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Watergate: The Puzzle Fits!

By VVAW

Shortly after midnight on June 17 of last year, five men were arrested in connection with an attempt to bug the Democratic National Committee Headquarters, housed in the Watergate Complex in Washington DC. This arrest marked the beginning of public disclosure of what is now commonly called "the Watergate Affair".

This erroneous label fails to recognize the depths of deception and corrupt practices that is clearly the tactic of Nixon and Company in attaining, at any cost, political domination of America. It is not an "affair," nor it is it a "caper"; it is a contemptuous, calculated attempt to subvert and deceive the American people. It is a devious plot by the administration to stifle political dissent while publicly calling for law and order in an attempt to focus attention elsewhere. This exclusive espionage ring includes those public officials who have for so long stressed obeying the law, while secretly undermining it.

Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell, Stans, Kleindienst, Magruder, Dean, L. Patrick Gray: all public officials; three former Cabinet members, Presidential advisors, and former head of the FBI. These are the men involved in Watergate. It is evident that there is another man who has knowledge of Watergate, gut who has yet to be officially linked. Even the most naive could not fail to assume that President Nixon has knowledge of the bugging or the subsequent cover-up of an official White House investigation. It was reported in Newsweek Magazine that Nixon congratulated John Dean for his White House ordered investigation that tied in only seven culprits, none being an active White House aide. "Nice job, John", Nixon was reported to have said. This report, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, was confirmed by close associates of Dean.

The break-in of the Watergate was the latest in a series of events, ordered by those who seemingly threatened the power of Nixon. This spying operation began in 1969, when the President became incensed with the public disclosure of military policy discussions at the Pentagon. Nixon, through John Mitchell, then Attorney General, ordered the FBI to tap the phones of certain reporters for the New York Times. Because J. Edgar Hoover felt that this illegal wire-tapping would be indefensible if discovered, the White House in retaliation suggested that there should be a Congressional investigation of the FBI. Hoover, using his unique blackmailing tactics, threatened disclosure of the Mitchell signed authorization of the Times taps. Thus it became obvious from the administration point of view that another method of spying had to be developed.

Time Magazine reports that at this point G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt (two of the convicted Watergate conspirators), were recruited by Charles Colson, former special council to the President and Egil Krogh, former assistant to John Ehrlichman, to organize a special spy network that would circumvent the untrustworthy FBI. This ring immediately began tapping the phones of Times reporters in a connection with the leaked Pentagon Papers and then organized the break in of Daniel Elsberg's psychiatrists office.

At about this time, the 1972 Presidential campaign was getting into full swing. This team was then instructed to begin infiltrating the various campaign staffs of leading Democratic Party contenders for the Presidential nomination. In 1968 Nixon barely won the election and this close victory prompted the Re-election Committee to conclude that it was vital for George McGovern to win the nomination, because it was felt that Nixon would have the best chance of beating him. The Liddy-Hunt spy system was to subvert the other contender's campaigns in order to make McGovern look good. This team was also directed by Jeb Magruder, former CREEP official and Herbert Porter, former aid to Herb Klein, Nixon's Press Secretary, to develop plans for investigating protesters who could conceivably disrupt Republican rallies. According to AP this resulted in the FBI and MI infiltrating the leadership of all groups planning to attend the Republican Convention.

It was also stated by the director of Youth For Nixon that the Nixon campaign did in fact infiltrate the protest demonstrations during the Republican Convention in order to protect the President and to put in a bad light the righteous outrage of those protesting. It is extremely possible that this attempt to subvert the demonstrations and link the Democratic Party with "extreme radicals", led directly to the false charges slapped upon eight VVAW members. These phony allegations directed at the Gainesville 8 will be aired in court beginning on July 17th in Gainesville, Florida.

The list of tie-ins to the White House spy ring could go on an on. Each day resignations and reshuffling of trusted Nixon lieutenants occur. The government is in crisis. Over fifty high level posts are vacant resulting in the government's inability to produce for the American people. The slashing of the budget continues while the Defense Department continues to consolidate power. This is exemplified by General Alexander Haig moving to the White House as Chief of Staff, with James R. Schlesinger of the CIA becoming Defense Secretary and Elliott Richardson of Defense moving to the Justice Department. The military is all Nixon can trust at this point, and these generals, with orders from the White House, continue the bombing of Cambodia; continue to violate the Vietnam and Laos agreements.

Henry Kissinger asks for "compassion" for the criminals involved in Watergate, and yet the administration refuses to grant amnesty to war resisters. President Nixon continues to espouse law and order, and yet allows cover-ups of illegal espionage tactics. This contempt for the American people is best illustrated by an interview with Nixon the day after the election, in which he called the people of America "children".

After his televised speech, Checkers Speech #2, a Gallup Poll found that 50% of the public believed that Nixon knew of the cover-up. A large majority of Americans believe that all levels of government and political parties in this country are corrupt, but that they are powerless to change the system.

Watergate, although it's implications are the most scandalous in the history of American politics, is not singular. It has happened before and will happen again unless all Americans loudly voice their opposition to being brow beaten by power mad politicos in Washington DC. It is time for Americans to strongly demand that this government become more concerned with the general welfare rather than the next election. The government is incapable of meeting our needs. If we don't protest nothing will change.