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Stay ConnectedOn June 17, 1972, five burglars were arrested in the Democratic National Committee Headquarters at the Watergate complex. During the next ten days, decisions were made that doomed Richard Nixon’s presidency and ultimately led to the most publicized legal and political conspiracy to date. Forty years later, the legacy of Watergate is much more than just a fading memory; legislation was born in the scandal’s aftermath; rules of legal ethics were shaped to prevent future scandals; and, presidential powers and immunities were altered forever. For many, Watergate is just history, but for the legal community, it is a pivotal marker in the development of modern law.
It has been four decades since John Dean, Counsel to the White House, learned that police arrested five men for breaking into and entering the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex. Dean was 34 years old. Events that unfolded in the week following the break-in would lead directly to the resignation of Richard M. Nixon, the nation’s 37th President. A conversation held in the Oval Office on Friday, June 23, 1972, would prove to be the final straw. Two years later, when a tape recording of the June 23 conversation was released, Nixon’s support in Congress evaporated and he resigned. That tape became known as the “Smoking Gun” tape. In examining the legacy of Watergate, Mr. Dean walks us through the first week after the break-in, laying out the ethical and legal dilemmas he faced as he learned more about the situation before him. The Watergate story is powerful, instructive, and fascinating, particularly as told by those who lived it. Linking current ethics issues to the compelling narrative of Watergate, Mr. Dean, along with lawyer/historian Jim Robenalt, and Professor Ron Rotunda will lead the session. Constitutional law professor Ron Rotunda, a recognized authority on ethics, was assistant majority counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee and later was an advisor to Ken Starr in the Whitewater investigations that led to President Clinton’s impeachment. Included in the presentation will be (never-rebroadcast) video from the Senate Watergate Committee hearings, archived video of Nixon’s public statements about Watergate, excerpts from Nixon’s secretly recorded audio tapes (some of which became available only recently), photos and relevant documents.
The panel discussions include: Nixon’s Secret Tapes: Evidence that Politically, Legally and Historically Defined Watergate, Constitutional Significance of Watergate: New Perspectives, The Legacy of Watergate: Reform 40 years later. John Dean will be Friday’s Keynote Dialogue luncheon speaker. Mr. Dean was counsel to President Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal and it was his testimony that first linked Nixon directly to the burglary.
