100 Historical Stories That Unlock Teenage Wisdom

Chapter 40 11 Nixon's Watergate Incident

Chapter 411 Nixon meets Watergate

——Cover up mistakes and reap the consequences Honesty is the most shining quality in human nature.It is short-sighted and unwise to cover up one's mistakes with lies.

The 37th President of the United States, Republican Charlie?Nixon ran for re-election in 1972.Due to his outstanding achievements and proper campaign strategy, he defeated the Democratic candidate McGovern by an overwhelming advantage and was re-elected as the 38th President of the United States.However, just over two years later, in August 1974, Nixon, who was the president of the United States of America, announced his resignation due to the Watergate incident.

It turned out that on the night of June 1972, 6, McCord, the security adviser at the headquarters of the Nixon campaign team's "Committee for the President's Re-election", and four other people who had been intelligence officers of the CIA brought cameras, electronic bugs and other necessary tools. , quietly entered the Watergate Building where the headquarters of the Democratic Party is located, secretly photographed files, and installed electronic bugs.

However, the security measures of the Democratic Party and the CIA are very strict, and all the deeds of the eavesdroppers have been exposed.The security personnel arrested the five people on the spot.The person who watched over McCord and others outside the building escaped at the time, but was also arrested three months later.McCord and others admitted that they sneaked into the Watergate Building to steal information on the Democratic Party's campaign strategy, and they were ordered by Nixon's presidential campaign team.McCord also broke the news that they had sneaked into the Watergate Building to eavesdrop on May 5 3 days ago, but the results were not as expected, so they went a second time.They wanted to put a bug in the phone in the office of Democratic Party Chairman O'Brien O'Brien to obtain important information about Nixon's opponents.

When Nixon learned that the FBI had pointed the finger at his campaign team, he actually told the FBI through the CIA, asking them not to pursue the case further.At the same time, he told the arrested persons to temporarily plead guilty and remain silent, and sent a large amount of money.In this way, they covered up the truth about Watergate.

Unexpectedly, McCord suddenly broke his silence and confessed the whole truth, because he was threatened with severe punishment.As a result, the situation of the incident took a turn for the worse, and McCord confessed all the participants in the Watergate incident and the relevant senior personnel who attempted to cover up the truth.McCord also said he was involved in the intelligence-gathering activity because "this effort was initiated by the attorney general, the White House and the president himself."After an in-depth investigation, the court found that as many as 10 people participated in planning and directing the Watergate incident.

Before the truth of the incident was fully exposed, President Nixon repeatedly denied that the White House and relevant government personnel were involved in the incident.He also prevented White House personnel from testifying before the investigative committee on the grounds that the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the United States are separated and the president enjoys executive privileges.However, with the deepening of the investigation and the large-scale media reports and comments on it, gradually Nixon was no longer able to prevent them from testifying.But Nixon still declared himself innocent and had nothing to do with these matters.

In July, it was revealed that since 7, Nixon had installed a recording device in the White House office, recording the president's conversations with everyone, including the Watergate conversation.Both Irving, chairman of the US Senate Special Investigations Committee, and Cox, the special counsel, issued subpoenas demanding that Nixon hand over the Watergate tapes.But Nixon refused to hand over these tapes on the grounds that they involved national security and state secrets.The conflict between the two sides began to intensify.

On October 10, Nixon publicly ordered the dismissal of Special Counsel Cox, which immediately caused an uproar, and people demanded that the president withdraw his order. On July 20, 1974, the Supreme Court passed a ruling requiring the president to hand over the tapes of the conversation, and soon passed three articles of impeachment against the president.

On August 8, Nixon was forced to hand over the Watergate tapes.These tapes recorded what he and his subordinates discussed about obstructing the investigation on the seventh day after the Watergate incident, which became strong evidence of his participation in the "Watergate incident".Under the wave of impeachment in the country, Nixon's resignation was inevitable. On August 5, Nixon held talks with the Big Three Republicans in Congress, Goldwater, Most, and Rhodes. After consultations, Nixon reluctantly decided to resign from the presidency.

On the morning of August 8, Nixon left the White House after resigning in a televised address. Two hours later, former Vice President Ford was sworn in as President of the United States.After Ford became president, according to the relevant provisions of the US Constitution, he issued a presidential decree pardoning Nixon's crimes.But at the same time, 9 people under the president who were believed to be acting on the president's behalf were convicted.

Wisdom Interpretation:

"There is no impenetrable wall in the world", "If you want people not to know, unless you can't do it yourself", these familiar sayings have given us a lot of vigilance.But many times, people often choose to cover up their mistakes to save themselves.

Nixon's fall from office for covering up mistakes during the Watergate scandal has taught us a lot.In the face of mistakes, it is foolish to choose to escape. Only by facing them bravely can we win tolerance and initiative.

(End of this chapter)