As seen in the National Geographic video, the Watergate scandal involved a burglary and following cover-up that eventually forced President Nixon to resign. The scandal was the first time a President had ever resigned from the office, and shows how corruption can exist at even the highest levels of government.
The scandal began with a break-in at the Democratic National Committee, when five operatives were arrested. Although there was little initial interest, some of the burglars were soon found to be linked to the Committee to Reelect the President. Nixon was currently enjoying high approval ratings, but he was described as being paranoid. Even though he had a large lead in the polls heading into the 1972 election, he was still concerned about winning the election.

The total investigation was a slow process, with more details slowly emerging. After the burglars were found to be linked to the Committee to Reelect the President, there was growing interest that the White House might be directly involved. Some of the burglars indicated as such, as one of the burglars asked for counsel from the Republican National Committee, but received no help. This made him volunteer to share everything he knew with federal investigators. Soon, the burglars were linked to several presidential aides.

Nixon then asked some of his aides to resign, as it became apparent he was growing nervous that the break-in might be linked to him directly. Soon, there was the discovery that Nixon had recorded every private conversation he had in the White House. This led to the possibility that the tapes would reveal Nixon’s direct involvement with the break-in. Nixon could have destroyed the tapes at this time, but he chose not to. Because he didn’t, the tapes were soon subpoenaed, which meant they had to be turned over. Nixon first stalled releasing the tapes, and then eventually, when the tapes were released, there was an eighteen minute gap in one of the recordings. The gap was claimed to have been the result of a mistake made by one of the aides who was transcribing the tapes, but the press and the public did not believe it. At this point, there was a Special Prosecutor appointed. Nixon ordered his Attorney General to fire the Special Prosecutor, who refused.

Soon, Nixon was found to be in violation of interfering with a federal investigation. As pressure mounted, Nixon ultimately was forced to resign. During a speech, he said he was never a quitter, but that due to the investigation he was unable to do his job, and that America needed a full-time president. This was the first time a president had ever resigned.

The reason for the break-in was not simply so Nixon would win, but so he could learn strategies that would allow him to win by the biggest margin in American history. This reveals some of Nixon’s state of mind. He was both paranoid and very egotistical.

The Watergate scandal shows how a small political incident can suddenly become a major story. Woodward and Bernstein, two reporters working for the Washington Post, kept following the story until it led them to the White House. The main reason Nixon was forced to resign was because of the coverup that followed, rather than the break-in itself. By erasing tapes and interfering with a federal investigation, it became evident that Nixon would most likely face impeachment if he decided to remain in office. The coverup became too large to control. Rather than face impeachment, Nixon ultimately chose to resign from the presidency, despite having won his reelection by an enormous margin.