ANNOUNCER [ON TV]: Now here comes the president's helicopter...
...Marine Helicopter Number 1...
...landing in the plaza on the east side of the east front of the Capitol.
The helicopter hovering gently just off the ground.
Amazing timing.
The president flying all the way across the world...
...across the Atlantic Ocean, arriving almost exactly...
Exactly as scheduled, at 9:30 in the Capitol plaza...
...so he can go up the steps of the House of Representatives...
...go into the chamber...
...and address the members of the House and the Senate, Supreme Court...
...the diplomatic corps of Washington...
...all of whom are inside waiting for him in the chamber.
Mr. Speaker, the president of the United States.
[APPLAUDING AND CHEERING]
ANNOUNCER: And the president, accompanied by the Escort Committee...
...comes down the central aisle, approaching the podium.
He greets members of his cabinet...
...and those who are waiting to be confirmed as members...
...as he reaches the rostrum.
Shakes hands with the Speaker, Carl Albert.
A happy president, smiling.
Ladies and gentlemen, President Nixon will, in a moment...
...address the Congress and the people of the United States.
Thank you.
[MEN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
DISPATCHER [OVER RADIO]: Car 727, Car 727.
Open door at the Watergate office building. Possible burglary. See the security guard.
Are you sure you want us? 517 is closer, and they're in uniform.
They're getting gas. You take it.
Unit 1 to Unit 2.
HUNT [OVER RADIO]: What? - We're home.
Base 1 to Unit 1.
BALDWIN [OVER RADIO]: We have some activity here.
Silence is advised.
[STATIC CRACKLING]
[WHISPERS] Shut it off.
BALDWIN: Base 1 to Unit 1.
Lights on the eighth floor.
Base 1 to Unit 1.
Is there anybody there?
There's people, people on the balcony. Armed people.
Base 1 to Unit 1.
We may have some problems.
STURGIS [WHISPERS]: Someone's here.
OFFICER: Hold it, you...
Police.
Put your hands up.
Drop that jacket.
HARRY: Walkie-talkie, two 35-mm cameras.
Got it. That's good. All right, stay there.
I got something for you. Did you see this?
Couple sleeping in bed, car hits the house, goes through their bedroom.
Good morning. Crash. Louis is over at Democratic headquarters.
One of the burglars had $814, one $230, one $215, and one $234.
Most of it was in $100 bills, and in sequence.
- Woodward? BOB: Yup.
Break-in at Democratic headquarters. There's been an arrest.
- Local Democratic headquarters. - Bugging the place.
Check the time of arraignment and get over there.
And, Woodward, it was National Democratic Headquarters.
Right.
- Anything else? - Anything else?
Break-in, car crash. That's not bad for a Saturday.
HOWARD: Let me know what happens.
- Hello, Carl. CARL: Hi.
HOWARD: Got anything on that couple?
I know somebody on the staff at Watergate. Want me...?
Why don't you finish one story before trying to get on another?
I finished it.
- The Virginia Legislature story? - I finished it.
All right, give it to me.
I'm just polishing it.
- I'll work the phones. - Polishing it. Yeah, you work the phones.
MAN 1: Who cares? MAN 2: What about property damage?
BOB: Sorry, who are the lawy...? Excuse me, sorry.
Who are the lawyers for the five men arrested at Watergate?
- Do you know? MAN 3: Well, these two were assigned to it.
BOB: Sorry?
MAN 3: These two were appointed to the case.
Only now it turns out the burglars have their own counsel.
- The burglars have their own counsel? MAN 3: Right.
- That's kind of unusual, wouldn't you say? MAN 3: For burglars it's unusual.
Do you know the name of the counsel?
MAN 3: I don't know. Some country-club type.
JUDGE: You are charged with soliciting prostitution...
...at 14th and U Streets Northwest.
[JUDGE SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
Your Honor, Mr. Socket has in the past been reliable...
...for court appearances when ordered.
I think $300 would subsequently be suggested...
Excuse me, what is your name?
I'm Bob Woodward of the Washington Post.
- Markham. - Markham?
Mr. Markham, are you here in connection with the Watergate burglary?
I'm not here.
Okay.
Well, clearly, I am here...
...but only as an individual, not as the attorney of record.
Who is?
Mr. Starkey.
- Do you have any kind of...? - Whatever you want...
...you'll have to get from him.
I have nothing more to say.
Uh, Starkey. S-T...
Mr. Starkey was very helpful.
Four Cuban-Americans and another man, James W. McCord.
Look, I told you inside, I have nothing more to say.
I understand that.
What I don't understand is how you got here.
I assure you there's nothing very mysterious involved.
Well, I was talking to a couple of the lawyers...
...assigned to represent the burglars.
So?
They never would've been assigned to the burglars...
...had anyone known the burglars had arranged for their own counsel.
The burglars couldn't have arranged their counsel.
They never even made a phone call.
So if no one asked you to be here, why are you here?
- Don't take this personally, Mr... - Woodward.
Woodward. It would be a mistake to do that.
I just don't have anything to say.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
ATTORNEY: Your Honor, Mr. Betts is a young man with no prior record.
The defense has suggested a release on personal bond.
Did one of the other men involved in the break-in call you?
What reason do you have to assume there were other people involved?
One of your clients was arrested with a walkie-talkie.
They're not my clients.
- I don't wanna talk about this anymore. - You're a lawyer and you're here.
Well, uh, one of the defendants, Mr. Barker,
and I met at a social occasion once.
Where?
- I have nothing else to say. - A Miami social occasion?
Mr. Starkey says the Cubans were from Miami.
L-62, James McCord. L-63, Bernard Barker.
L-64, Virgilio Gonzalez.
L-65, Eugenio Martinez.
L-66, Frank Sturgis.
Please step forward, Attorney Starkey. All charged with burglary two.
- And, Mr. Starkey, you represent all five? STARKEY: Yes, Your Honor.
And are all five gentlemen charged with burglary in the second degree?
STARKEY: Yes, Your Honor.
JUDGE: Your names, please, and state your professions.
BARKER: Bernard Barker, anti-Communist.
Anti-Communist? That, sir, is not your average profession.
McCORD: James McCord, security consultant.
JUDGE: Where?
McCORD: Government. Uh, recently retired.
JUDGE: Where in the government?
McCORD: Central Intelligence Agency.
Where?
McCORD: The CIA.
STURGIS: Sturgis, Frank A., salvage operator.
Holy shit.
BOB: Eugenio Martinez, known as Gene Valdez.
James W. McCord, alias Edward Martin.
Frank Sturgis, alias Frank Fiorini. All five of the men had at least one alias.
Any proof they were trying to bug the Democratic chairman?
CARL: It's obvious they were trying to.
They wouldn't go to that trouble to bug secretaries.
- There's no proof. - I called a lawyer in Miami I know.
He said four of the guys that were arrested were from Miami.
Gonzalez, Martinez, Sturgis and, uh...
- Barker. - Yeah, Barker.
And all four of them were involved in CIA activities and...
BOB: No, only one. CARL: Yeah, and they...
No, only one of them was admitted CIA, and the CIA won't confirm that.
In fact, they deny even knowing McCord.
But it's obvious that with all that money and equipment...
...they weren't out to, you know, work by themselves.
Somebody hired them.
I'm interested in what you know.
We don't know why they wanted to bug Democratic headquarters.
Whether they were working for themselves, other individuals, organizations.
Could be a story or just crazy Cubans.
Bachinski, when you get there, take it easy.
The police are nervous.
[PHONE RINGING]
- Yeah? BACHINSKI: Calling from police headquarters.
A friend just showed me what they found in the hotel rooms of the burglars.
There's something you might wanna look into.
Hang on.
Okay, go ahead.
There's a strange entry in two of the burglars' address books.
- Yeah? - One says "H.H. at W.H."
The other says "Howard Hunt, W. House."
BOB: You can dial the White House direct, can't you?
WOMAN 1: Yeah. - What's the number?
WOMAN 1: 456-1414.
WOMAN 2: White House. - Howard Hunt, please.
Mr. Hunt isn't here just now.
He might be in Mr. Colson's office. I'll connect you.
Thank you.
WOMAN 3: Charles Colson's office. - Howard Hunt, please.
Mr. Hunt isn't here just now.
- Do you know when he'll be back? - No, I don't.
Okay, thank you.
- Have you tried the Mullen firm? - I beg your pardon?
He also works as a writer at Mullen and Company Public Relations.
- You have a phone on that or an address? - No, I don't. I'm sorry.
All right, thank you.
WOMAN 4: Do you know in a survey taken, 10.9 percent...?
Harry.
Who's Charles Colson?
Sit down.
I'm glad you asked me that question.
The reason I'm glad is because if you had asked Simons or Bradlee...
...they would've said:
"You know, we're gonna have to fire this schmuck at once because he's so dumb."
Who is Charles Colson?
The most powerful man in the United States is President Nixon.
You've heard of him?
Charles Colson is special counsel to the president.
There's a cartoon on his wall.
Caption reads, "When you've got them by the balls...
...their hearts and minds will follow."
WOMAN 5: Do you have a list of receipts?
IVY: Hello, Mr. Murray? This is Ivy Mills of the Washington Post.
I'd like to know if...
WOMAN 6: Mullen and Company.
- Howard Hunt, please. - One moment, please.
HUNT: Howard Hunt here.
Hi, I'm Bob Woodward of the Washington Post.
Yes. Yes, what is it?
I was just wondering why your name and phone number...
...were in the address books of two of the men arrested at Watergate.
Good God.
- Do you care to comment? - The matter is under adjudication.
I have no comment.
WOMAN 7 [OVER PHONE]: Hello? BOB: This is Bob Woodward...
...of the Washington Post.
I was told that you had worked with a Mr. Howard Hunt.
Why would anyone say that?
You do know Mr. Hunt?
No, I don't believe so...
...and I can't imagine why anyone would say that.
I'm really sorry, but I was on my way out. Goodbye.
Could we just confirm a couple...? Bye.
MAN [OVER PHONE]: Did you say the Washington Post?
BOB: Yes, that's right, the Post.
Your publishing firm was listed in some papers...
...in connection with a Howard Hunt.
Yeah. Yeah, he's one of our authors. He wrote spy novels, I think.
What type of spy novels were they? Were they modern or period...?
You say "wrote"? You mean he's no longer with you?
No, not at this time.
How long has it been since you heard from him?
- Couple of years, I think. - Tell me the names of novels he's written.
[MAN 2 SPEAKING IN SPANISH OVER PHONE]
BOB: Hello? Is this Mr. Paul Herrera?
This is Bob Woodward of the Washington Post.
[MAN 2 SPEAKS IN SPANISH]
Bob Woodward of the Wash... Do you speak English?
[MAN 2 & BOB SPEAKING IN SPANISH]
Hey, do any of you guys speak English...? Or do any of you guys speak Spanish?
[MAN 2 & BOB SPEAKING IN SPANISH]
Never mind. Thank you. Thank you. Never mind.
MAN 3: What's the slug on the Mandel story? MAN 4: What?
BENNETT: Hello? - Mr. Bennett?
- Yes? - Bob Woodward of the Washington Post.
I'm sorry to bother you.
I wonder if you could confirm information on one of your employees, Howard Hunt?
What kind of information?
Just profile information mostly.
We know that he works for Mullen and Company...
...or did work for Mullen and Company as a writer.
He's also a novelist.
We know that he works in the office of Charles Colson at the White House.
And the CIA.
Well, if you're conducting that kind of an investigation...
...certainly it comes as no surprise to you that Howard was with the CIA.
No, no surprise at all.
BOB: Hunt worked for the CIA till 1970.
From '49 to '70. This is on deep background...
...but the FBI thinks he's involved with the break-in.
What else you got?
According to White House personnel, Hunt worked as a consultant for Colson.
That's Charles Colson, the president's special counsel.
- Did you call the White House Press Office? - I went over there.
They said Hunt hadn't worked there for three months.
Then a PR guy said this weird thing to me.
He said, "I am convinced that neither Mr. Colson...
...nor anyone else at the White House had any knowledge of or participation in...
...this deplorable incident at the Democratic National Committee."
HOWARD: Isn't that what you'd expect them to say?
Absolutely.
So?
I never asked about Watergate.
I simply asked what were Hunt's duties at the White House.
They volunteered he was innocent when nobody asked if he was guilty.
Be careful how you write it.
We got a White House consultant linked to the bugging.
This isn't a police story anymore. This is national.
- We need a top political writer on it. - Well, they don't want it.
They're all over the map covering the primaries.
- Besides, this guy has busted his ass. - He's been on this paper for nine months.
- What's the matter with you? - He's a humper.
What's he been writing about, rat shit in restaurants?
- He's got no experience. - He got a few closed.
Minor incidents. Small government agencies.
Have Mr. Moffitt come in here, please. And see if Mr. Bradlee's free.
I want Ben to hear this.
Sure, Moffitt will want the story now that we've built it into something.
Even Bernstein's busting his ass.
I read that cockamamie memorandum he wrote on the break-in.
- All right, so some of it was bullshit. - What is the matter with you?
You told me yourself you were gonna fire him last month.
Look, he wants on the story bad. They both do.
He knows a lot of people.
Howard, they're hungry. You remember when you were hungry?
[CHATTERING]
MAN 1: Don't worry about it.
MAN 2: I'll be home late.
MAN 3: Did you get the artwork on that piece?
CARL: Hold on. MAN 3: Hey, listen, where's the artwork?
I gotta have a cigarette.
[TYPEWRITERS CLACKING]
[PHONES RINGING]
WOMAN 1: Yeah, he'll be in in about half an hour. Can I have him call you?
Okay.
Metro Desk.
No, I'm sorry, he's not.
Yes, I will. Can you tell me who's calling?
All right. Yes, hold on.
Thank you.
WOMAN 2: You want a laugh?
MAN 4: Hello.
WOMAN 3: Has anyone seen my scarf?
MAN 5: Hey, look, do we have a lead for the metro page?
MAN 6: Yeah, yeah. Uh...
MAN 7: Lou. Hey, Lou. Can you get me Mandel's office, please?
WOMAN 3: Yeah. MAN 8: All right.
Listen, I want his comment about that appointment.
WOMAN 3: Okay. MAN 8: Right away.
WOMAN 3: All right. MAN 8: Right away.
[TYPEWRITERS CLACKING]
[CHATTERING]
- How's it going? - What are you doing?
- I'm polishing a little. - You're what?
- Polishing it. - What's wrong with it?
- Nothing, nothing. It's good. - Then what are you doing?
I'm just helping. It's a little fuzzy.
May I have it?
- I don't think you're saying what you mean. - I know exactly what I mean.
I can't tell whether Hunt works for Colson or Colson for Hunt.
May I have it, please?
- Your conclusions... - May I have it?
- I'm not looking for a fight. - I'm not either.
I'm just aware of the fact that you've only been here nine months.
What's that got to do with anything?
- Been in the business since I'm 16. - What are you saying?
If you'd read mine and then read yours...
- May I read yours? - Yeah.
I gave yours a glance, it didn't look right, so I figured I'd refine it a little.
First paragraph has to have more clarity if the reader's gonna understand.
You don't mention Colson's name until the third paragraph.
I think mine's better, but if you think yours
is better, we'll give yours to the desk.
I've got Colson's name up front.
- He was a consultant and nobody knows it. - You're right.
Yours is better.
Do it right. Here are my notes. If you're gonna hype it, hype it with facts.
I don't mind what you did. I mind the way you did it.
Woodward, Bernstein, you're both on the story.
Now, don't fuck it up.
CARL: Steuben, what's the name of that girl that you bombed out with...
- ...who works in Colson's office? STEUBEN: Sharon Lyons.
SHARON: Why are you looking at me like that?
CARL: You're attractive. - Jesus.
CARL: You are very attractive.
You know, my girlfriend told me to watch out for you.
- Who? - I'm not giving any names.
Steuben said you work for Colson.
[SHARON SIGHS]
Steuben's crazy. I never worked for Colson.
- That's what he said. - I worked for an assistant.
Colson was really big on secrets anyway.
Even if I had worked for him, I wouldn't know anything.
Did you know Howard Hunt?
- Didn't he work in the office? - Yeah, I knew Howard.
- Nice? - He's a nice person.
He's secretive. He's secretive but a decent man.
Do you have any idea what he did?
Well, the White House said he was doing some investigative work.
What do you say?
[SHARON CHUCKLES]
- He was doing investigative work. - On what?
- Different things. - Like what?
- I'm not gonna... - She warned me.
I'm not gonna take my book out. I'm just asking you.
Well, the scuttlebutt for a while was that he was investigating Kennedy.
Why?
The White House was real paranoid about Teddy Kennedy.
I remember seeing a book about Chappaquiddick on his desk.
He was always getting material...
...out of the White House library and the Library of Congress.
Anything he could find.
WOMAN 1: White House library.
Hi, this is Carl Bernstein, of the Washington Post.
I was wondering if you can remember any books...
...that a Howard Hunt checked out on Senator Kennedy?
- Howard Hunt? Um... - Yes, ma'am.
- Yes, I think I do remember. - Uh-huh.
He took out a whole lot of material.
- Why don't you hold on and I'll see? - I sure will. Thank you very much.
- Mr. Bernstein? - Yes, ma'am?
- I was wrong. - I beg your pardon?
The truth is, I don't have a card that says Mr. Hunt took any material.
- Uh-huh. - I don't remember getting material for...
I do remember getting material for somebody, but it wasn't Mr. Hunt.
Right.
The truth is, I didn't have any requests at all from Mr. Hunt.
- Oh. - Uh...
The truth is, I don't know any Mr. Hunt.
Uh...
Uh, I was just wondering if any... If you have any...
[LINE DISCONNECTS]
Hello?
BOB: Yes, we're checking into that information now.
We'd just like to find out just what it was that Hunt did...
...when he worked as a White House consultant on the Pentagon Papers.
Yes, I'd appreciate that, if you could. Yes, sir.
Thank you.
Just got off the phone with the librarian. You wanna look at the notes on it?
Oh, this is some stuff from the Eisenhower campaign in 1952...
...that Hunt was connected with.
Did you call the White House Communications Office?
No, I just got off the phone with the librarian.
- 524-743. - I know the number.
Between the first and second quote, there's a contradiction.
It's a space of about five seconds.
- My feeling is... - Was this all...?
WOMAN 2: Mr. Clawson's office.
This is Bob Woodward of the Post. Could I talk to Mr. Clawson?
- One moment, please. - Thank you.
- When she came back on the phone... CLAWSON: Ken Clawson.
Mr. Clawson, this is Bob Woodward.
Carl Bernstein of the Washington Post had a conversation...
...with a White House librarian on books Mr. Howard Hunt took out...
...on Senator Edward Kennedy.
She first said that Howard Hunt had taken out books on Senator Kennedy.
Then she denied even knowing who he was.
I was wondering if you'd like to comment on this confusion.
Mm. Listen, let me call you back on this matter.
- I'm gonna check on it for you. - Fine, thank you. Bye.
- All there? - This...? Yes.
- This was all one conversation? - Yeah. She says first of all:
"I think I got a bunch of books on Hunt."
Five seconds later, she says, "I don't know Mr. Hunt."
- It's obvious someone got to her. - Not enough proof.
If there was a piece of paper that said Hunt was taking out books...
...on Kennedy and Chappaquiddick, like a library slip...
Hunt took out books from the Library of Congress...
...but what's more important is somebody got to her in...
- How do you know? - Because she said...
There was a lot of books Hunt checked out.
[PHONE RINGS]
- Then doesn't even know him. - Woodward.
CLAWSON: Mr. Woodward, Ken Clawson calling back.
- I've just talked with the librarian. - Yes, sir.
She denies that the conversation with Mr. Bernstein ever took place.
- She said she referred him to the... - Excuse me, sir, sorry.
You say she denies even knowing about the conversation taking place?
- That's right. - Seven.
She said someone did call her asking about Mr. Hunt...
...but all she did was refer him to the Press Office.
- She denies other conversation took place. - Total bullshit.
Uh, I hope that's been of some help to you.
- Thank you. - Uh-huh.
- We've gotta get something on paper. - Library of Congress.
BOB: Mona? Excuse me, Mona.
- Could you take any calls for me, please? MONA: Sure.
BOB: Here's my note.
If I get any calls...
MONA: Will you be back? BOB: I don't know when.
You want all the material requested by the White House?
All White House transactions are confidential.
Thank you very much, gentlemen.
CARL: We need a sympathetic face. BOB: We're not gonna find one here.
You want every request since when?
CARL: Uh, when did he start? BOB: July of '71.
CARL: I imagine the whole last year.
I'm not sure you want them, but I got them.
- Maybe they pulled the cards. - Maybe they changed the names.
BOB: There might have been a card there and we missed it.
Hey, wait a minute.
I met a White House aide once at a social occasion.
- So? - He might confirm.
CARL: Do we need "W.H." and "White House"...?
BOB: Not in the second paragraph.
Just "White House" would be enough. Just use "White House." Forget "W.H."
CARL: I wanna know about Colson. What was his job?
- Special consultant to the president. - I gotta say it.
These notes on the White House librarian, are they accurate?
- The notes, are they accurate? - Give me a second.
- Yes. - I want a new page.
MAN: Okay, look, I'll have a reporter out to talk to you this afternoon.
MAN 2: Let's take it in and show it to Howie Simons.
MAN 3: We've gotta start moving on this now. Come on, now.
Hey, Mr. Bradlee.
MAN 4: Get the artwork on that Grant Porter piece.
BEN: Okay, let's have it. Mm-hm. - Yeah, here you are, Ben.
It's a good, solid piece of American journalism...
...that the New York Times doesn't have.
You haven't got it. A librarian and a secretary saying Hunt looked at a book.
Not good enough.
A White House aide told me Hunt was investigating Kennedy.
BEN: Who was it?
BOB: Who was it? You want the name, you mean?
- No, how senior, how high up? - I don't know titles.
"Showed a special interest in..."
We said the White House was investigating Kennedy.
- "Showed a special interest in." - The story's stronger than that.
The White House librarian says Hunt checked out a lot of books.
- A secretary in Colson's office said Hunt... - All right, Carl. Carl.
Ben, that's a Page 1 story.
Stick it inside someplace.
This is a goddamn important story. It...
Get some harder information next time.
Asshole. Bradlee's just sticking up for the Kennedys.
- We didn't have it. - Bullshit. We had it.
- We didn't. - Why didn't you say something?
You think bitching about it is gonna get the story where we want it?
Throw it in the can.
[LINE RINGS]
DEEP THROAT: Yes? - This is Woodward.
I wanna talk about Watergate.
- I know that the atmos... - We're not going to talk about that subject.
- Well, we talked about Wallace. - But this is different.
That was about the shooting of a man running for president.
- This is different. - How?
Not about this story. Don't call me again.
[LINE DISCONNECTS]
MAN [ON RADIO]: The stewardess hostages were released.
The passengers, numbering 113...
...were released in Philadelphia.
Things are warming up in Reykjavik, where Bobby Fischer forfeited the second game...
...of that $250,000 world-championship chess match...
...with the Russian champion Boris Spassky.
He didn't show up.
Fischer lost the opening match to Spassky last night...
...after walking out during the match for 30 minutes...
...to protest the directions and distractions of television cameras...
...which were later withdrawn.
On Wall Street, prices took a pounding yesterday...
...with the Dow Jones closing down 6-and-three-quarter points.
The dollar took a beating on the European money market...
...dropping to its lower...
[CHATTERING]
MAN: Taxi. Taxi.
MAN 2: Taxi. Taxi.
BOB: Taxi.
[LIGHTER CLICKS]
DEEP THROAT: Where are you? - Stuck.
The story has stalled on us.
And you thought I'd help?
I'll never quote you.
I wouldn't quote you even as an anonymous source.
I mean, you'd be on deep background.
You can trust me. You know that.
Go on.
- Can you tell me what you know? - You tell me what you know.
Hunt worked for Colson at the White House.
Hunt was investigating Kennedy at Chappaquiddick.
That should tell you a lot. What else?
We're beginning to hear a lot about a lawyer at CREEP named Gordon Liddy who's...
[WHISTLING IN DISTANCE]
[WHISTLING STOPS]
Gordon Liddy...
...was fired by Mitchell because he wouldn't talk to the FBI.
- You'll hear more. - Will he talk?
[DEEP THROAT SIGHS]
I was at a party once...
...and Liddy put his hand over a candle, and he kept it there.
He kept it right in the flame until his flesh was burned.
Somebody said, "What's the trick?" And Liddy said, "The trick is not minding."
The story is dry.
All we've got are pieces.
We can't seem to figure out what the puzzle is supposed to look like.
John Mitchell resigns as the head of CREEP...
...and says he wants to spend more time with his family.
That sounds like bullshit. We don't exactly believe that.
No, but it's touching.
Forget the myths that the media has created about the White House.
The truth is, these are not very bright guys...
...and things got out of hand.
Hunt's come in from the cold.
Supposedly, he's got a lawyer with $25,000 in a brown paper bag.
Follow the money.
What do you mean?
- Where? - Oh, I can't tell you that.
But you could tell me, then.
No, I have to do this my way.
You tell me what you know, and I'll confirm.
I'll keep you in the right direction if I can, but that's all.
Just follow the money.
CARL: Goddamn New York Times. BOB: What is it?
CARL: Phone calls from the burglars in Miami to the Committee to Reelect.
BOB: Fifteen phone calls.
CARL: At least 15 phone calls, and those phone calls were made...
...as early as March 15th, three months before the break-in.
BOB: "Eighty-nine thousand dollars issued in the name of a prominent Mexican lawyer."
Eighty-nine thousand dollars in Mexican checks?
Why didn't we get this?
Who are their sources?
I even know someone who works on the phone company.
Carl, if John Mitchell wanted your phone records...
...you'd be yelling invasion of privacy.
Was the New York Times article accurate?
- Yeah, but I can't get you a fuller listing. - Why?
They've subpoenaed all of Barker's phone records.
I think they're trying to find out if the Watergate burglars broke any Florida law.
- Who subpoenaed them? - Miami DA.
- What's his name? - I don't know his name.
But the guy who's heading the investigation is named Dardis.
Dardis. What's his first name?
I don't know his first name. I guess you'll have to find that out.
[ELEVATOR DINGS]
CARL: Hi. MIRIAM: Hello.
I have a 9:15 appointment with Mr. Dardis.
Mr. Bernstein, I'm afraid that Mr. Dardis won't be able to see you this morning.
- His calendar is quite full. - There must be a mistake.
I made the appointment with him personally.
The appointment should've been made through me.
I'll see if I can squeeze you in later.
Oh, thanks very much.
I guess it's difficult when he makes his own appointments.
Yes, well, we try to handle it.
GUARD: It's 4:00. We'll be back in 15 minutes. Do you want anything?
- Coffee, black. GUARD: Coffee, black.
I'm still here.
Ha, ha. I'm so glad.
If you could get me in for five minutes, I'd appreciate it.
- Mr. Bernstein. - I have to get back.
We're going to try.
Oh, hi. He's expecting you.
I do have a couple things to do.
I'll be at the Sheraton if you wanna reach me.
If he has space tomorrow, I'd appreciate it. Number's on the back.
- Fine. - I thank you for your patience.
Mm-hm. Thank you, Mr. Bernstein. Tomorrow it should be better.
I guess so.
WOMAN: Mr. Dardis' office.
Hi. Please tell Mr. Dardis that Mr. Bernstein has just left.
He'll be available all day tomorrow.
I think we can probably squeeze him in around 4:30.
WOMAN: Yes. - Mm-hm.
And please tell Mr. Dardis he doesn't want to be late for his 6:30 appointment.
- Yes, I will. - Mm-hm. Thank you.
[PHONE RINGS]
- Mr. Dardis' office. CARL: Mr. Martinson at the county clerk's.
- Beg your pardon? - Martinson at the county clerk's.
There's some records that Dardis wanted. Could you come get them? We're closing.
Uh, well, yes, I'll be right over.
Excuse me.
DARDIS: Would be easier too, wouldn't it?
All right. Hold it. What?
CARL: Excuse me. - Can I help you in some way?
I'm Carl Bernstein. I've been here since 9.
- Wait outside. - I've been waiting since this morning.
- Finish your call. - Wait outside, please, will you?
No, no, no. I'm the reporter from the Post.
We talked on the phone yesterday.
- You told me to come here, and I'm here. - Okay, yeah, look...
I've got the press here. I'm gonna have to call you back.
If you didn't wanna see me, I don't know why you didn't tell me.
I wasted a whole day here, and my paper's waiting for a story.
You tell me to come, you said I got a 9:30 appointment.
- I've been waiting the whole day. - Caught me on the worst day possible.
The man I work for has started a reelection campaign.
We're gonna have to see each other tomorrow.
No, I'm facing a deadline. My paper's saving space for me.
DARDIS: I just don't have a minute now. CARL: Well, I'm sorry, but...
MIRIAM: Uh, Mr. Dardis, I'm really very sorry about this. Mr. Bernstein...
I beg your pardon, but this gentleman made the appointment with me...
...and the Washington Post deserves the same courtesy...
...as any of the people waiting.
I'll buzz you in about five minutes.
The lady takes good care of me.
The fact is we just can't go into it this evening.
It's gonna have to wait until tomorrow.
I wish you could've told me before I left...
...because I gotta go back to my paper now and write that story one way or another.
You wanna see Mr. Barker's phone records and his money records?
You told me you'd show me everything you got on Barker.
That's all I want.
- Well, that's what I've got. - Well, that's fine.
You and I have to have an agreement...
...that you're not gonna reveal the source of your information.
All these are cashier's checks on a bank in Mexico City.
CARL: All these checks from Mexico? DARDIS: You see?
CARL: How come? Did the money originate there?
DARDIS: Well, I doubt it started off as pesos.
CARL: Uh...
- Well, wait a minute, what's this one? DARDIS: Uh, what's...? Okay, $25,000.
CARL: Who's that? Who is that? Dahl...? DARDIS: Kenneth H. Dahlberg.
We haven't been able to ascertain who that is.
Bob, I've got something. I don't know what it is.
Somewhere, there is a Kenneth H. Dahlberg.
We gotta get to him before the New York Times does.
I think they have the same information. Got a pencil? Write this down.
Kenneth H. Dahlberg. D-A-H-L-B-E-R-G, Dahlberg.
MAN [ON RADIO]: McGovern, who at first voiced complete support for Eagleton...
...has more recently expressed doubts and said Eagleton must make a decision...
...whether to stay or leave the ticket.
More with Jean Westwood...
WOMAN: You're the one that wanted the articles on Kenneth H. Dahlberg?
- Yeah. - Couldn't find anything in the clip file at all.
- Oh, wonderful. - Um...
I did find one picture though, if it's any help.
- Thanks. - Mm.
[MAN 1 SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY ON RADIO]
BOB: Minnesota.
MAN 1 [ON RADIO]: ...supported Senator Eagleman.
He is an able United States senator...
BOB: Minneapolis, Minneapolis.
...will make him a prominent figure in American politics...
...for many, many years.
[CROWD APPLAUDING ON RADIO]
I base that conclusion upon my conversations with his doctors...
...and my close personal and political association with him.
- Outside line, please. WOMAN 1 [OVER PHONE]: Yes.
- Thank you. MAN 1 [ON RADIO]: In the joint decision...
...that we have reached tonight, health was not a factor.
But the public debate over Senator Eagleman's past medical history...
...continues to divert attention from the great national issues...
...that need to be discussed.
I have referred to the growing pressures to ask for Senator Eagleton's withdrawal.
- We have also seen... DAHLBERG [OVER PHONE]: Hello?
- Could I please...? Mr. Dahlberg? - Yes?
- Kenneth Dahlberg? - Yes?
This is Bob Woodward of the Washington Post.
- Yes? - About that $25,000 check...
...deposited in the bank account of one of the Watergate burglars...
...Mr. Bernard Barker.
As you know, sir, the check has your name on it.
We were doing a story on this...
...and I was wondering if you would care to comment or explain.
Uh, I turn all my money over to the committee.
What committee is that, sir? The Committee to Reelect?
- Yes, yes. - And why would you do that?
MAN 2: That's it, he's done. - I raise a lot of money.
I'm Midwest Finance chairman.
For the Committee to Reelect?
- Hello? - Yes, that's right.
How do you think your check got into the bank account of the Watergate burglar?
I'm a proper citizen. What I do is proper.
- Oh, I understand. - I've just been through a terrible ordeal.
- My neighbor's wife has been kidnapped. - Oh.
Well, how do you think your check got into Barker's account, though...?
[LINE DISCONNECTS]
[SIGHS]
WOMAN 2: Committee to Reelect the President.
Could I speak to Clark MacGregor?
- One moment, I'll connect you. - Thank you. Thank you.
MacGREGOR: Yes? - Mr. MacGregor?
- Yes. - Bob Woodward of the Washington Post.
- Hello? - Yes?
Uh, this is Bob Woodward of the Washington Post.
Mm-hm.
I just spoke to a Kenneth Dahlberg, who says he is Midwest Finance chairman.
Yeah, I know Ken Dahlberg.
Well, I can't seem to get an explanation...
...on why a check for $25,000 made out to Mr. Dahlberg...
...that he sent to the Committee to Reelect...
...would end up in the account of a Watergate burglar.
I don't know.
- But you're head of the committee. - I just came aboard.
John Mitchell was head of the committee. He might know.
- What would the explanation possibly...? - I don't know.
You're implying that I should know.
If you print that, our relationship will be terminated.
We don't have a relationship.
The issues of the campaign are peace and prosperity...
...not a campaign check.
WOMAN 3: Bob. - Sir, no one is saying...
WOMAN 3: Bob. - This happened before I came aboard.
WOMAN 3: Mr. Dahlberg is on Line 2. - I'm running a campaign.
We've raised $60 million, and you're asking about a $25,000 check.
Mr. MacGregor, excuse me, could you hold one second, please?
- All right. - Thank you. Yes?
DAHLBERG: Hello? - Mr. Dahlberg?
- Yes. - Could you please hold one second, sir?
- Yes. - Thank you. Mr. MacGregor?
MacGREGOR: Yeah? - Can I call you right back?
- Yeah, okay. - Thank you. Mr. Dahlberg.
DAHLBERG: Yes. Uh, I'm sorry I hung up before.
I wasn't sure you were a Washington Post reporter.
I believe we were talking about a $25,000 check.
Um... Obviously, this is difficult for me.
Uh, I'm caught in the middle of something...
...and I don't know what.
- I don't... - What do you think it could be?
Well, I deal with a lot of important people.
People who work for the committee?
- Hello? - For the committee.
- The Committee to Reelect the President? - Yes.
You see, I raised that money in cash...
...and I have a winter home in Florida.
- Is that in Miami? - Boca Raton.
And I didn't want to carry all that cash around.
- Now, you can understand that. - Oh, of course I can.
So I had it exchanged for the cashier's check.
And how do you think it got into Barker's account?
Uh...
I know I shouldn't be telling you this. Uh...
I gave it to Mr. Stans.
I beg your pardon?
- I gave it to Stans. - Maurice Stans?
- The head of Finance for Nixon? - Yes, in Washington.
Now, what he did with it, I really do not know.
I see. Were there any other checks that you might be aware of, that could've...?
That's all I have to say.
Mr. MacGregor... Mr. Dahlberg, I'm sorry. Thank you very much.
[TYPEWRITER CLACKING]
WOMAN 3: Metro Desk. Yeah, he's here, hold on.
- Bob. - Yeah?
Carl Bernstein on Line 1.
- One? - Yeah.
BOB: Yeah? CARL: Woodward? I got a lead on Dahlberg.
- I just... I got it. - What?
I just talked to him. I just hung up. It goes all the way to Stans.
- What? - It goes all the way to Stans.
He gave the check to Stans for the Committee to Reelect.
- Did he say that? - He said it. I've got it in my notes.
- Jesus. - It's down on record, Bernstein.
That money winds up in the account of a burglar?
- Yes. Ha-ha-ha. - Fantastic. I'm coming home.
Okay.
MAN:... catapulted the unknown senator from Missouri into national prominence...
...by naming Eagleton as his running mate. The move surprised the old pros...
...but it paid off in support for the Democratic ticket.
HOWARD: What happened with that Taiwan thing you were telling us about?
Japan is going to break diplomatic ties with Taiwan and recognize they're China.
The irony, of course, that's a direct result of Nixon's visit to China.
What did he say to him?
DUNLAP: That's a great parallel story...
...if you're going to do that piece on détente.
Uh... "Queen Elizabeth proclaims a state of emergency to deal with the dock strike."
BEN: Bringing it off his boat.
[ALL LAUGHING]
DUNLAP: That could be a human-interest.
Thirty-one days of rain in the Philippines...
...being blamed on the theft of a statue of Jesus.
- We had one like that before. - Front-page article.
- Absolutely not. MAN 1: I'll put my best writer on that.
MAN 2: What about the one in India months ago?
Drop that.
Laugh, gentlemen. It'll be the only story everyone reads.
Okay. National?
We have the Bremer diary, wished to kill Nixon.
He took a car trip to New York, Ottawa and Washington to kill him.
HOWARD: Jesus Christ. HARRY: Yeah.
We have the Senate approving the ABM Treaty.
- Yeah, that's mine. HOWARD: ABM.
And, of course, we have McGovern offering the VP spot to everybody.
- Yeah, that's news. - I have...
Everybody's been offered it. I'll tell you what'll be news.
When somebody accepts it. That'll be news.
[ALL CHUCKLING]
MAN 3: Yeah. - Here is some great art.
HOWARD: Yeah, big mistake.
McGovern and Humphrey, breakfast, smiling their asses off.
- Isn't that great? - Oh, look at that.
MOFFITT: Humphrey said, "I am George's friend."
Why is that man smiling?
MOFFITT: "I am his friend." - Sounds friendly, huh?
MOFFITT: "I'll be helping him in ways he never dreamed possible."
MAN 4: Breakfast followed by lunch.
MOFFITT: Got a good picture? - Okay. Metro?
Well, we got the schoolteachers on Capitol Hill.
They want a 17% increase in pay, or this fall they go on strike.
Harry, I think we could mention that this might be the time...
...to go to the front page on the District Home Rule.
BEN: Oh, come on. - Listen to him.
Ben, this time it could go all the way.
The House is gonna vote next week on a Senate resolution.
When they pass it, we'll run with it.
Okay, fellas, let's go around again now. Foreign?
- Uh, Taiwan emergency, Philippines. - Okay, fine. National?
The Eagleton follow-ups, McGovern not being able to get a replacement.
He's offered it to Humphrey, Kennedy and Ribicoff.
All turned him down. That's the Page 1 lead.
You're ignoring the importance of the Dahlberg repercussions.
Nobody cares about the Dahlberg repercussions.
Our story got the General Accounting Office to start an audit with CREEP Finance.
Yeah, we printed that, didn't we? When the audit's done, we'll print that too.
MOFFITT: Let me tell you what happened today.
I was having lunch at the Sans Souci and...
ALL: Aww... HOWARD: How much this time?
This White House guy, a good one, a pro, came up and asked:
"What is this Watergate compulsion with you guys?"
Compulsion?
- I said... - This is a story. This is not compulsion.
I said, "Well, we think it's important," and he said:
"If it's so goddamn important...
...who in the hell are Woodward and Bernstein?"
What do you expect from the White House? "You're doing a great job"?
Now, why don't you ask him what he's really saying?
He wants to take the story away from Woodstein...
...and give it to National Desk.
I have experienced guys sitting around...
...who know the politicians, have the contacts.
HOWARD: We're aware of that. - You said it. Sitting around.
Ben. It's a dangerous story for this paper.
MOFFITT: What if your boys get it wrong? - Then it's our ass, isn't it?
HOWARD: We all have to go out and work for a living.
National gets eight columns. Nine for Foreign.
Metro, 15.
- That's it, fellas. - Okay.
Could've been worse.
BEN: Hey, Scott, I need to see you.
How dangerous?
[DOOR CLOSES]
[SIGHS]
Well, it's not just that we're using unnamed sources that bothers me...
...or that everything we print, the White House denies...
...or that almost no other papers are reprinting our stuff.
What, then?
Look, there are over 2000 reporters in this town...
...and there are five on Watergate?
Where did the Washington Post suddenly get the monopoly on wisdom?
Why would the Republicans do it?
McGovern is self-destructing...
...just like Humphrey, Muskie, the bunch of them.
I don't believe the story.
Doesn't make sense.
Yeah, Bernstein.
Now? All right.
Woodward, Bradlee will see us now. Answer the phone for me.
MAN 1: Are you trying to find the lowest possible common denominator?
Is that your plan in the convention?
MAN 2: Gonna give us something to do?
WOMAN 1: Bob, Frances is on the phone. BOB: Tell her I'll call her back.
MAN 3: All right, in this...
WOMAN 2: We have reports that Republican Les Aspin has informed the secretary of...
MICKEY: Ben, it's the hottest item.
- It's in over 500 papers. - What is it?
MICKEY: Yesterday's weather report for people who were drunk and slept all day.
Send it to the San Francisco Chronicle. They need it.
MICKEY: How about the crossword puzzle? - No.
MICKEY: Anagrams? - No space. No space, Mickey.
MICKEY: You guys, last thing you bought from me was the obituaries.
- Make them buy something, will you? BEN: All right. Hey, what do you guys want?
The GAO reports are due out the morning of Nixon's renomination.
Hey, sit down, sit down.
Well, that's two weeks from now.
Since they're only responsible to Congress...
...no way the White House can control the investigation.
A source at General Accounting tells us...
...there's a whole rat's nest of illegal shit going on over at CREEP.
- Like what? - Like a slush fund.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars of unaccounted-for cash.
BEN: Hundreds of thousands of dollars?
HOWARD: Any comment from CREEP? - Yes, unavailable for comment.
They're not talking.
What else besides the money? Where's the goddamn story?
- The money's the key to whatever this is. - Says who?
HOWARD: Deep Throat. - Who?
Oh, that's Woodward's garage freak, his source in the executive.
Garage freak?
Jesus, what kind of a crazy fucking story is this?
Who did you say?
[SIGHS]
He's on deep background. I call him Deep Throat.
BEN: Look, McGovern's dropped to nothing, Nixon's guaranteed the renomination...
...the Post is stuck with a story no one wants.
It'll sink the goddamn paper. Everyone says, "Get off it, Ben."
And I come on very sage and I say,
"You'll see. You wait till this bottoms out."
But the truth is, I can't figure out what we've got.
What else are you working on?
Well, we're after a list of CREEP employees.
BEN: Where is it? - It's classified.
BEN: Well, how you gonna get it? - We haven't had any luck yet.
Get some.
Anything else?
[ELEVATOR DINGS]
You made a mistake in there.
What?
You said we haven't had any luck yet, that's the thing he jumps on.
You can't talk about luck.
If you can't talk in specifics, you shouldn't say anything.
Is there any place you don't smoke?
[ELEVATOR DINGS]
- What? - Hold it. Hold it.
- What are you doing? BOB: Kay Eddy.
Doesn't she go with a guy that works for the Committee to Reelect?
KAY: Meet me at 4. MAN: All right.
BOB: Eddy? Hey. - Just a second.
BOB: Kay, can...? - 757-6521.
Okay, I'll get back to you on this. Thanks.
BOB: Don't you go with a guy that works for the Committee to Reelect?
- Not anymore. CARL: You did go with him, though.
- You were engaged to him, weren't you? - Yeah.
You got out of it?
- So? - You're looking better.
[ALL LAUGHING]
We need a list of the people that work there.
Do you think that...?
- I can't do that. CARL: Why not?
That's personal.
What do you mean? You said it was over.
You're asking me to use a guy I care about.
CARL: No, no, we're not asking you to use him, just to help us.
- Well, sure you... CARL: I mean, we'd do the same for you.
My only chance of getting that is if I see him.
- I don't wanna see him again. - Well, do you have to see him?
- Sure, I have to. - Do you have to see him that way?
Can't you just call him up...
...and say you wanna have a drink with him, just feel him out?
You say the relationship is over. I mean, what the hell do you have to lose?
Forget it.
Don't do anything that would embarrass you...
...or that you don't feel right about.
Forget it.
Let's go.
CARL: Don't let her get off like that. She was gonna say something.
You're overdramatizing.
- She was gonna give us what we wanted. - It was over.
CARL: What? BOB: It was over.
This looks like your story. Why don't you take a look at it?
I'm gonna check this out.
WOMAN: You're gonna get fat eating all those doughnuts.
CARL: Is this the whole list? BOB: Look what it says.
"Personnel, Committee to Reelect the President."
CARL: This is alphabetical.
- You can't tell who works for who. BOB: Find the department heads:
Mitchell, Magruder, Stans.
CARL: Here. John Mitchell.
BOB: What's the number? CARL: 301.
BOB: All right, find somebody who has a number close to it.
- They probably work for him. Okay. CARL: Here's a 303.
CARL: Okay, we have to find out how the money got from Stans to the burglars.
BOB: Somebody who worked in Finance.
CARL: All right, here's the head of Finance. Maurice Stans, 269.
BOB: If we can just get somebody who works under Stans.
CARL: Uh, Sloan? You need him? BOB: He's the treasurer.
- What's the number? CARL: It's Hugh Sloan, 287.
BOB: Is there a secretary?
- Wait a minute. Manley, Manley, Manley. CARL: Here it is. Irene Manley?
BOB: Yeah. CARL: 1406 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway.
BOB: Hi, I'm Bob Woodward. CARL: I'm Carl Bernstein.
BOB: We're from the Washington Post. We'd like to speak to you.
We understand your daughter works for the Committee to Reelect.
CARL: Wouldn't be anything embarrassing. BOB: Would you object to just...?
MAN: Forget it.
- Yes? Hi. CARL: Hi.
BOB: Miss Milland? Betty Milland? - Mm-hm.
BOB: I'm Bob Woodward. CARL: Carl Bernstein.
We're from the Washington Post.
I know you're trying to do your job. I mean...
You don't understand the pressure we're under.
- If we could come in for a couple seconds... - No, I really don't...
We don't wanna come in.
We understand there was some documents that were shredded at the committee.
Well, there, uh...
There's often shredding. I mean, we do that a lot.
Were you there during the shredding?
- Yes, I was. - I see.
Were there any department heads from the committee who were also present?
Uh, yes. Mr. Mitchell came in one night.
BOB: John Mitchell? - Yes.
- The attorney general? - Uh-huh.
He was carrying a raincoat over his head.
You know, because he was... I thought he was gonna go:
Woo-hoo. Woo-hoo.
- But, uh, I... - Did he supervise the shredding?
Uh, I just... Can I not answer any more questions?
I'd just as soon not... Okay? Maybe I could call you.
CARL: It's... - Are you being told not to talk?
CARL: Will you call us? - I don't know.
I'll try.
What about that shredding right after the break-in?
We need to know the papers in the shredding.
You have some idea what's in the papers when the attorney general comes in...
...it's at the committee, and he's got a raincoat over his head.
It could be raining. Let me go through the story again.
You got a woman who's frightened. Works for CREEP.
She said there's shredding. We don't know what's in the papers.
We know the former attorney general comes in with an overcoat over his head.
Could be raining. There's a lawyer present. We don't know what he asked them.
Will you tell me where there's a story?
In the fact that the interview did not take place in her home...
...but in the office of the committee.
- How is there a story in that? - Because there's a lawyer in the office.
- You're more resistant than she is. - That's right.
- Why? - Because there's not enough fact.
CARL: Well, then let's just turn around and go back and question her again.
- This won't take long at all. We just... - Please go away, okay?
Will you please leave before they see you?
- Who did you mean by...? - What do you mean, "they"?
Could you give us their names?
CARL: We haven't revealed the sources of the people that have talked to us.
- I really can't talk about this because... - Would they be members of the committee?
CARL: Someone got to that woman.
It's the key to the whole cover-up.
BOB: How can you write there's a cover-up? We don't know that there is.
Then I don't know what the hell you need. So you tell me what you need.
BOB: I need more fact for a story, and I think you should need the same.
CARL: if you get in a car and there's music... - I'm in a car.
There's music playing in the car... Hypothetically.
There's music playing for 10 minutes and there's no commercial.
What can you deduce from that?
- Is it AM or FM? - Come on.
Is it AM or FM?
A guy can come up to me on the street, and he can ask me an address.
Now, is the man interrogating me, or is he lost?
What kind of a story do I write?
What kind of a deduction do I make from that?
CARL: You don't have a gut feeling that the woman is trying to help us?
BOB: I don't have enough gut feeling. I wish I did.
BOB: We're from the Washington Post.
Ammons, Irene Ammons. Did we see her?
Abbott, Addison, Augusto, Alberte.
Is there something that strikes you as odd about this?
CARL: What? BOB: It's like there's a pattern...
...to the way they're not talking, the way they say no all the time.
I think it's odd.
- Mrs. Hambling? - Yes.
- Hi, we're from the Washington Post. - I'm Carl Bernstein, this is Bob Woodward.
BOB: A friend of the committee said that we could contact you.
- Who was it? - We can't reveal that.
You can talk to us. We don't reveal our sources.
You people.
You think you can come into my home, ask a few questions...
...have me destroy the reputations of men that I work for and respect?
Do you understand loyalty?
Have you ever heard of loyalty?
BOB & CARL: Hi. - Yes?
BOB: I'm Bob Woodward. CARL: Carl Bernstein.
- We're from the Washington Post. - Yes.
I've read what you've written. I wanna thank you.
I've been a Republican all my life, but this goes beyond party politics.
Would you mind if we asked you a few questions?
No, no. Come in. Would you like coffee?
Sure.
What they've done is a threat to the Constitution.
It goes against everything we stand for.
Could you be a little bit more specific than that?
I'm afraid your articles have just scratched the surface.
You don't mind if I just take a few notes, do you?
No.
How long have you worked at the committee?
Committee?
Yes, the Committee to Reelect the President.
Oh. Oh, no, I don't work at the Committee to Reelect the President.
I work at Garfinckel's, in the Accounting Department.
- Miss Abbott? - Yes.
Judith Abbott?
Carolyn Abbott.
We're just doing something wrong.
- It's never been there. - No.
We're doing something wrong.
It's just not good enough.
How can you keep going at something past the point when you'd believe it?
Just have to start all over again.
CARL: Nasemith, Narrow, Ness...
...Nickels, Nixon...
BOB: Ed Nixon.
Jolson, Jones...
...Jordan, Jost.
If we could only get somebody that worked for Finance to talk.
- What about the bookkeeper? CARL: Which?
BOB: The bookkeeper that worked for both Slans and...
CARL: Oh, you're all right. BOB: Sloan and Stans.
CARL: I've been there. I've called her twice. There's no answer.
BOB: I say we should start again.
Abbott, Addison, Augusto, Alberte...
...Aldus, Alessandro...
CARL: Eulosky, Clan, Constell...
BOB: Boyle, Brenner, Bromley, Jost...
CARL: Nasemith, Narrow, Ness, Nickels...
BOB: Teeny, Sandstrom...
Skroes, Skully...
CARL: Skully. We've been there twice.
All right, Wilcox, Winthrow, Windsor, Worts...
Two weeks work, half the names crossed off and what have you got?
BOB: People aren't talking, Harry.
And it's the way they're not talking that's unnatural.
We've been up all night. We went over all the quotes of the people...
BOB: It's like they're getting instructions. It's pat.
You wanna hear some real news?
That GAO report in which you placed so much faith?
It's been postponed till after tonight's renomination.
- What do you mean? - Hughes got a call from Stans.
Says he has new information, not to republish without it.
They're gonna bury the report till after the renomination.
The indictment will be out soon.
Every indication says the indictment will stop at the five burglars, Hunt and Liddy.
And that's the end of your story.
FORD [ON TV]: The vote of all the delegates has been recorded.
The vote for Richard Nixon...
...is 1347.
The vote for Paul McCloskey is 1.
And therefore I declare the nominee of the Republican Party...
...for president of the United States...
...President Richard Nixon.
[CROWD CHEERING ON TV]
CROWD [CHANTING]: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
ANNOUNCER: The president and the future president of the United States of America.
NIXON: Wonderful young faces I see out here.
Your enthusiasm, your idealism, your hard work.
This is your first vote...
...and years from now, I just hope you can all look back...
...and say it was one of your best votes. Thank you.
[CROWD CHEERING ON TV]
CROWD [CHANTING]: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
Hi, I'm Carl Bernstein of the Washington Post.
I just wanna ask you a couple of questions.
WOMAN 1: Well, you don't want me, you want my sister.
It's for you. It's Carl Bernstein.
WOMAN 2 [WHISPERS]: He's the guy from the Post. Get rid of him.
Could I just borrow one of your cigarettes there?
Sure.
- You've really gotta go. CARL: Sure. Could I just get a match?
I understand your being afraid.
There's a lot of people like you...
...who wanted to tell the truth, but some people wouldn't listen.
Certain people have gone back to the prosecutors and the FBI...
...to give information which they were never asked.
You were Hugh Sloan's bookkeeper when he worked for Maurice Stans up at Finance.
We were just wondering if you were promoted...
...to work for Mr. Stans immediately after Mr. Sloan quit...
...or whether there was some time lapse.
I never worked for Sloan or Stans.
Uh, can I get you some coffee or something?
CARL: Yeah, thanks very much.
[DOOR BELLS JINGLE]
Door sticks.
Uh, could I just sit down for a second?
Sure, you can sit down, but I'm not going to tell you anything.
Okay.
I was just curious why you lied just then.
Have you been threatened if you tell the truth?
No.
Never in so many words.
WOMAN 1: How do you like it? - Just milk, thanks.
WOMAN 1: Okay, I'll just get the milk.
Um, I saw in the wires that Mrs. Stans was in the hospital.
Is she feeling better?
The GAO, the General Accounting report...
...said that there was $350,000...
...in the safe of the Committee to Reelect the President.
Were you aware that it was that kind of funds from the very beginning?
A lot of people are watching me. They know I know a lot.
- Was it all in $100 bills? - A lot of it was.
I thought it was an all-purpose political fund...
...you know, for taking fat cats to dinner, things like that.
Three hundred and fifty thousand dollars for dinners?
[CHUCKLES]
How was it paid out?
Not in one big chunk.
There was a list of 15 names...
...and the amount of money given to each person next to the name.
What happened to the list?
It was destroyed.
It was the only record.
This... Don't pay any attention to this. This is just for my memory.
Hate the...
I have a very bad memory.
You won't be quoted by name.
In fact, we get confirmations before we print anything.
I can't be positive that that money was used for the break-in, you understand?
Yes, I do.
- But people sure are worried. - Which people?
Think you could help me with the disbursement of money...
...in terms of the number of people that were involved?
How many?
A group of them. About five. I don't know their names.
Would Mr. Sloan know?
WOMAN 1: Here you are.
- Would he have any...? - I don't wanna say anymore, okay?
Um, I won't be much longer.
I wonder if you could just help me a little bit about the money.
We hear all kinds of figures.
- There was so much of it. - How much is "so much"?
In one two-day period, 6 million dollars came in.
- Six. - Six million, cash.
CARL: Mm-hm.
- We didn't know where to put it all. - Heh.
I thought it was all legal.
I mean, I guess I did until after the break-in...
...when I remembered Gordon got so much of it.
- This is Mr. Liddy? - It's all so rotten.
It's getting worse.
And the only one I care about is Hugh Sloan.
His wife was going to leave him if he didn't stand up and do what was right.
So he quit.
I was wondering...
...if Hugh Sloan was being set up now as a fall guy for John Mitchell.
What do you think?
[SIGHS]
If you guys could get John Mitchell, that would be beautiful.
Coffee's cold.
Is there any evidence...
...that any of Mr. Mitchell's assistants...
...were part of this?
I had all the evidence. It was destroyed. I don't know who destroyed it.
- I think Gordon did a lot of shredding. - Hard evidence?
Well, I can't say that it would positively prove that they planned the break-in...
...but it would come pretty close.
Can you tell me anything, anything, about who got the money?
We have had some help on this from a couple sources...
...and this is a way of confirming it.
I don't want you to feel you're in a position where you have to disclose names.
You know, I can just ask you initials...
...and then that way you're not divulging any information.
We have some idea. Would that be all right?
[SIGHS]
Was there an M?
Can you just nod either way?
Did it go that high up?
L? Hm.
I don't wanna say any more, okay?
I'm sorry, you said L or...?
I get confused. Could we just go back for a second?
CARL: In one six-day period, over $6 million came in.
Wouldn't believe what was going on in that woman.
Stuff was ready to pour out of her. I'm pouring down coffee to get it out...
...before she throws me out.
- Give me your notes so... - These are the notes.
- These? - I got stuff on napkins, matchbooks.
I'm writing in the bathroom while she's getting coffee.
You're crazy. How am I...?
You'd be crazy too if you were operating on 20 cups of coffee.
- Give me something I can get down. - I got it. I got it all. Okay. Write.
- Mitchell was in control. - Wait a minute.
- There were men working under Mitchell. - How many?
I don't know, but the men under Mitchell received the money from the slush fund.
- Do we know how much money? - Yeah, hundreds of thousands of dollars.
And these men are the key to what that money was used for.
Boy, that woman was paranoid.
At one point, I suddenly wondered how high up this thing goes...
...and her paranoia finally got to me.
I thought what we had was so hot that CBS or NBC were gonna take the story.
You're both paranoid.
She's afraid of Mitchell, you're afraid of Walter Cronkite.
- Can we go back to what she said? - Yeah.
Here. L, P and M.
- What do you mean? - L, P and M.
- She'd only give me initials. - Initials?
Yeah, the initials of the men that worked under Mitchell: L, P and M.
You couldn't get the names?
[CARL SIGHS]
If I could've, I would've. I'm trying to get anything I can.
She said L, P and M... That's all she'd give me.
...are the people who worked under Mitchell.
She said something about Mitchell. She hates him.
- She said that? - Here. She said:
"If you guys could get John Mitchell, that would be beautiful."
What are you writing about Sloan?
- "Sloan was the treasurer." - His wife did what?
"His wife is pregnant and made Sloan quit. He no longer wanted to be part of it."
We've gotta go see Sloan.
- Okay, make a note of it. - All right.
So, what have we got? Where's that matchbook? Here.
- L, P and M. - Okay, L, P and M.
- L could be LaRue. It could be Liddy. - L is Liddy.
- How do we know that? - Because she said it.
Right here, she said, "At the time of the break-in...
...there was so much money that I know Gordon got part of it."
I said, "You mean Gordon Liddy?" She said yes. So L is Liddy.
- Right. - Okay, that leaves P and M.
P could be Parkinson.
It could be Porter. It could be...
Wait a minute. There was a guy. There was a guy we talked to last week.
Didn't he say there was a Bart Porter who was a member of the committee?
- Porter was called before the grand jury. - So P is definitely Porter.
P could be Porter.
P is Porter, L is Liddy. That leaves... All that leaves is M.
M could be McCord. That's out.
It could be Mardian.
It could be...
- ...Magruder. - I think it's Magruder.
- I think it's Magruder too. - Why do you think it is?
He was second in command under Mitchell. Why do you?
Because at one time, he was the temporary head of the committee, before Mitchell.
I don't want a cookie. We've gotta get that bookkeeper to say it was Magruder.
- Never get her to say anything but "M." - We gotta go back and get her to say it.
If we can make names of the initials...
...we'll know the people who paid off the burglars.
We'll at least know who got the money.
The indictments that came down from the grand jury today...
...stop with the five burglars, Hunt and Liddy.
Carl, we have got to go back there and get that bookkeeper to say who the names are.
She ain't gonna give it to you.
- I was with the woman for six hours. - We gotta try.
Then you have to trick her, threaten her.
- Wait, you know what we could do? - What?
- Listen, we go back there... - Yeah.
...and you ask her who P is.
- Yeah. - And then I say:
"No, no, no, we know P is Porter." I just bury it.
- Wait a minute. I say to her, "Who is P?" - Right.
- Then you say to me... - I say, "No, we know P is Porter."
- You try to fake her out? - Right.
And what if she denies it?
- We're screwed. - So?
- But if she doesn't, we know P is Porter. - Try it.
- Hi. - They'll see you.
Not if you let us in, they won't.
BOB: I'm Bob Woodward. - They'll see your car.
CARL: We parked around the corner.
You have answers for everything, don't you?
BOB: If we did, we wouldn't be here.
You wrote what I told you.
No, not your name. No one knows it was you.
Could you tell us who got the money? And how much?
You mean like, "What did you do with the 25 grand, lady?"
What?
Little jokes they're making down at Finance these days.
If people are to be convinced that Stans and Sloan are innocent...
...then our reporting must be precise, and you can help us.
- Who is P? - P, we know, is Porter.
You said 25 grand. Is that how much Porter got?
Was it more?
Was it more than $50,000?
Was Magruder the only M to receive money?
Who told you about Porter?
[TYPEWRITER CLACKING]
WOMAN [ON TV]: I'd like to move on to the subject of the break-in at the Watergate...
...and the controversies coming up out of that.
It has recently, very recently, been reported now...
...that some documents were torn up at the Committee to Reelect the President.
Uh, are you investigating the tearing up of those documents...?
KLEINDIENST: I think that came out in the story in the Washington Post.
WOMAN: Yes. KLEINDIENST: I think the investigation...
...that has just concluded itself has probably been one of the most intensive...
...that the Department of Justice and the FBI has ever been involved in.
Some 1500 persons were interviewed...
...1800 leads were followed, 333 agents were involved...
...14,000 man-hours.
Fifty-one of the 59 FBI field officers were involved. Uh...
And that, I think...
...is a great credit to justice in this country.
Did you know that documents had been destroyed?
No, I did not.
CARL: All these neat little houses on all these nice little streets.
It's hard to believe that something's wrong...
...in some of those little houses.
BOB: No, it isn't.
- Hello. I'm Bob Woodward. - Hello. I'm Carl Bernstein.
We'd just like to talk to Mr. Sloan for a couple minutes.
MRS. SLOAN: He's resting right now. - Are you Mrs. Sloan?
- You're the two from the Post, aren't you? BOB: Yes.
- This is an honest house. - That's why we'd like to see your husband.
In the face of charges that might be brought
against people that are innocent, we feel...
It's really for his benefit.
No, it's not.
No.
- It's not. SLOAN: Deborah?
- Tell them to come in. CARL: Thanks.
- Hi. Carl Bernstein. - How do you do? Hugh Sloan.
BOB: Bob Woodward.
- How you doing? Hugh Sloan. BOB: I appreciate you giving us the time.
You know, the reason we're here, basically, is that we talked to certain people...
...who indicated you left the committee...
...because you no longer wanted to be part of it.
Maybe there's a legitimate explanation...
...for why the money was handed to Liddy and Mitchell's aides.
Try and understand this.
- I'm a Republican. - I am too.
Well, I believe in Richard Nixon.
I worked in the White House for four years, and so did my wife.
What happened on June 17th...
...I don't think the president knew anything about.
CARL: Is it possible some of his people might have known?
I'm not sure.
CARL: Think the truth will come out at the trial?
- That's another thing I'm not sure about. - Why?
Obviously because certain people lie to the prosecutor.
No, we were never told flat-out, "Don't talk."
But the message was clear, though.
In other words, by their very silence, there was a cover-up.
They didn't urge us to come forward and tell the truth.
"They" meaning the White House?
The committee's not an independent operation.
Everything's cleared with the White House.
And I don't think that the FBI or the prosecutors understand that.
BOB: That report on the cash...
...in the CREEP safe, that... What was it?... $350,000, is that a...?
- No, more. - Was that a correct figure?
No, it was closer to 1 million.
And as treasurer, you could release those funds?
When so ordered.
BOB: We don't know who could order you.
- We just know there were four. - There were five.
- Five? - Mitchell, Stans, Magruder, they're obvious.
Well, there had to be a White House overseer.
- Yeah, Colson. - What?
No, Colson's too smart to get involved directly with anything like that.
It's Haldeman.
Right?
I won't talk about the other two.
BOB: They both worked at the White House? - One did.
The other one's not in Washington, but that's all I'll say.
- Kalmbach. - Nixon's personal lawyer.
- Yeah. - Right?
BOB: Nixon's personal lawyer? - I can't say anything. I'm sorry.
- Well... - When's the baby due?
Um, soon. Next month.
Are you gonna stay here?
- No, I don't think so. - You decided where you're gonna go?
I've been looking for a job in the private sector, but it's...
It's very hard. My name's been in the papers too much.
- You know one thing I'm not clear about? - What?
I don't know how... How did...?
When you handed out the money, how did that work exactly?
Badly.
[CHUCKLES]
I think what Bob means is, ordinarily, what was the procedure?
Routine. I'd call John Mitchell over at the Justice Department.
- He'd say, "Go ahead, give out the money." CARL: This was all done verbally?
Yes.
We know there were five men who controlled the slush fund.
- Mitchell, Stans and Magruder. - Those three we've got.
- All three have been named by two sources. - What about the other two?
CARL: Kalmbach. BOB: We're pretty sure of Kalmbach.
Maybe you'd better wait till we get all five, huh?
Certain on Mitchell?
We know he approved payments to Liddy while he was attorney general.
- You got more than one source? CARL & BOB: Yes.
HOWARD: Who are they? BOB: Sloan.
Sloan and who else?
Another guy at Justice who won't confirm the other two who controlled the fund.
- What about Deep Throat? BOB: He's not a source on this.
HOWARD: Do any of them have an ax? - Nope.
Personal, political, sexual? Anything at all on Mitchell?
- No. - Can we use their names?
- No. - Goddamn it.
When is somebody gonna go on the record in this story?
You are about to write a story that says the former attorney general...
...the highest-ranking law-enforcement officer in this country, is a crook.
Just be sure you're right.
[LINE RINGING]
WOMAN: Essex House, may I help you? - John Mitchell.
[LINE RINGING]
MITCHELL: Yes?
Sir, this is Carl Bernstein of the Washington Post...
...and I'm sorry to disturb you at this hour.
Tomorrow we're running a story in the paper...
...and we just think that you should have a chance to comment on it.
What does it say?
"John N. Mitchell, while serving as United States attorney general...
...personally controlled a secret cash fund...
...used to gather information about the Democrats...
...according to sources involved in the Watergate investigation."
- Jesus. - "Beginning in the spring of 1971...
...a year before he left the Justice Department...
...to become President Nixon's campaign manager.
On March 1, Mitchell personally approved withdrawals from the fund."
All that crap, you're putting it in the paper?
- Well... - Look, it's all been denied.
Tell your publisher, tell Katie Graham...
...she's gonna get her tit caught in a big ringer if that's published.
Christ, that's the most sickening thing I ever heard.
- I wonder if I could ask you some questions. - What time is it?
It's 11:30, sir.
Eleven-thirty?
- Is it morning or night? - It's 11:30 at night, sir.
- Oh. - Sir, the Committee to Reelect...
...has issued a statement to our story, but there are a couple questions...
Did the committee tell you to go ahead and publish the story?
You fellas have a great ball game going.
As soon as you're done, we're gonna do a story on all of you.
Sir, there's just a couple of questions...
Call my law office in the morning.
There's no question you properly identified yourself?
Said it right off the top.
Mitchell know he was talking to a reporter?
Yeah, but I think I woke him up.
- You have good notes? - Verbatim.
He really said that about Mrs. Graham?
Well, cut the words "her tit" and print it.
- Why? - This is a family newspaper.
[SIGHS]
Once when I was reporting...
...Lyndon Johnson's top guy gave me the word...
...they were looking for a successor for J. Edgar Hoover.
I wrote it, and the day it appeared, Johnson held a press conference...
...and appointed Hoover head of the FBI for life.
When he was done, he turned to his top guy...
...and the president said, "Call Ben Bradlee and tell him, 'Fuck you."'
[CHUCKLES]
Then everybody said, "You did it, Ben. You screwed up.
You stuck us with Hoover forever."
I screwed up...
...but I wasn't wrong. Hm.
How much can you tell me about Deep Throat?
How much do you need to know?
Do you trust him?
Yeah.
I can't do the reporting for my reporters, which means I have to trust them.
And I hate trusting anybody.
Run that baby.
MAN [ON TV]: The Washington Post reported that
while still in office as attorney general...
...John Mitchell had personally controlled a secret Republican fund.
Mitchell denied any such involvement and called the story "ludicrous."
The new charge also brought a response from Vice President Agnew...
...at his stop in Tampa.
I have full confidence in Mr. Mitchell...
...and in the people in the Republican organization...
...and I think that that kind of unattributed report...
...at a time like this is counterproductive.
We must bear in mind that those who published it...
...have already shown their sympathy for the other ticket.
MAN: A band and some young cheerleaders... - All non-denial denials.
They doubt our ancestry, but they don't say the story isn't accurate.
Did you understand one thing he was saying?
CARL: What I can't figure out is, what is a real denial?
Well, if they start calling us goddamn liars, we better start circling the wagons.
- When you think they'll start doing that? - When they get out of Tampa.
[ALL LAUGH]
CARL: Joe, come on, what's going on with you guys at the FBI?
I've been trying to get you for weeks. Secretary says you're not in.
Last night, you said you couldn't talk.
This morning, soon as our Mitchell story hits the stands...
...you call and say you gotta see me right away. Why?
You guys have been causing big trouble at the bureau.
Why?
Our reports are showing up in your paper almost verbatim.
I mean, you've really been on the mark, except for Mitchell.
Now, we didn't have that...
...that he controlled the funds.
Right.
Our agents have been busting ass...
...but we're gonna go back and see if we missed anything.
What I don't understand is all the people who know details of the bugging...
...the FBI hasn't even talked to.
Why have you conducted interviews of CREEP personnel at CREEP headquarters...
...instead of at their homes, where they might feel freer to talk?
Joe, wait a minute.
Why have the interviews at CREEP always been conducted...
...within the presence of the lawyer who works for CREEP?
Look, you know, I can't answer for the whole bureau.
- Oh, come on, I'm just... - I do what I'm told.
I followed my orders, period.
What orders?
CARL: Woodward! Woodward!
Wait!
Bob!
Out of the blue. Out of the blue.
This morning I get a tip to call a guy by the name of Alex Shipley...
...who is now the assistant attorney general of Tennessee.
Now, the guy told me that called me... That said...
He said that Shipley was asked in the summer of 1971...
...by an old Army buddy, a Donald Segretti...
...to join a group of other lawyers...
...for Nixon's campaign to sabotage the Democratic candidates.
- Make a left. We'll go to my place. - Sabotage Democratic candidates?
CARL: I was able to make a couple calls, and
I got Segretti's records for the year...
His travel records for the year 1971-'72.
Does the FBI know...?
- Did you say left or right? - Left, my place.
- We gotta go through the records. - Does the FBI know about Segretti?
FBI interrogated Segretti, found he wasn't involved in the break-in.
They dropped it, didn't follow through.
BOB: Where is he? CARL: He's in California.
BOB: Jesus, look at this. CARL: What?
BOB: Segretti crisscrossed the country at least a dozen times.
Only stayed in cities where there were Democratic primaries.
CARL: If the break-in was just one incident...
...in a campaign of sabotage that began a year before...
BOB: For the first time, the break-in makes sense.
CARL: This isn't so crazy.
This whole thing didn't start with the bugging.
Segretti was doing this a year before the bugging.
And a year before, Nixon was running behind Muskie...
...before Muskie self-destructed.
If he self-destructed.
CARL: Hi. Uh, Donald Segretti? - That's right.
I'm Carl Bernstein from the Washington Post.
Hi.
What can I do for you?
Well, my paper just sent me out here to try to persuade you to go on the record.
Why me?
Because you were the head coordinator...
...of Nixon's sabotage campaign against the Democrats.
- Carl, you want some coffee? - You read my mind.
Carl, tell me something. What...?
What do you imagine the head coordinator does?
I guess basically you were involved in recruiting other people like yourself...
...other lawyers.
- Lawyers? - Like Alex Shipley.
I made it clear that I would not do anything violent or illegal.
What do you mean by illegal?
Watergate. I mean, that's... The whole bugging, that's horrendous.
And what kind of stuff do you guys do, then?
Nickel-and-dime stuff.
Stuff.
Stuff with a little wit attached to it.
You mean when you sent out on Muskie's stationery...
...that Senator Hubert Humphrey was going out with call girls?
Listen, if anything, it helped the man's image.
What was the one on Muskie's stationery you sent out...
...that said that Scoop Jackson was having a bastard child?
So sometimes it got up to a quarter, off the record.
I think one of the most interesting ones was the "Canuck" letter.
What about it?
Come on. Where you claimed that Muskie slurred the Canadians.
No, I didn't write that.
Do you know who did?
Carl, when you guys print it in the papers, then I'll know.
Smart guy, Donald.
You're no dummy.
I'm a lawyer, Carl.
I'm a lawyer.
I'm a good lawyer...
...and I'll probably wind up going to jail and being disbarred.
And I don't know what I did that was so goddamn awful.
I'll tell you something. None of this was my idea.
- I didn't go looking for the job. - Well, that's important.
Chapin came to you.
You know what?
It's funny, but I keep forgetting that you guys knew each other in college.
You were friends at SC, you and Chapin. Who else was there?
There was me...
...Dwight...
...Ziegler.
The whole USC mafia.
And that's when you got involved in the student elections...
...and started to try to get your man in, so you stuffed ballot boxes and...
What was that term you guys used for screwing up the opposition?
- Rat-fucking. - That's right.
You were doing the same stuff...
...when you were out campaigning for President Nixon.
Let me tell you something, we did a lot of worse things in college.
[CHUCKLES]
Look, let me ask you something, Carl.
What would you have done if you were just out of the Army...
...been away for four years...
...didn't know what kind of law you wanted to practice...
...and one day you get a call from an old friend...
...asking if you wanna go to work for the president of the United States?
Jeez. Chapin was the appointment secretary for Nixon when he called.
Yeah.
If those sinister things really happened, I don't think Dwight knew about them.
- He just did what he was told. - Told by who?
DEEP THROAT: What's the topic for tonight?
Rat-fucking.
In my day, it was simply known as a double-cross.
In our present context...
...it means infiltration of the Democrats.
Segretti won't go on the record...
...but if he would, we know he would implicate Chapin.
And that would put you inside the White House.
Who?
Can you be specific?
How high up?
You'll have to find that out for yourself.
I don't like newspapers.
I don't care for inexactitude and shallowness.
The CREEP slush fund...
...that financed the rat-fucking, we've just about got that nailed down.
Did you change cabs?
BOB: Yeah.
Does the FBI know what we know?
Does Justice?
Why haven't they done anything?
If it didn't deal directly with the break-in, they didn't pursue.
Who told them not to?
Don't you understand what you're on to?
- Mitchell knew? - Of course Mitchell knew.
Do you think something this size just happens?
Haldeman had to know too.
You'll get nothing from me about Haldeman.
Segretti said that...
Don't concentrate on Segretti. You'll miss the overall.
The letter that destroyed the Muskie candidacy...
...did that come from inside the White House?
- You're missing the overall. - But what overall?
They were frightened of Muskie, and look who got destroyed.
They wanted to run against McGovern. Look who they're running against.
They bugged, they followed people.
False press leaks, fake letters.
They canceled Democratic campaign rallies.
They investigated Democratic private lives.
They planted spies, stole documents, and on and on.
Now, don't tell me you think this is all the work...
...of little Don Segretti.
The FBI and Justice know this?
[CAR ENGINE STARTS]
[TIRES SCREECH]
[CHATTERING]
MAN 1: Send me the clips on the Food and Drug story.
MAN 2: Yes, sir, and I want... My question is...
- Carl. - Yeah?
Why don't you pick up your messages?
- Right. You got a cigarette? - Yeah.
Who's Pete Teller?
Haven't the slightest idea. I have this whole place to take care of.
- Carl? - Yeah, one second.
- Tell him to leave his number next time. - Will do.
- Hi. - You guys know about the "Canuck" letter?
Yep. I'm sorry, I'm late.
I just wanna make sure you know who wrote it, though.
CARL: What?
You mean the letter that sabotaged the Muskie candidacy? All right, come here.
- When did he tell you this? - I already told you...
I gotta tell Bob.
- Woodward. BOB: What?
CARL: One second. Come here, come here, come here.
Come here. Tell him what you told me.
Come here, sit down.
Just exactly the way you said it to me, just say it to him.
Ken Clawson told me he wrote the "Canuck" letter.
CARL: The letter that said Muskie was slurring the Canadians.
The deputy director of Communications wrote the "Canuck" letter.
- When did he tell you? - We were having drinks.
CARL: Where were you? - My apartment.
CARL: When did you say he told you?
SALLY: Two weeks ago. CARL: What else did he say?
He didn't say anything? Come on, you're hedging.
Do you think he said it to get you to go to bed with him?
CARL: Jesus. BOB: No, I wanna hear her say it.
You think he said that to impress you to try to get you to go to bed with him?
CARL: Why did it take you two weeks to tell us this, Sally?
I guess I don't have the taste for the jugular you guys have.
MAN: There's no specific cause, no...
BOB: You're claiming it was a misunderstanding?
CLAWSON [OVER PHONE]: Absolutely. Sally's got it all wrong.
I never told her I wrote that letter.
We were shooting the breeze about the election.
She's an awfully good reporter.
I don't remember her getting much wrong before, do you?
That's a real bullshit question.
That is a question straight out of Wichita, Kansas.
Listen, one last thing.
Do you remember where this shooting the breeze took place?
What do you mean, where?
Well, I mean, was it a restaurant or her apartment or a bar?
Look, I've forgotten the entire incident, but it wasn't in her apartment.
Do you remember when...?
I don't have time for this. I'm a busy man.
- You get that? - What did he say about meeting in a bar?
- He forgot the incident. - He didn't deny it.
That's a non-denial denial.
- Wichita, Kansas? - Yeah, he said, "That's a bullshit question."
I know what he said, but I'm from Wheaton, Illinois.
Hey, Bob, Carl, he's on the phone.
BOB: Who? - Clawson.
- What line? - Get on Line 4 and transcribe this, will you?
- Four. - Wait.
- Four? - Okay? Yeah.
Yes, Ken?
CLAWSON: Sally, for chrissakes, don't tell them I came to your place.
Why not? What's wrong with coming over for a drink?
You and me, in your apartment?
Well?
Jesus Christ, you just shot me down.
If that appears in the papers, that I'm over at your house having a...
- Well, do you know what that does? - Well, I don't see why.
You don't? You don't?
- But there's nothing bad about it. - Well, there sure is.
Jesus Christ. This is just incredible.
Well, I have a clear conscience.
Sally, I have a wife and a family and a dog and a cat.
BOB: She said he was in her house having a drink.
I don't care where it happened. What happened is what counts.
CARL: When we asked him about it...
[PHONE BEEPS]
...he said he forgot the entire incident.
BEN: Yeah? WOMAN: Ken Clawson on the line.
- Ken Clawson on the line. BOB: Jesus.
Ken. What's up, kid?
CLAWSON: Ben, now, look, this whole thing that's going on over there...
...I want you to know I never claimed authorship of the "Canuck" letter.
- Says he never wrote the letter. CLAWSON: It's some misunderstanding...
Ken, Ken. Slow, slow, slow down, Ken. You sound frazzled.
No, Ben, please listen.
Now, if you're going to refer to that alleged conversation...
...with Sally Aiken, you can't print that it took place in her apartment.
I have a wife and a family and a dog and a cat.
A wife and a family and a dog and a cat. Right, Ken, right. Yeah.
Ken, I don't wanna print that you were in Sally's apartment.
Oh, thank God.
I just wanna know what you said in Sally's apartment.
[PHONE RINGING]
Hello?
BOB: I just got a tip from our FBI source. The secret cash fund financed Segretti.
- Jesus. - All right, now, listen.
Chapin hired Segretti, we know that. And we know Haldeman hired Chapin.
Haldeman has to be the fifth name to control the fund.
Sloan knows.
We've only got four of the five who controlled the fund.
- It has to be Haldeman. - I don't think we've got it.
We know the fifth is a top White House official.
- No one has said it. - No one's denied it.
That still doesn't prove it was Haldeman.
If you go to bed and there's no snow, and you wake up and there's snow...
...you can say it snowed, although you didn't see it.
If we can't prove the fifth is Haldeman, we're wiped out.
Everything in that campaign is done with his approval.
Everybody who works under Haldeman does so with his knowledge.
Everybody is under Haldeman except the president.
Common sense says it's Haldeman.
If we go and see Sloan, and we tell him that we know...
...that he named Haldeman to the grand jury...
Then all we would need to do is have him confirm it.
Right.
- Wanna do it that way? - Yes.
Let's go back and see Sloan.
We can't go now, because he's not home yet.
He might not be answering, but he might be there.
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
- Hi. SLOAN: Please.
We've already written the story. We just need you to define...
SLOAN: Debbie's in the hospital and my in-laws are...
BOB: Two questions? CARL: We understand.
BOB: Two questions?
The cash that financed the Watergate break-in.
Five men had control of the fund.
Mitchell, Stans, Magruder, Kalmbach. We have confirmations on those four.
- We found out Haldeman's the fifth. - I'm not your source.
- All we're asking you to do is confirm. - I'm not your source on Haldeman.
When you were questioned by the grand jury...
You had to name names.
- Of course, everything they asked. - All right.
Well, uh...
What do you think?
Say we wrote a story that said Haldeman was the fifth to control the fund.
- Would we be in any trouble? - Would we be wrong?
Let me put it this way.
I would have no problems if you wrote a story like that.
- You wouldn't? - No.
- That's okay. Yeah. - Okay.
- Oh, you had a baby. - Yeah. My wife did.
- Is it a boy or a girl? - It's a girl.
- Congratulations. - Oh, great.
Thank you.
BOB: Sorry to have bothered you. - Yeah.
CARL: Will you give our best to her? - I will.
Well, I think that Woodward's just...
And I am curious of the fact that the FBI, in its entire inquiry...
...never talked to or did inquiries into the
second most powerful man to the president.
JOE [OVER PHONE]: You don't seem to understand.
No, you get nothing about Haldeman out of me.
CARL: But we don't need to know anything, Joe.
Tomorrow we're going with a story on the FBI.
- What does that mean? - We're going to establish in that story...
...that you guys just about blew the whole investigation.
Oh, no, we didn't miss so much.
You didn't know Haldeman had control of the fund.
It's all in our files.
- Not about Haldeman. - Yeah, Haldeman. John Haldeman.
Look. Now, look, I'm very busy. I gotta go. I gotta go put the kids to bed.
[LINE DISCONNECTS]
That's the confirmation right there.
Wait a minute, wait a second. Did he say John?
- He said Haldeman. - He said John Haldeman.
What difference does it make if he said Isaiah or David?
There's only one Haldeman.
BOB: Well, Isaiah or David aren't assistant to the president.
I don't know, it still feels thin.
- Christ, I wish I knew if we could print this. HARRY: Wait a minute.
We didn't make them do these things. Once they did, they're fair game.
HOWARD: Let's go over your sources again.
BOB: Sloan told the grand jury. He answered everything they asked him.
That means there's gotta be a record somewhere.
CARL: He told the grand jury, the FBI confirms. What more do you need?
I happen to love this country.
- We're not zanies out to bring it down. HOWARD: Weren't you arguing the opposite?
HARRY: No, no, not at all. - I can't believe it.
Now, hold it. Hold it.
HARRY: One has nothing to do with the other.
We're about to accuse Haldeman...
...the second most important man in this country...
...of conducting a conspiracy from inside the White House.
It would be nice if we were right.
HOWARD: You double-checked your sources? - Jesus.
BEN: Bernstein, are you sure on this story? - Absolutely.
BEN: Woodward? - I'm sure.
I'm not. Still seems thin.
Get another source.
CARL: How many fucking sources do they think we've got?
- Are you sure Deep Throat won't confirm? BOB: He won't confirm, I told you.
- The guy in Justice? - Can't call him.
- He's next to the grand jury. BOB: We have no choice.
Twenty minutes to deadline.
I don't even know if I can get him on the phone.
[LINE RINGING]
WOMAN: Dr. Kissinger's office. - Deputy general's office, please.
[LINE RINGING]
- Do you know when you expect him back? WOMAN: I believe he's left for the evening.
If you'd like to leave a message, could you hold, please?
Hi, this is Carl. I'm sorry to disturb you now.
We're going with the story that Haldeman was the fifth in control of the fund.
We got three confirmations. If you could just help us, I'd appreciate it.
MAN: I won't say anything about Haldeman.
I understand. We know it's against the law for you to say anything.
If you could warn us to hold on the story, we'd appreciate it.
I'd really like to help you, but I can't.
Look, I'm gonna count to 10, all right?
If there's any reason we should hold on the story, hang up before I get to 10.
If the story's all right, you'll be on the phone after I get to 10, all right?
- Hang up, right? - That's right.
- You got it? - Yeah.
We're straight? All right. I'm gonna start counting. Okay?
- We all right? - Yeah.
Okay, I'm counting.
One, two, three...
...four, five, six...
...seven, eight, nine...
...10.
You got it straight now?
- Everything okay? - Everything's fine.
Woodward!
We got it.
- He confirmed. - What happened?
I said, "If I get to 10 and you don't hang up, it's solid."
- He confirm? - Absolutely.
We gotta tell Bradlee.
MAN: The New York Times had three columns on it.
BOB: Bernstein got another source. The guy at Justice confirmed.
- If there's doubt, we can run it tomorrow. - The story's solid. We're sure of it.
I just got off the phone with him. It's gold.
Okay, we go with it.
Woodstein!
- You know what it's about? - No.
ANNOUNCER [ON TV]: Sloan, who resigned as campaign treasurer...
...after the Watergate break-in...
...showed up for a deposition in the suit on disclosure of campaign contributions...
...and denied naming Haldeman.
REPORTER 1: Would you comment on your testimony before the grand jury?
- I'd like my attorney to answer that. - The answer is an unequivocal no.
Mr. Sloan did not implicate Mr. Haldeman in that testimony at all.
REPORTER 2: Did Mr. Sloan acknowledge that it was an espionage fund?
ATTORNEY: No, not at all.
REPORTER 2: Did he mention use of funds for espionage activity?
ATTORNEY: None whatsoever. Thank you, gentlemen.
ANNOUNCER: Sloan expanded his denial to include his statements to the FBI...
...and to all federal authorities.
Later, at the White House...
...News Secretary Ronald Ziegler delivered a strong attack...
...on the Washington Post.
ZIEGLER: Why is the Post trying to do it?
You have a man...
...who's the editor of the Washington Post by the name of Ben Bradlee.
I think anyone who were to honestly assess what his political persuasions are...
...would, I think, come to the conclusion quite quickly...
...that he is not a supporter of President Nixon.
I respect the free press.
I don't respect the type of journalism...
The shabby journalism that is being practiced...
...by the Washington Post.
All I know is that the story that ran this morning is incorrect...
...and has been so stated as being incorrect...
...by not only me, but by the individual whose grand-jury...
Secret grand-jury testimony they based their story on.
And that individual has denied that he ever so testified.
ANNOUNCER: No sooner had Ziegler finished...
...than the president's campaign manager, Clark MacGregor, met with reporters.
MacGREGOR: Using innuendo, third-person hearsay...
...unsubstantiated charges, anonymous sources...
...and huge scare headlines...
...the Post has maliciously sought to give the appearance...
...of a direct connection between the White House and the Watergate...
...a charge which the Post knows...
...and half a dozen investigations have found, to be false.
The hallmark of the Post's campaign is hypocrisy...
...and its celebrated double standard is today visible for all to see.
BOB: What do you mean? - I'm not talking about Haldeman.
CARL: What went wrong? - Nothing.
Tell us what went wrong.
BOB: Didn't you say the FBI had information on Haldeman in the files?
We have it in the notes from the conversation with you on the phone.
We have to go talk to your boss if you don't talk.
JOE: What the hell are you talking about? I'll deny everything.
We're just trying to find out if we made some errors.
If we made a mistake, we'll come off the story.
CARL: Just tell us if we're wrong.
Tell us if we screwed up. Tell us if it's wrong. Tell us...
I'm not talking about it.
I am not talking to you about Haldeman or anybody else.
I can't even be seen talking to either one of you bastards.
CARL: What are you afraid of? Who got to you?
BOB: Are we being set up?
CARL: Are we? Tell us. BOB: Are we being set up?
CARL: Just tell us, we won't say anything. - Fuck you. And fuck you.
BOB: Honest to God, I just don't understand.
CARL: It's in the notes.
"Yeah, we had another call all along. I've got another call. I've gotta go."
"Did you mean Bob Haldeman?" "Yeah, Bob Haldeman."
CARL: Jesus, what was our mistake?
BOB: Maybe there was no mistake.
CARL: Then they're just setting us up. Then the whole thing was a setup.
And they just hung us.
HOWARD: More denunciations. Gonna have to make a statement, Ben.
One senator just gave a speech slurring us 57 times in 20 minutes.
I knew we had enemies, but I didn't know we were this popular.
Wow, look at this.
My non-denial denial.
Fuck it, let's stand by the boys.
HOWARD: Okay. Foreign?
All right, here's our headline.
Radio Hanoi reports the United States-North Vietnam agreement...
...for a settlement of the Vietnam War.
[PHONE RINGING]
MAN [ON RADIO]: Artie was just saying, in the few seconds we have left...
...just saying that vibrato sound that she had then, she still has now.
[MUSIC PLAYING ON RADIO]
CARL: Woodward, what did you find out? What did he say?
- What time is it? - You fell asleep?
BOB: Oh, goddamn it.
[BOB SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
DEEP THROAT: Over here.
- You let Haldeman slip away. - Yes.
You've done worse than let Haldeman slip away.
You got people feeling sorry for him. I didn't think that was possible.
In a conspiracy like this...
...you build from the outer edges and you go step by step.
If you shoot too high and miss, everybody feels more secure.
- You put the investigation back months. - Yes, we know that.
And if we're wrong, we're resigning.
Were we wrong?
- You'll have to find that out, won't you? - I'm tired of your chicken-shit games.
I don't want hints.
I need to know what you know.
It was a Haldeman operation.
The whole business was run by Haldeman, the money, everything.
It won't be easy getting at him. He was insulated.
You'll have to find out how.
Mitchell started doing covert stuff before anyone else.
The list is longer than anyone can imagine.
It involves the entire U.S. intelligence community.
FBI...
...CIA, Justice.
It's incredible.
The cover-up had little to do with Watergate.
It was mainly to protect the covert operations.
It leads everywhere.
Get out your notebook. There's more.
Your lives are in danger.
CARL: Hi. I finally got Sloan on the phone.
[CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING OVER SPEAKERS]
BEN: Why couldn't you tell me over the phone?
- Phones aren't safe. - Can't trust them.
- Come on in. BOB: We can't come in, sir.
CARL: Woodward says there's electronic surveillance.
- Surveillance? Who's doing it? - It's being done.
- People's lives are in danger. BEN: Wait.
- Maybe even ours. BEN: What happened to that Justice source?
I made the instructions too complicated.
He thought I said "hang up," I said "hang on."
- Jesus Christ. BOB: The story is right.
Haldeman was the fifth man to control that fund.
- Sloan would've told the grand jury. - Sloan wanted to.
BEN: Why didn't he? - Because nobody asked.
The cover-up had little to do with the break-in.
It was to protect covert operations...
...involving the entire U.S. intelligence community.
Did Deep Throat say that people's lives are in danger?
- Yes. - What else did he say?
He said everyone is involved.
You know the results of the latest Gallup poll?
Half the country never even heard of the word "Watergate."
Nobody gives a shit.
You guys are probably pretty tired, right?
Well, you should be. Go on home.
Get a nice hot bath, rest up 15 minutes...
...then get your asses back in gear.
We're under a lot of pressure, you know, and you put us there.
Nothing's riding on this...
...except the First Amendment of the Constitution...
...freedom of the press, and maybe the future of the country.
Not that any of that matters...
...but if you guys fuck up again, I'm gonna get mad.
Good night.
[TYPEWRITER CLACKING]
ANNOUNCER [ON TV]: Now, fellow Americans...
...the honorable chief justice will administer the oath of office...
...to the president of the United States of America.
Mr. Chief Justice.
[MARCHING BAND PLAYING ON TV]
CHIEF JUSTICE: Mr. President, are you ready to take the constitutional oath?
If you will place your left hand on the Bible and raise your right hand...
...and please repeat after me:
I, Richard Nixon, do solemnly swear...
NIXON: I, Richard Nixon, do solemnly swear...
CHIEF JUSTICE:... that I will faithfully execute
the office of president of the United States...
NIXON:... that I will faithfully execute the
office of president of the United States...
CHIEF JUSTICE: ...and will, to the best of my ability...
CHIEF JUSTICE: ...preserve, protect and defend...
...the Constitution of the United States...
...preserve and protect and defend the Constitution of the United States...
CHIEF JUSTICE ...so help me God.
[MARCHING BAND PLAYING "HAIL TO THE CHIEF" ON TV]
[GUNSHOTS ON TV]
[GUNSHOTS CONTINUE ON TV]