The Chronic Curmudgeon

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May 31, 2005

Deep Throat Revealed

Every once in a while, life hands you a "Holy Shit" moment. Today was one such day.

After more than 30 years of speculation, intrigue, and frankly embellishment, the ultimate source was revealed, when W. Mark Felt admitted that he was, in fact, "Deep Throat," the source that Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein relied upon to keep themselves pointed in the right direction during the investigation of Watergate.

W. Mark Felt was the #2 man at the FBI during Watergate. He was in a position to know everything the investigators knew about the break-in and its cover-up, and he was in a position to know everything that the Nixon Administration was doing to both obstruct the investigation and take control of the FBI. He did something about each.

For anyone thinking that this is much ado about nothing, consider these two facts: this scandal brought down an American president -- the only such occurance in our history; and more than 30 years later, the identity of this source is front page news. For anyone who lived through Watergate (or for that matter, who saw "All The President's Men"), the identity of this source was one of the great pieces of political intrigue of our lifetimes.

Things I'm thinking of tonight:

1) In an era when nobody trusts the press and everyone seems to argue that reporters rank only slightly above politicians and lawyers on the chain of disgusting human beings, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein kept their word and never revealed their source. Their devotion was so great that even today when the news first broke, both men -- concerned that Felt's mental state wasn't complete enough to make him aware of what he was saying -- continued to play coy and refused to confirm the information. I know some friends of mine found "Woodstein"'s reaction frustrating, but I found it refreshing and honorable. Till the last, the reporters protected their sources.

2) Was Mark Felt a hero? On one hand, he wasn't the only source for information; he did leak information pertaining to a pending investigation to the press; and he did serve time in jail for the illegal surveillance in the 1970s. On the other hand, his credibility and the accuracy of his information did help pull the cover off of one of the great political scandals of our time; he leaked because he knew the administration was actively trying to impede the investigation; and by today's standards the Weather Underground would be considered terrorists, and you'd find few who'd argue that illegal surveillance of terrorists is a terrible thing.

Also, for anyone who's served in the military, you know that not only does the Uniform Code of Military Justice only require you to follow lawful orders, but that they drill it into you that your obligation as an officer or enlisted person is to refuse to obey an unlawful order. Inherent in this implication is that it is the duty of an officer of the United States Armed Forces -- and by extension, an officer of the US government -- to resist an unlawful order. Laws were being broken in Watergate, and the executive branch was illegally impeding the investigation of that crime. To continue covering up the full story would have been, in effect, aiding and abetting the crime. I think Mark Felt lived up to the spirit of the law, if not its letter.

I don't think it's true that Watergate wouldn't have been discovered and Nixon wouldn't have resigned if not for Deep Throat; I think the Washington Post was onto the story and would have eventually gotten it anyway. But I do think Deep Throat hastened the process -- at great professional or even personal risk to himself. Mark Felt saw injustice, and did something about it. For that, I think that despite his flaws, we can elevate him to hero.

Posted by Christopher on May 31, 2005 09:46 PM

Comments

Posted by: Brenda Helverson at June 1, 2005 09:32 AM

Posted by: jillian at June 2, 2005 02:55 AM