On this day, June 17, in 1972, five men were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office and apartment complex in Washington.
The ensuing scandal led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation two years later.
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Early that morning, Frank Wills, a security guard at the Watergate, noticed a piece of tape on the door between the basement stairwell and the parking garage. He called D.C. police.
The burglars wore surgical gloves and carried electronic bugging equipment. One of the men, James McCord, was security chief for the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP).
Investigations revealed a massive White House dirty tricks campaign to sabotage political opponents.
During a Senate select Watergate committee hearing, a former White House staffer revealed that Nixon had been taping all of his conversations and telephone calls. Recordings later revealed a White House attempt to cover up the break-in as early as six days after it occurred.
On Aug. 9, 1974, Nixon became the first U.S. president to resign.
