Nixon, Richard

As Richard Nixon sought, and subsequently won, a second term as president of the United States, he became embroiled in a massive scandal involving illegal practices during his reelection campaign. On June 17, 1972, five men with connections to President Nixon's re-election committee were caught breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. This intrusion funneled responsibility directly to the president and was not the only improper or illegal campaign activity sanctioned by the Nixon administration. Formally known as the Watergate scandal, such wrongdoings from Nixon and his staff led to the president's resignation from office on August 9, 1974.

In an effort to gather intelligence from the Democratic Party's presidential campaign, the Nixon administration attempted numerous break-ins at their opposition's headquarters. The first, authorized by the Committee for the Re-Election of the President's general counsel G. Gordon Liddy, instructed a team to invade the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters on May 26, 1972. By prearranging a dinner at the DNC complex, a group of hired burglars had access to the building and tried to obtain information from the Democrats. This was unsuccessful and required another effort.

The second break-in was made one evening later on May 27. Eight men were disguised as Federal Reserve workers reporting to the Watergate complex. They dodged security and tried to breach the DNC facility's security system. However, the mission failed, as one trespasser did not have the correct tools to complete the break-in. The two attempts on the DNC center were documented solely by testimonies of the coconspirators. Evidence does not exist to verify that either of the failed entries actually occurred.

Members of the Nixon administration were dissatisfied with their futile breach of the Democratic Party and remained committed in their efforts to seize competitive information. Nixon's team was eventually successful on May 28, when a well-equipped unit of five men took photographs of various DNC documents. Specifically, snapshots were taken of a DNC contributors' list to enable Republicans to strategize toward obtaining more voter support prior to the November 1972 election. Intruders also wiretapped the phones of Democratic strategists during the break-in.

One of the phone taps was improperly executed at the DNC facility. This required another visit to the Watergate, which took place on June 17. While surveying the grounds, a member of the Watergate security force, Frank Willis, noticed that tape was covering the bolts of various doors in the building. He removed the tape and did not believe this to be a concern. However, Willis later made another search of the premises and noticed that the tape had been reapplied at approximately 1:00 a.m. Police were subsequently notified, and the authorities caught five men who were burglarizing the DNC headquarters. Virgilio González, Bernard Barker, James W. McCord Jr., Eugenio Martínez, and Frank Sturgis, along with head conspirators Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy, were all connected to the series of intrusions on the Democratic Party. They were eventually indicted for conspiracy, burglary, and violation of federal wiretapping.

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