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The Best-Kept VO5t Secret in Washington eSig*USt Neat Stayed That Way

By PAUL FARM IV:Woven Amu Stair irrurr

anity Fair's big scoop al- most didn't happen. It started \= GUY with u cold till two ::I. Vyears ago from John D. O'Connor, a prominent lawyer in the an Francisco Bay arra, to the magazine's editor, Graydon Carter, O'Connor. according to David THEY CALLED Friend. an editor at the magazine, said he had a client "who is Deep Thrust. and he wants to come out in the pages of Vanity Fair," And so began the drama that led " Deep Mout"— to Vanity Fair's revelation yester- Despite three decades of intense speculation, the idrmtity of - day that former FBI W, 1Vashingon Post was journalist Bob the source who leaked key detail:3 of Nixon's Watergate cover-up to WOOLIWaTeS tamed anonymous reporters and —has never been revealed. source on the Watergate sc. the F.B.I. in the early 70a. is finally -indal. Now, of age 91, W. Mark Felt, number two at Woodwanl's sultsequent canfirma- ; I.n an exclusive, lion billed in what former Post exec- admitting to dust historic, am inymous role utive editor Ben Bradlee yesterday JOt IN D. O'CONNOR puts a name and face to one of American democracy's homes, tailed "the Last act, the bat un- learning about the stntggle between honor and duty that nearly led Felt known tact" about the events that led to the downhill of President to take his seem to the grave . Guessing at the identity of Deep Throat has been a Washington par- 11,4 Joon 1..11.4 NM .7- II d .00/111,0 C.1.0011,1111100 ”11011114 in A.g'nl ks- game and journalise,. nab-in- Nriolloth prnuorm ■1■14,1 r11.111011, I.* wn.rirling clvngs .hr IvAnd .sn nn n dustry for almost 33 years. Many hence Icinfl, 51te ottprcd .hen 111.1/01.11, 101111.11111.11114 II. AN .10116 11.111 have tried to unmask the man who ;coed ‘1101,.l Al .1 01. $1.11• ,11.1011.1.11, 50-001111011, who ininntwod hitrogif was perhaps the most tansies wills- 1.01 0 ,a041... 11:111001 50,1111 lb( W.imlango.vo 14.1. I w puled a 1, tlehlower ever. A few have actually Slya. 1.0t, Wp, Ikcs1 .111. ha In ha, ALIN11.1 :411111 Wotai.ant gotten it right ROO 0110.c. 11101Inron .1411.0 MIIrta •JD ash lilAWIT1.1 The problem for Vanity Fair. W.rm.hp.,11• 041111. dal Ina ICIA101( 044h hr.. am) :It mho nrrorwict, Wu] 1.14 ICC .11 .0 11111.01,000 It,,, 11111.111h= or Friend said, was that O'Connor olio WI. UM LMh unninunry IA thy mr. wanted the magazine to pay Felt ....,dad seck. flea sm. 1,..ukoo Ill rrs114.111 Rtheil Minn bliocr.vd In II1C .111,11.11 11110011 WAtaupte. nod lwap.M.1 from other In 1474. the loorniNs 1.1 :ill See MEDEA. GT', Cul. lylf ,9711. 27■ntool•r, 11111441111 0. I 'A.m. V' MEDIA, From CI and Felt's family for the story a condition the magazine would not agree to. O'Connor — who had become acquainted with the Felt family through Felt's grandson, a Stan- ford classmate of O'Connor's daughter — decided instead to publish Felt's account as a book. But after a year of trying to find a publisher, Friend said, O'Connor was back at Vanity Fair's door- step. Therein began a long and se- cretive process to render Felt's story into print. Although O'Con- nor was the lead writer, the maga- zine supplemented his work with research and fact-checking, It cor- roborated Felt's account by get- ting his daughter, his son, his daughter-in-law and a former companion to confirm that he had previously revealed his identity as ASSOC/AND PRESS. Deep Throat. Mark Felt, shown in a 1976 appearance on CBS's "Face the Nation," had repeatedly denied he was Deep Throat. About 15 Vanity Fair editors and staff people were eventually assigned to the story, which was code-named WIG (a corruption of "Watergate"). All of those in- volved signed confidentiality agreements that bound them not to reveal Felt's identity if the piece didn't meet publication stan- dard& The concern about leaks was such that Joan Felt, Mark Felt's daughter and a key source on the story, began referring to her fa- ther as "Joe Camel" — an alias for a man with one of the most fa- mous nicknames of the past 30 years. As the magazine moved toward publication, the editors used a dummy cover line to shield their story as it went to the print- er: -The Car Door Slams." Friend said neither Woodward nor his Watergate reporting part- ner Carl Bernstein — a Vanity Fair contributing editor — knew about the story until Friend maned them a copy of it yesterday morning. "We felt that if we let Bob or Cad know, The Washing- ton Post would be out before us," said Friend, who was the lead edi- tor. In fact, The Post was scooped, after keeping Felt's secret for more than three decades. Post Executive Editor Leonard Downie Jr. said yesterday that Woodward "did the honorable thing by sticking by his confiden- tiality agreement" with Felt. "He had agreed not to reveal his iden- ed to confirm Vanity Fair's story fore had an incentive to pressure a denied it when Noah asked him yesterday because "Felt's family clearly conflicted Felt into going directly in 1999, just as he denied and lawyer made their decision public. it in his 1979 memoir, "The FBI for him, and we had no choice," Up until yesterday, two of the Pyramid." Wrote Felt: 1 never Downie said. best investigations into Deep leaked information to Woodward The mystery and celebrity of Throat's identity have come from and Bernstein or to anyone else!" Deep Throat grew for three rea- former Washington Post journal- Tantalizing dues have emerged sons: His revelations were critical ists, both of whom worked for the over the years. In his book, "The in keeping Woodward and Bern- paper during the Watergate years, Bureau: The Secret History of the stein focused on the Watergate 1972 to 1974. FBI," , a former story; his shadowy portrayal by James Mann, now an author-in- Post reporter, recounted a meet- actor Hal Holbrook in the Oscar- residence at the School of Ad- ing between Woodward and Felt winning "All the President's Men" vanced International Studies in in the summer of 1999. Wood- in 1976; and the fact that his iden- Washington, published his spec- ward had shown up unexpectedly tity was so closely held for so ulation in the Atlantic magazine at the home of Felt and his daugh- many years. Bradlee said that un- in 1992, around the 20th anniver- ter, Joan, in Santa Rosa, Calif., til recently, he, Bernstein, Wood- sary of the Watergate break-in, parking his limousine several ward and Woodward's wife, Elsa, Mann didn't know who Deep blocks away in an apparent effort were the only people other than Throat was, but he narrowed the not to be seen and thus raise ques- Felt who could confirm Felt's se- field to an FBI official — in part, tions about his relationship with cret. because Woodward himself had Felt. Kessler's anecdote also leads Bradlee said neither Katharine mentioned this fact in conversa- off Vanity Fair's story. Graham, the late chairman and tion, according to Mann. Over the years, other writers chief executive of The Washing- But Mann added his own cor- have misfired in identifying Deep ton Post Co., nor her son and suc- roborating analysis: "For a senior Throat: Nixon's White House cessor, Donald Graham, asked FBI official hie Deep Throat, talk- counsel, , has made him for Deep Throat's identity. "I ing to Woodward and The Post several guesses since 1975, all of don't think I would have told about Watergate was a way to them wrong. The University of Il- them if they had," he said. It's fend off White House interference linois, in a journalism project in- classy that they didn't ask." with the [FBI's] investigation. volving faculty and students, Vanity Fair's story hinted at but The contacts with the press guar- named Nixon deputy White did not answer a key journalistic anteed that information devel- House counsel Fred Fielding in question: Was Felt, who is 91 and oped by the FBI's Watergate in- 2003. in ill health from a stroke, of vestigative team would not be Leonard Garment, a special sound enough mind to have con- suppressed or altered by Nixon counsel to Nixon during the Wa- firmed his identity to O'Connor, Administration officials. And, tergate years and author of the or to have told Woodward that more broadly, the leaks furthered 2000 book "In Search of Deep their agreement had ended? the cause of an independent FBI Throat," speculated in his book The Vanity Fair story muddies unfettered by political control." that the source was John Sears, a the issue somewhat. O'Connor Deep Throat, wrote Mann, former deputy special counsel to notes in the story that Felt told "could well have been Mark Felt, Nixon. "I would have to apologize tity until [Deep Throat] released him Tm the guy they called Deep who admitted that he harbored to John Sears for any embarrass- him from his pledge or the source Throat," but the context is lack- ambitions to be the FBI director ment I caused him," said Gar- died, and he did that." ing. For one thing, O'Connor [but was thwarted when Nixon ment, reached by phone yesterday Although Woodward had played a dual role: He was provid- appointed L. Patrick Gray]. . . . at his home in Manhattan. Gar- checked in with the Felt family pe- ing the Felt family with legal ad- Felt was known in Washington as ment, who said he had not read -iodic*, and is writing a hook vice while also writing a magazine a person willing to talk to the the Vanity Fair story, added that about his relationship with Deep story, which meant that Felt's rev- press." Mann's speculation about Felt was considered a "prime mn- Throat, Downie said Woodward elation may have been informa- Felt was subsequently champi- didate by many people" and that was never told by Felt or his fami- tion provided under attorney-cli- oned by Slate's Tim Noah, in a se- he himself had not spoken to Felt. ly that he was going public. "Bob ent privilege and therefore not ries of columns dating back to "When all is said and done, it was really kind of helpless" be- subject to unilateral disclosure. mid-19991 . will be a relief to everyone to have cause Felt never indicated that What's more, as O'Connor Problem was, despite personal this settled," Garment said. their agreement was over, Downie makes dear in his story, the Felt and professional reasons to leak said. family was seeking to profit from to Woodward, Felt has long de- Staff writer Mark Leibovich Woodward and The Post decid- Felt's secret identity and there- nied that he was Deep Throat. He contributed to this report. Essay The Illuminating Experience of Being Kept in the Dark By HANK STUEVER ing with his daughter in Califor- complex — guarded the almost Fair? And not really finding it out Washington Post Staff Writer nia, allowed two glasses of wine holy belief in Deep Throat. He in Vanity Fair so much as feeling it with dinner, was the perfect, nameless god. It crash-land across the Internet and he idea of Deep Throat What's gone is the last best se- was the idea that reporters (and the cable news networks, days be- has slipped away. The cret, wrested from the grip of the their background sources) could fore the magazine even hits the man lives, according to select few who'd vowed to keep it. save the world, and that trust was stands? Finding out that you don't T Vanity Fair and confirmed The hiding of Deep Throat's iden- still trust, and truth was still true. care anymore? Watching it not by , reduced tity took on a larger mythic status People now go to parking garages resonate among people younger to just that — an old man, W. than any scoop Deep Throat pro- to get their cars. than 30? Mark Felt, with his moldered and vided, and much of Washington What could be more of a let- . The concept of Deep Throat complete Washington résumé, in- - media, officialdom, even tour- down than finding out who Deep • cluding a presidential pardon, liv- ists who snapped the Watergate Throat is? Finding it out in Vanity See ESSAY, CZ, Col. 3 Stepping Out of the Garage and Into the Light ESSAY. From Cl once set the rules of the town. Peo- ple practiced Deep Throat eti- quette (let's meet at an out-of-the- way place), Deep Throat ways (don't call me on this phone), Deep Throat marvel (how'd they get that?). There was great industry in the clandestine, in whispering. It helped that it had a dirty, porny nickname, which came right from the swagger and irreverence of journalism's then-new era, as- serting itself while cracking wise. Journalism schools were sud- denly overcrowded with people who all wanted to find the next Deep Throat. Neckties were wide. Robert Redford, IBM Selectrics, pay phones, the clutter, the drab- ness and wonder of the '70s: Every- one wanted a piece of it, and some days you can still get a whiff of what it might have felt Like. It was possible, our ancestors inform us, to go to a bar and tell a girl that you were a reporter for The Washing- WAHNt F! HAUS ton Post and she might go home with you. That was part of the al- With his back to the camera, Deep Throat meets with Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) in "All the President's Men." lure of the Deep Throat culture - the reporter as chick magnet. placed, anonymous source. Expose definition of evil, of corruption. People would disprove him with (Now she would tell you that she the bastards. Bring down the pres- The gotcha is now a tawdry exer- their own Deep Throats. His iden- doesn't really ever look at the pa- ident every four or five years, every cise in minutiae, not a blow against tity would be discovered within a per. Or worse, she only looks at it month, every week, every day. To the Establishment, against the news cycle or two, spun around, online.) be a reporter now is to get all kinds Man. "What did he know and when and he'd be left holding a book con- People soon got over their lust of e-mail: How come you guys did he know it" puts us to sleep. tract. for reporters, but they still want aren't looking into (blankl?! "Follow the money" is an exercise Perhaps Deep Throat's lovely Deep Throat, or something very When are you going to blow the in Excel spreadsheets, occasionally (and daring) parting gift to Wash- much like him, and they demand lid off the obvious [blank] of the praised by prize committees, but ington, especially to reporters, is that reporters still go looking for [blank]?! Newspapers launch vast rarely read. simple: He actually exists. He is him It's like sending signals in the ships of investigative reportage It turns out being in the dark not fabrication or composite. He is sky to a Batman who never an- and still all anybody is really look- about Deep Throat was more en- one man, a fact not easily proved swers. ing for — in any of the five, six, sev- thralling than holding it out to the had he taken his secret to the Aggrieved readers beseech re- en installments of the series — is light. Had he lived in this era, Deep grave. That in itself, in an era porters and editors to swoop in and the paragraph that will approxi- Throat might not have lasted long. where trust has been shredded be- shine the beacon of unstoppable mate the Deep Throat thrill. He'd be blogged to bits. He'd be yond recognition, is something to truth, always aided by the well- Gone is a sort of tidy, narrow Drudged, smudged, Romenesko'd. behold. A18 WEDNESDAY. JUNE 1, 2005 otington pot

AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER

Deep Throat Speaks OR MORE THAN three decades Wash- paper's reporting of Watergate. Following ington Post reporters Bob Woodward book and movie depictions of his role, he be- Fand Carl Bernstein and former exec- came the most famous anonymous source in utive editor Benjamin C. Bradlee preserved the history of American journalism, and a an extraordinary secret: the identity of the model for government whistle-blowers. source known as Deep Throat, who helped in- Mr Felt was ambivalent about his decision form the stories The Post published in 1972 to cooperate with Mr. Woodward. He de- and 1973 exposing what became known as clined to disclose his actions for years after he the . They kept the secret retired, denying his role even to his family. By despite extraordinary pressure on The Post leaking details of the FBI's probe into Wa- from the White House, including charges that tergate, he violated the bureau's standards Deep Throat was an invention; through the and arguably the law. Yet in retrospect it is hearings and impeachment proceedings that clear that his decision was the right one. Mr. led to President Richard M. Nixon's resigna- Nixon had set out to subvert the U.S. system tion in August 1974; and despite endless spec- of justice: While publicly ordering the FBI to ulation about the source's identity in the investigate, he secretly directed a coverup in- years afterward. Mr. Woodward, now a Post tended to prevent the agency from confirm- editor, and Mr. Bernstein, who no longer ing the connections between his campaign works here, said that they had made a com- and the Watergate burglars. The FBI criminal mitment not to reveal Deep Throat's identity investigation of senior White House and cam- until after his death. Yesterday that pact was paign officials was effectively blocked. Only finally superseded by the publication of state- when the complicity of such figures as former ments by W. Mark Felt, former deputy direc- attorney general John N. Mitchell was pub- tor of the FBI, confirming that he was Deep licly disclosed with the help of Mr. Felt did Throat. He revealed his role in part because Congress begin an investigation that eventu- of his family's belief that he deserves to be ally revealed the full scope of the Watergate honored for his actions while he is alive. crimes. Had Mr. Felt remained quiet, Mr. Nix- The honor is surely deserved. Mr. Felt, now on might have succeeded in one of the most 91, was a dedicated servant of the FBI, and no serious abuses of power ever attempted by an softie: He was convicted of (and later par- American president. doned for) authorizing illegal acts in pursuit In a small irony, Deep Throat's unveiling of leftist radicals in the early 1970s. Yet he comes as the media and Washington offi- was also outraged that the Nixon White cialdom engage in one of their periodic de- House brazenly interfered with the FBI's in- bates about the use of anonymous sources. vestigation of the burglary of Democratic Par- We think that both the debate and the newly ty headquarters in June 1972 and by what he professed cautions about relying on such saw as Mr. Nixon's attempt to gain control sources are healthy. As we noted, The Post's over the FBI for political purposes. Risking reporting depended on many sources, and the dismissal or prosecution, he began meeting truth emerged thanks to the courage of U.S. with Mr. Woodward secretly to confirm The District Judge John J. Sirica, then-Sen. Sam Post's reporting about the funding of the op- Ervin and others who rose to the occasion. eration and about other illegal acts by the But it's worth remembering that this land- president's top aides. He was not the only mark victory for the rule of law also depended source The Post relied on; Mr. Woodward and on the secret patriotism of a source named Mr. Bernstein tracked down dozens of others, Deep Throat — that is, Mark Felt. It's nice to many of whom were named in their articles. be able to honor him by his real name while Deep Throat was nevertheless crucial to the he still lives. `DEEP THROAT' REVEALED

The Reaction Contemporaries Have Mixed Views

By DAN MORGAN' and Bernstein report and write "," a Washington Post Staff Writer book about the end of the Nixon administration, said Deep Throat did not supply detailed facts about illegal Prominent figures from the Watergate era expressed activities. a mixture of reactions yesterday, from shock to admira- But he was invaluable to the two young reporters tion, upon learning that the number two official at the who at the outset were alone in attempting to unearth FBI had guided Washington Post reporters investigat- the connections between the White House and the bur- ing illegal activities by the Nixon administration. glary at Democratic National Committee offices in the Richard Ben-Veniste, a top lawyer in the Watergate Watergate hotel and office complex. "Only journalists Special Prosecution Force, said W. Mark Felt's acknowl- understand how important it is to have someone on the edgement of his role showed that "the importance of inside." he said. whistle-blowers shouldn't be underestimated, partic- "My hunch has been that Bob and Carl's stories kept ularly when there are excesses by the executive branch the Watergate story alive and in their way served to of government — which in this case went all the way to draw in other journalists," said Leonard Garment,. who the executive office." served as Nixon's counsel and chief trouble-shooter But Charles W. Colson, a senior Nixon adviser who during Watergate. "A lot of the material was being dug served seven months in prison for obstruc- out by the U.S. attorney's office, but Wood- tion of justice in connection with Watergate ward and Bernstein got a jump on the story abuses, declared that he was "personally and Deep Throat [provided] the corrob- shocked." oration that something was going on." "When any president has to worry whether But Deep Throat also had an influence the deputy director of the FBI is sneaking over the practice of journalism that far out- around in dark corridors peddling informa- lived the Nixon administration, Garment tion in the middle of the night, he's in trou- said. ble," said Colson, who founded Prison Fel- The existence of a mysterious government lowship Ministries after leaving jail. "There source for the articles, revealed in the Wood- were times when I should have blown the Richard Ben- ward and Bernstein book "All the President's whistle, so I understand his feelings. But I Veniste was a Men," "gave drama to the investigative re- cannot approve of his methods." prosecut or. porter and gave rise to a whole generation of Speaking last night on MSNBC's "Hard- prospective Woodward and Bernsteins by the ball," former Nixon speechwriter Patrick J. bushel" that sharpened the adversarial rela- Buchanan labeled Felt a "traitor" for having tionship between the news media and the worked with reporters on stories that did se- government, Garment said. vere damage to the administration. A long-term.echo of that kind of reporting It was those kind of reactions that led Felt can be seen even now, in the investigative re- to keep secret for more than 30 years his role porting about the relationship between as source for Washington Post investigative House Majority Leader Tom Delay (R-Tex.) reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. and high-powered Washington lobbyists, But others credited Felt with having per- Garment said. formed a great public service, at a time when Charles W. Colson Ben-Veniste noted that in going to the many top officials of the government, in- advised P resident press to get the story out, Felt was running a eluding officials in the FBI and the Justice De- Richard N ixon. considerable personal risk because he could partment, were attempting to brush the scan- have been prosecuted for revealing informa- dal under the rug. tion "if things had gone the wrong way." Terry Lenzner, a senior Democratic counsel on the "Who could you trust? You couldn't trust the Justice Senate Watergate Committee, said the special panel Department. [Top officials] were shoveling information "wouldn't have existed if those articles hadn't been back to the White House," said Ben-Veniste, who re- written, because the whole thing would have been bur- cently served on the 9/11 commission. ied." Felt's boss, the FBI director, was also part of the Felt's guidance helped Woodward and Bernstein un- coverup. Gray destroyed evidence at the instructions of derstand that they were on the right track, and it was a "White House cabal," Ben-Veniste said. "Clearly there therefore crucial in keeping up the momentum that was no reason to think he had an ally in L. Patrick eventually led to criminal investigations, a full-fledged Gray." Senate inquiry and finally the resignation of President For some who have been periodically mentioned as Richard M. Nixon. the possible Deep Throat, the end of the mystery yester- "Frankly I think the reason Felt turned into Deep day doses a final page on the Watergate affair. Throat was that he had a sense that [FBI Director L. One of those, Gen. Alexander M. Haig Jr., wlo re- Patrick] Gray was participating in the coverup and that placed H.R. Haldeman as White House chief of staff in it would destroy the reputation of the FBI. He was a May 1973, yesterday blamed former Nixon White classic FBI guy," Lenzner said. "His motives were that House counsel John Dean for starting rumors that he he had to protect the FBI. And he did." was Deep Throat. As a result he was pestered by report- Scott Armstrong, who worked for Lenzner on the ers for years. I talked to Bob Woodward just once," Senate Watergate Committee and helped Woodward Haig said. "And that was after Nixon had resigned: Watergate burglary. Felt simply would not permit that. I applaud. We all applaud, or we should. Here was a man who put his career — and it was a truly great career — on the line. Here was a man who took seriously all that stuff about duty and loyalty and — permit me, please — the American Way. He was, to say the least, no showboater. He did not rush out to write a book or appear on "Larry King Live" or sell his story to the movies, which he could have done. No, he did what he thought was right. FRE PHOFD Cr MARK FF1T APPEARING ON CRS' TACE THE NATION' ON AUG 3D, 19 hi/AS.50E1AM PRESS The reason I loved my theory about the nonexistent Secret Richard Cohen Service technician is that he was the proverbial little man. He was the guy you don't notice who is appalled by wrongdoing and wants to do the right thing. He asks no reward and he de- mands no fame. He wants only to show the big boys that the little guys, in the end, cannot be taken for granted. He is al- A Brave Friend ways there. He has to be taken into account. He can always go to the media. A long time ago I wrote a magazine piece about how Bob Felt was too important to he "the little guy." That made Woodward's famous source, "Deep Throat," could have been what he did even braver. He was always an obvious suspect. a mere Secret Service technician — any one of several people He clearly knew too much. detailed to keep Richard Nixon's secret White House taping For more than 30 years I have had people tell me that Deep system operating. I figured that anyone with access to the sys- Throat did not exist. He was invented, made up. Or he was a tem could quickly learn all that mattered about the Watergate composite — a piece of this person and a piece of that person burglary-. The president's men had done it and the president with some fiction thrown in. I knew better. I had seen the was covering it up. I showed the piece to Woodward, who notes and, besides, I knew Woodward and Carl Bernstein. would not say whether it was right or wrong, just that it made They would not lie. sense. We both knew, though, that "Deep Throat" was Mark We live in a cynical era. The press has been knocked off its Felt. Watergate-era pedestal and prosecutors are rounding up Woodward's knowledge was firsthand, up close and cer- anonymous sources because it is more important to seal a tain. Mine was different. It came from having worked with leak than to get at the truth. The public either applauds or Woodward early in his career. I was looking into rumors that does not give a damn. Everything is the same. Big govern- Nixon's vice president, Spiro Agnew of Maryland, was under ment. Big media. What does it matter? investigation by the U.S. attorney's office in Baltimore. Some- But Mark Felt knew that it mattered. Remember: He was how — I can't remember exactly — I worked a bit with Bob No. 2 in the FBI. Remember: He carried a gun. And remem- on that story. His source, a person he used to call "my friend," ber, too: Despite all that, when he was afraid for his bureau had terrific information — stuff that, looking back on it, not and for his country, he went to a reporter and told his story and changed history. Richard Nixon resigned and countless White House officials went to jail partly because of what Felt I applaud. We all applaud, or we should. told that reporter. That's how it started, anyway. Here is a man who did what he thought Now that I know for sure that Mark Felt is Deep Throat, nothing really changes. I always suspected it was him. And I was right, knew, no matter who it was, that I could always paraphrase Woodward: For what Felt did for us all, he was "our friend." [email protected] even the prosecutors in Baltimore had yet learned. Woodward would refer to his notes. and I could see the initials "M.F." They stood either for "my friend" or Mark Felt, whose name almost instantly surfaced. I thought it didn't matter. The•two were the same. There was a single source. Now we know it is Mark Felt He has confessed, if that's the right word — although given his age (91) it's not exactly clear what he was intending. Suffice it to say, though, that he is the man. He was No. 2 in the FBI back in the Watergate days, and he just could not abide the way the bureau was be- ing abused by Nixon and his White House colleagues. They wanted to use the FBI to block any real investigation into the