The Strong Man: John Mitchell and the Secrets of Watergate

Synopsis

Rosen (a Washington correspondent for Fox News) presents a biography of Richard Nixon's Attorney General John Mitchell, whose conviction in the Watergate cover-up trial provided the dubious honor of being the highest-ranking US government official to have to serve time in prison. Rosen addresses a host of previously unanswered questions, including whether Mitchell ordered the Watergate break-in, Mitchell's role in the SEC case against fugitive financier Robert Vesco, the role of the Central Intelligence Agency in Watergate, the response of Mitchell to the discovery that the Joint Chiefs of Staff were spying on Nixon and Henry Kissinger, Mitchell's activities concerning school desegregation and antitrust laws, and Mitchell's response to Kent State. Also covered is Mitchell's involvement in cases concerning Daniel Ellsberg, Lt. William Calley, Jimmy Hoffa, Robert Vesco, Abe Fortas, Clement Haynsworth, John Lennon, the Berrigan Brothers, the Black Panthers, and ITT. In the end, Mitchell is portrayed as a man who repeatedly served as a restraining influence on the darker urges of Richard Nixon and as a victim of many unfair charges concerning the Watergate affair, although some unpunished crimes are also noted, such as his illegal intervention with South Vietnamese officials at the 1968 Paris peace talks, his false testimony before the Senate concerning the ITT case, and his false statements to the FBI agents investigating the 1969-71 Kissinger wiretaps. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc. , Portland, OR (booknews. com)

Copyright:

2008

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

ISBN-13:

9780385525466

Related ISBNs:

9780385508643

Publisher:

Knopf

Date of Addition:

12/13/10

Copyrighted By:

James Rosen

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

History, Nonfiction, Biographies and Memoirs, Politics and Government

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.