Deep Throat Revealed?

[Greg Wagner]

Is Felt telling the truth?

Mark Felt, who retired from the FBI after rising to its second most senior position, has identified himself as the "Deep Throat" source quoted by The Washington Post to break the Watergate scandal that led to President Nixon's resignation, Vanity Fair magazine said Tuesday.

"I'm the guy they used to call Deep Throat," he told John D. O'Connor, the author of Vanity Fair's exclusive that appears in its July issue.

Felt, now 91 and living in Santa Rosa, Calif., reportedly gave O'Connor permission to disclose his identity.

"The Felt family cooperated fully, providing old photographs for the story and agreeing to sit for portraits," Vanity Fair stated in a press release.

Felt said he was "only doing his duty" and did not seek to bring down Nixon over the cover-up of a break-in at Democratic Party offices in the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C.

Carl Bernstein, who with Bob Woodward broke the story as Washington Post reporters, issued a statement neither denying nor confirming Felt's claim. Bernstein stated he and Woodward would be keeping their pledge to reveal the source only once that person dies.

NBC News commentator Chris Matthews, who wrote a book about Watergate, said he wasn't surprised, adding that Felt "has always been the leading suspect."

The last Felt boomlet was in 1999, when a high school senior in New York claimed that Bernstein's son let the secret slip at a summer camp.

In the article, O'Connor reports that Felt's children, Joan and Mark Jr., urged him to go public after he revealed his secret to them in 2002.

Felt argued with them, O'Connor writes, saying he didn't want the story out there.

“I don’t think (being Deep Throat) was anything to be proud of,” Felt indicated to his son, Mark Jr., at one point, according to the article. “You (should) not leak information to anyone.”

But Joan is quoted as saying that "Bob Woodward's gonna get all the glory for this, but we could make at least enough money to pay some bills, like the debt I've run up for the kids' education. Let's do it for the family."

O'Connor adds that Felt finally agreed, saying "that's a good reason" even though Mark Jr. recalls him as saying "he wasn't particularly interested" in disclosing the secret.

Felt is one of a number of people who have been named over the years as the source whose disclosures helped bring down the Nixon presidency. Others include Assistant Attorney General Henry Peterson, deputy White House counsel Fred Fielding, and even ABC newswoman Diane Sawyer, who then worked in the White House press office.

In 1999, Felt denied he was the man.

“I would have done better,” Felt told The Hartford Courant. “I would have been more effective. Deep Throat didn’t exactly bring the White House crashing down, did he?”

[Steve Thomas]

Greg,

Is Felt telling the truth?

I don't have the transcript in front of me, but apparently on October 13, 1972, H.R. Halderman told Richard Nixon that Mark Felt was the source of many, if not most of the leaks in the Watergate case.

I think RN and HRH knew as far back as October of 1972 who Deep Throat was.

Steve Thomas

[James Richards]

This was posted on the Net 12 minutes ago. The Washington Post confirms it was Felt.

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/internatio...fm?id=598362005

James

Edited June 1, 2005 by James Richards

[Nancy Eldreth]

Right now my mind is on DEEP THOUGHT with this whole thing.

I said it out loud in front of my boss today as he called me into the kitchen with the TV on and knew I would like to hear the news as it was being told.

I flipped out. NO THIS IS WRONG AND SOMETHING IS WRONG AND THIS IS STILL A CONSPIRACY.

Glad that later on I caught the news channel and they had a speaker come on from in DC and she said my thoughts as well on this whole thing but I had more issues with this as well.

First of all it was months ago that it was annouced that DT was dying and that Bruinstein had written DT's words down to be announced in the news.

Second, It was always announced that DT would be alive or dead when he would be announced and it had to come from Woodward.

This is the point the news made as well where is Woodward to confirm this and he has not as of yet. I am not sure he still has at this time.

SO there is something very wrong.

Where is the confirmation? NONE

Maybe tonight on Nightline maybe or later on in the news.

The one that I later on thought to be DT passed away last week. To add to this but not sure about it not yet. SO WHAT IS GOING ON HERE.

No not the first to not answer me on it Bob Vernon.

Also my hint on something that DT first name is Bob. NOT WITH THIS GUY.

The news that they named this again also said YES IT IS POSSIBLE THAT FELT COULD BE. NOT SURE ON HOW MANY WERE INVOLVED IN THIS EITHER. GOOD POINTS. I also feel that more than one was. So perhaps he was involved in this.

Seems so odd they announced only months ago he is dying, they will anounce soon who DT is now a change in plans so perhaps this man mind is off at his age.

LOOKING FOR CONFIRMATION ON FACTS FROM WOODWARD.

[Nancy Eldreth]

Well I am slow in hearing this.

Woodward confirmed.

Why today? Why now? Why change in plans from him being dead and then telling it out or later. I heard something about money anyone know what that is about?

Anyone know this.

[James Richards]

Mark Felt with daughter Joan. This image was taken in the last few days.

james

[Pat Speer]

Well I am slow in hearing this.

Woodward confirmed. 

Why today? Why now?  Why change in plans from him being dead and then telling it out or later.  I heard something about money anyone know what that is about? 

Anyone know this.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Nancy, when I head about this story this morning, I went back and read every reference to Felt in every book I have on Watergate, over 30, and felt a big DUH. It's obviously him. That he is not mentioned once in All The President's Men or The Final Days is a bit of a give-away, particularly since Haldeman and Nixon discuss Felt's leaking info to the Post on the tapes. Which brings up a new question. On the tapes Haldeman reveals that their source that Felt was a leaker was a lawyer working for The Post, and that they cannot publicly out Felt as a a leaker or they will lose their insider at The Post. Anyone know who this was?

As to why today? Evidently, Felt is in very poor health and his family wanted him to receive some accolades before he died.

[Ron Ecker]

Haldeman and Nixon discuss Felt's leaking info to the Post on the tapes.

This raises the obvious question of why Felt didn't "commit suicide," have a "heart attack," die in a plane crash, or fall out of a boat and drown.

Ron

[Tim Gratz]

Perhaps proving that the Nixon group was all talk when it came to matters as serious as murder?

[Mark Knight]

Having trouble producing a link, but I read earlier Tuesday that Felt was convicted of illegal wiretapping in the COINTELPRO program against members of the "Weather Underground"/"Weathermen" domestic terrorist organization; but before serving any jail time, Felt was pardoned in April, 1981 by then-President Ronald Reagan.

Prior to his conviction, Felt was in line to possibly inherit the J. Edgar Hoover chair at the FBI.

Anyone besides me think that Nixon might have "greased the skids" under Felt re: the COINTELPRO conviction, thereby ending his ascent ?

Here's one link:

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/a...t_deep_throat_2

Edited June 1, 2005 by Mark Knight

[Pat Speer]

Anyone besides me think that Nixon might have "greased the skids" under Felt re: the COINTELPRO conviction, thereby ending his ascent ?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's worth looking into. I also find it interesting that Hersh reported on the CIA's domestic surveilance only a few months after Nixon's resignation. Nixon suspected the CIA was behind his ouster. Was this his revenge?

[Mark Knight]

Perhaps proving that the Nixon group was all talk when it came to matters as serious as murder?

Tim, the others may give you a pass on that comment; I won't.

In light of how Nixon's political future was connected with the assassinations of JFK, MLK, and RFK, and the attempted assassination of George Wallace...I think it's rather reckless to say that they were "all talk when it came to...murder."

Rather...I believe that the jury's still out [figuratively speaking...especially since there has been NO grand jury empaneled in Texas to investigate the JFK assassination] on that question. But if you ask, "who was the political beneficiary" in each case, an argument can be made that it was Richard Nixon over and above any other contenders. In fact, Nixon is the ONLY politician whose future got brighter with EACH of these incidents. So I think it's still premature--lo, these 35-40 years later--to imply impotence to Nixon's mob when it came to murder.

[Nancy Eldreth]

Pat, it maybe very well revenge he didn't raise up to become head of FBI.

What is unsettling to me is what Woodward some years back announced about DT. That is that he isn't CIA or FBI. Now this is a complete turn around.

He pushed people off of it. He was to give hints but that was certainly one hint in very poor taste.

It did throw off anyone coming close to who he was.

Very unsettling to me.

Also Felt's close connections to Hoover is now one that really should explode into a thousand ways. This is good that it finally has come out.

It does raise as John Dean and Liddy stated more questions.

I do and have believed that DT is more than one person SO DO THEY. Dean knows more onto why and how many more questions this raises.

Why now, well they at one point stated MONEY the family needed. So Felt is going to get paid not for him but for his family.

Now I only heard this once and it was fast when stated I think on CNN news not sure. After they removed that information.

I do hope that is renamed again.

I was hoping this would be on far more and talk to many of those that knew Nixon and how things were and thank God that there are so many now living to tell this information to help more to be made known.

I have a feeling as more does come out and I do think it will, most will know that Nixon was very set up. This is what I do hope will happen.

WHO IS THE REST OF DT? Felt, didn't act alone, Dean does make it clear that Felt would not know or come to be in grips with some of the information that was given over to Woodward. SO MORE TO COME, I DO HOPE SO. It (is) (was) a group.

Another thing they finally did pick up on again is that Woodward had once stated his sources. MORE THAN ONE.

A conspiracy is not what they hoped to come out with DT and Woodward when it is more than one to do an illegal action it is then a conspiracy. WATERGATE IS AND WAS A CONSPIRACY TO KNOCK DOWN A PRESIDENT.

Why would one so high up go in the middle of the night to meet a nowbody at that time just a reporter only for a few months and unexperienced one at that? Another question raised now. I have said this one before. IT can't be that DT is someone high up, how wrong I was on that one. I think this goes way up high but into a conspiracy factor that is.

Another thing I picked up in the rerun of the film All the Pres. Men that DT was to have said. It is "this goes all the way into everything and it is because of culvert operations." Something along those lines. (TO COVER)

[Tim Gratz]

well, Mark, you don't get a pass from me.

It is absolutely ridiculous and obscene for anyone to try to connect Nixon to the murder of RFK and the attempted murder of George Wallace merely because he was the political beneficiary of the death of RFK (yes, I suspect RFK probably would have beaten Nixon in the election) and George Wallace without any evidence whatsoever to connect him to those murders.

This is worse than McCarthyism. To quote a famous statement from the Army-McCarthy hearings, "Have you no shame"? How would you like it if someone unjustly accused you of murder or some other heinous act?

RFK's wife certainly benefited financially from his murder. Does that mean she plotted it?

And what possible motive did Nixon have to kill JFK? He was not a mind-reader. JFK could not have run in 1968 had he been re-elected so Nixon woould have been running against a non-incumbent. With LBJ assuming the presidency in 1963, LBJ had the right to run for a second term in 1968. Nixon had no way to predict how LBJ would destroy himself politically. Had LBJ been popular, it would have been harder to Nixon to get elected President in 1968. From a purely political standpoint, Nixon had no reason to seek JFK's death.

And there is not one scintilla of evidence to link Nixon to any of those assassinations.

So I say, shame on you!! Shame, shame!! I don't think there is sufficient evidence to link LBJ to JFK's death and I don't really like that happening either, although there is the troublesome issue of the alleged Mac Wallace fingerprint. Even though LBJ was clearly a crook, and clearly the political beneficiary of the JFK assassination, in my opinion that is not sufficient evidence to impugn his reputation.

[Robin Unger]