Mark Felt, Watergate’s `Deep Throat,’ dies at 95
Had he not revealed his identity three years ago in Vanity Fair, Woodward and Bernstein, the reporters who broke the story on Watergate would today be revealing the identity of “Deep Throat”, who lead THEM to discover Watergate.
(Sorry, gotta get going to work!)
I’m much too young for Watergate, but I still remember reading about this early one morning three years ago- I found it incredibly inspiring and exciting to learn about who this man really was, even though Nixon was long gone and he himself was in failing health.
Felt probably acted more in self-interest than out of principle in helping Woodward, but all the same he did a remarkable thing.
I stand by my initial disagreement expressed here - I believe the country would have been better served had Felt taken his information either to a grand jury or to Congress. If he felt that his chain of command was closed to his concerns, there were proper ways of going outside of it.
These ways do not include selectively leaking information to a preferred set of reporters.
In any case, I wish his family comfort, and him a peace he wasn’t able to find in life.
One wonders why he didn’t-wouldn’t he have avoided having to BE pardoned if he had spilled the info publically?
I’d never considered it. And you may be right, but I’m glad he did what he did - that he did anything - all the same.
Nixon testified on his behalf. And sent him champange. And Felt was who Nixon always thought was the man.
Felt’s conviction wasn’t connected to Watergate. It was for authorizing break-ins of the homes of Weather Underground members. He was convicted of violating their civil rights and would’ve had to pay a $5,000 fine if Reagan hadn’t pardoned him.
A salute you, Mr. Felt. You may have been flawed, like all of us, but you certainly pulled one good stunt off in your life.