Scorpions' Dance

The President, the Spymaster, and Watergate

By: Jefferson Morley

Narrated by: John Pruden

Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

For the 50th anniversary of the Watergate break-in: The untold story of President Richard Nixon, CIA Director Richard Helms, and their volatile shared secrets that ended a presidency.

Scorpions' Dance by intelligence expert and investigative journalist Jefferson Morley reveals the Watergate scandal in a completely new light: as the culmination of a concealed, deadly power struggle between President Richard Nixon and CIA Director Richard Helms.

Nixon and Helms went back decades; both were 1950s Cold Warriors, and both knew secrets about the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba as well as off-the-books American government and CIA plots to remove Fidel Castro and other leaders in Latin America. Both had enough information on each other to ruin their careers.

After the Watergate burglary on June 17, 1972, Nixon was desperate to shut down the FBI's investigation. He sought Helms' support and asked that the CIA intervene—knowing that most of the Watergate burglars were retired CIA agents, contractors, or long-term assets with deep knowledge of the Agency's most sensitive secrets. The two now circled each other like scorpions, defending themselves with the threat of lethal attack. The loser would resign his office in disgrace; the winner, however, would face consequences for the secrets he had kept.

Rigorously researched and dramatically told, Scorpions' Dance uses long-neglected evidence to reveal a new perspective on one of America's most notorious presidential scandals.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press.

©2022 Jefferson Morley (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

Excellent and detailed history

The book doesn’t stray off topic. The author’s point is that: Watergate and the Kennedy assassination are two parts of the same story. Morley does a fantastic job weaving together a hidden history. It’s like if a red string wall was historically accurate. I recommend this as a companion to: Legacy of Ashes, also on Audible.

Amazing well documented. Shocking in content.

When one considers how much came to light - that the CIA was not completely torn down and restructured. Makes one wonder how bad things are now. Great research and compellingly paced.

strays off topic

seems more like a jfk assassination book than Watergate coverup book. The author is obviously knowledgeable and passionate about both topics and what's more intriguing than CIA working against our own citizenry for political means. I just found it to stray too far sometimes into other topics (namely the JFK assassination). Overall though very interesting and not too shabby.

Another Nixon Book

Content that seems is a bit of a stretch at most to believe. New way of slanting the details and facts to blame the incredulous. Nixon and CIA…

Illuminating

Very revealing and educational. Well-written with an excellent vocabulary. Really rounds out the story of Nov. 22, 1963 which I listened to in a previous book here on Audible.