FBI Files: Mark Felt aka “Deep Throat” Informant from Watergate Scandal

John Greenewald — Wed, 07 Oct 2020 18:24:07 +0000

Background

William Mark Felt Sr. (August 17, 1913 – December 18, 2008) was an American law enforcement officer who worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 1942 to 1973 and was known for his role in the Watergate scandal. Felt was an FBI special agent who eventually rose to the position of Associate Director, the Bureau’s second-highest-ranking post. Felt worked in several FBI field offices prior to his promotion to the Bureau’s headquarters. In 1980 he was convicted of having violated the civil rights of people thought to be associated with members of the Weather Underground, by ordering FBI agents to break into their homes and search the premises as part of an attempt to prevent bombings. He was ordered to pay a fine, but was pardoned by President Ronald Reagan during his appeal.

In 2005, at age 91, Felt revealed that during his tenure as associate director of the FBI he had been the notorious anonymous source known as “Deep Throat” who provided The Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein with critical information about the Watergate scandal, which ultimately led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974. Though Felt’s identity as Deep Throat was suspected, including by Nixon himself, it had generally remained a secret for 30 years. Felt finally acknowledged that he was Deep Throat after being persuaded by his daughter to reveal his identity before his death.

Felt published two memoirs: The FBI Pyramid in 1979 (updated in 2006), and A G-Man’s Life, written with John O’Connor, in 2006. In 2012 the FBI released Felt’s personnel file, covering the period from 1941 to 1978. It also released files pertaining to an extortion threat made against Felt in 1956.

Document Archive

FBI Files: Mark Felt aka “Deep Throat” Informant from Watergate Scandal [2,155 Pages, 183MB]

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The Watergate Scandal

John Greenewald — Fri, 16 Dec 2016 16:00:28 +0000

The Watergate Hotel

Background

Wikipedia offers the following summary of the Watergate scandal, and it is republished here, in part, for reference. You will find the declassified documents obtained below.

The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal that occurred in the United States in the 1970s as a result of the June 17, 1972, break-in at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration’s attempted cover-up of its involvement. When the conspiracy was discovered and investigated by the U.S. Congress, the Nixon administration’s resistance to its probes led to a constitutional crisis. The term Watergate has come to encompass an array of clandestine and often illegal activities undertaken by members of the Nixon administration. Those activities included such “dirty tricks” as bugging the offices of political opponents and people of whom Nixon or his officials were suspicious. Nixon and his close aides ordered harassment of activist groups and political figures, using the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The scandal led to the discovery of multiple abuses of power by the Nixon administration, articles of impeachment, and the resignation of Richard Nixon, the President of the United States. The scandal also resulted in the indictment of 69 people, with trials or pleas resulting in 48 being found guilty and incarcerated, many of whom were Nixon’s top administration officials.

The affair began with the arrest of five men for breaking and entering into the DNC headquarters at the Watergate complex on June 17, 1972. The FBI connected cash found on the burglars to a slush fund used by the Committee for the Re-Election of the President (CRP), the official organization of Nixon’s campaign. In July 1973, as evidence mounted against the President’s staff, including testimony provided by former staff members in an investigation conducted by the Senate Watergate Committee, it was revealed that President Nixon had a tape-recording system in his offices and that he had recorded many conversations. After a protracted series of bitter court battles, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the president had to hand over the tapes to government investigators; he eventually complied. Recordings from these tapes implicated the president, revealing he had attempted to cover up the questionable goings-on that had taken place after the break-in. Facing near-certain impeachment in the House of Representatives and equally certain conviction by the Senate, Nixon resigned the presidency on August 9, 1974. On September 8, 1974, his successor, Gerald Ford, pardoned him.

Declassified Documents

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Files

Barker, Bernard Leon (FBI File) – [ 352 Pages, 23.57 MB ]
Barker, Bernard Leon (Secret Service File) – [ 18 Pages, 0.9 MB ]- Bernard Leon Barker (March 17, 1917 – June 5, 2009) was a Watergate burglar. He had a long career as an undercover operative.

Hunt, E Howard – [ 169 Pages, 9.3MB ] – Everette Howard Hunt, Jr. (October 9, 1918 – January 23, 2007) was an American intelligence officer and writer. From 1949 to 1970, Hunt served as a CIA officer. Along with G. Gordon Liddy and others, Hunt was one of the Nixon White House “plumbers” — a secret team of operatives charged with fixing “leaks” (real or perceived causes of confidential Administration information being leaked to outside parties). Hunt and Liddy engineered the Watergate burglaries and other undercover operations for the Nixon Administration. In the ensuing Watergate scandal, Hunt was convicted of burglary, conspiracy, and wiretapping, eventually serving 33 months in prison.

Mitchell, John – [ 2,729 Pages, 157MB ] – John Newton Mitchell (September 15, 1913 – November 9, 1988) was the Attorney General of the United States from 1969 to 1972 under President Richard Nixon. Prior to that, he was a noted New York municipal bond lawyer, director of Nixon’s 1968 presidential campaign, and one of Nixon’s closest personal friends; after his tenure as Attorney General, he served as director of Nixon’s 1972 presidential campaign. Due to his involvement in the Watergate affair, he was sentenced to prison in 1977, serving 19 months. As Attorney General, Mitchell was noted for personifying the “law-and-order” positions of the Nixon administration, amid several high-profile anti-war demonstrations.

Sturgis, Frank (Watergate Burgler) – [ 112 Pages, 57.4MB ]
Sturgis, Frank (Watergate Burgler) Release #2, October 2015 – [ 62 Pages, 17.5MB ] – Frank Anthony Sturgis (December 9, 1924 – December 4, 1993), born Frank Angelo Fiorini, was one of the five Watergate burglars whose capture led to the end of the Presidency of Richard Nixon. He served in several branches of the United States military, aided Fidel Castro in the Cuban revolution of 1958, and worked as an undercover operative.

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Files

CIA Inspector General Report on Watergate, Denial Letter [2 Pages, 0.5MB] – For whatever reason, after all these years, the CIA is still withholding, in it’s entirety, the CIA’s Office of the Inspector General’s Report on Watergate. Here is their official denies letter sent to me on 7 April 2015.

CIA Inspector General Report on Watergate, Appeal Denial [1 Page, 0.5MB]