From the WW II onwards

R. Nixon and Watergate scandal

On June 17, 1972, five men were arrested after breaking into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee located in the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. The burglars were not ordinary thieves: they carried wiretaps to install on telephones and they carried cameras to photograph documents. Four of the five criminals were anti-Castro Cubans who had been previously hired by the CIA. The fifth was James McCord, the security adviser for President Nixon's campaign staff. The group was labelled as the plumber unit. The Watergate scandal escalated after it became clear that Nixon´s administration actively hindered investigation of the matter. It was later proved that Nixon knew about it and that he lied about the case at the Congress hearing, which ultimately led to forced resignation of the President in 1974. He was accused of obstruction of justice, abuse of power and contempt of Congress. Nevertheless, his successor, Gerald Ford, promptly awarded Nixon a full and complete pardon for any crimes he may have committed while in office. Watergate was the worst political scandal in United States history and forced a president to resign before facing certain impeachment. Details of illegal, unethical, and immoral acts by members of the White House staff covered the nation's newspapers.