The Watergate Affair

In 1972, Richard Nixon was re-elected. It would be a year of success and failure for the president. Thanks to his efforts, the Vietnam War was coming to an end. In June, however, several Republican Party operatives were arrested while breaking into Democratic election campaign headquarters in the Washington, D.C. Watergate complex. Reports soon revealed the break-in as part of a Nixon administration conspiracy to gain Democratic inside information.

Many officials in Nixon’s administration resigned after their involvement in the Watergate scandal became known. Nixon was implicated in the cover-up and the misuse of the CIA for political means. Although he maintained his innocence, the U.S. House of Representatives determined there was enough evidence to begin impeachment proceedings.

On August 9, 1974, rather than going through impeachment proceedings, Nixon became the first president to resign from office.