TIMELINE for

November 5, 1968 August 1, 1972 Richard Milhouse Nixon, the 55- A $25,000 cashier's check, year-old former vice president who apparently earmarked for the Nixon lost the presidency for the campaign, wound up in the bank Republicans in 1960, reclaims it by account of a Watergate burglar, The defeating Hubert Humphrey in one of Washington Post reports. the closest elections in U.S. history. September 29, 1972 January 21, 1969 John Mitchell, while serving as Nixon is inaugurated as the 37th attorney general, controlled a secret president of the United States. Republican fund used to finance widespread intelligence-gathering July 23, 1970 operations against the Democrats, Nixon approves a plan for greatly The Post reports. expanding domestic intelligence- gathering by the FBI, CIA and other October 10, 1972 agencies. He has second thoughts a FBI agents establish that the few days later and rescinds his Watergate break-in stems from a approval. massive campaign of political spying and sabotage conducted on behalf of June 13, 1971 the Nixon reelection effort, The Post The New York Times begins reports. publishing the - the Defense Department's secret history November 7, 1972 of the Vietnam War. The Washington Nixon is reelected in one of the Post will begin publishing the papers largest landslides in American later that same week. political history, taking more than 60 percent of the vote and crushing the September 3, 1971 Democratic nominee, Sen. George The White House "plumbers" unit - McGovern of South Dakota. named for their orders to plug leaks in the administration - burglarizes a January 30, 1973 psychiatrist's office to find files on Former Nixon aides G. Gordon Liddy , the former defense and James W. McCord Jr. are analyst who leaked the Pentagon convicted of conspiracy, burglary Papers. and wiretapping in the Watergate incident. Five other men plead guilty, June 17, 1972 but mysteries remain. Five men, one of whom says he used to work for the CIA, are arrested at April 30, 1973 2:30 a.m. trying to bug the offices of Nixon's top White House staffers, the Democratic National Committee H.R. Haldeman and John at the Watergate hotel and office Ehrlichman, and Attorney General complex. Richard Kleindienst resign over the scandal. White House counsel John June 19, 1972 Dean is fired. A GOP security aide is among the Watergate burglars, reports. Former attorney general John Mitchell, head of the Nixon reelection campaign, denies any link to the operation. TIMELINE for WATERGATE SCANDAL • p.2 May 18, 1973 November 17, 1973 The Senate Watergate Committee Nixon declares, "I'm not a crook," begins its nationally televised maintaining his innocence in the hearings. Attorney General- Watergate case. designate Elliot Richardson taps former solicitor general Archibald December 7, 1973 Cox as the Justice Department's The White House can't explain an 18 special prosecutor for Watergate. ?-minute gap in one of the subpoenaed tapes. Chief of Staff June 3, 1973 Alexander Haig says one theory is has told Watergate that "some sinister force" erased the investigators that he discussed the segment. Watergate cover-up with President Nixon at least 35 times, The Post April 30, 1974 reports. The White House releases more than 1,200 pages of edited transcripts of June 13, 1973 the Nixon tapes to the House Watergate prosecutors find a memo Judiciary Committee, but the addressed to committee insists that the tapes describing in detail the plans to themselves must be turned over. burglarize the office of Pentagon Papers defendant Daniel Ellsberg's July 24, 1974 psychiatrist, The Post reports. The Supreme Court rules unanimously that Nixon must turn July 13, 1973 over the tape recordings of 64 White , former House conversations, rejecting the presidential appointments secretary, president's claims of executive reveals in congressional testimony privilege. that since 1971 Nixon had recorded all conversations and telephone calls July 27, 1974 in his offices. House Judiciary Committee passes the first of three articles of July 18, 1973 impeachment, charging obstruction Nixon reportedly orders the White of justice. House taping system disconnected. August 8, 1974 July 23, 1973 becomes the first U.S. Nixon refuses to turn over the president to resign. Vice President presidential tape recordings to the Gerald R. Ford assumes the country's Senate Watergate Committee or the highest office. He will later pardon special prosecutor. Nixon of all charges related to the Watergate case. October 20, 1973 : Nixon fires and abolishes the office of the special prosecutor. Attorney General Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William D. Ruckelshaus resign. Pressure for impeachment mounts in Congress.