Colleen Browne's Reviews > Watergate: A New History

The day that Nixon resigned is imprinted in my mind nearly as clearly as the morning when I awoke to hear that RFK had been assassinated or when my first grade class had been informed that JFK had been shot. I was in Wise River, Montana in a bar when it was announced. It seemed on that day that the long national nightmare had ended. At the time, I read All the Presidents Men, followed by The Final Days and Theodore H. Whites' book, Breach of Faith. I have read some books since but they don't come to mind. I think I was tired of hearing about it and wanted to move on although I do remember Ford announcing the pardon of Nixon. I opposed it then and I oppose it now. I believe that history has shown that if Nixon had been held accountable, subsequent presidents would have been held accountable- beginning with Reagan for the Iran-Contra Affair.

In a meticulously researched and written book, Graff has given readers a thorough and highly readable account of the Watergate scandal. Previous material that I have read did not include information on all of the subcategories of the scandal that added together made Nixon the most corrupt president up to that time. Moreover, I have always regretted that in the articles of impeachment a charge about the illegal bombing of Cambodia was not included although it was discussed. Also excluded was the income tax evasion for which he was guilty. The author gives a play by play narrative taken from both primary and secondary sources as it played out. It would appear that Nixon's paranoia and lack of trust of his "enemies" formed how he ran the White House from the time he assumed office in 1969. From his knowledge of the burglary and wire tapping at the Watergate Hotel to his lies and his role in the coverup that led to his downfall, he was guilty.

Before then, there was the burglary of Daniel Ellsberg (leaker of the Pentagon Papers) to the plan to break into the Brookings Institution to find evidence that JFK had ordered the assassination of President Diem of South Vietnam. The burglars never followed through on this, largely because of the insane plan worked out by Chuck Colson was seen to be too expensive. In any case, the tapes of the Kennedy White House later made clear that he had not done this. There was so much corruption and so many plots within Nixon's White House that it would take pages and I have no inclination to do it.

In addition to the myriad of other crimes, was the use of the FBI and CIA to carry them out. Moreover, Nixon never was repentant for his crimes and for the hell he put the country through to cover them up. In giving his final speech, in his memoirs, and in the interviews he did with David Frost (who was not up to the job) he ignored Watergate as best he could instead focusing on the wonderful things he had done for his country. In the intervening years, I have heard many people argue that Nixon's only crime was in getting caught.

I highly recommend this book both as a source in 20th Century history classes, for those who doubt the criminality of what he did and for anyone wanting to read a thorough and objective account of the Nixon White House.