🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 132 (from laksa103)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa132.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zmjwwnb/revision/3\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zmjwwnb/revision/3\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bitesize\/guides\/zmjwwnb\/revision\/3","crawl_time":1774356237,"first_indexed_time":1699370988,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"uk,co,bbc!www,\/bitesize\/guides\/zmjwwnb\/revision\/3 s443","src_root_hash":"2272746388958996332","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"President Nixon and Watergate - Political change 1960-2000 - Eduqas - GCSE History Revision - Eduqas - BBC Bitesize","meta_descriptions":["Learn about and revise the changes in American politics between 1960 and 2000 with BBC Bitesize GCSE History - Eduqas."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"President Nixon and Watergate\nIn 1974, President Richard Nixon was investigated over a 1972 break-in at the\noffices in the Watergate office complex in Washington, DC.\nAs more and more evidence emerged of his involvement, he became the first American president to resign.\nImage caption,\nPresident Nixon speaking on television about the Watergate scandal\nNixon’s career\nNixon was an experienced politician by the time he became president in January 1969. He had served in office since 1950, first as a congressman and then as a\nfor California. He became well known due to his support for investigations into people he believed were\nwho were seen as a threat to America’s\nway of life. Between 1953 and 1961, he served as vice president to\nPresident Dwight D Eisenhower. However, when he first ran for president himself, in 1960, he narrowly lost to Democrat John F Kennedy.\nIn 1968 he won the presidential election. He promised “peace with honour” in Vietnam at the same time as saying that he represented the “silent majority” of Americans opposed to the\nof young Americans. Peace with Vietnam was agreed in 1972 and American troops were brought home.\nrelations with the\nand communist China were also improved.\nThe Watergate scandal\nEvent\nDescription\nNixon’s election campaign\nBy 1972 Nixon was\ncampaigning to be re-elected\nas president. Even though he had achieved a lot in his first term as president, he was not sure he would get re-elected. He had already used\n‘dirty tricks’\nto beat his rivals, which is why his nickname was ‘Tricky Dicky’.\nForming CREEP\nTo help in his campaign, he formed the\nCommittee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP)\nand provided $350,000 for its members to do whatever they thought was necessary to make sure he won the election.\nThe break-in\nDuring the night of\n17 June 1972\n, five members of CREEP were caught trying to fix surveillance devices they had previously planted in the telephones of the Democratic Party at their offices in the Watergate building in Washington, DC. These devices would have enabled Nixon to know what his opponents were planning.\nThe cover-up\nAfter the burglary, Nixon began a secret cover-up operation to hide his involvement. He met advisers and discussed how they could stop the FBI from investigating CREEP. He and his advisers also discussed how they could offer money to the burglars to keep quiet about who they had really been working for. This was obstruction of justice -\na federal crime\n1972 election victory\nNixon won the election. It was the biggest election victory since World War Two. He won 49 out of 50 states, receiving just over 60 per cent of all of the votes.\nContinuing investigations\nThe election victory did not bring an end to investigations into the Watergate break-in. During the trial of the Watergate ‘burglars’ and the investigations by the FBI,\nWashington Post\nreporters and the Senate kept trying to find out how much Nixon knew about the break-in.\nTrial of the Watergate burglars\nIn January 1973 the Watergate burglars were tried and then convicted. One of the burglars - a member of CREEP - said in court that the\npresident knew\nwhat they had been doing and was trying to cover it up.\nNixon went on television\nto deny any involvement and said that he was not trying to cover anything up. However, he did say that two of his advisers,\nBob Haldeman\nand\nJohn Ehrlichman\n, had been involved. They both resigned and were later convicted of crimes related to Watergate.\nWashington Post and FBI investigations\nTwo investigations had now clearly established the\nconnections between CREEP and the burglars\n. Aided by an\nanonymous government informer\n,\nWashington Post\njournalists were able to prove that the burglars were connected to CREEP and that the money for CREEP came from the president. The same conclusion was reached by the\nFBI\n, their agents identified that the burglars were definitely members of CREEP and that the money from CREEP had paid for their illegal activities. Nixon continued to deny that he or any of his other advisers had been involved in the Watergate break-in.\nSenate investigation\nThe Senate began an investigation that lasted from May to November 1973. It became obvious that Nixon was much more involved than he had admitted.\nJohn Dean\n, one of the president’s officials, admitted that\nNixon had tried to cover up\nhis involvement in the break-in. Another witnesses told the Senate committee that Nixon always recorded conversations held in the Oval Office. To begin with, Nixon refused to hand over the audio tapes of these recordings.\nThe smoking gun tapes\nIn November 1973, Nixon handed over most of the tapes, but with many sections edited out. It took until\nApril 1974\nto get Nixon to hand over the\nfull versions\nof all of the tapes. One tape became known as the\n’smoking gun’ tape\n- it showed that he had been involved with the illegal activities of CREEP and that he had broken the law by trying to cover this up.\nImpeachment proceedings\nImpeachment proceedings began against President Nixon in July 1974. Impeachment is a\nlegal process to remove a president from office\non the grounds that they have acted illegally. The Senate would become the jury for this trial and Nixon was widely expected to lose.\nResignation\nTo avoid impeachment,\nNixon became the first person to resign as president\n, on 8 August 1974. He explained his reasons on television. Gerald Ford became president.\nPardon\nTo stop the Watergate investigations from continuing to damage the US government,\nPresident Ford pardoned Nixon of all criminal acts\nin September 1974. Although Nixon was never prosecuted for his involvement in Watergate, 30 other officials and advisers were convicted and sent to prison.\nEvent\nNixon’s election campaign\nDescription\nBy 1972 Nixon was\ncampaigning to be re-elected\nas president. Even though he had achieved a lot in his first term as president, he was not sure he would get re-elected. He had already used\n‘dirty tricks’\nto beat his rivals, which is why his nickname was ‘Tricky Dicky’.\nEvent\nForming CREEP\nDescription\nTo help in his campaign, he formed the\nCommittee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP)\nand provided $350,000 for its members to do whatever they thought was necessary to make sure he won the election.\nEvent\nThe break-in\nDescription\nDuring the night of\n17 June 1972\n, five members of CREEP were caught trying to fix surveillance devices they had previously planted in the telephones of the Democratic Party at their offices in the Watergate building in Washington, DC. These devices would have enabled Nixon to know what his opponents were planning.\nEvent\nThe cover-up\nDescription\nAfter the burglary, Nixon began a secret cover-up operation to hide his involvement. He met advisers and discussed how they could stop the FBI from investigating CREEP. He and his advisers also discussed how they could offer money to the burglars to keep quiet about who they had really been working for. This was obstruction of justice -\na federal crime\nEvent\n1972 election victory\nDescription\nNixon won the election. It was the biggest election victory since World War Two. He won 49 out of 50 states, receiving just over 60 per cent of all of the votes.\nEvent\nContinuing investigations\nDescription\nThe election victory did not bring an end to investigations into the Watergate break-in. During the trial of the Watergate ‘burglars’ and the investigations by the FBI,\nWashington Post\nreporters and the Senate kept trying to find out how much Nixon knew about the break-in.\nEvent\nTrial of the Watergate burglars\nDescription\nIn January 1973 the Watergate burglars were tried and then convicted. One of the burglars - a member of CREEP - said in court that the\npresident knew\nwhat they had been doing and was trying to cover it up.\nNixon went on television\nto deny any involvement and said that he was not trying to cover anything up. However, he did say that two of his advisers,\nBob Haldeman\nand\nJohn Ehrlichman\n, had been involved. They both resigned and were later convicted of crimes related to Watergate.\nEvent\nWashington Post and FBI investigations\nDescription\nTwo investigations had now clearly established the\nconnections between CREEP and the burglars\n. Aided by an\nanonymous government informer\n,\nWashington Post\njournalists were able to prove that the burglars were connected to CREEP and that the money for CREEP came from the president. The same conclusion was reached by the\nFBI\n, their agents identified that the burglars were definitely members of CREEP and that the money from CREEP had paid for their illegal activities. Nixon continued to deny that he or any of his other advisers had been involved in the Watergate break-in.\nEvent\nSenate investigation\nDescription\nThe Senate began an investigation that lasted from May to November 1973. It became obvious that Nixon was much more involved than he had admitted.\nJohn Dean\n, one of the president’s officials, admitted that\nNixon had tried to cover up\nhis involvement in the break-in. Another witnesses told the Senate committee that Nixon always recorded conversations held in the Oval Office. To begin with, Nixon refused to hand over the audio tapes of these recordings.\nEvent\nThe smoking gun tapes\nDescription\nIn November 1973, Nixon handed over most of the tapes, but with many sections edited out. It took until\nApril 1974\nto get Nixon to hand over the\nfull versions\nof all of the tapes. One tape became known as the\n’smoking gun’ tape\n- it showed that he had been involved with the illegal activities of CREEP and that he had broken the law by trying to cover this up.\nEvent\nImpeachment proceedings\nDescription\nImpeachment proceedings began against President Nixon in July 1974. Impeachment is a\nlegal process to remove a president from office\non the grounds that they have acted illegally. The Senate would become the jury for this trial and Nixon was widely expected to lose.\nEvent\nResignation\nDescription\nTo avoid impeachment,\nNixon became the first person to resign as president\n, on 8 August 1974. He explained his reasons on television. Gerald Ford became president.\nEvent\nPardon\nDescription\nTo stop the Watergate investigations from continuing to damage the US government,\nPresident Ford pardoned Nixon of all criminal acts\nin September 1974. Although Nixon was never prosecuted for his involvement in Watergate, 30 other officials and advisers were convicted and sent to prison.\nFurther effects following Watergate\nThe Watergate scandal cost Nixon his popularity and his reputation.\nFord was always associated with the Watergate scandal, because he had pardoned Nixon. This contributed to him losing the 1976 election to Democrat\nJimmy Carter\n, whose campaign for office promoted the message that he would not lie to the American people. The scandal also damaged people’s trust in politicians and some Americans thought there wasn’t any point voting in elections.\nHowever, these events did show that Congress had the ability to investigate and deal with a president who was breaking the law. As a result of the scandal, Congress passed a series of laws to make sure that a president could not cheat the system in future. For example:\nThe\n1973 War Powers Act\nrequired presidents to consult Congress before sending troops into combat.\nThe\n1974 Federal Election Campaign Act\nlimited how much people could donate to political campaigns.\nThe\n1974 Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act\nprevented presidents from using government money for whatever they wanted.\nThe\n1974 Privacy Act\nallowed citizens access to any files the government might have on them.","attrs_markdown":"[BBC Homepage](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/)\n\n- [Skip to content](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bitesize\/guides\/zmjwwnb\/revision\/3#main-heading)\n- [Accessibility Help](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/accessibility\/)\n\n- [Sign in](https:\/\/session.bbc.co.uk\/session?lang=en-GB&ptrt=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fbitesize%2Fguides%2Fzmjwwnb%2Frevision%2F3)\n\n- [Home](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/)\n- [News](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news)\n- [Sport](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/sport)\n- [Earth](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/future\/earth)\n- 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Political change 1960-2000 - EduqasPresident Nixon and Watergate\nSuccessive American presidents from John F Kennedy to Bill Clinton each had their own approach to dealing with the political, social and economic problems facing the USA between 1960 and 2000.\n\nPart of [History](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bitesize\/subjects\/zj26n39)[The USA, 1929-2000](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bitesize\/topics\/zss4kty)\n\nSave to My Bitesize\n\nSave to My Bitesize\n\nSaving\n\nSaved\n\nRemoving\n\nRemove from My Bitesize\n\nclose panel\n\n## Sign in to save\nAdd subjects, save guides and continue where you left off with your BBC account.\n\n[Sign in](https:\/\/session.bbc.co.uk\/session?ptrt=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fbitesize%2Fguides%2Fzmjwwnb%2Frevision%2F3&sequenceId=4d51754f-f59f-46f6-9f7b-954fca319f91)\n\nor[Register](https:\/\/session.bbc.co.uk\/session?action=register&ptrt=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fbitesize%2Fguides%2Fzmjwwnb%2Frevision%2F3&sequenceId=4d51754f-f59f-46f6-9f7b-954fca319f91)\n\nMaybe later\n\n## In this guide\n1. [Revise](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bitesize\/guides\/zmjwwnb\/revision\/1)\n2. [Video](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bitesize\/guides\/zmjwwnb\/video)\n3. [Test](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bitesize\/guides\/zmjwwnb\/test)\n\n## Pages\n1. [President Kennedy and the New Frontier](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bitesize\/guides\/zmjwwnb\/revision\/1)\n2. [President Johnson’s Great Society](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bitesize\/guides\/zmjwwnb\/revision\/2)\n3. [President Nixon and Watergate](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bitesize\/guides\/zmjwwnb\/revision\/3)\n4. [Changes under President Reagan](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bitesize\/guides\/zmjwwnb\/revision\/4)\n5. [Changes under President George HW Bush](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bitesize\/guides\/zmjwwnb\/revision\/5)\n6. [Changes under President Clinton](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bitesize\/guides\/zmjwwnb\/revision\/6)\n\n## President Nixon and Watergate\n- In 1974, President Richard Nixon was investigated over a 1972 break-in at the\n  Democratic Party’s\n  \n  close\n  \n  Democratic PartyPolitical party in the United States. Democrats tend to hold a more liberal viewpoint on politics and society.\n  offices in the Watergate office complex in Washington, DC.\n- As more and more evidence emerged of his involvement, he became the first American president to resign.\n\n![A photograph of President Nixon sitting next to books containing the edited Watergate Transcripts](https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/480xn\/p0bkpzrk.jpg)\n\nImage caption,\n\nPresident Nixon speaking on television about the Watergate scandal\n### Nixon’s career\nNixon was an experienced politician by the time he became president in January 1969. He had served in office since 1950, first as a congressman and then as a senator close senatorOne of two officials elected every six years to represent an American state in the Senate. for California. He became well known due to his support for investigations into people he believed were communists, close communistSupporters of the communist movement or party. who were seen as a threat to America’s capitalist close capitalistThe economic idea that countries should be run based on private business, trade, stocks and shares, and profit. way of life. Between 1953 and 1961, he served as vice president to Republican close Republican PartyOne of the two major American political parties. Republicans tend to hold a more conservative viewpoint on politics and society. President Dwight D Eisenhower. However, when he first ran for president himself, in 1960, he narrowly lost to Democrat John F Kennedy.\n\nIn 1968 he won the presidential election. He promised “peace with honour” in Vietnam at the same time as saying that he represented the “silent majority” of Americans opposed to the counterculture close countercultureIdeas or beliefs that go against society’s norms. of young Americans. Peace with Vietnam was agreed in 1972 and American troops were brought home. Diplomatic close diplomacyA way that countries try to avoid wars by using peaceful talks to resolve problems relations with the Soviet Union close Soviet UnionThe group of 15 communist republics formed from the Russian Empire after the revolution of 1917. and communist China were also improved.\n\n#### The Watergate scandal\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | Description |\n| Nixon’s election campaign | By 1972 Nixon was **campaigning to be re-elected** as president. Even though he had achieved a lot in his first term as president, he was not sure he would get re-elected. He had already used **‘dirty tricks’** to beat his rivals, which is why his nickname was ‘Tricky Dicky’. |\n| Forming CREEP | To help in his campaign, he formed the **Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP)** and provided \\$350,000 for its members to do whatever they thought was necessary to make sure he won the election. |\n| The break-in | During the night of **17 June 1972**, five members of CREEP were caught trying to fix surveillance devices they had previously planted in the telephones of the Democratic Party at their offices in the Watergate building in Washington, DC. These devices would have enabled Nixon to know what his opponents were planning. |\n| The cover-up | After the burglary, Nixon began a secret cover-up operation to hide his involvement. He met advisers and discussed how they could stop the FBI from investigating CREEP. He and his advisers also discussed how they could offer money to the burglars to keep quiet about who they had really been working for. This was obstruction of justice - **a federal crime** |\n| 1972 election victory | Nixon won the election. It was the biggest election victory since World War Two. He won 49 out of 50 states, receiving just over 60 per cent of all of the votes. |\n| Continuing investigations | The election victory did not bring an end to investigations into the Watergate break-in. During the trial of the Watergate ‘burglars’ and the investigations by the FBI, *Washington Post* reporters and the Senate kept trying to find out how much Nixon knew about the break-in. |\n| Trial of the Watergate burglars | In January 1973 the Watergate burglars were tried and then convicted. One of the burglars - a member of CREEP - said in court that the **president knew** what they had been doing and was trying to cover it up. **Nixon went on television** to deny any involvement and said that he was not trying to cover anything up. However, he did say that two of his advisers, **Bob Haldeman** and **John Ehrlichman**, had been involved. They both resigned and were later convicted of crimes related to Watergate. |\n| Washington Post and FBI investigations | Two investigations had now clearly established the **connections between CREEP and the burglars**. Aided by an **anonymous government informer**,*Washington Post* journalists were able to prove that the burglars were connected to CREEP and that the money for CREEP came from the president. The same conclusion was reached by the **FBI**, their agents identified that the burglars were definitely members of CREEP and that the money from CREEP had paid for their illegal activities. Nixon continued to deny that he or any of his other advisers had been involved in the Watergate break-in. |\n| Senate investigation | The Senate began an investigation that lasted from May to November 1973. It became obvious that Nixon was much more involved than he had admitted. **John Dean**, one of the president’s officials, admitted that **Nixon had tried to cover up** his involvement in the break-in. Another witnesses told the Senate committee that Nixon always recorded conversations held in the Oval Office. To begin with, Nixon refused to hand over the audio tapes of these recordings. |\n| The smoking gun tapes | In November 1973, Nixon handed over most of the tapes, but with many sections edited out. It took until **April 1974** to get Nixon to hand over the **full versions** of all of the tapes. One tape became known as the **’smoking gun’ tape** - it showed that he had been involved with the illegal activities of CREEP and that he had broken the law by trying to cover this up. |\n| Impeachment proceedings | Impeachment proceedings began against President Nixon in July 1974. Impeachment is a **legal process to remove a president from office** on the grounds that they have acted illegally. The Senate would become the jury for this trial and Nixon was widely expected to lose. |\n| Resignation | To avoid impeachment, **Nixon became the first person to resign as president**, on 8 August 1974. He explained his reasons on television. Gerald Ford became president. |\n| Pardon | To stop the Watergate investigations from continuing to damage the US government, **President Ford pardoned Nixon of all criminal acts** in September 1974. Although Nixon was never prosecuted for his involvement in Watergate, 30 other officials and advisers were convicted and sent to prison. |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | Nixon’s election campaign |\n| Description | By 1972 Nixon was **campaigning to be re-elected** as president. Even though he had achieved a lot in his first term as president, he was not sure he would get re-elected. He had already used **‘dirty tricks’** to beat his rivals, which is why his nickname was ‘Tricky Dicky’. |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | Forming CREEP |\n| Description | To help in his campaign, he formed the **Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP)** and provided \\$350,000 for its members to do whatever they thought was necessary to make sure he won the election. |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | The break-in |\n| Description | During the night of **17 June 1972**, five members of CREEP were caught trying to fix surveillance devices they had previously planted in the telephones of the Democratic Party at their offices in the Watergate building in Washington, DC. These devices would have enabled Nixon to know what his opponents were planning. |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | The cover-up |\n| Description | After the burglary, Nixon began a secret cover-up operation to hide his involvement. He met advisers and discussed how they could stop the FBI from investigating CREEP. He and his advisers also discussed how they could offer money to the burglars to keep quiet about who they had really been working for. This was obstruction of justice - **a federal crime** |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | 1972 election victory |\n| Description | Nixon won the election. It was the biggest election victory since World War Two. He won 49 out of 50 states, receiving just over 60 per cent of all of the votes. |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | Continuing investigations |\n| Description | The election victory did not bring an end to investigations into the Watergate break-in. During the trial of the Watergate ‘burglars’ and the investigations by the FBI, *Washington Post* reporters and the Senate kept trying to find out how much Nixon knew about the break-in. |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | Trial of the Watergate burglars |\n| Description | In January 1973 the Watergate burglars were tried and then convicted. One of the burglars - a member of CREEP - said in court that the **president knew** what they had been doing and was trying to cover it up. **Nixon went on television** to deny any involvement and said that he was not trying to cover anything up. However, he did say that two of his advisers, **Bob Haldeman** and **John Ehrlichman**, had been involved. They both resigned and were later convicted of crimes related to Watergate. |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | Washington Post and FBI investigations |\n| Description | Two investigations had now clearly established the **connections between CREEP and the burglars**. Aided by an **anonymous government informer**,*Washington Post* journalists were able to prove that the burglars were connected to CREEP and that the money for CREEP came from the president. The same conclusion was reached by the **FBI**, their agents identified that the burglars were definitely members of CREEP and that the money from CREEP had paid for their illegal activities. Nixon continued to deny that he or any of his other advisers had been involved in the Watergate break-in. |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | Senate investigation |\n| Description | The Senate began an investigation that lasted from May to November 1973. It became obvious that Nixon was much more involved than he had admitted. **John Dean**, one of the president’s officials, admitted that **Nixon had tried to cover up** his involvement in the break-in. Another witnesses told the Senate committee that Nixon always recorded conversations held in the Oval Office. To begin with, Nixon refused to hand over the audio tapes of these recordings. |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | The smoking gun tapes |\n| Description | In November 1973, Nixon handed over most of the tapes, but with many sections edited out. It took until **April 1974** to get Nixon to hand over the **full versions** of all of the tapes. One tape became known as the **’smoking gun’ tape** - it showed that he had been involved with the illegal activities of CREEP and that he had broken the law by trying to cover this up. |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | Impeachment proceedings |\n| Description | Impeachment proceedings began against President Nixon in July 1974. Impeachment is a **legal process to remove a president from office** on the grounds that they have acted illegally. The Senate would become the jury for this trial and Nixon was widely expected to lose. |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | Resignation |\n| Description | To avoid impeachment, **Nixon became the first person to resign as president**, on 8 August 1974. He explained his reasons on television. Gerald Ford became president. |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | Pardon |\n| Description | To stop the Watergate investigations from continuing to damage the US government, **President Ford pardoned Nixon of all criminal acts** in September 1974. Although Nixon was never prosecuted for his involvement in Watergate, 30 other officials and advisers were convicted and sent to prison. |\n#### Further effects following Watergate\nThe Watergate scandal cost Nixon his popularity and his reputation.\n\nFord was always associated with the Watergate scandal, because he had pardoned Nixon. This contributed to him losing the 1976 election to Democrat **Jimmy Carter**, whose campaign for office promoted the message that he would not lie to the American people. The scandal also damaged people’s trust in politicians and some Americans thought there wasn’t any point voting in elections.\n\nHowever, these events did show that Congress had the ability to investigate and deal with a president who was breaking the law. As a result of the scandal, Congress passed a series of laws to make sure that a president could not cheat the system in future. For example:\n\n- The **1973 War Powers Act** required presidents to consult Congress before sending troops into combat.\n- The **1974 Federal Election Campaign Act** limited how much people could donate to political campaigns.\n- The **1974 Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act** prevented presidents from using government money for whatever they wanted.\n- The **1974 Privacy Act** allowed citizens access to any files the government might have on them.\n\n[Next pageChanges under President Reagan](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bitesize\/guides\/zmjwwnb\/revision\/4)\n\n[Previous pagePresident Johnson’s Great Society](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bitesize\/guides\/zmjwwnb\/revision\/2)\n\n## More guides on this topic\n- [Economic downturn and recovery - Eduqas](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bitesize\/guides\/zp277yc\/revision\/1)\n- [The economic impact of World War Two and post-war developments](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bitesize\/guides\/zyhttrd\/revision\/1)\n- [Civil rights 1941-1970 - Eduqas](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bitesize\/guides\/zkrgg7h\/revision\/1)\n- [Social change 1950-2000 - Eduqas](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bitesize\/guides\/z4gbbqt\/revision\/1)\n- [Cold War rivalry - Eduqas](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bitesize\/guides\/z8jjjsg\/revision\/1)\n- [The search for world peace since 1970 - Eduqas](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bitesize\/guides\/zhsssk7\/revision\/1)\n\n## Related links\n- [History revision resources](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bitesize\/articles\/zb8g8p3)\n- [Bitesize revision podcasts](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bitesize\/articles\/zdrk7v4#zq2r6rd)\n- [Personalise your Bitesize\\!](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/education\/levels\/z98jmp3)\n- [Jobs that use History](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bitesize\/tags\/z7p6d6f\/jobs-that-use-history\/1)\n- [History documentaries](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/iplayer\/categories\/documentaries-history\/all)\n- [Quizlet](https:\/\/quizlet.com\/en-gb\/content\/gcse-history)\n- [Headsqueeze](https:\/\/youtu.be\/3sEHDH3ePEY)\n- [The Historical Association Subscription](https:\/\/www.history.org.uk\/)\n- [Seneca Learning](https:\/\/senecalearning.com\/)\n\nLanguage:\n\n- [Home](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/)\n- [News](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news)\n- [Sport](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/sport)\n- [Earth](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/future\/earth)\n- [Reel](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/reel)\n- [Worklife](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/worklife)\n- [Travel](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/travel)\n- [Culture](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/culture)\n- [Future](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/future)\n- [Music](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/culture\/music)\n- [TV](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/schedules\/p00fzl9m)\n- [Weather](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/weather)\n- [Sounds](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/sounds)\n\n- [Terms of Use](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/usingthebbc\/terms)\n- [About the BBC](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/aboutthebbc)\n- [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/usingthebbc\/privacy)\n- [Cookies](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/usingthebbc\/cookies)\n- [Accessibility Help](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/accessibility)\n- [Parental Guidance](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/iplayer\/guidance)\n- [Contact the BBC](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/contact)\n- [BBC emails for you](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/bbcnewsletter)\n- [Advertise with us](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/advertisingcontact\/)\n- Do not share or sell my info\n\nCopyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. [Read about our approach to external linking.](https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/editorialguidelines\/guidance\/feeds-and-links)","attrs_readable_markdown":"President Nixon and Watergate\n\n- In 1974, President Richard Nixon was investigated over a 1972 break-in at the  offices in the Watergate office complex in Washington, DC.\n- As more and more evidence emerged of his involvement, he became the first American president to resign.\n\n![A photograph of President Nixon sitting next to books containing the edited Watergate Transcripts](https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/480xn\/p0bkpzrk.jpg)\n\nImage caption,\n\nPresident Nixon speaking on television about the Watergate scandal\n\nNixon’s career\n\nNixon was an experienced politician by the time he became president in January 1969. He had served in office since 1950, first as a congressman and then as a  for California. He became well known due to his support for investigations into people he believed were  who were seen as a threat to America’s  way of life. Between 1953 and 1961, he served as vice president to  President Dwight D Eisenhower. However, when he first ran for president himself, in 1960, he narrowly lost to Democrat John F Kennedy.\n\nIn 1968 he won the presidential election. He promised “peace with honour” in Vietnam at the same time as saying that he represented the “silent majority” of Americans opposed to the  of young Americans. Peace with Vietnam was agreed in 1972 and American troops were brought home.  relations with the  and communist China were also improved.\n\nThe Watergate scandal\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | Description |\n| Nixon’s election campaign | By 1972 Nixon was **campaigning to be re-elected** as president. Even though he had achieved a lot in his first term as president, he was not sure he would get re-elected. He had already used **‘dirty tricks’** to beat his rivals, which is why his nickname was ‘Tricky Dicky’. |\n| Forming CREEP | To help in his campaign, he formed the **Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP)** and provided \\$350,000 for its members to do whatever they thought was necessary to make sure he won the election. |\n| The break-in | During the night of **17 June 1972**, five members of CREEP were caught trying to fix surveillance devices they had previously planted in the telephones of the Democratic Party at their offices in the Watergate building in Washington, DC. These devices would have enabled Nixon to know what his opponents were planning. |\n| The cover-up | After the burglary, Nixon began a secret cover-up operation to hide his involvement. He met advisers and discussed how they could stop the FBI from investigating CREEP. He and his advisers also discussed how they could offer money to the burglars to keep quiet about who they had really been working for. This was obstruction of justice - **a federal crime** |\n| 1972 election victory | Nixon won the election. It was the biggest election victory since World War Two. He won 49 out of 50 states, receiving just over 60 per cent of all of the votes. |\n| Continuing investigations | The election victory did not bring an end to investigations into the Watergate break-in. During the trial of the Watergate ‘burglars’ and the investigations by the FBI, *Washington Post* reporters and the Senate kept trying to find out how much Nixon knew about the break-in. |\n| Trial of the Watergate burglars | In January 1973 the Watergate burglars were tried and then convicted. One of the burglars - a member of CREEP - said in court that the **president knew** what they had been doing and was trying to cover it up. **Nixon went on television** to deny any involvement and said that he was not trying to cover anything up. However, he did say that two of his advisers, **Bob Haldeman** and **John Ehrlichman**, had been involved. They both resigned and were later convicted of crimes related to Watergate. |\n| Washington Post and FBI investigations | Two investigations had now clearly established the **connections between CREEP and the burglars**. Aided by an **anonymous government informer**,*Washington Post* journalists were able to prove that the burglars were connected to CREEP and that the money for CREEP came from the president. The same conclusion was reached by the **FBI**, their agents identified that the burglars were definitely members of CREEP and that the money from CREEP had paid for their illegal activities. Nixon continued to deny that he or any of his other advisers had been involved in the Watergate break-in. |\n| Senate investigation | The Senate began an investigation that lasted from May to November 1973. It became obvious that Nixon was much more involved than he had admitted. **John Dean**, one of the president’s officials, admitted that **Nixon had tried to cover up** his involvement in the break-in. Another witnesses told the Senate committee that Nixon always recorded conversations held in the Oval Office. To begin with, Nixon refused to hand over the audio tapes of these recordings. |\n| The smoking gun tapes | In November 1973, Nixon handed over most of the tapes, but with many sections edited out. It took until **April 1974** to get Nixon to hand over the **full versions** of all of the tapes. One tape became known as the **’smoking gun’ tape** - it showed that he had been involved with the illegal activities of CREEP and that he had broken the law by trying to cover this up. |\n| Impeachment proceedings | Impeachment proceedings began against President Nixon in July 1974. Impeachment is a **legal process to remove a president from office** on the grounds that they have acted illegally. The Senate would become the jury for this trial and Nixon was widely expected to lose. |\n| Resignation | To avoid impeachment, **Nixon became the first person to resign as president**, on 8 August 1974. He explained his reasons on television. Gerald Ford became president. |\n| Pardon | To stop the Watergate investigations from continuing to damage the US government, **President Ford pardoned Nixon of all criminal acts** in September 1974. Although Nixon was never prosecuted for his involvement in Watergate, 30 other officials and advisers were convicted and sent to prison. |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | Nixon’s election campaign |\n| Description | By 1972 Nixon was **campaigning to be re-elected** as president. Even though he had achieved a lot in his first term as president, he was not sure he would get re-elected. He had already used **‘dirty tricks’** to beat his rivals, which is why his nickname was ‘Tricky Dicky’. |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | Forming CREEP |\n| Description | To help in his campaign, he formed the **Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP)** and provided \\$350,000 for its members to do whatever they thought was necessary to make sure he won the election. |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | The break-in |\n| Description | During the night of **17 June 1972**, five members of CREEP were caught trying to fix surveillance devices they had previously planted in the telephones of the Democratic Party at their offices in the Watergate building in Washington, DC. These devices would have enabled Nixon to know what his opponents were planning. |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | The cover-up |\n| Description | After the burglary, Nixon began a secret cover-up operation to hide his involvement. He met advisers and discussed how they could stop the FBI from investigating CREEP. He and his advisers also discussed how they could offer money to the burglars to keep quiet about who they had really been working for. This was obstruction of justice - **a federal crime** |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | 1972 election victory |\n| Description | Nixon won the election. It was the biggest election victory since World War Two. He won 49 out of 50 states, receiving just over 60 per cent of all of the votes. |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | Continuing investigations |\n| Description | The election victory did not bring an end to investigations into the Watergate break-in. During the trial of the Watergate ‘burglars’ and the investigations by the FBI, *Washington Post* reporters and the Senate kept trying to find out how much Nixon knew about the break-in. |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | Trial of the Watergate burglars |\n| Description | In January 1973 the Watergate burglars were tried and then convicted. One of the burglars - a member of CREEP - said in court that the **president knew** what they had been doing and was trying to cover it up. **Nixon went on television** to deny any involvement and said that he was not trying to cover anything up. However, he did say that two of his advisers, **Bob Haldeman** and **John Ehrlichman**, had been involved. They both resigned and were later convicted of crimes related to Watergate. |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | Washington Post and FBI investigations |\n| Description | Two investigations had now clearly established the **connections between CREEP and the burglars**. Aided by an **anonymous government informer**,*Washington Post* journalists were able to prove that the burglars were connected to CREEP and that the money for CREEP came from the president. The same conclusion was reached by the **FBI**, their agents identified that the burglars were definitely members of CREEP and that the money from CREEP had paid for their illegal activities. Nixon continued to deny that he or any of his other advisers had been involved in the Watergate break-in. |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | Senate investigation |\n| Description | The Senate began an investigation that lasted from May to November 1973. It became obvious that Nixon was much more involved than he had admitted. **John Dean**, one of the president’s officials, admitted that **Nixon had tried to cover up** his involvement in the break-in. Another witnesses told the Senate committee that Nixon always recorded conversations held in the Oval Office. To begin with, Nixon refused to hand over the audio tapes of these recordings. |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | The smoking gun tapes |\n| Description | In November 1973, Nixon handed over most of the tapes, but with many sections edited out. It took until **April 1974** to get Nixon to hand over the **full versions** of all of the tapes. One tape became known as the **’smoking gun’ tape** - it showed that he had been involved with the illegal activities of CREEP and that he had broken the law by trying to cover this up. |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | Impeachment proceedings |\n| Description | Impeachment proceedings began against President Nixon in July 1974. Impeachment is a **legal process to remove a president from office** on the grounds that they have acted illegally. The Senate would become the jury for this trial and Nixon was widely expected to lose. |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | Resignation |\n| Description | To avoid impeachment, **Nixon became the first person to resign as president**, on 8 August 1974. He explained his reasons on television. Gerald Ford became president. |\n\n|   |   |\n|---|---|\n| Event | Pardon |\n| Description | To stop the Watergate investigations from continuing to damage the US government, **President Ford pardoned Nixon of all criminal acts** in September 1974. Although Nixon was never prosecuted for his involvement in Watergate, 30 other officials and advisers were convicted and sent to prison. |\n\nFurther effects following Watergate\n\nThe Watergate scandal cost Nixon his popularity and his reputation.\n\nFord was always associated with the Watergate scandal, because he had pardoned Nixon. This contributed to him losing the 1976 election to Democrat **Jimmy Carter**, whose campaign for office promoted the message that he would not lie to the American people. The scandal also damaged people’s trust in politicians and some Americans thought there wasn’t any point voting in elections.\n\nHowever, these events did show that Congress had the ability to investigate and deal with a president who was breaking the law. As a result of the scandal, Congress passed a series of laws to make sure that a president could not cheat the system in future. For example:\n\n- The **1973 War Powers Act** required presidents to consult Congress before sending troops into combat.\n- The **1974 Federal Election Campaign Act** limited how much people could donate to political campaigns.\n- The **1974 Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act** prevented presidents from using government money for whatever they wanted.\n- The **1974 Privacy Act** allowed citizens access to any files the government might have on them.","meta_canonical":null}

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Boilerpipe Text	President Nixon and Watergate In 1974, President Richard Nixon was investigated over a 1972 break-in at the offices in the Watergate office complex in Washington, DC. As more and more evidence emerged of his involvement, he became the first American president to resign. Image caption, President Nixon speaking on television about the Watergate scandal Nixon’s career Nixon was an experienced politician by the time he became president in January 1969. He had served in office since 1950, first as a congressman and then as a for California. He became well known due to his support for investigations into people he believed were who were seen as a threat to America’s way of life. Between 1953 and 1961, he served as vice president to President Dwight D Eisenhower. However, when he first ran for president himself, in 1960, he narrowly lost to Democrat John F Kennedy. In 1968 he won the presidential election. He promised “peace with honour” in Vietnam at the same time as saying that he represented the “silent majority” of Americans opposed to the of young Americans. Peace with Vietnam was agreed in 1972 and American troops were brought home. relations with the and communist China were also improved. The Watergate scandal Event Description Nixon’s election campaign By 1972 Nixon was campaigning to be re-elected as president. Even though he had achieved a lot in his first term as president, he was not sure he would get re-elected. He had already used ‘dirty tricks’ to beat his rivals, which is why his nickname was ‘Tricky Dicky’. Forming CREEP To help in his campaign, he formed the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP) and provided $350,000 for its members to do whatever they thought was necessary to make sure he won the election. The break-in During the night of 17 June 1972 , five members of CREEP were caught trying to fix surveillance devices they had previously planted in the telephones of the Democratic Party at their offices in the Watergate building in Washington, DC. These devices would have enabled Nixon to know what his opponents were planning. The cover-up After the burglary, Nixon began a secret cover-up operation to hide his involvement. He met advisers and discussed how they could stop the FBI from investigating CREEP. He and his advisers also discussed how they could offer money to the burglars to keep quiet about who they had really been working for. This was obstruction of justice - a federal crime 1972 election victory Nixon won the election. It was the biggest election victory since World War Two. He won 49 out of 50 states, receiving just over 60 per cent of all of the votes. Continuing investigations The election victory did not bring an end to investigations into the Watergate break-in. During the trial of the Watergate ‘burglars’ and the investigations by the FBI, Washington Post reporters and the Senate kept trying to find out how much Nixon knew about the break-in. Trial of the Watergate burglars In January 1973 the Watergate burglars were tried and then convicted. One of the burglars - a member of CREEP - said in court that the president knew what they had been doing and was trying to cover it up. Nixon went on television to deny any involvement and said that he was not trying to cover anything up. However, he did say that two of his advisers, Bob Haldeman and John Ehrlichman , had been involved. They both resigned and were later convicted of crimes related to Watergate. Washington Post and FBI investigations Two investigations had now clearly established the connections between CREEP and the burglars . Aided by an anonymous government informer , Washington Post journalists were able to prove that the burglars were connected to CREEP and that the money for CREEP came from the president. The same conclusion was reached by the FBI , their agents identified that the burglars were definitely members of CREEP and that the money from CREEP had paid for their illegal activities. Nixon continued to deny that he or any of his other advisers had been involved in the Watergate break-in. Senate investigation The Senate began an investigation that lasted from May to November 1973. It became obvious that Nixon was much more involved than he had admitted. John Dean , one of the president’s officials, admitted that Nixon had tried to cover up his involvement in the break-in. Another witnesses told the Senate committee that Nixon always recorded conversations held in the Oval Office. To begin with, Nixon refused to hand over the audio tapes of these recordings. The smoking gun tapes In November 1973, Nixon handed over most of the tapes, but with many sections edited out. It took until April 1974 to get Nixon to hand over the full versions of all of the tapes. One tape became known as the ’smoking gun’ tape - it showed that he had been involved with the illegal activities of CREEP and that he had broken the law by trying to cover this up. Impeachment proceedings Impeachment proceedings began against President Nixon in July 1974. Impeachment is a legal process to remove a president from office on the grounds that they have acted illegally. The Senate would become the jury for this trial and Nixon was widely expected to lose. Resignation To avoid impeachment, Nixon became the first person to resign as president , on 8 August 1974. He explained his reasons on television. Gerald Ford became president. Pardon To stop the Watergate investigations from continuing to damage the US government, President Ford pardoned Nixon of all criminal acts in September 1974. Although Nixon was never prosecuted for his involvement in Watergate, 30 other officials and advisers were convicted and sent to prison. Event Nixon’s election campaign Description By 1972 Nixon was campaigning to be re-elected as president. Even though he had achieved a lot in his first term as president, he was not sure he would get re-elected. He had already used ‘dirty tricks’ to beat his rivals, which is why his nickname was ‘Tricky Dicky’. Event Forming CREEP Description To help in his campaign, he formed the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP) and provided $350,000 for its members to do whatever they thought was necessary to make sure he won the election. Event The break-in Description During the night of 17 June 1972 , five members of CREEP were caught trying to fix surveillance devices they had previously planted in the telephones of the Democratic Party at their offices in the Watergate building in Washington, DC. These devices would have enabled Nixon to know what his opponents were planning. Event The cover-up Description After the burglary, Nixon began a secret cover-up operation to hide his involvement. He met advisers and discussed how they could stop the FBI from investigating CREEP. He and his advisers also discussed how they could offer money to the burglars to keep quiet about who they had really been working for. This was obstruction of justice - a federal crime Event 1972 election victory Description Nixon won the election. It was the biggest election victory since World War Two. He won 49 out of 50 states, receiving just over 60 per cent of all of the votes. Event Continuing investigations Description The election victory did not bring an end to investigations into the Watergate break-in. During the trial of the Watergate ‘burglars’ and the investigations by the FBI, Washington Post reporters and the Senate kept trying to find out how much Nixon knew about the break-in. Event Trial of the Watergate burglars Description In January 1973 the Watergate burglars were tried and then convicted. One of the burglars - a member of CREEP - said in court that the president knew what they had been doing and was trying to cover it up. Nixon went on television to deny any involvement and said that he was not trying to cover anything up. However, he did say that two of his advisers, Bob Haldeman and John Ehrlichman , had been involved. They both resigned and were later convicted of crimes related to Watergate. Event Washington Post and FBI investigations Description Two investigations had now clearly established the connections between CREEP and the burglars . Aided by an anonymous government informer , Washington Post journalists were able to prove that the burglars were connected to CREEP and that the money for CREEP came from the president. The same conclusion was reached by the FBI , their agents identified that the burglars were definitely members of CREEP and that the money from CREEP had paid for their illegal activities. Nixon continued to deny that he or any of his other advisers had been involved in the Watergate break-in. Event Senate investigation Description The Senate began an investigation that lasted from May to November 1973. It became obvious that Nixon was much more involved than he had admitted. John Dean , one of the president’s officials, admitted that Nixon had tried to cover up his involvement in the break-in. Another witnesses told the Senate committee that Nixon always recorded conversations held in the Oval Office. To begin with, Nixon refused to hand over the audio tapes of these recordings. Event The smoking gun tapes Description In November 1973, Nixon handed over most of the tapes, but with many sections edited out. It took until April 1974 to get Nixon to hand over the full versions of all of the tapes. One tape became known as the ’smoking gun’ tape - it showed that he had been involved with the illegal activities of CREEP and that he had broken the law by trying to cover this up. Event Impeachment proceedings Description Impeachment proceedings began against President Nixon in July 1974. Impeachment is a legal process to remove a president from office on the grounds that they have acted illegally. The Senate would become the jury for this trial and Nixon was widely expected to lose. Event Resignation Description To avoid impeachment, Nixon became the first person to resign as president , on 8 August 1974. He explained his reasons on television. Gerald Ford became president. Event Pardon Description To stop the Watergate investigations from continuing to damage the US government, President Ford pardoned Nixon of all criminal acts in September 1974. Although Nixon was never prosecuted for his involvement in Watergate, 30 other officials and advisers were convicted and sent to prison. Further effects following Watergate The Watergate scandal cost Nixon his popularity and his reputation. Ford was always associated with the Watergate scandal, because he had pardoned Nixon. This contributed to him losing the 1976 election to Democrat Jimmy Carter , whose campaign for office promoted the message that he would not lie to the American people. The scandal also damaged people’s trust in politicians and some Americans thought there wasn’t any point voting in elections. However, these events did show that Congress had the ability to investigate and deal with a president who was breaking the law. As a result of the scandal, Congress passed a series of laws to make sure that a president could not cheat the system in future. For example: The 1973 War Powers Act required presidents to consult Congress before sending troops into combat. The 1974 Federal Election Campaign Act limited how much people could donate to political campaigns. The 1974 Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act prevented presidents from using government money for whatever they wanted. The 1974 Privacy Act allowed citizens access to any files the government might have on them.
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[President Kennedy and the New Frontier](https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zmjwwnb/revision/1) 2. [President Johnson’s Great Society](https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zmjwwnb/revision/2) 3. [President Nixon and Watergate](https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zmjwwnb/revision/3) 4. [Changes under President Reagan](https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zmjwwnb/revision/4) 5. [Changes under President George HW Bush](https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zmjwwnb/revision/5) 6. [Changes under President Clinton](https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zmjwwnb/revision/6) ## President Nixon and Watergate - In 1974, President Richard Nixon was investigated over a 1972 break-in at the Democratic Party’s close Democratic PartyPolitical party in the United States. Democrats tend to hold a more liberal viewpoint on politics and society. offices in the Watergate office complex in Washington, DC. - As more and more evidence emerged of his involvement, he became the first American president to resign. ![A photograph of President Nixon sitting next to books containing the edited Watergate Transcripts](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0bkpzrk.jpg) Image caption, President Nixon speaking on television about the Watergate scandal ### Nixon’s career Nixon was an experienced politician by the time he became president in January 1969. He had served in office since 1950, first as a congressman and then as a senator close senatorOne of two officials elected every six years to represent an American state in the Senate. for California. He became well known due to his support for investigations into people he believed were communists, close communistSupporters of the communist movement or party. who were seen as a threat to America’s capitalist close capitalistThe economic idea that countries should be run based on private business, trade, stocks and shares, and profit. way of life. Between 1953 and 1961, he served as vice president to Republican close Republican PartyOne of the two major American political parties. Republicans tend to hold a more conservative viewpoint on politics and society. President Dwight D Eisenhower. However, when he first ran for president himself, in 1960, he narrowly lost to Democrat John F Kennedy. In 1968 he won the presidential election. He promised “peace with honour” in Vietnam at the same time as saying that he represented the “silent majority” of Americans opposed to the counterculture close countercultureIdeas or beliefs that go against society’s norms. of young Americans. Peace with Vietnam was agreed in 1972 and American troops were brought home. Diplomatic close diplomacyA way that countries try to avoid wars by using peaceful talks to resolve problems relations with the Soviet Union close Soviet UnionThe group of 15 communist republics formed from the Russian Empire after the revolution of 1917. and communist China were also improved. #### The Watergate scandal \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| Description \| \| Nixon’s election campaign \| By 1972 Nixon was campaigning to be re-elected as president. Even though he had achieved a lot in his first term as president, he was not sure he would get re-elected. He had already used ‘dirty tricks’ to beat his rivals, which is why his nickname was ‘Tricky Dicky’. \| \| Forming CREEP \| To help in his campaign, he formed the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP) and provided \$350,000 for its members to do whatever they thought was necessary to make sure he won the election. \| \| The break-in \| During the night of 17 June 1972, five members of CREEP were caught trying to fix surveillance devices they had previously planted in the telephones of the Democratic Party at their offices in the Watergate building in Washington, DC. These devices would have enabled Nixon to know what his opponents were planning. \| \| The cover-up \| After the burglary, Nixon began a secret cover-up operation to hide his involvement. He met advisers and discussed how they could stop the FBI from investigating CREEP. He and his advisers also discussed how they could offer money to the burglars to keep quiet about who they had really been working for. This was obstruction of justice - a federal crime \| \| 1972 election victory \| Nixon won the election. It was the biggest election victory since World War Two. He won 49 out of 50 states, receiving just over 60 per cent of all of the votes. \| \| Continuing investigations \| The election victory did not bring an end to investigations into the Watergate break-in. During the trial of the Watergate ‘burglars’ and the investigations by the FBI, Washington Post reporters and the Senate kept trying to find out how much Nixon knew about the break-in. \| \| Trial of the Watergate burglars \| In January 1973 the Watergate burglars were tried and then convicted. One of the burglars - a member of CREEP - said in court that the president knew what they had been doing and was trying to cover it up. Nixon went on television to deny any involvement and said that he was not trying to cover anything up. However, he did say that two of his advisers, Bob Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, had been involved. They both resigned and were later convicted of crimes related to Watergate. \| \| Washington Post and FBI investigations \| Two investigations had now clearly established the connections between CREEP and the burglars. Aided by an anonymous government informer,Washington Post journalists were able to prove that the burglars were connected to CREEP and that the money for CREEP came from the president. The same conclusion was reached by the FBI, their agents identified that the burglars were definitely members of CREEP and that the money from CREEP had paid for their illegal activities. Nixon continued to deny that he or any of his other advisers had been involved in the Watergate break-in. \| \| Senate investigation \| The Senate began an investigation that lasted from May to November 1973. It became obvious that Nixon was much more involved than he had admitted. John Dean, one of the president’s officials, admitted that Nixon had tried to cover up his involvement in the break-in. Another witnesses told the Senate committee that Nixon always recorded conversations held in the Oval Office. To begin with, Nixon refused to hand over the audio tapes of these recordings. \| \| The smoking gun tapes \| In November 1973, Nixon handed over most of the tapes, but with many sections edited out. It took until April 1974 to get Nixon to hand over the full versions of all of the tapes. One tape became known as the ’smoking gun’ tape - it showed that he had been involved with the illegal activities of CREEP and that he had broken the law by trying to cover this up. \| \| Impeachment proceedings \| Impeachment proceedings began against President Nixon in July 1974. Impeachment is a legal process to remove a president from office on the grounds that they have acted illegally. The Senate would become the jury for this trial and Nixon was widely expected to lose. \| \| Resignation \| To avoid impeachment, Nixon became the first person to resign as president, on 8 August 1974. He explained his reasons on television. Gerald Ford became president. \| \| Pardon \| To stop the Watergate investigations from continuing to damage the US government, President Ford pardoned Nixon of all criminal acts in September 1974. Although Nixon was never prosecuted for his involvement in Watergate, 30 other officials and advisers were convicted and sent to prison. \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| Nixon’s election campaign \| \| Description \| By 1972 Nixon was campaigning to be re-elected as president. Even though he had achieved a lot in his first term as president, he was not sure he would get re-elected. He had already used ‘dirty tricks’ to beat his rivals, which is why his nickname was ‘Tricky Dicky’. \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| Forming CREEP \| \| Description \| To help in his campaign, he formed the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP) and provided \$350,000 for its members to do whatever they thought was necessary to make sure he won the election. \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| The break-in \| \| Description \| During the night of 17 June 1972, five members of CREEP were caught trying to fix surveillance devices they had previously planted in the telephones of the Democratic Party at their offices in the Watergate building in Washington, DC. These devices would have enabled Nixon to know what his opponents were planning. \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| The cover-up \| \| Description \| After the burglary, Nixon began a secret cover-up operation to hide his involvement. He met advisers and discussed how they could stop the FBI from investigating CREEP. He and his advisers also discussed how they could offer money to the burglars to keep quiet about who they had really been working for. This was obstruction of justice - a federal crime \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| 1972 election victory \| \| Description \| Nixon won the election. It was the biggest election victory since World War Two. He won 49 out of 50 states, receiving just over 60 per cent of all of the votes. \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| Continuing investigations \| \| Description \| The election victory did not bring an end to investigations into the Watergate break-in. During the trial of the Watergate ‘burglars’ and the investigations by the FBI, Washington Post reporters and the Senate kept trying to find out how much Nixon knew about the break-in. \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| Trial of the Watergate burglars \| \| Description \| In January 1973 the Watergate burglars were tried and then convicted. One of the burglars - a member of CREEP - said in court that the president knew what they had been doing and was trying to cover it up. Nixon went on television to deny any involvement and said that he was not trying to cover anything up. However, he did say that two of his advisers, Bob Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, had been involved. They both resigned and were later convicted of crimes related to Watergate. \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| Washington Post and FBI investigations \| \| Description \| Two investigations had now clearly established the connections between CREEP and the burglars. Aided by an anonymous government informer,Washington Post journalists were able to prove that the burglars were connected to CREEP and that the money for CREEP came from the president. The same conclusion was reached by the FBI, their agents identified that the burglars were definitely members of CREEP and that the money from CREEP had paid for their illegal activities. Nixon continued to deny that he or any of his other advisers had been involved in the Watergate break-in. \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| Senate investigation \| \| Description \| The Senate began an investigation that lasted from May to November 1973. It became obvious that Nixon was much more involved than he had admitted. John Dean, one of the president’s officials, admitted that Nixon had tried to cover up his involvement in the break-in. Another witnesses told the Senate committee that Nixon always recorded conversations held in the Oval Office. To begin with, Nixon refused to hand over the audio tapes of these recordings. \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| The smoking gun tapes \| \| Description \| In November 1973, Nixon handed over most of the tapes, but with many sections edited out. It took until April 1974 to get Nixon to hand over the full versions of all of the tapes. One tape became known as the ’smoking gun’ tape - it showed that he had been involved with the illegal activities of CREEP and that he had broken the law by trying to cover this up. \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| Impeachment proceedings \| \| Description \| Impeachment proceedings began against President Nixon in July 1974. Impeachment is a legal process to remove a president from office on the grounds that they have acted illegally. The Senate would become the jury for this trial and Nixon was widely expected to lose. \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| Resignation \| \| Description \| To avoid impeachment, Nixon became the first person to resign as president, on 8 August 1974. He explained his reasons on television. Gerald Ford became president. \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| Pardon \| \| Description \| To stop the Watergate investigations from continuing to damage the US government, President Ford pardoned Nixon of all criminal acts in September 1974. Although Nixon was never prosecuted for his involvement in Watergate, 30 other officials and advisers were convicted and sent to prison. \| #### Further effects following Watergate The Watergate scandal cost Nixon his popularity and his reputation. Ford was always associated with the Watergate scandal, because he had pardoned Nixon. This contributed to him losing the 1976 election to Democrat Jimmy Carter, whose campaign for office promoted the message that he would not lie to the American people. The scandal also damaged people’s trust in politicians and some Americans thought there wasn’t any point voting in elections. However, these events did show that Congress had the ability to investigate and deal with a president who was breaking the law. As a result of the scandal, Congress passed a series of laws to make sure that a president could not cheat the system in future. For example: - The 1973 War Powers Act required presidents to consult Congress before sending troops into combat. - The 1974 Federal Election Campaign Act limited how much people could donate to political campaigns. - The 1974 Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act prevented presidents from using government money for whatever they wanted. - The 1974 Privacy Act allowed citizens access to any files the government might have on them. 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Readable Markdown	President Nixon and Watergate - In 1974, President Richard Nixon was investigated over a 1972 break-in at the offices in the Watergate office complex in Washington, DC. - As more and more evidence emerged of his involvement, he became the first American president to resign. ![A photograph of President Nixon sitting next to books containing the edited Watergate Transcripts](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0bkpzrk.jpg) Image caption, President Nixon speaking on television about the Watergate scandal Nixon’s career Nixon was an experienced politician by the time he became president in January 1969. He had served in office since 1950, first as a congressman and then as a for California. He became well known due to his support for investigations into people he believed were who were seen as a threat to America’s way of life. Between 1953 and 1961, he served as vice president to President Dwight D Eisenhower. However, when he first ran for president himself, in 1960, he narrowly lost to Democrat John F Kennedy. In 1968 he won the presidential election. He promised “peace with honour” in Vietnam at the same time as saying that he represented the “silent majority” of Americans opposed to the of young Americans. Peace with Vietnam was agreed in 1972 and American troops were brought home. relations with the and communist China were also improved. The Watergate scandal \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| Description \| \| Nixon’s election campaign \| By 1972 Nixon was campaigning to be re-elected as president. Even though he had achieved a lot in his first term as president, he was not sure he would get re-elected. He had already used ‘dirty tricks’ to beat his rivals, which is why his nickname was ‘Tricky Dicky’. \| \| Forming CREEP \| To help in his campaign, he formed the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP) and provided \$350,000 for its members to do whatever they thought was necessary to make sure he won the election. \| \| The break-in \| During the night of 17 June 1972, five members of CREEP were caught trying to fix surveillance devices they had previously planted in the telephones of the Democratic Party at their offices in the Watergate building in Washington, DC. These devices would have enabled Nixon to know what his opponents were planning. \| \| The cover-up \| After the burglary, Nixon began a secret cover-up operation to hide his involvement. He met advisers and discussed how they could stop the FBI from investigating CREEP. He and his advisers also discussed how they could offer money to the burglars to keep quiet about who they had really been working for. This was obstruction of justice - a federal crime \| \| 1972 election victory \| Nixon won the election. It was the biggest election victory since World War Two. He won 49 out of 50 states, receiving just over 60 per cent of all of the votes. \| \| Continuing investigations \| The election victory did not bring an end to investigations into the Watergate break-in. During the trial of the Watergate ‘burglars’ and the investigations by the FBI, Washington Post reporters and the Senate kept trying to find out how much Nixon knew about the break-in. \| \| Trial of the Watergate burglars \| In January 1973 the Watergate burglars were tried and then convicted. One of the burglars - a member of CREEP - said in court that the president knew what they had been doing and was trying to cover it up. Nixon went on television to deny any involvement and said that he was not trying to cover anything up. However, he did say that two of his advisers, Bob Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, had been involved. They both resigned and were later convicted of crimes related to Watergate. \| \| Washington Post and FBI investigations \| Two investigations had now clearly established the connections between CREEP and the burglars. Aided by an anonymous government informer,Washington Post journalists were able to prove that the burglars were connected to CREEP and that the money for CREEP came from the president. The same conclusion was reached by the FBI, their agents identified that the burglars were definitely members of CREEP and that the money from CREEP had paid for their illegal activities. Nixon continued to deny that he or any of his other advisers had been involved in the Watergate break-in. \| \| Senate investigation \| The Senate began an investigation that lasted from May to November 1973. It became obvious that Nixon was much more involved than he had admitted. John Dean, one of the president’s officials, admitted that Nixon had tried to cover up his involvement in the break-in. Another witnesses told the Senate committee that Nixon always recorded conversations held in the Oval Office. To begin with, Nixon refused to hand over the audio tapes of these recordings. \| \| The smoking gun tapes \| In November 1973, Nixon handed over most of the tapes, but with many sections edited out. It took until April 1974 to get Nixon to hand over the full versions of all of the tapes. One tape became known as the ’smoking gun’ tape - it showed that he had been involved with the illegal activities of CREEP and that he had broken the law by trying to cover this up. \| \| Impeachment proceedings \| Impeachment proceedings began against President Nixon in July 1974. Impeachment is a legal process to remove a president from office on the grounds that they have acted illegally. The Senate would become the jury for this trial and Nixon was widely expected to lose. \| \| Resignation \| To avoid impeachment, Nixon became the first person to resign as president, on 8 August 1974. He explained his reasons on television. Gerald Ford became president. \| \| Pardon \| To stop the Watergate investigations from continuing to damage the US government, President Ford pardoned Nixon of all criminal acts in September 1974. Although Nixon was never prosecuted for his involvement in Watergate, 30 other officials and advisers were convicted and sent to prison. \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| Nixon’s election campaign \| \| Description \| By 1972 Nixon was campaigning to be re-elected as president. Even though he had achieved a lot in his first term as president, he was not sure he would get re-elected. He had already used ‘dirty tricks’ to beat his rivals, which is why his nickname was ‘Tricky Dicky’. \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| Forming CREEP \| \| Description \| To help in his campaign, he formed the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP) and provided \$350,000 for its members to do whatever they thought was necessary to make sure he won the election. \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| The break-in \| \| Description \| During the night of 17 June 1972, five members of CREEP were caught trying to fix surveillance devices they had previously planted in the telephones of the Democratic Party at their offices in the Watergate building in Washington, DC. These devices would have enabled Nixon to know what his opponents were planning. \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| The cover-up \| \| Description \| After the burglary, Nixon began a secret cover-up operation to hide his involvement. He met advisers and discussed how they could stop the FBI from investigating CREEP. He and his advisers also discussed how they could offer money to the burglars to keep quiet about who they had really been working for. This was obstruction of justice - a federal crime \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| 1972 election victory \| \| Description \| Nixon won the election. It was the biggest election victory since World War Two. He won 49 out of 50 states, receiving just over 60 per cent of all of the votes. \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| Continuing investigations \| \| Description \| The election victory did not bring an end to investigations into the Watergate break-in. During the trial of the Watergate ‘burglars’ and the investigations by the FBI, Washington Post reporters and the Senate kept trying to find out how much Nixon knew about the break-in. \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| Trial of the Watergate burglars \| \| Description \| In January 1973 the Watergate burglars were tried and then convicted. One of the burglars - a member of CREEP - said in court that the president knew what they had been doing and was trying to cover it up. Nixon went on television to deny any involvement and said that he was not trying to cover anything up. However, he did say that two of his advisers, Bob Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, had been involved. They both resigned and were later convicted of crimes related to Watergate. \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| Washington Post and FBI investigations \| \| Description \| Two investigations had now clearly established the connections between CREEP and the burglars. Aided by an anonymous government informer,Washington Post journalists were able to prove that the burglars were connected to CREEP and that the money for CREEP came from the president. The same conclusion was reached by the FBI, their agents identified that the burglars were definitely members of CREEP and that the money from CREEP had paid for their illegal activities. Nixon continued to deny that he or any of his other advisers had been involved in the Watergate break-in. \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| Senate investigation \| \| Description \| The Senate began an investigation that lasted from May to November 1973. It became obvious that Nixon was much more involved than he had admitted. John Dean, one of the president’s officials, admitted that Nixon had tried to cover up his involvement in the break-in. Another witnesses told the Senate committee that Nixon always recorded conversations held in the Oval Office. To begin with, Nixon refused to hand over the audio tapes of these recordings. \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| The smoking gun tapes \| \| Description \| In November 1973, Nixon handed over most of the tapes, but with many sections edited out. It took until April 1974 to get Nixon to hand over the full versions of all of the tapes. One tape became known as the ’smoking gun’ tape - it showed that he had been involved with the illegal activities of CREEP and that he had broken the law by trying to cover this up. \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| Impeachment proceedings \| \| Description \| Impeachment proceedings began against President Nixon in July 1974. Impeachment is a legal process to remove a president from office on the grounds that they have acted illegally. The Senate would become the jury for this trial and Nixon was widely expected to lose. \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| Resignation \| \| Description \| To avoid impeachment, Nixon became the first person to resign as president, on 8 August 1974. He explained his reasons on television. Gerald Ford became president. \| \| \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Event \| Pardon \| \| Description \| To stop the Watergate investigations from continuing to damage the US government, President Ford pardoned Nixon of all criminal acts in September 1974. Although Nixon was never prosecuted for his involvement in Watergate, 30 other officials and advisers were convicted and sent to prison. \| Further effects following Watergate The Watergate scandal cost Nixon his popularity and his reputation. Ford was always associated with the Watergate scandal, because he had pardoned Nixon. This contributed to him losing the 1976 election to Democrat Jimmy Carter, whose campaign for office promoted the message that he would not lie to the American people. The scandal also damaged people’s trust in politicians and some Americans thought there wasn’t any point voting in elections. However, these events did show that Congress had the ability to investigate and deal with a president who was breaking the law. As a result of the scandal, Congress passed a series of laws to make sure that a president could not cheat the system in future. For example: - The 1973 War Powers Act required presidents to consult Congress before sending troops into combat. - The 1974 Federal Election Campaign Act limited how much people could donate to political campaigns. - The 1974 Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act prevented presidents from using government money for whatever they wanted. - The 1974 Privacy Act allowed citizens access to any files the government might have on them.
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