 |
Watergate -- once merely the name of a building, now synonymous with the greatest scandal to impact the U.S. presidency. Some key events in the Watergate chronology:
- June 17, 1972 -- five men are arrested for breaking into the Watergate building
- October 10, 1972 -- the Washington Post claims that the Watergate break-in was part of a larger program of illegal activities designed to secure Nixon's reelection
- November 7, 1972 -- Nixon and vice-president Spiro Agnew are reelected by a large margin
- February 7, 1973 -- the Senate forms a committee to investigate Watergate and other possible illegal activities related to the Nixon reelection campaign
- May 17, 1973 -- the televised Watergate hearings begin
- October 20, 1973 -- in what becomes known as the "Saturday Night Massacre," Attorney General Elliott Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William D. Ruckelshaus resign rather than fire Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox, who refuses to stop his efforts to get Nixon's taped conversations; Cox is fired by Acting Attorney General Robert Bork
- October 23, 1973 -- the White House says it will turn over the tapes Cox wanted; they later say some do not exist and that others have gaps
- November 17, 1973 -- Nixon asserts "I am not a crook"
- July 24, 1974 -- the Supreme Court orders Nixon to turn over all taped conversations related to the Watergate investigation
- July 27-30, 1974 -- the House Judiciary Committee recommends that Nixon be impeached, voting for three articles of impeachment
- August 8, 1974 -- Nixon announces his resignation, effective at noon August 9
The following books are completely free to read in their entirety from June 21, 2002, through June 28, 2002, with a free trial account.
|
