The Watergate scandal has long been regarded as one of the United States’ most controversial bits of history. The questionable actions carried out between 1972 and 1974 shook the American public to its core, and the ambiguity surrounding former president Richard Nixon’s involvement still leaves many historians and politicians guessing. The suffix “-gate” has been affixed to the names of many subsequent scandals, such as Koreagate or Monicagate, as a nod to the event’s sheer impact. What with the Vietnam War blazing on at the time of Watergate’s occurrence, nationwide tension was nearing an all-time high. Nixon was left from the fiasco a unique reputation: he was the second US president of which impeachment was genuinely considered, and the very first to resign. While many intricacies of the scandal remain unclear, and while sentiments differ from one source to another, the general consensus maintains that he was a vital co-conspirator and a crooked opportunist. Nixon oversaw a series of criminal acts that would give his reelection campaign an unfair advantage, denied responsibility, and eventually resigned from office as imminent consequences backed him into a corner.

In order to gain a greater understanding of the motives behind Watergate, it is crucial to be knowledgeable of Richard Nixon, his mentality, and his history as a political figure. Following his service as a Navy lieutenant commander in the second World War, Nixon sparked his career in politics as a senator for the state of California. With time, he ascended the rungs of the governmental hierarchy and fulfilled the position of vice president during both terms of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidency. Looking to progress even further as a man of a political authority, Nixon launched his first presidential campaign in 1960. He ran against Democratic candidate John F. Kennedy and lost. Contending with such tremendous defeat was especially difficult for Nixon. He grew bitter, spiteful, and lashed out against the media with the premise that the Kennedy family was unfairly favored. These emotions remained strong within Nixon even up until his eventual victory in 1968, eight years later. Alas, even when at the vanguard of authority, Nixon was not a laudable figure. During his tenure, which was widely thought to have done more harm than good even before Watergate, Nixon habitually lamented and incited nationwide uproars regarding a multitude of topics. Elaborating further on this propensity of Nixon’s, journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein wrote that “during his five-and-a-half-years in power Nixon waged five overlapping wars – on the anti-war movement, the media, Democrats, the US justice system and history itself” (“What was Watergate?”). It can be sensibly inferred that, as a complacent and querulous man who felt he had been done a disservice by the American political system, he would fight tooth and nail to defend his long-awaited position of power, even if it had to be done in a way that was unethical or even illegal.

The majority of the crooked actions that constituted the Watergate scandal were executed in Washington DC’s eponymous Watergate hotel, a posh establishment reserved for white house executives. It was within the walls of the Watergate’s Democratic National Convention office where a horde of five burglars - alleged to be aides to Nixon and members of his Committee to Reelect the President, or CREEP - tampered with telephones and pilfered confidential documents. By wiretapping the phones and perusing files containing secret information, Nixon, along with his trusty crew of intruders, was able to obtain details that would increase his chances for reelection if manipulated. But what valuable info was dwelling inside of those documents, exactly?