After discovering the existence of White House audiotapes, the Senate Watergate Committee subpoenaed them. President Richard Nixon refused to comply, claiming executive privilege, but the Supreme Court later ordered him to release the tapes. On July 27, 1974, the House Judiciary Committee approved three articles of impeachment based on the content of those recordings, prompting Nixon’s resignation on August 9.
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives and Records Administration
President Richard M. Nixon’s final departure from the White House, photograph by Robert L. Knudsen, August 9, 1974
The Watergate Break-in
On June 17, 1972, police arrested burglars wiretapping the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. Evidence linked the break-in to President Richard Nixon’s re-election committee, and the Justice Department appointed a special prosecutor for the case. In February 1973 the Senate established a select committee chaired by Senator Sam Ervin of North Carolina to investigate the 1972 presidential election campaigns. The investigation revealed audiotapes incriminating President Nixon, which eventually led to Nixon’s resignation. Nationally televised, the hearings of the Watergate Committee inquiry boosted public confidence in Congress.
It has been alleged that, following the Watergate break-in, there has been a massive attempt to cover up all the improper activities . . . which, if true, represent interference in the integrity of the prosecutorial and judicial processes of the Nation.
Senator Sam Ervin of South Carolina, Hearings before the Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities . . . , 1973
After discovering the existence of White House audiotapes, the Senate Watergate Committee subpoenaed them. President Richard Nixon refused to comply, claiming executive privilege, but the Supreme Court later ordered him to release the tapes. On July 27, 1974, the House Judiciary Committee approved three articles of impeachment based on the content of those recordings, prompting Nixon’s resignation on August 9.
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives and Records Administration
