Wiretapping of the Democratic Party's headquarters Watergate scandal

e. howard hunt , g. gordon liddy, led watergate break-in team, stationed in watergate hotel room while burglary underway. lookout posted across street @ howard johnson hotel. bruce givner 21-year old intern working @ dnc s 6th floor offices in watergate hotel complex when prolonged stay on floor precluded burglars entering offices correct earlier wiretap work. during break-in, hunt , liddy remain in contact each other , burglars radio. these chapstick tubes outfitted tiny microphones later discovered in hunt s white house office safe.



transistor radio used in watergate break-in



walkie-talkie used in watergate break-in



a dnc filing cabinet watergate office building, damaged burglars

on thursday, january 27, 1972, g. gordon liddy, finance counsel committee re-election of president (crp) , former aide john ehrlichman, presented campaign intelligence plan crp s acting chairman jeb stuart magruder, attorney general john mitchell, , presidential counsel john dean, involved extensive illegal activities against democratic party. according dean, marked opening scene of worst political scandal of twentieth century , beginning of end of nixon presidency .

mitchell viewed plan unrealistic. 2 months later, alleged have approved reduced version of plan, including burgling democratic national committee s (dnc) headquarters @ watergate complex in washington, d.c.—ostensibly photograph campaign documents , install listening devices in telephones. liddy nominally in charge of operation, has since insisted duped dean , @ least 2 of subordinates. these included former cia officers e. howard hunt , james mccord, then-crp security coordinator (john mitchell had resigned attorney general become chairman of crp).

in may, mccord assigned former fbi agent alfred c. baldwin iii carry out wiretapping , monitor telephone conversations afterward. mccord testified selected baldwin s name registry published society of former special agents of fbi work committee re-elect president. baldwin first served bodyguard martha mitchell, wife of john mitchell, living in washington. baldwin accompanied martha mitchell chicago. martha did not baldwin , described him gauchest character ve ever met . committee replaced baldwin security man.

on may 11, mccord arranged baldwin, whom investigative reporter jim hougan described somehow special , perhaps known mccord , stay @ howard johnson s motel across street watergate complex. room 419 booked in name of mccord’s company. @ behest of g. gordon liddy , e. howard hunt, mccord , team of burglars prepared first watergate break-in, began on may 28.

two phones inside offices of dnc headquarters said have been wiretapped. 1 phone of robert spencer oliver, @ time working executive director of association of state democratic chairmen, , other phone of dnc chairman larry o brien. fbi found no evidence o brien s phone bugged. however, determined effective listening device had been installed in oliver s phone.

despite success in installing listening devices, committee agents determined needed repaired. planned second burglary in order take care of this.

shortly after midnight on june 17, 1972, frank wills, security guard @ watergate complex, noticed tape covering latches on of doors in complex leading underground parking garage several offices (allowing doors close remain unlocked). removed tape, thinking nothing of it. when returned hour later , discovered had retaped locks, wills called police. 5 men discovered inside dnc office , arrested. virgilio gonzález, bernard barker, james mccord, eugenio martínez, , frank sturgis, charged attempted burglary , attempted interception of telephone , other communications. on september 15, grand jury indicted them, hunt , liddy, conspiracy, burglary, , violation of federal wiretapping laws. 5 burglars broke office tried jury, judge john sirica officiating, , pled guilty or convicted on january 30, 1973.

on morning of 18 june 1972, g. gordon liddy called jeb magruder in los angeles , informed him 4 men arrested mccord cuban freedom fighters, whom howard hunt recruited. nixon s organization , white house went work cover crime , evidence might have damaged president , reelection.