All the President S Men

Honors U.S. History Mr. Lucot ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN

The Who’s Who of Watergate:

John Dean Former White House counsel John W. Dean III was charged with obstruction of justice and spent four months in prison for his role in the Watergate cover-up. Now an investment banker in Beverly Hills, Dean is the author of the Watergate memoirs "Blind Ambition" and "Lost Honor, " as well as a book on Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Dean's wife, Maureen, wrote her own memoir -- "Mo: A Woman's View of Watergate." The former financial consultant for Shearson-Lehman Bros. also John Dean penned two Washington novels, "Washington Wives" and "Capitol Secrets." The Deans are at the center of Watergate conspiracy theories that sound as if they came from a steamy Washington novel. They filed a lawsuit prompted by the published allegations about them. The 1991 book "Silent Coup: The Removal of a President" suggested that John Dean masterminded the Watergate burglary to obtain documents linking Maureen and her roommate to an alleged prostitution ring. "It's all nonsense," says John M.Garrick, the couple's lawyer. The Deans sued "Silent Coup's" authors and two sources, G. Gordon Liddy and Phillip M. Bailey. Garrick said court approval is pending for an undisclosed settlement between the Deans and St. Martin's Press, the book's publisher. Dean currently lives in Beverly Hills, Calif. with his wife, where he works as a writer, lecturer, and private investment banker. He has also written a screenplay, "Pentagon Papers," which he sold to Turner Television. John Ehrlichman President Nixon's assistant for domestic affairs, John D. Ehrlichman, directed the White House "plumbers" unit. He also approved the break-in at the office of the psychiatrist of Daniel Ellsberg, the defense analyst who leaked the Pentagon Papers to the press. Ehrlichman resigned from his White House post in 1973; he was convicted of conspiracy to obstruct justice and perjury in the Watergate case and of conspiracy in the Ellsberg case. Ehrlichman served 18 months in prison after unsuccessfully trying to negotiate a Ehrlichman sentence under which he would provide legal service to Native Americans. After his release, Ehrlichman lived in New Mexico and wrote novels and a memoir, "Witness to Power: The Nixon Years" (1982). He moved to Atlanta in 1991, becoming a business consultant and continuing to write. In 1996, an Atlanta gallery displayed 43 of Ehrlichman's pen-and-ink drawings from the Watergate era. Ehrlichman died in his home in Atlanta on Feb. 14, 1999 at the age of 73.

H.R. Haldeman H.R. "Bob" Haldeman, Nixon's chief of staff, spent 18 months in prison for his role in Watergate. A former advertising executive, Haldeman had a stern reputation as Nixon's gatekeeper and once called himself "the president's son- of-a-bitch." The chief of staff was part of the conversation on the so-called "smoking gun" tape, in which Nixon discussed using the CIA to divert the FBI's Watergate H.R. Haldeman probe. Haldeman resigned in April 1973 and was convicted of conspiracy and obstruction of justice the following year. After prison, Haldeman wrote "The Ends of Power," a memoir published in 1978. He spent his later years working as a real estate developer in Southern California. Haldeman died of cancer at his home in Santa Barbara on Nov. 12, 1993 -- six months before publication of "The Haldeman Diaries." He was 67.

E. Howard Hunt Hunt was a member of the White House "plumbers," the secret team assembled to stop government leaks after defense analyst Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers to the press. A former CIA operative, Hunt organized the bugging of the Democratic headquarters in the Watergate -- as well as a break-in at the office of Ellsberg's psychiatrist. Hunt's phone number in address books belonging to the Watergate burglars helped investigators -- and reporters -- connect the break-in to the president and his reelection campaign. Convicted of burglary, conspiracy and wiretapping, Hunt served 33 E. Howard Hunt months in prison.

By the time of the Watergate burglary, Hunt was already moonlighting as a spy novelist. He has since penned dozens of books, including a memoir and "Dragon Teeth," a thriller published this May.

In 1981, Hunt won $650,000 in a libel suit against the Liberty Lobby for a 1978 article that appeared in the right-wing group's conspiracy-minded newspaper, The Spotlight. The article linked Hunt to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, suggesting the CIA man was in Dallas on the day of the 1963 shooting. Mark Lane, author of the best-selling "Rush to Judgment," successfully defended Liberty Lobby in a second trial in 1985, overturning the original libel award. Lane outlined his theory about Hunt's and the CIA's role in Kennedy's murder in a 1991 book, "Plausible Denial."

Hunt filed for bankruptcy protection from his creditors in June 1995. He lives in Florida. G. Gordon Liddy The former FBI agent who helped plan the Watergate break-in capitalized on his Watergate legend and took his political views to the airwaves. Gordon Liddy's conservative radio talk show, "The G. Gordon Liddy Show," was broadcast on 232 stations nationwide. He has written the novels "The Monkey Handlers" and "Out of Control" and an autobiography, "Will," which became a best-seller. He is also an actor. Liddy has been known to support a conspiracy theory that the Watergate G. Gordon Liddy break-in was a means of covering up a call-girl ring run out of the Democratic National Committee headquarters. The theory got him involved in a defamation lawsuit filed by Ida "Maxie" Wells, a former DNC headquarters secretary who sued Liddy for saying that the her desk was targeted in a search for pictures of prostitutes by Watergate burglars. The case was dismissed by the U.S. District Court in Baltimore after jurors could not reach a verdict. Wells appealed that decision. Liddy was convicted for his role in the Watergate break-in, for conspiracy in the Daniel Ellsberg case and for contempt of court, spending about four and a half years in prison. In 1986, a federal appeals court found Liddy liable for $20,499 in back taxes on Watergate slush-fund money, rejecting his claim that his benefits did not exceed $45,000. As one of the White House "plumbers," Liddy spent about $300,000 engineering political dirty tricks and the Watergate break-in. Liddy lives in Fort Washington, Md.

John Mitchell Nixon's former law partner served as attorney general before resigning in 1972 to head the Committee for the Re-election of the President. He stood trial in 1974 and was convicted on charges of conspiracy, perjury and obstruction of justice. He served 19 months in a minimum- security prison in Alabama before being released on parole for medical reasons.

In September 1972, stories by The Washington Post linked Mitchell to a secret campaign fund that paid for the Watergate burglary. When Post reporter Carl Bemstein called for a comment, Mitchell directed his response at the Post's publisher:"Katie Graham's gonna get caught in a big fat wringer if that's ever published." According to later testimony, Mitchell approved $250,000 for the break-in.

After his release from prison, Mitchell lived in Georgetown with longtime companion Mary Gore Dean -- part owner of the exclusive Jockey Club and mother of Deborah Gore Dean, a central figure in the Reagan-era scandal at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Mitchell's outspoken wife, Martha, died in 1976. John Mitchell

In 1981, Simon and Schuster sued the former attorney general after he failed to deliver a promised Watergate memoir.

Mitchell died after collapsing near his 30th Street row house on Nov. 9, 1988. He was 75. Nixon led the funeral procession for his most loyal supporter. A decorated Navy veteran, Mitchell was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Richard Nixon When Richard Nixon died on April 22, 1995 at the age of 81, The Post's Martin Weil and Eleanor Randolph captured the life of America's tragic political figure by describing him as "a polarizing figure who won a record landslide and resigned in disgrace 21 months later." The 37th president of the United States resigned in disgrace on Aug. 9, 1974 because of public and political pressures created by the Watergate scandal. Richard Nixon

Deep Throat? • FBI Theory • CIA Theory • White House Theory

The identity of Bob Woodward's background source during Watergate remains the best-kept secret in American politics and journalism. Only four people on the Deep Throat? planet are known to have the name -- Woodward; his partner, Carl Bernstein; Ben Bradlee, the former executive editor of The Washington Post; and of course, Deep Throat himself.

In "All the President's Men," their 1974 account of the Watergate scandal, Woodward and Bernstein describe their source as holding an extremely sensitive position in the executive branch, and as one "who could be contacted only on very important occasions." Dubbed "Deep Throat" by managing editor Howard Simons after a popular porn film at the time, the source encouraged Woodward and Bernstein to "follow the money" and confirmed or denied reports from other sources.

Woodward has kept his 1972 promise to protect his source's identity because he says Deep Throat wishes to remain anonymous. But some bits of information have been disclosed over the years, providing fodder for Watergate addicts.

Woodward noted that Deep Throat was a smoker and that he drank Scotch. "Aware of his own weaknesses, he readily conceded his flaws," the reporters wrote. "He was, incongruously, an incurable gossip, careful to label rumor for what it was, but fascinated by it. . . .He could be rowdy, drink too much, overreach. He was not good at concealing his feelings, hardly ideal for a man in his position

The Reporters The real Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward

All The President’s Men Facts

 Plot: Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) are assigned to cover a routine burglary at the National Democratic Committee headquarters at the Watergate offices (read their story from June 19, 1972). Two of the burglars have the phone number of Howard Hunt, a White House aide and CIA consultant. Woodward and Bernstein start digging. Interviews with other aides and cabinet members uncover contradictory stories. Their investigation is helped by a high-level source called Deep Throat (Hal Holbrook), who would meet Woodward in a dark parking garage.

The reporters are constantly challenged by Ben Bradlee (Jason Robards), The Post's executive editor. When some of the other editors question the newspaper's coverage, Bradlee stands by his young reporters and prints the articles.

Their investigation uncovers involvement all the way up to President Richard Nixon. And as the White House continues to deny any wrongdoing, The Post continues to print story after damaging story. The Watergate scandal eventually helps take down Nixon, who resigns in August 1974.

Memorable Scenes:

 Woodward's first meeting with Deep Throat, who lights a cigarette in a dark, dismal parking garage.  Bernstein wheedles himself into house of Judy Hoback (the bookkeeper for the Committee for the Re-Election of the President) and ends up staying for hours drinking coffee and subtly interrogating her.  The reporters need another confirmation before Bradlee will run the story implicating H.R. Haldeman, the president's chief of staff and the "second most powerful man in Washington." Bernstein calls a source and says he will count to 10. If he reaches 10 and the source is still on the line, that will verify the Haldeman is involved. The source stays on the line. He rushes across the newsroom to tell Woodward. The two then race to the elevator to tell Bradlee, who is leaving. Bradlee gives the okay to print the story.  Woodward and Bernstein turn up the radio and type notes to each other after Deep Throat tells them their lives are in danger and that they are probably being bugged.

Memorable Lines:

 "Follow the money": Deep Throat to Woodward.  "Print that baby": Bradlee to Woodward and Berstein about the story that will implicate John Mitchell, the former attorney general.  "Nothing's riding on this except the first amendment of the Constitution, freedom of the press and maybe the future of this country": Bradlee to Woodward and Bernstein after they discovered the mass involvement in the cover-up. Rating: PG for language. Release Date: 1976 (by Warner Bros.). Running Time: 2 hours, 16 minutes. Director: Alan J. Pakula Cast: Robert Redford (Bob Woodward); Dustin Hoffman (Carl Bernstein); Jason Robards (Ben Bradlee); Hal Holbrook (Deep Throat); Jack Warden (Harry Rosenfeld); Martin Balsam (Howard Simons); Jane Alexander (Judy Hoback, the bookkeeper for the Committee for the Re-Election of the President); Meredith Baxter (Debbie Sloan); Ned Beatty (Martin Dardis); Stephen Collins (Hugh Sloan Jr.); Lindsay Crouse (Kay Eddy); Polly Holliday (Dardis's secretary); F. Murray Abraham (first arresting officer); Frank Wills, the security guard at the Watergate who called the police, plays himself. Total Oscar Nominations: 8. Oscar Wins: Jason Robards, best supporting actor; William Goldman, best adapted screenplay; George Jenkins and George Gaines, best art direction; Arthur Piantadosi, Les Fresholtz, Dick Alexander and Jim Webb, best sound. Other Nominations: Best picture; Jane Alexander, best supporting actress; Alan J. Pakula, best director; Robert L. Wolfe, best editing.