Watergate

De: Garrett M. Graff

Narrado por: Jacques Roy, Garrett M. Graff

Duración: 25 h y 25 m

Resumen del Editor

Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * “Do we need still another Watergate book? The answer turns out to be yes—this one.” —The Washington Post * “Dazzling.” —The New York Times Book Review

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Only Plane in the Sky, comes the first definitive narrative history of Watergate—“the best and fullest account of the crisis, one unlikely to be surpassed anytime soon” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)—exploring the full scope of the scandal through the politicians, investigators, journalists, and informants who made it the most influential political event of the modern era.

In the early hours of June 17, 1972, a security guard named Frank Wills enters six words into the log book of the Watergate office complex that will change the course of history: 1:47 AM Found tape on doors; call police.

The subsequent arrests of five men seeking to bug and burgle the Democratic National Committee offices—three of them Cuban exiles, two of them former intelligence operatives—quickly unravels a web of scandal that ultimately ends a presidency and forever alters views of moral authority and leadership. Watergate, as the event is called, becomes a shorthand for corruption, deceit, and unanswered questions.

Now, award-winning journalist and bestselling author Garrett M. Graff explores the full scope of this unprecedented moment from start to finish, in the first comprehensive, single-volume account in decades.

The story begins in 1971, with the publication of thousands of military and government documents known as the Pentagon Papers, which reveal dishonesty about the decades-long American presence in Vietnam and spark public outrage. Furious that the leak might expose his administration’s own duplicity during a crucial reelection season, President Richard M. Nixon gathers his closest advisors and gives them implicit instructions: Win by any means necessary.

Within a few months, an unsteady line of political dominoes are positioned, from the creation of a series of covert operations code-named GEMSTONE to campaign-trail dirty tricks, possible hostage situations, and questionable fundraising efforts—much of it caught on the White House’s own taping system. One by one they fall, until the thwarted June burglary attracts the attention of intrepid journalists, congressional investigators, and embattled intelligence officers, one of whom will spend decades concealing his identity behind the alias “Deep Throat.” As each faction slowly begins to uncover the truth, a conspiracy deeper and more corrupt than anyone thought possible emerges, and the nation is thrown into a state of crisis as its government—and its leader—unravels.

Using newly public documents, transcripts, and revelations, Graff recounts every twist with remarkable detail and page-turning drama, bringing readers into the backrooms of Washington, chaotic daily newsrooms, crowded Senate hearings, and even the Oval Office itself during one of the darkest chapters in American history.

Grippingly told and meticulously researched, Watergate is the defining account of the moment that has haunted our nation’s past—and still holds the power to shape its present and future.

©2022 Garrett M. Graff. All rights reserved. (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

I can’t get over how good this is

The deep dive into the full range of sources, compiled into a beautifully sequenced work and masterfully narrated with appropriate dispassion - it’s a brilliant treatment on this most challenging of subjects in modern American history.

Best Watergate book I’ve read (heard)

I have read several Watergate books, and this one is by far the easiest to understand. The author really made Watergate come to life and made all of the confusing pieces fit together.

Wonderful!!!!

So good that within the year I hope to listen to this again. Watergate and the cover up is complicated, and this book, laying out the players and facts in a logical and compelling way, was so helpful to me. Great narration. So many details, and still the book is compelling and interesting.

The Depth

I appreciated the depth the author achieved with the complex situation. He was able to clearly present a multi layered story that has profoundly affected US politics for decades since.

The long version

Seems like a complete story of the goings on in this event. Told from the perspectives of the inner most characters. A long listen…..it answered for me some of the questions about this event.

Great book!

I am one of those people who lived through, never fully understanding the full impact of Watergate. I lived this book.

Pretty thorough

I've read a lot on Watergate and this book told me things I didn't know.

Glad I read it ---

Having lived-through-it, I've never felt compelled to read any Watergate book, but I am certainly glad I made this purchase. Also, at 687 pages of text, I am just as glad to have the book in hand while reading along with the Audible narration by Jacques Roy in the background.

Graff's lively, rewarding book is meticulously researched, catalogued, annotated, footnoted, and indexed; it is hard to find fault with it. If anyone is looking for a day-by-day, hour-by-hour, and (at times) minute-by-minute report on the entire Watergate affair, this is it. I’d argue that, unless you are a devoted historian on the subject, you may not already know the whole story.

That said, I must admit, around page 350 or so, I was asking myself why the Heck I was reading this. I also know I would not have been able to put it down.

For whatever it is worth, Graff makes no overt effort to relitigate the events, argue the legal/moral predicaments, and offers no opinions or judgments; he simply has written an excruciatingly detailed chronological retelling of the events, which often contains recently revealed and released information not found in earlier books.

I had all but forgotten about Agnew's resignation in the middle of Watergate. Also, I had all but forgotten about the Arab/Israeli Yom Kippur War, Oct '73, which took place while Nixon was licking his wounds at Bebe Rebozo's private Key Biscayne Florida compound. For an extended period, we had no "functioning" president --- so Henry Kissinger stepped into the void and made decisions, which should have been made by the Commander in Chief, if only we had had one.

Things got so dark for Nixon that, for a while, whether Nixon was suicidal was a whispered yet open question within in the White House inner circle. So, "arrangements were made" --- if Nixon ordered a nuclear missile launch: "Double-check with us, first" was the order.

Lastly, it is impossible to read this book without thinking of Donald Trump, because Nixon never, ever expressed any true remorse over his actions, leaning mostly on the dog-eared "national security" smokescreen.

I don't know if I can convincingly put this in the "must-read" category, but I am darn glad I read it.

INCREDIBLE RETELLING OF WATERGATE...

Great effort and result - As much about Watergate as I've ever heard or read. Solid, and Nixon brought himself down, but the hatred was not one-sided, by Far!

Good narration and recount!

GRADE: A

Great!

Absolutely fantastic book and narration, I would recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about Watergate.