Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/17/us/jeb-magruder-79-nixon-aide-jailed-for-watergate-dies.html?_r=1
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Jeb Magruder, 79
About five days ago, one of the key aides who had blown the Watergate Scandal had died. But what legacy does he leave behind? Looking at history, it usually glorifies the successful people like Napoleon or Washington. But what about the small people? The people who are unmentioned in history such as Claudette Colvin or Jeb Magruder. Starting out with Barry Goldwater's failed presidential campaign as a coordinator in the election of 1964, he ended up becoming a coordinator for Nixon's campaign in South California. But when Nixon had won the election, he was promoted to the Commerce department as the director of policy planning. But as the Watergate Scandal had happened, he was the person who actually authorized the break ins. After committing perjury, he was released after seven months in 1975. Really, it wasn't until 2003 that he had actually admitted to hearing Nixon himself authorize the break in to the Democratic Headquarters.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/17/us/jeb-magruder-79-nixon-aide-jailed-for-watergate-dies.html?_r=1
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/17/us/jeb-magruder-79-nixon-aide-jailed-for-watergate-dies.html?_r=1
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Good post! It's nice to see that people are beginning to take the time to look further into the seemingly less important people because they often times have just as big an impact. Magruder is a great example, mainly because Nixon's final political downfall can be traced back to this man.
ReplyDeleteI cannot speak for the rest of us, but I find the Watergate scandal extremely interesting. The actions of Nixon's aides and Nixon himself seem to be, in retrospect, absolutely stupid. These men, leading the free world, made a handful of knucklehead decisions that eventually lead to the resignation of a successful presidency. It almost feels as though the men had a skewed version of the law. But, Hey what do I know? Thoughts?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you followed up on this because remembering the lesser known heroes of history brings up the question of what happens to them afterward and how they deal with everything. I also wonder why people like this aren't made more prominent when teaching history...
ReplyDeleteI think this man shows how much politics and power can influence a person. This man kept silent for over 25 years. His loyalty to his party forced his mouth closed. This man remains unmentioned in history because he is no one's friend. He let loose the Watergate Scandal and also participated in it so no side views him as a good person. Since both sides do not like him, his story is removed from the walls of history.
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