pattern found was that Nixon blamed others for actions that history was likely to condemn. The tapes show a major contrast between the public Nixon, who was modest and upright, and the private Nixon. I agree with the author when he says that almost unconsciously Nixon will behave one way when Henry Kissinger is with him and another way when only Bob Haldeman is in the room. People in general tend to act differently around different people, and act differently in public than they do in private. The author also points out that the tapes can be misleading. I agree with Beschloss when he says that if the president knows the conversation is being taped, he can put on the best face for history.
Nixon tried hard to keep the tapes a secret. He did not want to turn them over, but the tapes contained the evidence needed to prove that Nixon was part of the Watergate Scandal. Though Nixon’s image as the President had already been hurt by the accusations surrounding Watergate, more damage was done when transcripts were released. Nixon fought hard to keep his tapes unheard, and after he resigned from office, he fought to win back his reputation. Nixon will always be remembered for Watergate, and how he abused his power as president to cover up for the men who participated in the Watergate burglary.
“Breaking into Watergate” is probably my favorite chapter to read because I love how the author explains the Watergate scandal in a very easy way because in the past history books have confused me about what the Watergate scandal is really all about. I think the subject about having tape recorders is very interesting when it comes to presidents; it ended up being bad for Nixon but good for the American public that he recorded all of his meetings because the recorders give clear evidence that he played a major role in the Watergate scandal. I personally believe that it was right for the Court to take control of Nixon’s tape recorders because it gives final evidence that he was guilty of the crime. John Dean, the man who accused that Nixon played a major role in the Watergate Scandal, was thrilled the tapes were going to be released to the public while Nixon, on the other hand, was extremely upset he had to give the tapes to the public; Nixon’s unwillingness to give the tapes to the public gives off the impression that he has something to hide in these tapes, like information on the Watergate scandal. This chapter also covers on how politicians present themselves in public; I believe Nixon acting like a slimy, crude person in private but a warm, friendly person in public should be a good example for all people that they should never be fake in front of people and should be your true self all of the time. Politicians especially should learn from Nixon’s two-face personality that the American public wants someone who is genuinely a good person to lead the country, not someone who only pretends to be a good person to the public. Nixon was wrong to spend hours planning intense political strategy because in the end planning to blackmail other politicians and breaking into an enemy building was a waste of time and ended up being the reason he had to leave office; Nixon should have instead spent his time focusing on America and ways to improve the country and the average American’s life. Overall, this chapter shows how politicians can be very corrupt and two-faced, and that Americans should put a lot of caution and thought into deciding who to vote to be the next mayor, senator, or President of the United States.
ReplyDeleteThe thesis of chapter 15: Breaking into Watergate is that the secret tapes of the White House proved to be invaluable historical documents from which historians have found important clues to several questionable events as well as an alternate personality of the modest and upright Richard Nixon. When the Watergate scandal first erupted, it was unclear whether President Nixon was actually involved or not. It was one man’s word against the president’s, and many people did not know who to believe. I found it very ironic that it was a Republican investigator, Donald Sanders, who asked about some sort of recording system in the White House. Sanders said that he never dreamed that Nixon would say anything incriminating while being taped, so he assumed that these tapes would prove Nixon’s innocence. How wrong he was because these tapes would prove that Nixon was in fact the instigator of the Watergate burglary and that this type of behavior was not uncommon for Nixon. There are two important things that historians have to consider when listening to the tapes: the fact that a man who knows he is being recorded may manipulate an unknowing party and can also present himself in the best way and the fact that Nixon could not have always have been so guarded when discussing heated topics and probably revealed his true feelings on many occasions. After reading this chapter I realized that the historians job are very hard because they have to decide what is just a cover up and what is true feelings. Last year I wrote a book report on Richard Nixon and never even realized how full of vengeance and vulgarity this man was in private. I saw what most of the American public saw: the man who gave the famous “Checkers speech” about his cute cocker spaniel, his darling daughters, and the family’s modest finances to gain public sympathy. Nixon wanted to be portrayed as compassionate, honest, dignified, fair to opponents, moral, all of which in his private personality he was not. Nixon wanted to politically embarrass and destroy his enemies and had no problem breaking the law to advance himself. Nixon mentioned once that he had the tapes specifically for future purposes. They were to protect himself and a means by which to attack others. I was shocked by the radical differences between the public and private Richard Nixon. Nixon’s vulgarity and anti-Semitism became very apparent when he was around the people he trusted. Nixon had a tendency to blame others for what he knew history would look down upon, but honestly don’t we all do this sometimes. We try to find a way to shift the blame away from ourselves. In addition, just like Nixon did we all change our attitudes based on who we are around and who could be listening. Now of course, none of us are the President of the United States and none of us have been involved in a scandal quite as big as the Watergate, but we have all experienced a similar situation, probably just on a lot smaller scale. Fortunately for us, our mistakes will be forgotten by the few people who know, but Nixon’s involvement in the Watergate scandal will follow him well past his lifetime and will live on in history.
ReplyDeleteJames La Russa said...
ReplyDeleteThe thesis of "Chaper 15: Breaking into Watergate" includes the irony that one's way of trying to take the upper hand in a situation could easily turn on him if not used in a fair and equitable manner. Richar Nixon, born and raised in California, rose to the presidency at age 56 to impress the United States of Amerca with his wonderously loved personality, filled with valor and dignity; correct? Unfortunately Nixon was not the man the American people saw him to be, yet he put on an act, which fooled the entire nation and more. Ironically, after displaying to the general public that he had been acting during his time in the presidential seat, the "intelligent" and "clever" American people reelected the most scandalous and flagrant president who had ever set foot in the white house itself. I was appalled that Richard Nixon, the President of the United States whom the people of America trusted as a role model, practiced strict and grave anti-semetism. It is hard to understand that this rascist man was supposed to be looking over the people who he despised and insulted. Even so, I do take much greater offence to this act of prejudice because I do indeed practice Judaism, but understand that the Klu Klux Klan was quite prevalent during this time period. No, the microphones in the white house did not catch Nixon saying anything about the "certain secret society," but I suppose it would not be so secret if he talked of his aquaintence in this secret society. The reason I bring up this topic is to help others understand that he was not only rascist to Jews, but also to other religions and races whoch the Klan was prejudiced toward. I hope I am wrong about Nixon's aquaintence with this society, but if he was involved, how could anyone ever trust the rest of America to choose a trustworthy leader, who was unbiased to all races and religions.
However, Nixon's involvement in the Watergate Scandal was almost as disrespectful to the nation as his racist comments picked up by his own microphones. I find it comical that Nixon's association with the Watergate burglary was sought out mainly by one of his associates, Donald Sanders, who tried to use these tape recordings as evidence that Nixon had nothing to do with the scandal. Unfortunately, the wise and astute Nixon, which his followers originally saw him as, did not think to shut off the recording when talking about something as serious as a burglary. At least the nation now understands the mistake they made in electing the "dignified" and "optimistic" leader, which Nixon claimed to be, for he will go down in history as the "real" Nixon, a scandalous and corrupt character.
After reading this section, my outlook on President Nixon has changed greatly. I never knew that he behaved in such a manner. Normally, a president is viewed as a humble, intelligent, and bold leader who not only leads America but represents it. However, the Watergate scandal contradicts this. Though Nixon tried hard to cover up White House connections to Watergate, he failed. I believed that a part of Nixon’s personality was shown by how he furiously tried to prevent his tapes from being heard and by firing his cabinet members. Ironically, the device he implemented turned out to be more harmful than beneficial. Nixon often sought out to present his best face for history, but instead he presented his worst. I found it quite funny that Sanders believed that Nixon would never have said anything incriminating on the record, but truthfully Nixon said many incriminating things. The tapes revealed much about Nixon that I did not know. After reading what was recorded in the tapes, I feel that Nixon should never have been elected President because he does not fit the image properly. Even before the Watergate incident, Nixon had approved and encouraged illegal operations like the break-in at Brookings. The guy had his own secret security unit, the Plumbers, which carried out all his illegal operations. When I think of the President, I don’t think of a man who breaks the law to advance his own political agenda. Not only that, Nixon’s personality was extremely crude. He had few friends, spent many solitary hours, and was varying in the image he presented to the people. He was also anti-Semitic, a characteristic that the President should not have. He also blamed others for his actions that history was likely to condemn instead of accepting responsibility. I understand that the President may not always act the way he does in public, but Nixon’s backstage personality is unfitting for his role. His personality in public and private are so contrasting, almost like good and evil. I can’t help but wonder why Nixon was not aware of what he was saying in his office. He implemented his recording device to help him, so he should be aware of it and watch what he says. Nixon should’ve known that he couldn’t speak freely and get away with it. I agree with the author that though Nixon may have done some good in his presidency, he will always be remembered for his involvement with Watergate.
ReplyDeleteBreaking into Watergate:
ReplyDeleteChapter fifteen: Breaking into Watergate was my over all favorite of the three chapters we read. The thesis of this chapter is the evidence from the tapes that tell whether Richard Nixon had been involved in the efforts to cover up the White House in the Watergate burglary. The first time I had ever really heard anything about Watergate was after watching the movie Forest Gump so I was genially interested in reading more about this major event in American history. One of the main things discussed in the chapter is the use of recording devices in the White House and whether or not they should be used or released. I personally think after reading this chapter that the American citizens should have the right after the death of the president to have access to these tapes unless of course it could put the country as a whole in danger. I don’t think it is right that the president would not release the tapes until under major pressure did so only there was a crucial eighteen and a half minute gap missing. This is very strange to me that the president has these rights. All of this dishonesty and sneaky spying can only make you wonder if the same type of thing goes on today. The more and more you read in chapter fifteen you see how sneaky president Richard Nixon actually was and almost at time seemed to be more concerned with himself rather than the safety of the well being of others. I find it pretty ironic the way Richard Nixon didn’t want the recording devices in the White House, but later had a change of heart for an unknown reason only to back fire on him later revealing his involvement in the burglary at Watergate, almost like he was meant to get caught. I think my over all idea of Richard Nixon as a president has changed mostly because I didn’t know much about him, but because when you think of a president you think of a person that does the right thing and will do anything for his country. Richard Nixon really just doesn’t give off this vibe to me. He seems self centered and I am sure there are some wonderful things about him, but after the break in at Watergate and the tapes to prove it, Richard Nixon was not a great president.
James,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with everything that you said. I was just as surprised as you that the man whom America trusted as a role model was a racist. I am in disbelief that the American people could elect such a man unknowingly. I do not think that Nixon had any involvement in the Klu Klux Clan or ever wanted to join them, but I’m sure that if he was anti-Semitic then he was anti-Indian too, and I sympathize with your feelings. It is puzzling that the American people reelected a man who showed three different faces in public and had a completely different personality in private. I can’t help but wonder what was going through their minds during this period. I also found it funny that Sanders was trying to help Nixon out, but instead ended up getting him into a graver situation. I wonder what Nixon’s reaction was when Sanders brought the idea up. Concerning his microphone, I too do not understand why Nixon did not shut off his microphone when he discussed things that could get him in trouble. Did he just forget to turn it off, or did he not care? Due to his carelessness, I think he got what he deserved. I agree with you that Nixon will always be remembered for the scandalous Watergate incident over everything else that he accomplished.
said...
ReplyDeletePresident Richard Nixon abused the power of the Executive branch and believed that his actions were permissible because he held the office of commander-in-chief. He overstepped the boundaries of his office by interfering with the opposing party’s campaign in an illegal manner. Republicans and Democrats were appalled at the guile and blatant offenses that the Nixon Administration and the Nixon Re-election Committee engaged in. President Nixon was considered a shoe in for re-election to the presidency; so, the attempted break in at Watergate, aside from being illegal, was a “nothing to gain” situation. He may not have been an extremely popular president; however, he was widely considered an effective president. In addition, the Democratic candidate George McGovern was a left wing liberal and a poor campaign manager. The odds for re-election were clearly in Nixon’s favor throughout the entire process. Yet, President Nixon and his staff felt the need to resort to espionage and burglary in order to gain intelligence about the democratic presidential candidate and other officials who might pose an additional threat to President Nixon or to his reelection campaign. President Nixon simply became paranoid that he might lose his office and everything that he had worked for during his presidency. Before his presidency, he had failed to win elections and had come so close on so many occasions. President Nixon had served as the Vice President under Dwight D. Eisenhower, and in addition, he had previously run for president against John F. Kennedy in the election of 1960. The race with Kennedy was considered the narrowest win since 1916 when Woodrow Wilson pulled out a victory against Charles Evans Hughes. In 1962, Nixon ran for Governor of California and again Nixon suffered defeat at the hands of Pat Brown. Following his loss, Nixon announced to the public that he would no longer be involved in political life. Subsequent to his two terms of Vice President, Richard M. Nixon was the biggest name in the Republican party. However, with his loss in the presidential race and the gubernatorial race, Nixon’s star was quickly falling. So, when elected president, six years after losing the gubernatorial election, Nixon was back on top. His fear of not being reelected was rational; however, his methods for easing his fears were not. By participating and signing off on illegal activities, Nixon destroyed himself and his career. I believe that Nixon should have been put on trial to discover the extent of his misdeeds instead of receiving a presidential pardon from President Gerald Ford. President Nixon may not have been the first president to participate or to be involved in illegal or sketchy endeavors. However, President Nixon was the first president to have been caught. The tapes prove his guilt and the guilt of other high-ranking government officials. For this reason, President Nixon should have been indicted. The American people need to see and know that even presidents are not above the law and that justice will prevail.
The thesis of the chapter, “Breaking Into Watergate,” is that in one man’s way to become more informed and aware of a situation, it turned ironically against him and led to his downfall as a leader, as seen with President Richard Nixon and his interaction with the Watergate scandal in the early 1970s. Shortly after President Richard Nixon arrived at the White House, he installed a recording system in several different rooms and on telephone lines in order for “future purposes” because he “was prepared to believe that others, even people close to [him,] would turn against [him] just as [John] Dean had done, and in that case the tapes would give [him] some protection.” The tapes, in the long run, led to the downfall of President Nixon because the tapes proved that he was the instigator of the Watergate crisis, and the tapes also showed shocking details about Nixon’s character. The tapes showed a different side to President Nixon; they showed him as vengeful, vulgar, and even worse anti-Semitic. Was this the man who Americans saw as honest, compassionate, dignified, and respectful? Yes it was; this double-faced man gave his famous “Checkers speeches” about his dog, daughters, and finical situation to gain the hearts and votes of the American public. While reading this chapter, I have realized how difficult a historian’s job can be, especially uncovering the truths hidden deep within the audiotapes of Nixon. I found it interesting the ways historians find the truth in the tapes. Historians are genius to be able to find habitual habits within the speaker and listen for them in different speeches to determine a truth or a lie. Before reading this chapter, I have never read any of the tapes manuscripts, and only after reading a few of the many, it now hits me that the President of the United States could be and was a two-faced liar. In my opinion, not knowing who the president of your country actually and truthfully is frightens me. I, as a student, have studied the Watergate scandal, but I have never actually understood the severity of Nixon’s actions, until reading this last chapter.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this chapter, one fact struck me as interesting and ironic: a Republican investigator, Donald Sanders, asked for Nixon’s tapes. It seems like in today’s politics, members of the same party, especially the Democrats, support their party in right and wrong, which I believe is not the wise thing to do. With Nixon’s unwillingness to hand the tapes over to the public, the fact that the court did not take quicker action surprised me because Nixon’s unwillingness points out that he is guilty. In the end, I have especially enjoyed reading this chapter because I have learned many new and interesting facts that I was unaware of before.
Comments for Emily DuVall
ReplyDeleteEmily,
I agree with every word you said in your post about President Richard Nixon and Watergate. I was scouting for something to disagree with you about, but I cannot find a single sentence where our views change on this interesting subject. Your points came across clear and to the point throughout your entire post. The entire time while I was reading this chapter, all my thoughts about not understanding the reasons for Nixon’s actions can be summed up into your statement, “His fear of not being reelected was rational; however, his methods for easing his fears were not.” I also do not understand why Nixon came to the conclusion where he believed espionage was the best way for reelection, even though he had the majority of the vote. I guess fear and power can corrupt anybody. Again, I agree with your statement that President Nixon should have received a trail for his actions of burglary. I believe Nixon should have been treated the same as every other American who committed a crime. Nixon committed a crime, and he should receive punishment just like everyone else. I agree one hundred percent that the American people need to see and know that even presidents are not above the law and that justice will prevail. In the end, this was an excellent post. You are a great writer.
Caleb Smith
ReplyDeleteAP Government
Belcher
Summer 2010
Watergate
Breaking into Watergate centers around the historical evidence, mainly the tape recordings from the White House, of the notorious Nixon scandal. The author presents in depth analysis of the tapes and truly allows the reader to enjoy an intimate view into the Oval Office. Richard Nixon's main defense for his innocence in the Watergate scandal was that he was not informed of the proceedings leading to the break in of the Democratic headquarters. The tape recordings from the White House proved the opposite. Richard Nixon knew that the break in was imminent and he also played an intricate part in the planning of the operation. But the author also focuses much of this chapter on the fact that the tape recording system was installed by none other than Richard Nixon. How ironic that a system installed by the President proved to be his downfall.
The author does however prove that the tapes alone can not be viewed as ultimatums, they must be viewed, or listened to in connection with other historical documents and research in order to have a full spectrum of understanding. On several occasions he shows that the tapes require a lot of notes and background information to make sense or have any relevance.
The tapes do more than just incriminate President Nixon in the Watergate break in. They also prove to destroy a public image of the office of President. For the majority of The United States young history the office of President and the man that has filled the position has been viewed as superhuman or untouchable by the common man. The tapes truly serve to show the President as just a man. The President was no longer a perfect super being that was above the law. He was subject to the law. The tapes showed President Nixon to be an insecure, vulgar, profane man. He also on many occasions in the tapes proved himself to be a racist. The President of the USA, the leader of the free world, the commander and chief of the melting pot should by no means be a racist. The White House recordings show President Nixon to be very prejudice against other religions and peoples.
I believe that the tapes are detrimental to the United States. The people of the United States need to have respect for the office of president and the tapes serve only to degrade the president in the opinion of the everyday American. We all love a good reality show and to know all of the intricate details about people that we need not know. Let's face it… we are a nosy society! I would argue that further release of the tapes would only further erode public opinion of the office and person of the President.
Sriram, I agree with your sentiment on Nixon's dual personality. I don't think that anyone, especially a president, should act differently in public to impress people. The president should be someone who has upstanding moral character, which Nixon did not possess. Nixon was clearly dishonest, involved in criminal events, and was two faced. This should never be the case with our President. I can't believe that no one found out about this earlier. He had been saying this the whole time and never let something slip out. To me, this is quite amazing. He concealed his true self incredibly well under the pressure of being the president. I don't know about you, but this section made me wonder about all of our presidents. Were they the men that we thought them to be or irresponsible liars with a private agenda? I found it ironic that the thing that he put in place to preserve his legacy ending up corrupting his legacy. I still do not understand why he would reveal the taping system to anyone, and why he would record incriminating things like these comments on Watergate.
ReplyDelete“Breaking into Watergate was most definitely my favorite chapter of the three we were assigned to read. I have been taught bits and pieces of the Watergate scandal, but I never fully understood it. The way that Davidson and Lytle explained and described the scandal helped me finally be able to understand everything that really happened. I was very surprised to learn that there were recording devices throughout the White House. It was very unfortunate that Nixon was being taped during his presidency because it exposed the kind of man he really was. Right after the Watergate Scandal America was not sure what to believe when it became public that President Nixon was possibly a major part of the Watergate Scandal. Luckily the tapes that had been recorded in the White House were pretty much full evidence that Nixon was involved in the Watergate Scandal. It is ironic that Nixon is the one who insisted on installing all the recording devices in hopes of protecting himself, because in the end he actually exposed everything that caused him to be proven guilty. I found it very interesting that Sanders was determined that Nixon would never even think about saying anything incriminating on the recorded tapes when in reality he did the exact opposite. Nixon said several things that automatically incriminated him to being a part of the Watergate Scandal. Nixon apparently did not know what he was doing when he was being sneaky in the White House because in the end we all now know his secrets. Richard Nixon is a prime example of a two faced person. He acted like a pleasant, respectful man in front of the people of the United States but was a dark, secretive person when no one could see or hear him, or so he thought.
ReplyDeleteThe president of the United States should be first and foremost honest. He should also be respected, dedicated, and committed to the safety of our country. Richard Nixon does not fall into any of these categories. Nixon was in my opinion not the best candidate to run our country. Hopefully though by Nixon being president the people of the United States have learned to be more cautious and opinionated when choosing whom they want to run out country. Prior to reading “Breaking into Watergate” I did not really have an opinion on President Nixon, but I now disrespect him for everything he did and said behind the doors of the White House.
I did not see the addition of the Thesis... so here is my idea on that:
ReplyDeleteI believe the thesis of Breaking into Watergate is that everyone is prone to making mistakes, and sometimes what may seem at the time to be an excellent idea will later prove to be a downfall.
Sriram, I also did not know about this vindictive, anti-Semitic side of Richard Nixon. Throughout our history and social studies classes in school, we have been taught about how great men our presidents are. We have all written book reports and taken tests on the achievements of these men, but we seldom focus on their failures. I also agree with you about how ironic it is that the tool Nixon planned to use against others, in the end, was used against him. He wanted the recording system for future uses against his political enemies. He tried to manipulate the system by making others look bad and presenting himself as a hero. Obviously, his plan did not go as he wanted because he was the one who on the Watergate tapes was caught with incriminating evidence. I too thought about why Nixon did not guard his words since he knew he was being recorded. A simple answer that I could come up with is that sometimes we cannot control our strong emotional feelings and if Nixon got fired up about a topic he may have forgotten about the recording system entirely. Another idea is that maybe Nixon knew he was being recorded but simply did not think that anyone other than himself would ever listen to the tapes and therefore he would not be busted for the obvious crimes that he had committed. Just some thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThe thesis of "Chapter 15 Breaking into Watergate" is that the presidential tapes led to Nixon's downfall, but at the same time it put a good perspective one what happens in the oval office. The tapes were able to reveal the true personality of Nixon to the world.
ReplyDeleteAs my fellow classmates have already stated before me, this chapter was the most intriguing to me. I had little knowledge of the affair, but after reading the novel it became a little bit clearer. However, I was greatly amazed at the number of people the authors put into the chapter. I had no clue that the number of people involved was this great. I found the opening quote, “a third-rate burglary attempt (referring to the break in at the Watergate apartment complex)…certain elements may try to stretch this beyond what it is” to be rather funny, but at the same time I could sense the foreshadowing. I also found it surprising that the president prior to Nixon had also used some type of audiotape recordings. I was very confused with Nixon’s actions on “Saturday Night Massacre”. I would have tried to keep people I was familiar with, or someone that Nixon could have possibly talked out of obtaining the tapes. However, I was quickly able to pick up that Nixon had two different personalities. In front of the people of United States, he changed his personality into what the people wanted. I had thought that he was kind and compassionate human being after learning about his “Checkers speech”, but he kept his true personality locked inside the doors of the oval office. However, the tapes truly did act like a window in the real lifestyle of Nixon. The younger Nixon was more “modest and upright”, while the Nixon during the trials was “angry, vulgar, and vindictive.” It is actually amazing that we had a president who acted like teenagers. I mean if Nixon was president, I could easily get in the White House. Instead of worrying about other politicians and planning political strategy, Nixon should have been focused on the needs of the country. I was also unaware that Nixon was anti-Semitic. The most shocking news was the way he spoke of them. He said some things that presidents should not even think about saying. How can he be a fair leader of the nation if he hateful of diverse religions in the United States. But at least he got off easy when he was pardoned.
The Watergate Scandal is something that has always been really interesting to me, and something that I have been wanting to learn more about. Well, the authors of After the Fact taught me everything I could have possibly dreamed of learning about it in the “Breaking into Watergate” chapter, with incredible detail and insight into the entire scandal. I interpreted the thesis of”Breaking into Watergate” as one that told the reader that the chapter would be walking them through the scandal, and showing viewpoints that are often not considered.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the most interesting bit of the chapter and scandal is the irony within. Granted, the recording system was already in place when Nixon became president, but he had it advanced in a way that the recording devices would be activated by voice, and therefore record everything said in the White house. Nixon had planned on using this well kept secret to his advantage in numerous ways. He could coax unknowing people into saying undesirable things, and then use it as blackmail against them. He could also bring up specific quotes that someone he was arguing with said. But ironically, the recording system led to the undoing of President Nixon, as his plans to cover up the break in were also recorded.
The recordings seemed to show the person that President Nixon truly was. I am not only referring to his plans to conceal the “third rate burglary attempt”, but also his vulgar use of language and his very questionable blackmailing schemes. Seeing these things helped me realize that even the President makes mistakes and has bad judgment. But this was the most powerful man in the world, the man that our country chose to lead us to the best of his ability, and so I undoubtedly hold Nixon to a much much much higher standard. There is absolutely no excuse for his actions.
I also thought it very interesting where the author of “Breaking into Watergate” shows a recorded conversation between President Nixon, Haldeman, and Kissinger with only the dialog. The conversation seems kind of mysterious and it was hard to know exactly what was going on. A few paragraphs later the same conversation is shown, but an annotated version. The situation appeared much clearer, just by a few simple annotations.
Nixon abused his power as president, and will forever be remembered for the Watergate Scandal above anything else. We can only hope that no other presidents ever abuse their power in such a corrosive way as this in the future.
“With great power comes great responsibility.” In the movie Spiderman, Uncle Ben says these wise words to Peter Parker, Spiderman, during a deep talk. This quote applies greatly to this chapter “Breaking into Watergate” since it revolves around a man who has great power and many responsibilities, but chooses to take advantage of his extensive power and neglect his responsibilities. My interpretation of the thesis of “Breaking into Watergate” is that when one holds enormous power and abuses it, there are often severe consequences. In this case, President Nixon holds enormous power by controlling America and having a voice activated recording system in the white house. Nixon ends up mistreating his power by plotting blackmail against those recorded and “…sponsor[ing] break-ins as a part of domestic counterintelligence operations…(385)” I always heard that Nixon was known for this Watergate dishonor, but I never really understood what happened. Well, this book provided ample views, evidence, and stories as to what truly happened between Richard Nixon and Watergate. After reading for a little bit, I noticed how much Nixon desired to keep a moral appearance for the public before this whole outrage spread. Nixon would drag down his comrades in order to keep himself looking upright such as when he was telling Alexander Haig about his innocence; Nixon proclaimed, ““Let me say this, Al. I am not concerned myself about anything incriminating in anything that I’ve done. I mean, I know what I’ve done. I mean, I’ve told you everything that I did. You know what I mean. I frankly-I was not informed and I don’t blame people for not informing me.” Here, Nixon is hinting that someone else in the White House is going behind his back and is responsible for the scandal. For wanting to seem such an ethical man, Richard Nixon was definitely the opposite when he felt threatened. Another way Nixon showed having almost two distinctly different personalities was when his recordings were released. In the private White House rooms, Nixon uses “colorful” language, blackmail, and prejudice, but in his famous “Checkers Speech” Nixon yearns for sympathy from the public regarding his poor financial situation. I was shocked to find out that several preceding presidents had also used some forms of less advanced recording systems in rooms of the White House. It seems like an invasion of privacy for the workers, but I do understand the former presidents concern for checking up on their workers’ loyalty to their country and superior. Another interesting fact I learned about Watergate was that there was a night called the “Saturday Night Massacre” because Nixon’s attorney general and his immediate subordinate resigned as a sign of protest after Nixon fired Archibald Cox. I was proud that two people who had been working for Nixon decided to do what they knew was right instead of what was easy. In the end, Richard Nixon escapes his impeachment by resigning, but still receives justice for his actions by being thought of as a dishonest, immoral man even after his death.
ReplyDeleteSriram,
ReplyDeleteIt appears that we had nearly the same reaction and thoughts on Nixon and the Watergate Scandal. We all like to think of the President of our country as being the noblest of us all, and Nixon surely destroyed that image that many must have had of him. We all saw the true image of President Nixon in the recordings of the White house, in which he was foolishly caught in his own ploy attempting a cover up, and conspiring to blackmail.
I also agree with you that Nixon should not have been put in a position where he could abuse that kind of power in the first place. Part of this is America's fault for electing President Nixon into office. He seemed very two-faced, but I suppose America only saw the good face of him.
Finally, I agree with you that unfortunately, Nixon will be remembered most prominently for his involvement in Watergate.
Sriram-
ReplyDeleteYea I would have to agree that my perspective of Richard Nixon has changed greatly after reading this chapter. I always knew of Watergate, but I was unaware of Nixon’s personality. I also agree that the audiotapes did more harm than good for Nixon. I am pretty sure he hated himself for putting it the White House. I was also amazed that he had his own security unit, the Plumbers to take care of the dirty stuff that needs to stay out of the news. I also agree that he should have been more careful about what he said in the office. I mean the dude knew that his conversations were being recorded. It is rather disappointing that his name will always be tainted with Watergate.
The thesis for this chapter can vary anywhere from "Nixon was not very bright to end up entrapping himself in audio tapes he insisted upon" to "the political irony (republican Sanders) that ended up forcing Nixon to abdicate the Presidency was a well deserved wake up call to the American public." To use Morgan Summers word, the "two-faced" president provided a shock to the nation. When one compares his speeches to the tapes, especially the ones that don't appear to be altered, we see two very different people; one caring and well spoken, the other egotistical,foul-mouthed, and slightly antisemitic. Previously, i had not taken the time to think that some of the infamous tapes could be purposefully planted to put forth a certain image of Nixon and the rest of his cabinet. If anything these questionable tapes, "lacking candor" and sincerity, only prove Nixon's guilt. Anger arises when i realize how he misused his presidential influence for political gain. At the partial judge in the Sacco case felt he was doing the country a service, and not self serving himself. I think, despite whatever international embarrassment it would have brought upon America, Nixon should have been criminally prosecuted and convicted. Why does Nixon, and many in power, get to misuse this power without being brought to justice.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this chapter i reminisced on the idea of time capsule videos and if current presidents still record there conversations. The former because i wonder how those videos will be interpreted in the future, will they understand the context and circumstances that the tapes were left in. Will they use these tapes to make a stereotype of that specific time and place. Concerning the latter, I would like to hear the current and last presidents' uncensored and unplanned words about policy, war, and economics.
I found this chapter a bit confusing as compared to the other chapters, probably because i knew less on this subject than on the other two chapters (i wish someone had explained this earlier). I like how in this chapter the author mentions that Watergate is "Nixon at his worst." it is wise for us, and historians around the world, to note that Nixon was one of the best foreign policy presidents in USA history. I hope that the ALL the tapes telling of his presidency (and the ones from other presidents) will be released sooner rather than later. I will not be keeping audio tapes on myself.
The thesis for this chapter can vary anywhere from "Nixon was not very bright to end up entrapping himself in audio tapes he insisted upon" to "the political irony (republican Sanders) that ended up forcing Nixon to abdicate the Presidency was a well deserved wake up call to the American public." To use Morgan Summers word, the "two-faced" president provided a shock to the nation. When one compares his speeches to the tapes, especially the ones that don't appear to be altered, we see two very different people; one caring and well spoken, the other egotistical,foul-mouthed, and slightly antisemitic. Previously, i had not taken the time to think that some of the infamous tapes could be purposefully planted to put forth a certain image of Nixon and the rest of his cabinet. If anything these questionable tapes, "lacking candor" and sincerity, only prove Nixon's guilt. Anger arises when i realize how he misused his presidential influence for political gain. At the partial judge in the Sacco case felt he was doing the country a service, and not self serving himself. I think, despite whatever international embarrassment it would have brought upon America, Nixon should have been criminally prosecuted and convicted. Why does Nixon, and many in power, get to misuse this power without being brought to justice.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this chapter i reminisced on the idea of time capsule videos and if current presidents still record there conversations. The former because i wonder how those videos will be interpreted in the future, will they understand the context and circumstances that the tapes were left in. Will they use these tapes to make a stereotype of that specific time and place. Concerning the latter, I would like to hear the current and last presidents' uncensored and unplanned words about policy, war, and economics.
I found this chapter a bit confusing as compared to the other chapters, probably because i knew less on this subject than on the other two chapters (i wish someone had explained this earlier). I like how in this chapter the author mentions that Watergate is "Nixon at his worst." it is wise for us, and historians around the world, to note that Nixon was one of the best foreign policy presidents in USA history. I hope that the ALL the tapes telling of his presidency (and the ones from other presidents) will be released sooner rather than later. I will not be keeping audio tapes on myself.
The thesis for this chapter can vary anywhere from "Nixon was not very bright to end up entrapping himself in audio tapes he insisted upon" to "the political irony (republican Sanders) that ended up forcing Nixon to abdicate the Presidency was a well deserved wake up call to the American public." To use Morgan Summers word, the "two-faced" president provided a shock to the nation. When one compares his speeches to the tapes, especially the ones that don't appear to be altered, we see two very different people; one caring and well spoken, the other egotistical,foul-mouthed, and slightly antisemitic. Previously, i had not taken the time to think that some of the infamous tapes could be purposefully planted to put forth a certain image of Nixon and the rest of his cabinet. If anything these questionable tapes, "lacking candor" and sincerity, only prove Nixon's guilt. Anger arises when i realize how he misused his presidential influence for political gain. At the partial judge in the Sacco case felt he was doing the country a service, and not self serving himself. I think, despite whatever international embarrassment it would have brought upon America, Nixon should have been criminally prosecuted and convicted. Why does Nixon, and many in power, get to misuse this power without being brought to justice.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this chapter i reminisced on the idea of time capsule videos and if current presidents still record there conversations. The former because i wonder how those videos will be interpreted in the future, will they understand the context and circumstances that the tapes were left in. Will they use these tapes to make a stereotype of that specific time and place. Concerning the latter, I would like to hear the current and last presidents' uncensored and unplanned words about policy, war, and economics.
I found this chapter a bit confusing as compared to the other chapters, probably because i knew less on this subject than on the other two chapters (i wish someone had explained this earlier). I like how in this chapter the author mentions that Watergate is "Nixon at his worst." it is wise for us, and historians around the world, to note that Nixon was one of the best foreign policy presidents in USA history. I hope that the ALL the tapes telling of his presidency (and the ones from other presidents) will be released sooner rather than later. I will not be keeping audio tapes on myself.
Breaking Into Watergate
ReplyDeleteI believe the thesis of Breaking into Watergate is that Nixon's bad decisions eventually lead to the destruction of the American population's faith in its government and the perfection of the Presidential office.
The Watergate scandal was one of the most humiliating events in America's history, and should by no means be ignored;for it lectures society on the repercussions one's actions can have on something bigger than himself. Richard Nixon's actions reflected poorly on not only himself but what he represented. Nixon represented all of America's presidents when he was sworn into office. America's president is supposed to be person of noble beliefs, who puts the good of his country before himself. Nixon completely disregarded this responsibility. When he ordered the infiltration of Watergate, he relinquished everything he stood for in America. If his betrayal of his people was not bad enough, he often condemned and spoke poorly of differing religions and ethnicity. One can only wonder how someone of such poor character and morals managed to acquire the Presidential office. It is as much an insult to the American citizens as it is to Nixon's candidacy. The citizens of America were persuaded by Nixon into voting for a poor presidential candidate similarly to the way that Hitler took control of Germany.
Nixon's original plans for the tape recordings were to exonerate him in case a political rival decided to challenge a certain statement he made. I do not understand why Nixon would say such incriminating things on tape, when his initial desires were to use them strictly clear his name. It is not only ironic that Nixon's tapes were used to incriminate him not exonerate him, but the infiltration of Watergate was also ultimately unnecessary. Nixon's victory was most definitely going to be clear and precise. The American public held so much vehemence towards Nixon that they even turned on Ford after his decision to pardon Nixon. Nixon's mistakes can now only be learned from and hopefully never repeated.
-Caleb
ReplyDeleteI can definitely relate to your amusement over the fact that Nixon's tapes, originally meant for good, lead to his ultimate downfall. I also believe that your thesis statement is spot on and reflects the general idea of the whole chapter. Nixon's own arrogance lead to a humiliating scandal that affected something bigger than himself. He greedily rushed into a situation that could hardly result in anything greater than failure. It makes you wonder if America would have been better off not knowing about the scandal. In that case, at least American's trust in our government would be notably more resilient.
In my opinion, the thesis of Chapter 15: Breaking into Watergate is not about the kind of man Richard Nixon was or how his idea to tape White House conversations ricocheted, but that the historical evidence provided in the tapes does not reveal all there is to know about Nixon’s involvement in the Watergate scandal and his secret, misunderstood personality. When the American public first got a hold of the tapes and all the information they possessed, they were ecstatic. Not only would they have the chance to know exactly what part Nixon played in the Watergate scandal, they would be able to enter into the world of Nixon’s somewhat mysterious and withdrawn personality. The initial response of the investigators and the public was that the tapes would provide them with all the information they needed to judge Nixon on his involvement with the Plumbers, as well as the extent of his participation in the rest of the scandal. Besides, the tapes would reveal everything, wouldn’t they? In this chapter, the authors are trying to prove that, while the tapes did provide investigators with a great amount of needed information, they are not a source of complete and pure insight into the life of Richard Nixon. For instance, in the tape that recorded President Nixon with Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and Kissinger on June 17, 1971 it appears obvious to the uninformed listener that Nixon and his men are up to some kind of unprecedented evil and plan to enforce an urgent break-in and robbery. Only with the help of an informed historian can the uninformed listener know the real meaning behind Nixon’s words, which is exactly what historian Stanly Kutler did with this very tape. Although the tape provides the listener with an idea as to what the President’s intentions are, one needs a historian to put the conversation into context. Without a historian to put the conversation into context, the uninformed listener is liable to either let their imagination wander a little too far or jump to conclusions too quickly regarding the information given to them in the tape. Furthermore, since the President knew that he was constantly being recorded, it is very likely that he could fake his attitude or planned actions in order to appear innocent in case the tapes ever fell into the hands of the American public. Since the tapes cannot always reveal the absolute truth and fill all the gaps surrounding Nixon and his involvement in The Watergate Scandal, at least they can finally reveal the truth about his mysterious and misunderstood personality, right? Wrong. Although the tapes could be a potential window into President Nixon, they are not a source of perfect truth. Once again, Nixon, knowing that he was always being taped, could have curbed his attitude and personality in order to appear pleasing and righteous in case the public ever got a hold of the tapes. Furthermore, there are still thoughts and opinions that Nixon may have chosen to never express to anyone at all, so to judge him totally on what he appears to be on tape can never completely reveal what was really going on inside Richard Nixon’s mind. What I’m trying to say, and what I believe the chapter is trying to say, is that, although the tapes provide us with enough evidence to support Nixon’s involvement in the Watergate scandal and reveal a good deal about his personality, they are not a source of complete and honest truth. Without being put into context, the tapes could pretty much mean anything and seemingly reveal everything. All in all, the tapes are not solid historical documents, and should therefore be taken a little more lightly.
ReplyDeleteThe thesis of "Breaking into Watergate" is that the government will never be completely honest, and it does not matter how high in ranking the person is they can always be corrupt. I am referring to President Nixon at the time. The public saw him as a great leader and a father to our country. What they did not know was that he was a scandalous.
ReplyDeleteBefore reading this book, I knew very little about the Watergate Scandal. Now, after reading these twenty-five pages I feel like I know all there is to know about it. The public knew about the idea of the new tapes in the White House, but did not hear what was on the tapes. After Nixon did not want the taped in public, I believe that the public knew something valuable was on these tapes. What the public did not know was that once these tapes were out that that was the beginning of the investigation. Some would call this the beginning of the end.
Nixon was a great scandalous; by reading one paragraph in this book anyone could tell that. He used anything he could to get the public to sympathize him. I was surprised that he used his pay, family, and even his dog to get this sympathy. One thing I was most surprised about was that he had his wife pretend like he should not talk about these things, while in fact she was actually just trying to help him out by getting more sympathy.
One cannot read this passage and not see the irony within it. In an analogy, Nixon had a gun, but he did not think the gun was good enough so he customized it to the best it could be. After he had used this gun, he then tried to clean it but killed himself while doing so. This analogy refers to the tapes Nixon had and made them better, but in the end the tapes lead to his downfall or "death."
I believe, Nixon thought the public would not think he was guilty because he had made the tapes better. But this plan did not work for Nixon because he was associated with the Watergate Scandal. Nixon had the public running circles trying to figure him out. I think this was all in his plan so no one would no the truth. This plan, however, worked because still today no one knows the absolute truth on President Nixon.
Breaking into Watergate
ReplyDeleteChapter 15 thesis: I think that the thesis of this chapter is that when you try to do something underhanded in order to get ahead, it will most likely backfire on you. Richard Nixon was thought to be an honest and trustworthy man; however this was clearly not the case. The thing that shocked me the most was Richard Nixon was his blatant racism. How can a man that has sworn to protect and lead people, be expected to do so if he hates them? I don’t believe that he was in the KKK. The organization was not active at the time of his presidency and he was too young to have been involved in it in its prime.
The other factor that I was not aware of was the recording system that he had put into the White House. This seems like a bad move for someone who is going to attempt a burglary. Nixon basically put himself in position for his downfall. Nixon wouldn’t release these tapes until he was put under an enormous amount of pressure. The fact that there is a twenty minute gap missing is evidence that the tapes have been edited. Tampering with evidence is also a crime.
I think that if this sort of stuff happened thirty years ago, why can’t it happen today? Today we have more threats to our nation than ever. There’s Al Qaida for instance. What if someone was involved with Al Qaida and somebody had evidence of their dealings? If the evidence was released but it had been tampered with there would be an outrage among our nation’s population. But, if it were our president (any president) there still be anger, but no one would be able to convict him of treason because there would be an excuse for the break. Nixon wasn’t involved with a threat with our nation’s security; he was just trying to beat out a political opponent.
When I picture a president, I think of someone who protects his country, is honest, and not a thief. Nixon could not be accused of opening our doors to terrorists, but he can be accused of being a liar and a thief. I didn’t know much about Watergate, but what I have learned from this book has certainly opened my eyes to a world of lies and deceit that I never thought a president of our nation would be the center of.
In the chapter “Breaking into Watergate”, I began to notice an underlying thesis deeper than any historical meaning. When we think of presidents, we think of powerful leaders, a “model citizen”, who should exemplify the perfect American. The thesis of this chapter is that however we may view Richard Nixon or any president in general for that matter; they are human and not perfect. This chapter talked a lot about the contrasts between a “public Nixon” and a “private Nixon” and the fact that no one knew which side was the legitimate Nixon. However, I didn’t really like how they compared the sides of Nixon as almost two different people, seeing as how he is the same person. There was a statement in the chapter, “We fine tune the presentation of our outward selves depending on whether we are in the company of a mentor, a parent, a pastor, or a lover.” In my opinion, this is about the only statement in the whole chapter that can be proven true time and time again. The transcripts of the tapes can be interpreted ten ways of Sunday, his statements and comments could have been doctored, incriminating evidence removed, and whether or not he actually was in direct control of the Watergate break-in will always be very hard to prove. The public was shocked when they released the transcripts and became infuriated about some of his crude comments and rude statements. But I would like to pose the fact that they may not have been so upset about his rude behavior, but because the tapes showed the side of Nixon the public didn’t want to see; the “private Nixon” who didn’t sugarcoat everything. The Nixon that was not perfect. This chapter taught me a lot about the scandal that I didn’t know before. To be such a national problem, I was very uneducated in the facts relating to it. This showed that Nixon had a motif to get the Watergate papers, and I believe that his insistence the papers be taken could somewhat assure he was guilty of other crimes; either minor or major. I believe the tapes did provide a window to the Real Nixon; one who was speaking in the confidence of his friends and close businessmen; not one at a press conference or public outing. Another part of the chapter I found intriguing would be the actually writing of the transcripts from the tapes. It was shocking to see how some could copy the story and have missing pieces; and yet some could fill in the spaces with what they fought the conversation was about. Overall, Nixon displayed in many ways that he was guilty of his crime and deserved to be impeached. This happening does not make me see Nixon as a bad man; however, he was just a man who could not live up the standards of an “American President.” If he knew he had to break laws to get his desired results, what man wouldn’t be bitter about that?
ReplyDeleteJames Tyson,
ReplyDeleteI agree with all that you said. the fact that this man used every available resource to gain sympathy points makes him seem more guilty than he already does. the only thing I feel sorry about is how desperate this man is.
James LaRussa:
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post, President Nixon had two sides. In the eyes of the public, he was the ideal politician, intelligent and politically knowledgeable. When accused of receiving illegal reimbursements for his political expenses, Vice-President Nixon gave his “Checkers” speech. In this speech, Nixon appealed to the American people as a modest family man who had been given a dog and because he loved his children would not return the gift. Yet, according to the tapes, President Nixon was not at all this man. He repeatedly voiced anti-Semitism remarks and feelings. James raises an interesting point. If President Nixon spoke so fervently against Jewish Americans and their religion, then how could the American citizens assure themselves that he was not as fervently prejudiced against other races and religions? Obviously, President Nixon was not afraid to voice his feelings about such things in front of his aides and his tape system. James, I am very glad you shared this viewpoint because I really had not thought that deeply into Nixon’s anti-Semitism remarks. For most people, myself included, the focus of Watergate is the break-in and tapes related to that activity.
The thesis of Breaking Into Watergate is that Chapter 15 shows that having a secret taping system in the White House proved disadvantageous and helped heighten the drama of Watergate. I liked this chapter a lot because unlike every other account of Watergate I understood this one. It made a complicated story a lot simpler and helped to break it down. It showed the president is human.
ReplyDeleteOne thought that ran through my mind was why anyone would want their private conversations taped. I can understand that keeping a record could prove useful if it was certain that nobody else would ever hear the tapes, but I would never feel comfortable speaking if I knew it was being recorded. I would be much more likely to filter my words and speak in a way that would make me look better. Clearly Nixon was fine speaking his mind into a microphone. I would have thought he would have the taping system turned off at least for conversations condoning illegal activity. If I was Nixon, I would have been highly offended at having my own recording system used against me. Even a man as public as the president deserves some privacy. I hate how the tapes capture a darker side of Nixon that was never seen. Not only did they incriminate the president, they also made him look completely vulgar. Everyone has moments where they feel strongly about something and come across as harsh or cruel. Nixon had strong feelings about some things, like getting into Brookings; he expressed these feelings through strong language. Though he plotted a course of illegal action to advance himself, Nixon was not an all-bad man. The only excerpts used from the tapes provided a foul image of Nixon, and I would be very interested to hear more of what he said. He could not have always talked like that if he managed to get himself into office.
Through Watergate, Nixon was trying to advance himself. He wanted to be able to pull the strings with the Democrats. He was clearly often focused on having the upper hand in situations since he also wanted to blackmail Johnson. I think a lot of politicians try to beat out their opponents in this manner. By knowing what the other is going to say, it is easier to prepare an argument against them. Knowing that Nixon would use such tactics to advance the Republican party makes me have less respect for him. If he had been more confident in his own abilities he probably would not have been considering blackmail or spies as a way to win.
Clearly Nixon had some political skill without illegal activity. His “Checkers Speech” gained him public support despite the criticism. I think this was the best possible way for Nixon to defend his secret campaign fund. It showed him as a man of humble means who had a family behind him. At the same time, I do not agree with all the money that is poured into campaigns. These days a ton of money is passed beneath the table in order to support candidates. It is my opinion that political campaigns should downsize. Instead of spending millions on advertisements, suits, and buttons, candidates should simply give speeches. I feel like this would make people listen to the actual words of the candidate instead of knowing that he represents a certain party or that he looks the nicest. Spending less money would show that the candidate does not want to waste America’s funds, and with less waste maybe taxes could be cut back.
Emily Espy,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you whole-heartedly. I especially agree that this book was the first one that ever made Watergate clear to me. All the other times I have read about it I got confused and did not understand even the basics of what happened. This book allowed me to understand everything clearly. I also think Nixon was two-face, as are many other people. I find that to be very unfortunate. It is easier for me to feel compassion for someone who is mean all the time than someone who is nice in your presence then cruel when your back is turned. I agree that America needs someone who has a good heart to be our president. Strong morals are important to me, and I feel like having a leader with strong morals would help the country to mirror such values. I also think Nixon proved his own guilt by not wanting to release the tapes. If they had been proof of his innocence he would have volunteered them up without even being asked. I find it ironic that Sanders brought up the idea of there being tapes in order to proove Nixon's innocence when the tapes actually concluded that he was guilty.
James La Russa said,
ReplyDeleteTracy,
I agree with you completely that this chapter created an environment of understanding for all who read it. This chapter summarized many of the events which occured and also helped me to understand what particular Nixon did break. I also agree with Tracy that it is overly comical, the way that Nixon beat himself out of his presidential seat, for his tapes were used against him by his own political party. Unfortunately, this nation was not ruled by this corrupt man much after his rascist remarkes were heard all over the country.
Government is corrupt. This is what I have been noticing after reading these three chapters. Chapter fifteen was probably my favorite because, until now, history books do not give much insight into this subject. The Watergate Scandal made America look foolish, since our elected leader is suppose to represent our values and principles. President Richard Nixon easily fooled many Americans, many thought of Nixon as humble, reaching all of the requirements for being a great president. However, the citizens of America were deceived. Nixon consequently showed the country his real side through his tapes. The American public were stunned to see the vindictive, small-minded personality of their once believed to be great leader. I believe the thesis of this chapter is to be, people can be easily deceived by the exterior view of our political leaders. Also, there is the ironic theme that what Nixon thought would be beneficial to him, in actuality, the recording system in his office turned out to be the beginning of his defamation.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Nixon should have been worrying about other details instead of being concerned with his re-election. Also, millions of dollars are wasted away every election year to gain supporters. This money could be used to help find much more valuable things such as the following: a cure for cancer, saving the environment, or funding research for the creation of more medicine.
Watergate has become synonymous with abuse of power. Nixon abused his role as president to try to cover up the White House’s involvement with the break in to the Watergate Hotel. The abuse of power was also evident by attempting to set the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency against one another. After reading this, my opinion of Nixon had completely shifted. At first, I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but turning his own agencies against one another to cover up such a scandal was a just imprudent. Nixon, after being pushed by the House Judiciary Committee left office on August 9, 1974.
Before the summer of 1972, Watergate meant nothing to the citizens of America. It merely was a luxurious hotel used by the Democratic office. However, it became the focus of 1973 until 1974 after a “third-rate burglary.” As one of the greatest political scandals ever, Watergate, ruined many lives and reputations, forever changing the life of President Richard Nixon.
Trey Flynn
ReplyDeleteThesis of Chapter 15: Richard Nixon’s involvement in the conspiracy of Watergate has completely altered Americans’ perception of government to one of constant suspicion by the American people of political motives. Despite Watergate’s profound effect on the American political system, the absolute nature of the conspiracy remains undetected. The missing segments of the Watergate tapes continue to raise suspicions of Nixon’s role in the conspiracy. When analyzing the portions of the tape included in the transcript, Nixon is identified behind a reasonable doubt as aware of the operations and in favor of continuing the effort. This has always puzzled me because if his guilt is already established, then what could be included in the missing tapes that had to have been destroyed? I do not personally adhere to the theory in the movie JFK that both Nixon and Lyndon B. Johnson were in knowledge of the plans of the assassination of John F. Kennedy before its occurrence, but I remain suspicious as to the tapes’ content. Through its shocking revelation of a presidency corrupted by fear of lost office, Watergate marks one of the most damaging and embarrassing moments in American history. The lasting effects have completely shattered the relationship of trust between elected officials and citizens, and created a sense of paranoia to avoid any corruption from penetrating our country’s oval office ever again. The extent to which Davidson and Lytle analyze the Watergate transcript provides the reader with a connection between relevant portions of the tapes that is not offered when reading the transcript alone. The tapes revealed Nixon’s profane nature and vulgar outlook on the American public mocking how easily they can be deceived. Nixon’s careless comments on people of color and other religions are also startling coming from a man in knowledge of the recording system. Since Watergate, I feel the office of the president has been somewhat restored to represent a respectable office worthy of the American public’s faithful support. Nixon’s mishap is the biggest publicly known blunder ever for a president of the U.S., and his mistake has made every president since the constant victim of public scrutiny. However, such scrutiny can be considered a beneficial system of keeping any such mistake from being made ever again. Even though Nixon was ousted and publically humiliated for his crimes and his sleaziness, the public has acknowledged that political campaigns are dirty business, and that Nixon’s reputation should not be completely dominated by Watergate.
The thesis of “Chapter 15: Breaking into Watergate” is that the Watergate scandal provided more information than just a president’s political mistakes, but it delved into a president’s behavior to uncover his mysterious ways. The chapter demonstrates this thesis by using none other than President Richard Nixon. Although I have repeatedly heard of the Watergate scandal in history class and have read about it in history books, I could never truly define the Watergate scandal. I was so glad this chapter was assigned because I finally learned the truth behind Watergate and what a big deal it was in history.
ReplyDeleteBy reading the section “Presidential Tapes,” I learned a lot about the secrets of the White House. I never knew that there were recording systems installed in the White House. It is scary, as a citizen of this country, to not know what goes on inside the oval office. I thought that Nixon was the first president to be busted with use of a recording system, but I learned many presidents before Nixon practiced the same secret technology. However, Nixon was said to “not simply mirror his predecessors.” Unlike earlier systems, Nixon’s recording system turned on automatically every time someone spoke. Because of how extreme his recording system was, Nixon found it impossible to get out of the Watergate scandal. He had no reason why he recorded every meeting and conversation which took place in the White House. This sketchy habit led historians and politicians to dive deeper into the case to see what Nixon was doing and planning behind closed doors.
More than anything else, I saw this chapter as an analysis of Nixon’s behavior and personality in public and in secret. Through the course of the story, Nixon is seen as several different types of people. It seems dangerous to have a president leading your country who is guilty of multi-personalities. He has been defined as “the humble man of modest means,” a “whiner,” and the “new” Nixon.
Before reading this chapter, I had no clue about Nixon’s personality. I was surprised to find out from Henry Kissinger that Nixon “didn’t enjoy people.” Like me, Kissinger questions why Nixon went into politics. It is very rare for a politician not to enjoy crowds. Nixon is very mysterious to me. His tapes from Watergate uncover him as “vindictive, vulgar, and small-minded.” Although there is a question of to whether the Nixon discovered on the tapes is the “real” Nixon, I would agree that it was. Nixon was never comfortable, and often changed himself to please the public. I believe the way to find out who a person truly is, you watch him and listen to him when he has no clue others can see or hear him. What I took away from this chapter is that you can never know who a person truly is, especially in politics. From seeing what happened to Nixon, I hope all politicians were taught that uncovering a big secret can completely ruin your reputation.
Chapter 15 “Breaking into Watergate” tells the story of how recorders in the White House showed President Richard Nixon being a completely different man then what he appeared to be in public. When I first read the title of the selection, I honestly had never heard of the Watergate scandal but after reading, I know a lot more than what I might have picked up from a history textbook. Of all the selections we had to read, this one in particular was probably my favorite because it is the most recent and is written in a way in which you can easily understand what exactly happened in the Watergate scandal. The recorded tapes picked up the major role of Nixon in the Watergate trial which proved him guilty and provided the last piece of evidence prosecutors needed. The scandalous Nixon went to the extremes to find out information about his political opponents that would make him appear to be the better candidate; however, this turned out to be not what Nixon expected and cost him his Presidential position. While I was reading this selection, it surprised me that the leader of our country was such a selfish and dishonest man. I don’t understand how a person like him could be elected into office. It is ironic to know that Nixon installed a new voice activated recording system that started up when someone spoke. Nixon’s predecessor, Lyndon B. Johnson, also had recorders during his presidency but weren’t as technically advanced as the voice activated system Nixon installed. One historian, Michael Beschloss, noted that Johnson’s tapes were significant because they “allow us to listen in on an American presidency from beginning to end.” Unlike Johnson’s tapes, the Nixon tapes were evidence that he was not the image the American public had in mind. Because of these recordings, historians have a personal view of everything that was said and done in the Oval Office. They can distinguish not only the language but the intensity, tone, pronunciation, and other features of sound. Although these taped do reveal a lot, they do not tell the whole story without other evidence to back it up. The author believes that Nixon acts differently around different people which I tend to agree with. Some people do act differently around different groups of people sometimes to stand out or fit in. Instead of trying to blackmail his political enemies, Nixon should have spent his valuable time focusing on the ways to improve the American way of life. Overall, this chapter opened my eyes to the real President Nixon as seen behind closed doors.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThesis of Chapter 15, “Breaking into Watergate:” Public perceptions of government officials are altered due to Richard Nixon and his involvement in the Watergate scandal. Before reading this chapter, I was unaware of what exactly happened. In my many years of schooling, I have never been presented with such a wealth of information about this topic as presented in this one chapter. All I knew was that the scandal had something to do with breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters, but that virtually all I knew about the subject. Little did I know, an automatic audio recording system was put in place during Nixon’s presidency. Eventually, this recorder led to Nixon getting busted in connection with a White House conspiracy that rocked the boat and tipped it over. After word of the scandal got out, citizens in every state were shocked to see the other side of their beloved president. Word also got out that Nixon was “small minded, vindictive and vulgar.” This just added to the surprise that Americans awoke to. It is somewhat amusing to think that Nixon decided that the recording system would be beneficial to the workings of the White House, when it actually led to his downfall. His downfall being his attempted cover up operation that was put into action in an effort to conceal the White House’s involvement in breaking into the Democratic National Committee’ s headquarters in Watergate office complex. Because of the audio recording system in the Oval Office, it was made clear what Nixon and his constituents were up to. Nixon was very concerned with being re elected, which is his main reasoning for covering up the break-in… obviously that wouldn’t look good to the citizens. Eventually, Nixon resigned though he denied any involvement in the issue. I, as well as many of my fellow classmates, feel that Nixon had complete knowledge as to what was going on with the break-in and preceding cover-up operation. In the end, Nixon still got the bigger end of the stick as he was pardoned by the new President, Gerald Ford.
ReplyDeleteRepublican Richard Nixon’s scandalous presidency was centralized around the Watergate scandal during the 1970s, which ultimately led to the resignation of the thirty-seventh president of the United States. Although the secret tapes seemed to be a good idea at the time, end the end, the tapes led to Nixon’s collapse as a respectable, trustworthy politician. As president of the United States of America, most people automatically would think of him as man with top-notch trustworthiness, honesty, and overall integrity, but the public eventually considered him to be more corrupt and immoral than they expected. Although I have vaguely studied the Watergate scandal during my earlier years of schooling, Davidson and Lytle use greater detail and more facts, which elucidates all of the components that came together to form the reprehensible Watergate scandal. All of the time that I have known about the scandal, I never really understood why the president would take such a giant risk to merely listen to conversations between members of the opposing political party. The Watergate scandal began with a break-in into the Democratic National Convention and the installation of numerous tapes and recording cameras around doors and walls. Surprisingly, President Richard Nixon was related to the break-ins because he was obtaining secret information concerning conversations between members of the Democratic Party. In my opinion, this whole situation seems to be silly and foolish; it definitely does not seem like something the president of the United States would do. As I read this chapter, I could not help to think of how the American population reacted during that time period; for instance, if our president, Barack Obama, has been immorally obtaining information, I would be astounded yet almost embarrassed to know that someone that well respected could act that childish. Not only did our president corruptly hack into the Democratic Convention, but he also deliberately lied about his affiliation with the scandal as a whole. The audiotapes obviously did more damage to Richard Nixon than it benefited him. He continuously refused to hand over the tape recordings to Congress or in court; during this time, he attempted to rebuild his reputation as a determined politician. Richard Nixon finally revealed the tapes and recordings to the public after the Supreme Court ordered him to do so. Although he had a good reputation as a leader in foreign policy, his reputation as a respectable politician was quickly destroyed.
ReplyDeleteTheir is one phrase that always applies to American politics: Watergate Scandal. Almost everyone in America has heard it. Everyone knows that it is the even that ended Nixon's presidency. What everyone doesn't know is that Nixon incriminated himself. The famous Watergate tapes are tapes of the President from inside the Oval Office, where he thought he could safely confide in his trusted assistants. Little did he know that the tapes he hoped to use for future memoirs would be his very downfall.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that I though of after reading about Nixon is that Nixon was a complete idiot. Why would you record incriminating evidence? Why not shut off the recorder while doing things that could hurt your reputation? I understood why he would want to record important moments, but why should he reveal to anyone he had a taping system? That seemed to me like his first flaw. Obviously, not shutting them off when doing things that were illegal was his second flaw. Ironically, the thing he was using to preserve his legacy ended up destroying his legacy. He was a completely different person behind closed doors. In public, he was an honorable, moral, ethical man. In private, he was vulgar, unethical, and immoral.
Seeing this sharp contrast between Nixon's personalities makes me wonder about all the other president's that we have had and currently had. What is Obama like behind closed doors? Is he the same man he wants us to believe he is? This calls into question the morals and ethics of every president. I also wonder if any of the more modern presidents have taping systems in the Oval Office. I really would like to see what these people are really like. Nixon was one of the most respectable presidents in public, but to see him as a foul mouthed, racist man is a complete change.
I liked seeing how they used excerpts from the tapes used against Nixon. Ironically, it seemed like he tried to set up some sections of the tape to make him look better. He claimed that the wire tapping was "legal." I was intrigued at the sections that were omitted for "National Security." I really started to wonder about what the excerpts mentioned. It is these kinds of things that really make me wonder about what the government is actually doing. Why would they be wire tapping in the early 1970s?
No matter what, the government will always control what we know. Despite the fact that they released the full tapes, some sections will never reach the eyes of the citizens. Some things we will just never know.
Bryce,
ReplyDeleteYou seemed to defend Richard Nixon and say that it was all right for his actions to be that morally low. I agree with you that he should not be considered a bad man just because of his scandalous actions. Your quote about him not living up to the normal standards of an “American President” really caught my attention. I personally believe that our presidents should possess the greatest sense of responsibility since they assumed the position of the most respected person in our country. You acted as if it did not matter that Nixon acted as two different men: publicly or privately. He should display the same behavior no matter who is watching him.
Chapter 15 of After the Fact showed me Nixon’s guilt and interesting fact about the Watergate Scandal. Before reading this chapter, I thought all this incident was about the taping of the Democratic Party’s phones. I now understand that this scandal also included the apartments of members of the Democratic Party being broken into. I also knew Nixon took no responsibility for any of the Watergate Scandal. In this chapter, I found that Nixon as I thought took no responsibility and he claimed to not know about any of the action that took place.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter was of great interest of mine because of the eye opening amount of people the scandal involved stated by the author. I previously thought that just five or six of the GOP leaders were involved but I was sadly mistaken. I also found that the author showed that the tapes did not necessarily convict or show the innocence of the GOP in case of the Watergate scandal. The tapes have to be used as evidence but it also has to be understood that the tapes could be doctored. Nixon and his men may have known the tapes could be used as evidence so they could have said things to disguise their crime. The tapes did show however certainly the president was no perfect and innocent man. They showed him to be vulgar and racist at times proving that he was unfit to be the leader of the United States as it is the melting pot of the world. The tapes also showed his knowledge of the action of the GOP in the Watergate Scandal. They show him with full knowledge and understanding of the phone taping, the apartment break-ins, and all other action taken to help out the GOP in the coming election. The President was thus proved to be no more above the law than anyone else.
The Watergate Scandal had disadvantageous effect to the GOP and America as a whole. It changed peoples view inside and out of our borders. The American people lost their trust in our notions government. The governmental officials mislead the America public and then slapped in the face by Nixon by his audacity to cheat to win. Opinions around the world were also changed for the worse. People saw the leader of the supposed best country in the world as a liar and a cheat creating animosity towards all of America.
The thesis of this chapter is that appearances can be deceiving and that those in power are never what they seem to be. This is especially true of the chapters main focal point Richard Nixon and the watergate Scandal. This scandal forever changed America. Presidents were cast down from their kingly status to mere politicians. The presidency was undermined. Watergate however did provide a peek into the way the president really acted and thought. This was due to the secret recordings that Nixon kept of himself. I find that to be fairly stupid on his part. Of course other recordings are also revealed such as the ones about JFK.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the tapes, I am baffled as to why Nixon took the large risk of recording everything he said. This risk didn't pay off at all, and Nixon wound up incriminating himself. I found myself being disgusted as to the kind of man Nixon really was. He was hotheaded and racist. He didn't deserve the presidency and the honor that came with it. He threw the office of president into the fire. I was disgusted as to the fact that Nixon seemed to commit more then one crime by sending in his secret force called the Plumbers. This not only hurt him, but made the American public distrust the presidency that much more. One thing that I find interesting though is the taping system itself. I am also surprised to find out how previous president also kept recordings of themslves. Nixon, though, took this to a whole new level. He placed the system all over the white house and made it voice activated as to record all of his conversations. These tapes of course provided insight to the everyday life of the presidency. It also showed a good point by the author that I agree with, that people are different around different people. This points to Nixon. Around the public, he was shy, reluctant, and humble. Around his aids however, he was a loud mouthed, racist man that belittled those around him. I dislike people that in essence fool the American public to believing one thing and doing the next. He is like many politicians in this part. Nixon has become one of my least favorite presidents and this chapter has revealed much to show how awful a president he really was. The president should be a man that leads by integrity. The president should be the leader of a nation and not involved in petty things such as Nixon was. Nixon will always live in infamy for his scandalous ways and abuse of power. Hopefully he will be a reminder to future presidents so history doesn't repeat itself.
Sriram,
ReplyDeleteI agree on many of the points you made about Nixon and Watergate. My view of Nixon has also changed greatly from this chapter. I never knew he possessed such a temper and how he tried to hide his true self from the public. I also coudn't believe he had his own secret force to commit these crimes he planned. This is something the president of this nation should never do. He was truely a digrace to the office. I also wondered why he wasn't more careful with his words around the many recording devices he implemented around the White House.
ALAN GUAN
ReplyDeleteThe Watergate incident truly marked the history of the nation with corruption within the government itself enlightening the people about the true nature of the government. When thinking of scandals, the Watergate is the first thing that pops up in my head. The government itself is run by humans who have natural human inclinations such as coveting, lying, stealing, and the whole nine yards, so why should the people trust it? The Watergate scandal proves that even the president whom the country elected is a human who is a thief. Now, courts have shown the power to even take on politicians. The evidence used against Nixon was primarily the audio recordings that he made himself which ironically resulted to his downfall. The idea of audio recording is a splendid idea, but it has some moral consequences. It is a good thing to have occasionally to make memoirs or to use for reference. The moral obstruction of having an audio recorder is that it can turn a private meeting into something more public as every word spoken can be used against the speaker if the recording gets to the wrong hands. After listening to the tapes of Nixon, I found that Nixon and his crew was substantially more corrupt than I have imagined. Even when the entire nation did not corner him, Nixon still had scandalous plots consisting of mainly a blackmailing scheme. I believe that such actions are unacceptable for a leader of a nation because I prefer to have a leader whom I know will give all his efforts to get the job done and whom I can trust. Luckily, Richard Nixon is not my leader, but nevertheless, I have my doubts about the presidents who served in my lifetime. Nixon’s scandal surely raised awareness among the citizens about the corruption of the government causing many negative sentiments to come up against the government. In the end, Nixon just threw in the towel and resigned from his office which concluded the Watergate incident. In my opinion, the impeachment process is not strong enough as it is far too complex to be efficient being that Nixon escaped the fate by resigning early.
ALAN GUAN
ReplyDeleteThe Watergate incident truly marked the history of the nation with corruption within the government itself enlightening the people about the true nature of the government. When thinking of scandals, the Watergate is the first thing that pops up in my head. The government itself is run by humans who have natural human inclinations such as coveting, lying, stealing, and the whole nine yards, so why should the people trust it? The Watergate scandal proves that even the president whom the country elected is a human who is a thief. Now, courts have shown the power to even take on politicians. The evidence used against Nixon was primarily the audio recordings that he made himself which ironically resulted to his downfall. The idea of audio recording is a splendid idea, but it has some moral consequences. It is a good thing to have occasionally to make memoirs or to use for reference. The moral obstruction of having an audio recorder is that it can turn a private meeting into something more public as every word spoken can be used against the speaker if the recording gets to the wrong hands. After listening to the tapes of Nixon, I found that Nixon and his crew was substantially more corrupt than I have imagined. Even when the entire nation did not corner him, Nixon still had scandalous plots consisting of mainly a blackmailing scheme. I believe that such actions are unacceptable for a leader of a nation because I prefer to have a leader whom I know will give all his efforts to get the job done and whom I can trust. Luckily, Richard Nixon is not my leader, but nevertheless, I have my doubts about the presidents who served in my lifetime. Nixon’s scandal surely raised awareness among the citizens about the corruption of the government causing many negative sentiments to come up against the government. In the end, Nixon just threw in the towel and resigned from his office which concluded the Watergate incident. In my opinion, the impeachment process is not strong enough as it is far too complex to be efficient being that Nixon escaped the fate by resigning early.
Breaking into Watergate
ReplyDeleteThe point of this chapter is to inform readers how Nixon basically set himself up for trouble because of his use of tapes in the White House, even though they were initially not meant for anyone to hear. He thought that if anything, they might help him someday. I was very interested in this chapter because it deals with how our president abused his power and got himself into trouble.
Most people would probably agree with the statement that our president should be someone we can all trust. He (or she) should be someone whose main concern is the country. Our president should be someone we can count on to do the right thing. Nixon was the opposite of that image. He was involved in a scandal, and he tried to deny it. He thought that people would take his word over the word of John Dean just because he was president. This is why he didn’t immediately release the tapes. He knew that they would prove Dean truthful. They would also show what kind of a man he was himself. By listening to the tapes, people were able to see right through his kind façade and see that he was really rude and uncaring. In public, he was careful about how he acted, as many political figures are, and he made himself out to be as respectable as possible. But when he was in private and not around as many people, he dropped the mask and used foul language and let his temper show.
This chapter was able to prove another point as well as Nixon’s involvement in the Watergate scandal. In this chapter, the reader learns that certain things such as tape recordings alone cannot always prove something. When you listened to the tapes without any other document, they are confusing and it is hard to tell what the people in the tapes are talking about. When played while comparing them to other concrete evidence, they are much easier to understand. Not only this, but the actual tapes were somewhat hard to understand. Some parts of the tapes were missing, and others were unintelligible. These tapes also caused a lot of controversy. When it was let out that there were tape recordings, most of Nixon’s followers abandoned him. They thought it was wrong to record private conversations, especially if the other people didn’t know they were being taped.
This leads me to another question: If these tapes were not meant to be heard by anyone else, why did they exist? I can see that they could be used to document important dates and conversations, but I don’t really think that the tapes were a good idea. If Nixon knew he was being recorded, I don’t understand why he still acted the way he did and said the things he said. I have heard the advice that if something could someday get you into trouble, don’t do it. If you are going to do it, don’t document it. Simple as that. I think that Nixon should have considered that advice.
Emily Espy,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that it was much easier to understand the Watergate scandal by reading this chapter than it ever was in a history book. This book somewhat simplified things that might have been harder to understand. I also agree that it was right for the court to demand the tapes from him because if there wasn't anything wrong on the tapes, why wouldn't he release them? His actions showed that there must have been something on the tapes that would prove him guilty. They also proved him not to be the man he pretended to be, which is a legitimate reason not to want the public to hear what was on them.
Before beginning to read chapter fifteen, “Breaking into Watergate,” I had only heard of the Watergate Scandal but didn’t know much about it. This scandal is what led to the fall of Nixon’s presidency. During Nixon’s presidency he got himself in trouble, but he thought it would actually help him later in life. When someone is elected president they should be willing to help their country and be someone that everyone can count on, but Nixon was the complete opposite. Word got out and many different things were said that shouldn’t have been said and were spread all over the country. This stirred up controversy among many people. Even though all the presidents’ conversations are recorded I personally wouldn’t be able to have my private conversations caught on tape. In a way it almost isn’t fair that every conversation has to be recorded because sometimes you may have to say something that you can’t hold back, and then when it is replayed it could turn into a whole different story. I think it would be interesting hear exactly what was said because that could probably change a lot of peoples mind about Nixon if they what was exactly said. After the break in, Nixon was nervous and concerned about being re elected for president because he had kept the break in a secret. Shortly after Nixon resigned and revealed the recorded tapes for the public to hear. His reputation as a leader was ruined and he was thought of differently because this situation occurred. Some people looked at it as he had cheated our country, so therefore he had lost respect. Maybe this situation will be a lesson learned to the presidents in the future.
ReplyDeleteBreaking into Watergate was my favorite chapter out of the three selected from the book. I enjoyed it the most because everyone was so devious which made it very interesting to read. The purpose of this chapter is to inform the reader that Nixon's sneaky plans of making the tapes eventually backfired on him and caused him to resign from being the president. It also proves that corruption can exist even in the very high positions in the government, such as the president. One of the most shocking parts of this chapter was when it mentioned all of the presidents who also used some type of tape recording system. I had no idea that Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson all made secret recordings.
ReplyDeleteReading this chapter made me realize how secretive and corrupt politicians can be. Most of them are willing to do whatever it takes to beat their opponent and keep their political power. For example, "Nixon exposed the existence of the Johnson tapes as part of his own defense" (378) after Johnson died from a heart attack in 1973. Johnson had pre-arranged for the boxes of his tapes to be sent to the Johnson Library when he died. The Library director and chief archivist were not allowed to open the box until 2023. If Nixon had not already revealed the tapes, historians would still not know the contents of Johnson's tapes. It is strange to think that the box would still not be opened for another thirteen years. Nixon thought that by exposing the tapes, people would cut him a little slack about his scandalous actions; however, "the significance of the announcement was lost in the swirl of the Watergate revelations" (379). Nixon also encouraged breaking the law. In his conversation with Kissinger and Haldeman, he orders them to break into the Brookings Institute and steal the files from the safe. A president should never encourage criminal activity. He also wanted to use the files to blackmail Johnson. It almost appears as if Nixon thought he was above the law just because he was the president. I believe that no one is above the law. It is only fair if everyone has to follow them. Nixon was not setting a good example for people all around the country. It is unbelievable how corrupt, selfish, and ruthless Nixon was around the time of the scandal.
It made me really angry when Nixon used the tapes to improve his reputation. During some recorded conversations, Nixon used the tapes for his advantage. For example, in a conversation between Nixon and Kissinger, it almost seems as if Nixon is speaking to the tapes. I believe that Nixon did this because there was always that small part of him that believed the tapes would someday be revealed. Therefore, he spoke to the tapes to influence the way people would view his actions in the future. He wanted to ensure that people remembered him as a good president. Once again, he abused his power, and he also planned to make people think he was a better person than he actually was. He used the tapes to deceive the people of the United States about his true personality.
Nixon's scandalous and unscrupulous ways of dealing with business at the White House makes him one of the most corrupt presidents in the history of America. Nixon will always be remembered for his association with Watergate no matter how hard he tried to cover up his connections to the scandal.
When I began reading the “Chapter 15: Breaking into Watergate,” I had little knowledge about Nixon and the Watergate Scandal. Aside from the negative public opinion the American population still holds for Richard Nixon and the understanding that the Watergate scandal involved recordings of political opponents, I essentially knew nothing. I was fascinated to discover through the chapters thesis that both the Nixon involvement in the Watergate scandal and the vulgar and vindictive Nixon exposed on tape played key roles in the tainted opinion of government officials American’s hold today.
ReplyDeleteAt one point, Nixon actually had a reputation as a “tough, resilient, competent, and honest politician.” He labored much of his early political career to build a friendly persona and involve himself in successful dealing of foreign affairs. Ironically, he even had one of the most advanced recording systems installed in the White House to help him maintain that excellent political image. He hoped that voice recording could aid him in the decision making process and blackmail any power that threaten to destroy his public image. This decision eventually came back to haunt him, as the very tapes he used to protect himself incriminated him in the Watergate Scandal. When Nixon was forced to relinquish the tapes, not only did they show his vulgar personality as he shouted profanity, used racial slurs, and called for White House involvement in criminal acts, but they also showed his corruption as they were present doctored and incomplete to the court. The American population was shocked by the tapes and their revelations. The upright man they had elected to lead their country was nothing like his political persona at all. Who were they supposed to trust, if the leader of their nation was corrupt? Who could they trust?
Since the exposure of Nixon’s wildly different private and public lives, the American public has been more skeptical of their presidents. In recent years, the personalities of Bush and Obama have come into question. Was Bush truly as intelligent as he led others to believe? Is Obama as charismatic out of the limelight? While these presidents may make the same revealing mistakes Nixon did, Nixon’s actions will always leave the public suspicious of presidents’ morals and principles. The American public has also begun to question government conspiracy since the Nixon tapes tied the White House to criminal activity. Why had the government edited the tapes? What were they not telling the public? If Nixon was capable of burglary, what had previous government officials been capable of and what could future officials be capable of? Although I personally tend to disagree, following the Watergate scandal, some people began to suspect that the government was involved in the execution of JFK and other unsolved mysteries. They felt that the government might be withholding certain information for a political advantage.
Unfortunately, while Nixon and his tapes revealed a new corrupt side of politics to an unsuspecting public, they did not change the game of politics. As the chapter points out, these tapes cannot fully explain the complexities of Nixon the man and the situations he found himself in, so the public cannot write the government off as completely corrupt. They can only question its control over information, examine its other actions, and insist its power be limited by checks and balances.
Elizabeth Maples,
ReplyDeleteI agree that Nixon's mistakes should be a lesson to future president. Hopefully, the suspicion the American public now has of the government will make presidents more wary of their actions and discourage them from taking part in any more criminal activity. Additionally, I agree that recordings can be easily manipulated to portray messages far different from their original meeting. We see this every day as politically slanted news television shows edit sound bites to discredit and defame politicians. However, I do not share your sympathy for Nixon or believe his recordding are "unfair." He installed the recording system himself, and he knew when he was being recorded. If he did not want to be caught, he should have stopped recording while he discussed his criminal activities.
After reading chapter 15, "Breaking into Watergate," I've come to the conclusion that the overall thesis is to prove to Americans the evident role of President Nixon's contribution to the Watergate scandal and to show how beneficial the tapes were in proving his guiltiness to historians. As many times as I've heard about the Watergate scandal, I never could quite grasp it until I read this chapter. The Breaking into Watergate scandal is in fact the ultimate event that led to President Nixon's resignation as the thirty-seventh president. At first, I was shocked to read about Nixon playing a role in the Watergate scandal through the white house and about his resignation as president; however, my thoughts of him were completely altered after learning of his attitude and actions as president. It's almost ironic to read about a President, who is supposed to lead our people and endure such great responsibilities, that lies and corrupted his position as president. To me, Nixon fooled us all. He fooled the members he worked with and he fooled all of us Americans who believed in his ideas and beliefs, simply because he was our leader and seemed to be a loyal and meek man. It is amazing to think of a politician being secretive and deceitful, only for all of his plans to blow up in his face and make him look unreliable. Apparently, Nixon's attitude and secret scandals were not out of the ordinary for him, but it still shocked leaders and members of the house to become aware of Nixon's instigation with the Watergate scandal. I think this event in history goes to show how important hidden cameras are for people who are under the control of a great amount of power. What struck me the most was how Nixon actually tried to involve some of his close members into crime and later tried to set Johnson up for defeat. What kind of leader does he prove to be now? Also, I found it odd that he recorded more than one tape. I feel like if I was trying to get away with something as big as being involved in the Watergate scandal, I would do my best to avoid any evidence. No matter of the things President Nixon did before his dealings with the Watergate scandal and his numerous lies when he thought he was safe against his closest politicians, President Nixon will always be remembered as the man who let down his country and shamed his name as president by being corrupt.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading chapter fifteen – Breaking Into Watergate, I actually had to set aside a full five minutes to laugh at former president Nixon. The fact that the President of the United States of America would tape himself in the act of breaking the law is both hilarious and unfortunate at the same time. It’s hilarious in a sense that American citizens vote these people into public office to fix problems with our country, but in return are frequently slapped in the face by the outrageous, unthinkable acts of a person like Nixon. It’s truly people like Richard Nixon that give me that small glimmer of hope that maybe one day I might could do something that holds a hefty amount of responsibility (like being the President of the United States of America). It seems to me that with every presidential election that passes comes a larger amount of ignorant, unqualified candidates that are more determined to fix what they think is wrong with the country, rather than what the people who voted them into office think is wrong. It is like every four years the American public sit back and watch the person they voted into public office, steadily take our country’s top priorities and move them to the bottom of the list, while simultaneously filling the gaps with their own personal desires. It’s sad to think that when a Tuesday election rolls around, a large percentage of the voting public are torn between two candidates, not because they are both of good quality, but instead because they are forced to chose between the lesser of two evils. It makes me wonder where we get our political candidates sometimes, and how in the world did these people make it up onto this imaginary pedestal that is American politics. Over time the image of the President of the United States has been morphed into a Pop Culture Icon instead of the old fashioned Great American Hero.
ReplyDeleteChapter 15 breaking into Watergate is about not only a crime but also the release of scandalous tapes that revealed the corrupt side of President Nixon. Out of all the chapters this was by far my favorite. I thought it was very informative about not only the Watergate incident but also about the tapes. In the past I have read about breaking into Watergate but it has never been made this clear to me. I thought Davidson and Lytle did an admirable job at informing the reader of everything that really went on. I never knew that other presidents such as Kennedy and Johnson also taped meetings and conversations. The way the presidents were so secretive by hiding microphones and cameras back then is what surprised me the most in this chapter. After reading what was said in these tapes I do not think that Nixon should have ever been elected for the presidency. The tapes that were revealed showed what Nixon was really like- incriminating, a fraud, and a very corrupt man. Without the testimony of John Dean I am not sure if all of this would have ever even happened. This changed my outlook on President Nixon completely. Presidents are known for their exemplary behavior, intelligence, and their fearless ruling. In my opinion, Nixon was everything but those three things. He was not fit for the high honor of being president of the United States. I thought it was very wrong that Nixon would not release the tapes until he was put under an immense amount of pressure to do so. Once some of the tapes were released, I still did not think that everything was there. They had no real explanation as to why there was 18 whole minutes missing from one tape. I think Nixon abused his power because he thought he was the man in charge. To mess with another parties election is just beyond horrible. Instead of helping him, Nixon’s tapes eventually became the downfall of his entire career. The tapes could tell all. A tape was even known as the smoking gun because it showed without a doubt that he was involved with the cover-up from the beginning. After everything was revealed Richard Nixon announced his resignation on August 9, 1974. I think one of the main things you can take away from this chapter is that no one is above the law. True justice will always come out on top.
ReplyDeleteI found this chapter very interesting as the United States find fault within a so called leader. I agree with what Reed was saying about the qualities of a leader that people are looking for. So, why is hard for the people of the United States to find a very good leader who's true colors does not come as a surprise? The author does a very good job of allowing the reader to recognize the seriousness of committing a crime; especially in the position of a leader in a very high position. I see why and how it is important for us Americans to stay involved in politics even though the discussion can get heated at times. But, we have a right to know what goes on in our government and expectations we seek from that type of environment. Nixon appeared to be a very wise and brave man who was put in charge of the United States. But here he is taping himself and letting all his dirty little secrets fall from his lips. He partaked in something that seem so childish because he is already president; and if he was doing what he was suppose to do, then he would have nothing to worry to about concerning how his behavior. This whole section makes reading about the Watergate incident even more exciting to read.
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