January 7, 2009
Chronology of the Watergate scandal
June 13, 1971
The Pentagon Papers -- classified Defense
Department documents about the Vietnam War
-- are published by The New York Times.
Sept. 3, 1971
A group of White House aides burglarizes
a psychiatrist's office to find files on Daniel
Ellsberg, the former defense analyst who
leaked the Pentagon Papers.
June 17, 1972
Five men, one claiming to be a former CIA
operative, are arrested at 2:30 a.m. trying to bug
the offices of the Democratic National Committee
at the Watergate hotel and office complex.
June 19, 1972
One of the Watergate burglars is a GOP
security aide. Former attorney general
John Mitchell, head of the Nixon re-election
campaign, denies any link to the operation.
Aug. 1, 1972
A cashier's check for $25,000, apparently
intended for the Nixon campaign, showed up
in the bank account of a Watergate burglar.
Sept. 29, 1972
It is revealed that John Mitchell, while
serving as attorney general, managed
a secret Republican fund used to
finance spying on Democrats.
Oct. 10, 1972
FBI agents conclude that the Watergate
burglarly was part of a much larger conspiracy
of political spying and sabotage conducted on
behalf of the Nixon re-election campaign.
Nov. 7, 1972
President Richard M. Nixon defeats the
Democratic candidate, Sen. George
McGovern of South Dakota, in a landslide.
Jan. 30, 1973
Former Nixon aides G. Gordon Liddy and James W.
McCord Jr. are convicted of conspiracy, burglary and
wiretapping in the Watergate scandal. Five other men
also plead guilty.
April 30, 1973
White House aides H.R. Haldeman and John
Ehrlichman, and Attorney General Richard
Kleindienst resign. White House counsel
John Dean is fired.
May 18, 1973
The nationally televised Senate Watergate
Committee hearings begin.
June 13, 1973
Watergate prosecutors find a memo to
Ehrlichman describing plans to burglarize the
office of Ellsberg's psychiatrist.
June 3, 1973
Dean admits that he discussed the
Watergate cover-up with Nixon at least 35 times.
July 13, 1973
Former presidential appointments
secretary Alexander Butterfield reveals
before Congress that since 1971 Nixon
had recorded all conversations and
telephone calls in his offices.
July 23, 1973
Nixon refuses to turn over the presidential
tape recordings to the Senate Watergate
Committee or the special prosecutor.
Oct. 20, 1973
Nixon fires Justice Department special
prosecutor Archibald Cox and abolishes
the office of the special prosecutor.
Nov. 17, 1973
Nixon declares, "I'm not a crook," maintaining
his innocence in the Watergate case.
Dec. 7, 1973
The White House can't explain an 18 -minute gap in
one of the subpoenaed tapes.
April 30, 1974
The White House releases edited
transcripts of the Nixon tapes to
the House Judiciary Committee.
The committee demands that the
actual tapes be turned over.
July 24, 1974
Rejecting the notion of executive
privilege, the Supreme Court orders
Nixon to turn over tape recordings of
64 White House conversations.
July 27, 1974
The House Judiciary
Committee passes the first of
three articles of impeachment,
charging obstruction of justice.
Aug. 8, 1974
Nixon becomes the first U.S. president to
resign. Vice President Gerald R. Ford
assumes the presidency. Ford later
pardons Nixon of all charges related to
the Watergate burglary.
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