Ep. 20: Deep Throat and the Garage Meetings

The Mysteries of Watergate

#Politics #News #Government #History #John OConnors

22:08

Host Francesca Amiker sits down with directors Joe and Anthony Russo, producer Angela Russo-Otstot, stars Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, and more to uncover how family was the key to building the emotional core of The Electric State . From the Russos’ own experiences growing up in a large Italian family to the film’s central relationship between Michelle and her robot brother Kid Cosmo, family relationships both on and off of the set were the key to bringing The Electric State to life. Listen to more from Netflix Podcasts . State Secrets: Inside the Making of The Electric State is produced by Netflix and Treefort Media.…

4 years ago 22:22

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The character Deep Throat, who we now know was Mark Felt, the Associate Director of the FBI at the time of Watergate, is the most intriguing of Watergate characters regarding the journalism so crucial to understanding the scandal. This episode explores the motive and intent of this source when he meets with Woodward in their first all-night parking garage meeting, and thereafter. Why did he do it? Was he out to “get” Nixon or some other end. And did the Washington Post and Bob Woodward capture the essence of this most misunderstood man? Analyzing the work of Mark Felt, this clever, principled man helps us begin our unpacking of the journalism so integral to the scandal, and in so doing gets us started on a journey of understanding what is good for our democracy, and what is not, about today’s “investigative” journalism.
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Thank you for listening! For more information such as a hyperlinked Cast of Characters, visit themysteriesofwatergate.com. And if you like what you've heard, please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcast and pick up a copy of the new book, "The Mysteries of Watergate: What Really Happened" on Amazon.

36 episodes

Ep. 20: Deep Throat and the Garage Meetings

The Mysteries of Watergate

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published 4 years ago

MP3•Episode home

36 episodes

#Politics #News #Government #History #John OConnors

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The Mysteries of Watergate

1
Ep. 34: Watergate Journalism's Bitter Harvest 24:15

3 years ago24:15

24:15

Prior episodes have shown that the Nixon Presidency, churlishly cynical though it may have been, was the victim of deceitful journalism by the Washington Post which cast it far more villainously than deserved. Was the harm of this journalism limited to this particular epoch? Unfortunately, no. This episode will show but a few examples of how this greatly ballyhooed style of “investigative” journalism caused far more harm than partisan electoral advantage. In its effort to prosecute a target, such journalism must by its very nature conceal and distort, which, when applied to matters of national security, can endanger us all, either by excessive manacles placed on our intelligence agencies, enabling terrorist attack, or, at the other extreme, allowing these same agencies carte blanche skullduggery when they are pursuing a partisan domestic target to the benefit of a foreign adversary. In short, for decades American society has been reaping Watergate journalism’s bitter harvest. ________________________________________ Thank you for listening! For more information such as a hyperlinked Cast of Characters , visit themysteriesofwatergate.com . And if you like what you've heard, please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcast and pick up a copy of the new book, " The Mysteries of Watergate: What Really Happened " on Amazon.…

The Mysteries of Watergate

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Ep. 33: Watergate Journalism, The Seeds of Our Discontent 29:28

4 years ago29:28

29:28

Clearly the full and correct Watergate story was not reported by the Washington Post . Often a journalist simply gets a story wrong while acting in good faith. But if the Post was willfully deceitful in its Watergate reporting, not simply negligent, then the entire modern project of slashing “investigative” journalism is built on fraud. Is today’s partisan journalism based on a “proof of concept” that was obtained by fraud? If so, our country has been divided horribly by the Washington Post ’s Watergate journalism, the seeds of our discontent. ________________________________________ Thank you for listening! For more information such as a hyperlinked Cast of Characters , visit themysteriesofwatergate.com . And if you like what you've heard, please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcast and pick up a copy of the new book, " The Mysteries of Watergate: What Really Happened " on Amazon.…

The Mysteries of Watergate

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Ep. 32: A Lid on Liddy 30:24

4 years ago30:24

30:24

G. Gordon Liddy, a lawyer, former FBI agent and chief operative in the White House Plumbers unit at the time, was a central focus for Watergate activity, even though he is correctly, and admittedly, seen as a dupe. But he was an honest man, incapable of insincerity, such that his 1980 memoir, Will, is know to be the most candid and honest of the Watergate confessionals. Liddy, stoutly refusing to seem a “rat,” said nothing about the scandal until this book, and therefore it was not until 1980 that the public could learn many behind-the-scenes facts, implications of which required detailed Watergate knowledge to understand. These implications were, properly presented, explosive. The perceived expert on all things Watergate, Bob Woodward, did a full book review, the public’s last best chance to truly understand Watergate. Would this famed reporter truthfully inform the world of these earthshaking facts, and more importantly, explain to the uninformed why these facts are so significant? As news was proceeding to become history, would Woodward and the Washington Post be an aid to truthful history or would they put in historical concrete a false narrative for generations to consume? Tune in to this most enlightening evidence of how our democracy is dying in darkness. ________________________________________ Thank you for listening! For more information such as a hyperlinked Cast of Characters , visit themysteriesofwatergate.com . And if you like what you've heard, please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcast and pick up a copy of the new book, " The Mysteries of Watergate: What Really Happened " on Amazon.…

The Mysteries of Watergate

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Ep. 31: Baking Baker 39:23

4 years ago39:23

39:23

As impeachment was closing in on President Nixon, the CIA could, it seemed breathe a sigh of relief, as it had skillfully and luckily, with the unstinting help of the Washington Post , navigated rocky shoals. The Mullen cover contract (Ep. 3), Michael Stevens’ bombshell stories (Ep. 14), Lou Russell’s involvement (Ep. 15), the desk key found during the Watergate breakin (Ep. 16), CIA handler, Lee Pennington's document burning (Ep. 17), the CIA Defense offered during the burglary trial (Ep. 27), blackmail claims (Ep. 28), and Bittenbender's reports had all been avoided in the public narrative. So nothing could derail our country’s first presidential impeachment, correct? But what if an honest CIA Security Officer, wishing not to be obstructive, forced disclosure of previously concealed CIA documents to the Senate? The Democratic Majority would not wish to touch them, but what about the Republican Minority, led by Tennessee Senator Howard Baker, heretofore cowed into submission by the Washington Post ? And with the televised hearings long concluded, how would the Republican Minority reach the public? Tune in to this chapter of Watergate, regarding the little-read Baker Report, that has been lost to history. ________________________________________ Thank you for listening! For more information such as a hyperlinked Cast of Characters , visit themysteriesofwatergate.com . And if you like what you've heard, please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcast and pick up a copy of the new book, " The Mysteries of Watergate: What Really Happened " on Amazon.…

The Mysteries of Watergate

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Ep. 30: Stranger Danger, Hiding Stevens and Russell 26:52

4 years ago26:52

26:52

As of late March 1973, it looked like all the pieces were falling in place for the CIA to avoid exposure of its role in the Watergate scandal and to hide the salacious information actually targeted. If Watergate continued to be viewed as a campaign fiasco, John Dean’s and Jeb Magruder’s testimony against their superiors in the White House would be increasingly valuable. But there loomed, as Watergate burglar James McCord was unleashing to Judge Sirica about the White House, two serious dangers to this view of Watergate: Michael Stevens and Lou Russell. They worried Dean and Magruder more than they threatened the CIA. Stevens and Russel especially threatened a newspaper which was about to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize for its Nixon-targeted reporting. Can you guess which paper, and whether it reported truthfully about Russell and Stevens? Could that paper have helped avoid at least one needless death? ________________________________________ Thank you for listening! For more information such as a hyperlinked Cast of Characters , visit themysteriesofwatergate.com . And if you like what you've heard, please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcast and pick up a copy of the new book, " The Mysteries of Watergate: What Really Happened " on Amazon.…

The Mysteries of Watergate

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Ep. 29: Misrepresenting McCord's Misconduct 25:26

4 years ago25:26

25:26

James McCord is a highly intriguing character, if an opaque one. As we described earlier, John Mitchell had wanted a personal security officer, but Alfred Wong of the Secret Service, with thousands of retired agents in D.C., could only find McCord, a “retired” CIA agent with no personal security experience. So why did McCord’s friend Wong recommend him, and is it a coincidence that McCord came from the shadowy Office of Security ("OS") within the CIA, as did Watergate burglary supervisor Howard Hunt? Did the Washington Post truthfully report on what appeared to be stunning evidence of McCord’s work as an undercover CIA agent? What is this evidence that the Post so clearly withheld from the public, dramatic evidence that would have changed public perception of our country’s most serious scandal? In this episode, we will solve one more of the Mysteries of Watergate. ________________________________________ Thank you for listening! For more information such as a hyperlinked Cast of Characters , visit themysteriesofwatergate.com . And if you like what you've heard, please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcast and pick up a copy of the new book, " The Mysteries of Watergate: What Really Happened " on Amazon.…

The Mysteries of Watergate

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Ep. 28: Blacking Out Blackmail 23:56

4 years ago23:56

23:56

If the Washington Post was not intentionally covering up the “CIA defense” which we discussed in the last episode, it would blare a headline about it when it was later documented that Howard Hunt, the Watergate burglary supervisor, had earlier been planning it, correct? And if the prosecution believed that the CIA defense was truly “spurious,” why did the prosecutors work so hard to rebut it? Did the prosecution agree that Hunt’s motives sprang from his Mullen and Company employment as a CIA cover company, and that the object of the burglary was blackmailing with sexual information? If so, doesn’t this planned prosecution sound much like the CIA defense, only presented so that Hunt would not be acquitted if he employed it? If a blackmail motive was posited by ethical career prosecutors, wouldn’t the great Washington Post feature that in headlines? Tune in for a startling view of Watergate’s “paper of record” as we tackle yet another of the Mysteries of Watergate. ________________________________________ Thank you for listening! For more information such as a hyperlinked Cast of Characters , visit themysteriesofwatergate.com . And if you like what you've heard, please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcast and pick up a copy of the new book, " The Mysteries of Watergate: What Really Happened " on Amazon.…

The Mysteries of Watergate

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Ep. 27: Covering Up the CIA Defense 20:55

4 years ago20:55

20:55

In a trial of profound public significance, it is particularly important that the media informing the public of the prosecution cover all impactful claims and defenses. In the first of two episodes on the trial and prosecution of the Watergate burglars, we will examine whether the Washington Post intentionally covered up the planned defense of burglary supervisor Howard Hunt, a “retired” CIA agent: that the burglary was an appropriate national security CIA operation. If the Post did so intentionally, the paper can justifiably be accused of a coverup far more significant than a coverup of checks routed through Mexico which caused President Nixon to resign. But what is the proof that the Washington Post covered up Hunt's defense and, far more seriously, that our chief intelligence agency had infiltrated the White House and was working at cross-purposes to our elected Executive? We will present our proof in this episode and later follow with the Washington Post ’s coverage of, or failure to cover, other prominent issues. ________________________________________ Thank you for listening! For more information such as a hyperlinked Cast of Characters , visit themysteriesofwatergate.com . And if you like what you've heard, please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcast and pick up a copy of the new book, " The Mysteries of Watergate: What Really Happened " on Amazon.…

The Mysteries of Watergate

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Ep. 26: Burying Baldwin 30:58

4 years ago30:58

30:58

History has paid little attention to Alfred Baldwin, the Watergate wiretap monitor, and his knowledge. That is most likely the result of the Washington Post feigning ignorance of his existence for the crucial first several months of the scandal. Was the Washington Post truly ignorant of his overhearings, which would have radically altered the narrative? And were Washington Post reporters, as claimed, ignorant of his name and role prior to October 1972? Is there a circumstantial way to prove the Washington Post 's early knowledge of Baldwin, if the Post claims otherwise? ________________________________________ Thank you for listening! For more information such as a hyperlinked Cast of Characters , visit themysteriesofwatergate.com . And if you like what you've heard, please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcast and pick up a copy of the new book, " The Mysteries of Watergate: What Really Happened " on Amazon.…

The Mysteries of Watergate

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Ep. 25: Mullen and Company’s Covered Up Cover Contract 25:32

4 years ago25:32

25:32

All five burglars were involved in the ill-fated CIA-planned fiasco, the Bay of Pigs, and one supervisor, Howard Hunt, was a leader in that abortive Cuban invasion. Since at the time of Watergate, he worked not only part-time at the White House but also full-time at Mullen and Company, a D.C. public relations firm with known CIA ties, an important issue for journalists to examine would have been whether Hunt was an active CIA agent working undercover during the Watergate burglary. Do we have proof that the Washington Post knew of Mullen and Company’s role? And if it did, was that merely a minor failing in its Pulitzer prize-winning work? Or could this omission have potentially world-changing effect? ________________________________________ Thank you for listening! For more information such as a hyperlinked Cast of Characters , visit themysteriesofwatergate.com . And if you like what you've heard, please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcast and pick up a copy of the new book, " The Mysteries of Watergate: What Really Happened " on Amazon.…

The Mysteries of Watergate

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Ep. 24: Burglary Information Gone Missing 27:21

4 years ago27:21

27:21

The Watergate burglary and arrests were noteworthy, but the scandal did not heat up or capture the public's attention for four months. So, why does it matter if the Washington Post 's widely reprinted burglary arrest reporting was missing key details? What were those missing details, and were they of history-shaping effect? And if the Washington Post knew of these details but failed to report on them, why would they want to create, rather than solve, one of the Mysteries of Watergate? ________________________________________ Thank you for listening! For more information such as a hyperlinked Cast of Characters , visit themysteriesofwatergate.com . And if you like what you've heard, please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcast and pick up a copy of the new book, " The Mysteries of Watergate: What Really Happened " on Amazon.…

The Mysteries of Watergate

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Ep. 23: Big Questions About Big Journalism 20:14

4 years ago20:14

20:14

It is not an overstatement to say that American history's most lauded reporting is the Washington Post 's Watergate journalism. There is also no doubt as to its earthshaking impact, both impelling the country's only removal of a president, and also inspiring a new brand of journalism and journalists. How is it explained, then, that so many salient facts of the Watergate story were missed, and an opposite impression consistently given? There are big questions for the Washington Post to answer in this podcast series, questions posed in this episode and expounded upon in future episodes as we continue our deep dive into the Mysteries of Watergate. ________________________________________ Thank you for listening! For more information such as a hyperlinked Cast of Characters , visit themysteriesofwatergate.com . And if you like what you've heard, please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcast and pick up a copy of the new book, " The Mysteries of Watergate: What Really Happened " on Amazon.…

The Mysteries of Watergate

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Ep. 22: The True Watergate Narrative, Part 2 16:12

4 years ago16:12

16:12

This second part of our discussion of The Narrative explains how otherwise odd, idiosyncratic evidence from The Mysteries of Watergate fits snugly into the revisionist narrative. This evidence, to the extent disclosed and analyzed correctly, would have explicated the motives of major actors, but in fact was not disclosed or well explained by conventional treatments. ________________________________________ Thank you for listening! For more information such as a hyperlinked Cast of Characters , visit themysteriesofwatergate.com . And if you like what you've heard, please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcast and pick up a copy of the new book, " The Mysteries of Watergate: What Really Happened " on Amazon.…

The Mysteries of Watergate

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Ep. 21: The True Watergate Narrative, Part 1 24:38

4 years ago24:38

24:38

In this series we have shown solid proof solving specific, discrete Mysteries of Watergate. But humans understand morality through narratives: there is always a moral to the story. In this episode we will add to our series by showing how our specific proofs cohere in a satisfying overall Narrative, explaining what really happened in our country’s most important political scandal. ________________________________________ Thank you for listening! For more information such as a hyperlinked Cast of Characters , visit themysteriesofwatergate.com . And if you like what you've heard, please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcast and pick up a copy of the new book, " The Mysteries of Watergate: What Really Happened " on Amazon.…

The Mysteries of Watergate

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Ep. 20: Deep Throat and the Garage Meetings 22:22

4 years ago22:22