“Gavel-to-Gavel”: The Watergate Scandal and Public Television

Cast of Characters

Part of what made the Watergate coverage so captivating was its exciting cast of characters. On July 13, 1973, Jim Lehrer said of the Committee, “Before Watergate, Baker was just Senator Dirksen’s son in law, Ervin was just one of those charming, old Southern senators who voted against civil rights legislation, and on down the line. Now they have all become very important parts of our daily lives.” (click here to see MacNeil and Lehrer comment on each senator) In addition to the senators, a parade of cops, crooks, and campaign men each had their day before the Committee. The following page will help viewers identify these men (and one woman) while watching the broadcasts.


Jump to:

NPACT
The Senate Watergate Committee
The Nixon Administration
The Committee to Reelect the President
The Burglars
Other Witnesses
Expert Commentators

NPACT

Robert MacNeil Jim Lehrer Peter Kaye
Robert MacNeil Jim Lehrer Peter Kaye
NPACT Senior Correspondent NPACT Senior Correspondent NPACT Correspondent

The Senate Watergate Committee

Sam J. Ervin Jr. Howard H. Baker Jr. Edward J. Gurney
Sam J. Ervin Jr. Howard H. Baker Jr. Edward J. Gurney
Committee chairman, D-N.C. Committee vice chairman, R-Tenn. R-Fla.
Daniel K. Inouye Joseph M. Montoya Herman E. Talmadge
Daniel K. Inouye Joseph M. Montoya Herman E. Talmadge
D-Hawaii D-N.M. D-Ga.
Lowell P. Weicker Samuel Dash Fred D. Thompson
Lowell P. Weicker Samuel Dash Fred D. Thompson
R-Conn. Chief majority counsel Chief minority counsel

The Nixon Administration

Richard M. Nixon H. R. Haldeman Jr. John Ehrlichman
Richard M. Nixon H. R. Haldeman John Ehrlichman
President, resigned August 9, 1974 Chief of Staff, resigned April 30, 1973; Assistant to the President since 1969 Chief advisor for domestic affairs, resigned April 30, 1973; Assistant to the President from 1969
Does not Testify 7/30/73, 7/31/73, 8/1/73 7/24/73, 7/25/73, 7/26/73, 7/27/73, 7/30/73
John W. Dean III Charles W. Colson Richard G. Kleindienst
John W. Dean III Charles W. Colson Richard G. Kleindienst
Counsel to the President, resigned April 30, 1973. Responsible for organizing the cover up Former special counsel to the President, resigned March 10, 1973 Attorney General, resigned April 30, 1973
6/25/73, 6/26/73, 6/27/73, 6/28/73, 6/29/73 Does not Testify 8/7/73
Henry E. Petersen John J. Caulfield Gordon C. Strachan
Henry E. Petersen John J. Caulfield Gordon C. Strachan
Assistant Attorney General Treasury Department official, former White House aide Former White House aide, former assistant to Haldeman
8/7/73 5/22/73, 5/23/73 7/20/73, 7/23/73
Patrick Buchanan Alexander P. Butterfield Richard A. Moore
Patrick Buchanan Alexander P. Butterfield Richard A. Moore
Speechwriter, Presidential aide Administrator of the FAA, former White House aide Special counsel to the President
9/26/73 7/16/73 7/12/73, 7/13/73, 7/16/73
William H. Marumoto Spiro Agnew Clay T. Whitehead
William H. Marumoto Spiro Agnew Clay T. Whitehead
Former Presidential aide Vice President, resigned October 10, 1973 Director of the Office of Telecommunications Policy (OTP)
11/7/73 Does not Testify Does not Testify

The Committee to Reelect the President (CREEP)

John N. Mitchell Frederick C. LaRue Robert C. Mardian
John N. Mitchell Frederick C. LaRue Robert C. Mardian
Director of CREEP; Former Attorney General, resigned March 10, 1972 Aide to Mitchell at CREEP Aide to Mitchell; Counsel to CREEP
7/10/73, 7/11/73, 7/12/73 7/18/73, 7/19/73 7/19/73, 7/20/73
Hugh W. Sloan Jr. Robert Reisner Jeb Stuart Magruder
Hugh W. Sloan Jr. Robert Reisner Jeb Stuart Magruder
Treasurer of CREEP Aide to Magruder, Deputy director of CREEP Deputy campaign director; Director of policy development in the Commerce Department, resigned April 26, 1973
6/6/73, 6/7/73 6/5/73 6/14/73
Robert C. Odle Jr. Maurice H. Stans Herbert W. Kalmbach
Robert C. Odle Jr. Maurice H. Stans Herbert W. Kalmbach
Director of administration and personnel Finance chairman; Chief fundraiser; Former Secretary of Commerce, resigned February 15, 1972 Deputy finance chairman; Personal attorney to the President
5/17/73 6/12/73, 6/13/73 7/16/73, 7/17/73
Herbert L. Porter Alfred C. Baldwin Donald H. Segretti
Herbert L. Porter Alfred C. Baldwin Donald H. Segretti
Campaign aide CREEP aide, former FBI agent “Dirty tricks” man
6/7/73, 6/12/73 5/24/73 10/3/73
Martin Douglas Kelly Robert Benz Sally Harmony
Martin Douglas Kelly Robert Benz Sally Harmony
Assistant to Segretti Assistant to Segretti Secretary to Liddy
10/4/73 10/4/73 6/5/73
Benjamin Fernandez
Benjamin Fernandez
Organizer of National Hispanic Finance Committee for CREEP; Economist
11/8/73

The Burglars

E. Howard Hunt Jr. James W. McCord, Jr. Bernard L. Barker
E. Howard Hunt Jr. James W. McCord, Jr. Bernard L. Barker
Former CIA operative, Consultant to Colson Former security coordinator for CREEP, Burglar Former CIA employee, Burglar
9/24/73, 9/25/73 5/18/73, 5/22/73 5/24/73
G. Gordon Liddy Virgilio R. Gonzales Eugenio R. Martinez
Counsel at CREEP. Former FBI agent, Convicted January 3, 1973 Burglar Burglar
Did not Testify Did not Testify Did not Testify
Frank A. Sturgis
Burglar
Did not Testify

Other Witnesses (in order of appearance)

Bruce Kehrli Paul W. Leeper Carl M. Shoffler
Bruce Kehrli Paul W. Leeper Carl M. Shoffler
Staff secretary, special assistant to the President Sergeant, Metropolitan police Police Officer
5/17/73 5/17/73 5/18/73
Anthony T. Ulasewicz Gerald Alch Richard M. Helms
Anthony T. Ulasewicz Gerald Alch Richard M. Helms
Former NYPD officer James McCord’s former attorney CIA director, fired February 2, 1973
5/23/73, 7/18/73 5/23/73, 5/24/73 8/2/73
Robert E. Cushman Vernon A. Walters Richard M. Helms
Robert E. Cushman Vernon A. Walters L. Patrick Gray III
Deputy director of the CIA, ending December 1971 Deputy director of the CIA; Acting director July 2, 1973 – September 4, 1973 Acting director of the FBI, resigned April 27, 1973
8/2/73 8/3/73 8/3/73, 8/6/73
John R. Buckley Michael W. McMinoway Frederick J. Taugher
John R. Buckley Michael W. McMinoway Frederick J. Taugher
Former OEO official, “Fat Jack” Undercover agent in McGovern campaign, “Sedan Chair II” McGovern campaign coordinator
10/9/73 10/10/73 10/10/73
Kenneth Hickman Richard Stearns Frank Mankiewicz
Kenneth Hickman Richard Stearns Frank Mankiewicz
LAPD Lieutenant McGovern coordinator McGovern campaign director
10/10/73 10/11/73 10/11/73
Truman Campbell Michael Heller Tim Lee Carter
Truman Campbell Michael Heller Tim Lee Carter
Chairman, Republican Central Committee in California College student, Member of Democrats for Nixon Congressman, R-Ky
11/6/73 11/6/73 11/6/73
Paul Brindze Jeremiah P. Sullivan John J. Priestes
Paul Brindze Michael Heller John J. Priestes
Law student, McGovern campaign worker Boston police officer Miami contractor
11/6/73 11/6/73 11/7/73
Matthew E. Clark, Jr. Robert Bartlome Orin E. Atkins
Matthew E. Clark, Jr. Robert Bartlome Orin E. Atkins
Director of purchasing, American Shipbuilding Co. Company secretary, American Shipbuilding Co. Board chairman, Ashland Oil Company
11/13/73 11/13/73 11/14/73
Claude C. Wild Jr. Camilo Fabrega Neal Robinson
Claude C. Wild Jr. Camilo Fabrega Neal Robinson
Vice president for government affairs, Gulf Oil Company Head of the Panamanian office, Braniff Airways Assistant Treasurer, Braniff Airways
11/14/73 11/15/73 11/15/73
George A. Spater Russel DeYoung
George A. Spater Russel DeYoung
Former president and board chairman, American Airlines Board chairman, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
11/15/73 11/15/73

Expert Commentators (in order of appearance)

William Greenhalgh Alan Barth David Wise
Georgetown Law Author/Journalist Author
5/18/73, 5/22/73, 5/23/73, 6/12/73, 6/27/73 5/18/73, 5/23/73, 5/24/73, 6/5/73, 6/12/73, 6/14/73, 7/25/73 5/18/73, 8/6/73
Adrian Fisher Phillip S. Hughes David Austern
Georgetown Law Office of Federal Elections, GAO Georgetown Law
5/24/73 6/6/73 6/7/73, 6/13/73, 6/28/73, 6/29/73
Herbert Alexander John Kramer Stephen Hess
Campaign Finance Institute Georgetown Law Brookings Institution, Former Nixon aide
6/13/73 6/14/73, 6/25/73, 6/26/73, 7/12/73, 7/17/73, 7/18/73, 7/23/73, 7/24/73, 7/25/73, 10/11/73 6/25/73, 6/26/73, 6/27/73, 6/28/73, 6/29/73, 7/10/73, 7/11/73, 7/12/73, 7/13/73, 7/17/73, 7/18/73, 7/19/73, 7/23/73, 11/8/73
David Epstein Bob Kharasch Jack Murphy
Georgetown Law Attorney and Author Georgetown Law
7/10/73, 7/11/73, 7/13/73, 7/16/73, 7/20/73 7/16/73 7/19/73, 7/26/73, 7/27/73, 8/1/73, 8/2/73, 8/3/73, 8/6/73, 8/7/73, 9/24/73
Clark Mollenhoff Haynes Johnson John Lofton
Columnist Washington Post Editor, G.O.P. Newsletter
7/20/73, 7/27/73 7/24/73 8/1/73, 8/2/73, 10/11/73
Dick Cavett Hugh Sidey George Will
Host, Dick Cavett Show Time Magazine Editor, National Review
8/2/73 8/7/73, 9/24/73 9/25/73
Henry Trewhitt Richard Smolka Jules Witcover
Newsweek American University Washington Post
9/26/73 10/3/73 10/4/73
Mike McClister Howard McCurdy Phil Cailey
Political consultant American University Knight Newspapers
10/9/73 10/10/73 11/7/73
Peter Lisagor Jim Polk Bob Jackson
Chicago Daily News Washington Star News Los Angeles Times
11/13/73 11/13/73, 11/14/73 11/15/73

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