A new afterword by Max Holland details developments since the
original 2003 publication, including the revelation of Mark Felt as
the infamous ""Deep Throat,"" the media's role in the scandal, both
during and afterwards, including Bob Woodward's Second Man.
Arguably the greatest political scandal of twentieth-century
America, the Watergate affair rocked an already divided nation to
its very core, severely challenged our cherished notions about
democracy, and further eroded public trust in its political
leaders. The 1972 break-in at Democratic National Headquarters in
the Watergate Hotel-by five men acting under the direction of a
Republican president's closest aides and his staff-created a
constitutional crisis second only to the Civil War and ultimately
toppled the Nixon presidency. With its sordid trail of illegal
wiretapping, illicit fundraising, orchestrated cover-up, and
destruction of evidence, it was the scandal that made every
subsequent national political scandal a ""gate"" as well. A
disturbing tale made famous by Washington Post reporters Bob
Woodward and Carl Bernstein in All the President's Men, the
Watergate scandal has been extensively dissected and vigorously
debated. Keith Olson, however, offers for the first time a
""layman's guide to Watergate,"" a concise and readable one-volume
history that highlights the key actors, events, and implications in
this dark drama. John Dean, John Ehrlichman, H. R. Haldeman, G.
Gordon Liddy, John Mitchell, Judge John Sirica, Senator Sam Ervin,
Archibald Cox, and the ghostly ""Deep Throat"" reappear here-in a
volume designed especially for a new generation of readers who know
of Watergate only by name and for teachers looking for a
straightforward summary for the classroom. Olson first recaps the
events and attitudes that precipitated the break-in itself. He then
analyzes the unmasking of the cover-up from both the president's
and the public's perspective, showing how the skepticism of
politicians and media alike gradually intensified into a full-blown
challenge to Nixon's increasingly suspicious actions and
explanations. Olson fully documents for the first time the key role
played by Republicans in this unmasking, putting to rest charges
that the ""liberal establishment"" drove Nixon from the White
House. He also chronicles the snowballing public outcry (even among
Nixon's supporters) for the president's removal. In a remarkable
display of nonpartisan unity, leading public and private voices in
Congress and the media demanded the president's resignation or
impeachment. In a final chapter, Olson explores the Cold War
contexts that encouraged an American president to convince himself
that the pursuit of ""national security"" trumped even the
Constitution. As America approaches the thirtieth anniversary of
the infamous Watergate hearings and the overreach of presidential
power is again at issue, Olson's book offers a quick course on the
scandal itself, a sobering reminder of the dangers of presidential
arrogance, and a tribute to the ultimate triumph of government by
the people.
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