Watergate: The Presidential Scandal That Shook America

Rating:
Summary: Pointless
Review: As someone who has read several books on Watergate, I have to ask: why was this published? It contains no new research, no new interviews, no revelations. The entire book is cobbled together from other books, which means that far too many important points and details are glossed over or ignored. What's worse is Olson's prose, so flat and lackluster that it reads like a description of a Senate Appropriations Bill, rather than as the story of the greatest constitutional crisis of the 20th century. Don't be fooled by the inexplicable raves on the cover-this is barely adequate at best. For a thorough and compelling read on Nixon's downfall, read Fred Emery's Watergate instead.

Rating:
Summary: simplistic and historically inaccurate
Review: It's unfortunate that most people don't remember what Watergate was but is even more unfortunate when historians forget what it was! First off, there is no evidence that the whitehouse approved the Watergate break-in! I have listened to over 500 hours of the tapes and not once does anyone approve the break-in. Again, it is a conclusion made by the author with no documentations (mainly because it does not exist.)

That being said, the author also forgets to place Watergate into the proper perspective, meaning Vietnam. After Daniel Ellesberg stole classified government documents, the President created the Plumbers to help plug the leaks. This led to the Fielding break-in, which Nixon ordered for National Security because he believed that the documents put U.S. soldiers at risk, and a plan by Chuch Colson to retrieve stolen documents from the Brookings institution. Also, the public did not know that Nixon was secretly meeting with the Chinese, the Soviets, and Le Duc Tho. Mainly because the public debates, begun under LBJ, were unproductive and Nixon believed that leaks would discourage the Chinese, Soviets, and North Vietnamese from further negotiations.

AS for Watergate, after the Plumbers were disbanded, many of them were rehired by the Committee to Re-elect the President or CRP. Note to author, the press renamed CRP CREEP...it was not called CREEP! From here, what happens is up to speculation but what is certain is that the CRP broke into Watergate and not the White House. Nixon, of course, began covering up at this point, claiming political containment, and approving hush money for the "burglars (they never stole anything)."

Nixon admitted to his misjudgement and did the honorable thing and resigned. It is baffling that so many historical erros could be made because there is over 5,000 hours of tapes at the National Archives and they provide enough sources to produce a far bettter book. In my opinion, there has not been a well-researched and definitive work on Watergate. Most of them are simplistic, neglect the Vietnam War, and look at Watergate in mere political context. Olson's Watergate is one of those.

Rating:
Summary: simplistic and historically inaccurate
Review: It's unfortunate that most people don't remember what Watergate was but is even more unfortunate when historians forget what it was! First off, there is no evidence that the whitehouse approved the Watergate break-in! I have listened to over 500 hours of the tapes and not once does anyone approve the break-in. Again, it is a conclusion made by the author with no documentations (mainly because it does not exist.)

That being said, the author also forgets to place Watergate into the proper perspective, meaning Vietnam. After Daniel Ellesberg stole classified government documents, the President created the Plumbers to help plug the leaks. This led to the Fielding break-in, which Nixon ordered for National Security because he believed that the documents put U.S. soldiers at risk, and a plan by Chuch Colson to retrieve stolen documents from the Brookings institution. Also, the public did not know that Nixon was secretly meeting with the Chinese, the Soviets, and Le Duc Tho. Mainly because the public debates, begun under LBJ, were unproductive and Nixon believed that leaks would discourage the Chinese, Soviets, and North Vietnamese from further negotiations.

AS for Watergate, after the Plumbers were disbanded, many of them were rehired by the Committee to Re-elect the President or CRP. Note to author, the press renamed CRP CREEP...it was not called CREEP! From here, what happens is up to speculation but what is certain is that the CRP broke into Watergate and not the White House. Nixon, of course, began covering up at this point, claiming political containment, and approving hush money for the "burglars (they never stole anything)."

Nixon admitted to his misjudgement and did the honorable thing and resigned. It is baffling that so many historical erros could be made because there is over 5,000 hours of tapes at the National Archives and they provide enough sources to produce a far bettter book. In my opinion, there has not been a well-researched and definitive work on Watergate. Most of them are simplistic, neglect the Vietnam War, and look at Watergate in mere political context. Olson's Watergate is one of those.

Rating:
Summary: Den of ...
Review: Taut summary account of the Watergate tale. This era remains in memory as a series of journalistic fragments and television images half-remembered. It is useful to redo the tape to assemble a fully coherent image and this work is an excellent short history and analysis, from the Plumbers to Deep Throat to nervous breakdown and resignation, exeunt omnes, quite a few, save but one, with no get out of jail free card. The book brings in a theme by way of diagnosis in terms of the corrosive effect of the 'imperial presidency' and the covert perversions of 'presidential will' proceeding in Cold War prerogative as progressive Machiavellian disease to the Nixonesque fatal dosage. As a mere peon here not fooled for once, one is struck by the curious impudence of incompetent villainy, and the strange fortune that a picture of rank dishonesty starting as routine business as usual as if this were all presumed is what finally led to exposure. One gets the bad feeling the other smiling faces in the photo ops are less incompetent, no proof of virtue.