My opinion of Watergate:
Break-in planned from White House by Jeb Magruder and John Dean. Never at a higher level than them - reaction to call-girl ring about to be exposed.
CIA discovers and co-opts. Nixon guilty of other things, including dirty Fla. mob money, but innocent here.
Silent Coup book vindicated by history.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_CoupMain historical archives for this is A&M System:
https://www.watergate.com/Woodward top aide to Gen. Haig (Naval Intelligence). Placed by CIA Mockingbird into the Post....former top intelligence aide to Haig, a "reporter" with no reporting experience, he must have been hired due to his amazing writing ability. Archives housed by .......Texas A&M University System
https://www.watergate.com/bob-woodward/woodward-haig-connectionDean lost badly to Alice Mayhew and Taylor Branch, his ghost writer ... why? Consistent dishonesty. Let's briefly review some details -
- proven lies to Nixon for 10 months, until March 73.
- who destroyed the notebook found in Hunt's White House safe? Dean.
- smears of Jack Caufield and Anthony Ulascewicz...oops.
- work of investigative journalist Clark Mollenhoff.... pretty clear Dean had prior knowledge of operation
- Magruder testified under oath.... not only prior knowledge, but Dean as the instigator of Gemstone.
- Dean had access to FBI investigation of the break-in....including the fact the FBI found no working bug.
- His relationship to investigator John Caufiled ...another big oops (look it up).
- Paying Lou Russell to hide in Silver Spring
- All the (another oops) denials to Heidi Rikan and the DNC "relationships".... (Eugenio Martinez and the key, very fascinating stuff)
That's just for starters. This was a CIA co-opt of an amateur operation to get call girl records.