Mark Felt aka "Deep Throat" Dies
He was the first major whistleblower of our time, and speculation on his identity was the topic of numerous books and articles until 2005, when his family revealed his part in the major political drama of the Sixties:
W. Mark Felt Sr., the associate director of the FBI during the Watergate scandal who, better known as "Deep Throat," became the most famous anonymous source in American history, died yesterday. He was 95.
Felt died at 12:45 p.m. at a hospice near his home in Santa Rosa, Calif., where he had been living since August.
Felt "was fine this morning" and was "joking with his caregiver," according to his daughter, Joan Felt. She said in a phone interview that her father ate a big breakfast before remarking that he was tired and going to sleep.
"He slipped away," she said.
As the second-highest official in the FBI under longtime director J. Edgar Hoover and interim director L. Patrick Gray, Felt detested the Nixon administration's attempt to subvert the bureau's investigation into the complex of crimes and coverups known as the Watergate scandal that ultimately led to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon.
He secretly guided Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward as he and his colleague Carl Bernstein pursued the story of the 1972 break-in of the Democratic National Committee's headquarters at the Watergate office buildings and later revelations of the Nixon administration's campaign of spying and sabotage against its perceived political enemies.
What about Daniel Ellsburg? I would say he was the first major whistleblower - and a little more courageous that Mr. Felt.
But Mr. Felt does deserve credit for help bringing down one helluva a monster.
I think I have to give Deep Throat credit for my interest in politics and history and justice...I was 8 years old and riveted by the Watergate hearings and the books and all that went along with it. It was THE topic at family dinners and I remember being in awe that one person could make such a difference, cause a tipping point. (I remember my aunt had everyone over for "highballs" and basically had a parlor game to guess who it might be! God, if she only knew it would take 30+ years to find out!)
Now we know/suspect that Deep Throat had some personal & professional motivations (revenge?) other than simply the do-good option but wow, what a secret! (Unless you're Nora Ephron :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwSQuhFItpM
That is amazing.
I was 24 in 1973. The commercial broadcast stations carried the complete house committee hearings.
We didn't miss a minute of the proceedings. The entire period was riveting.
And now we learn that Nixon knew it was Felt.
Felt had been in with J. Edgar Hoover who had the goods on everyone who was anyone in Washington and had for over forty years. If there were goods to be had.
Presidents could not move against Hoover, the same reason that Nixon could not move against Felt. He would blow them up big time.
Niccolo Machiavelli, everything old is new again.
statusquObama, change you can only pretend in
the secret died with Patrick Gray.
Not like this guy that the right wing call a patriot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GBAsFwPglw
Give Felt credit for giving the goods to Woodward, but he was a VERY flawed hero.
Felt ordered up several of the same illegal black-bag operations against the Weather Underground that Nixon pulled at the Watergate against the Democratic party. Felt broke the law, violated the constitution and was convicted for it.
Nixon testified for Felt at his trial, and sent him a bottle of champagne when Reagan pardoned him.
Were Felt's actions in Watergate driven by his concern for the rule of law, or the fact that he was pissed off that Nixon didn't pick him to head the FBI? Probably both, maybe more of the latter than the former.
and the reason felt was passed over, was because he was a jew
nixon hated jews
its still amazing that this paranoid, racist, anti semite was ever elected
even more amazing that in 72, a large contingent of jews, supported his presidency
R.I.P. Mark Felt
Amazing this secret was kept for 30 years. Despite bringing down the Nixon administration, the intelligence agencies have only become stronger and more corrupt. Our own presidend and vice president were even willing to out a cover CIA operative, Valerie Plame, for political reasons. One way or another it seems as if the honorable people serving in our intelligence agencies are either driven out or forced out.
Eventually he died.
Wee warm sparks in the cold endless night of time.
Look!
oh; gone.
nevermind.
I thought it was Jimmy James from Newsradio.
... but this guy was into some other stuff that really wasn't.
CoIntelPro, where are you?
Corruption favors the wealthy.
I've been reading up on Felt today, and learned that he was pardoned by Reagan for his involvement in break-ins during the Weather Underground investigation. Anybody here think that Reagan knew that Felt was Deep Throat?
I guess it all depends on what one considers "our time". I think the Pentagon Papers pre-dated Deep Throat.
God Bless You Mr. Felt, may you Rest In Peace! With what's going on in America today Americans will never know a better patriot! That's sad. There is no real Americans left. Now, we have an Iraqi throwing a shoe at the problem when we Americans should be "throwing the book" at BushCo....and defend our choice to be real Americans again. Thank you Mr. Felt! Thank You! Yes, we are still in that battle!
Mark Felt's partying with Linda Lovelace now.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
It's fascinating how much can be dissected from a past administration 35+ years later, and there may still be more of the Nixon tapes awaiting to be dissected and reviewed for the public...I wonder how long it will take to dissect the scandals occurring under Bush and Cheney's watch. It's much like lifting a big tree stump (not just a log) to find maggots underneath when presidents like Nixon, Reagan, and the Bushies have been all secretive.
As for Mark Felt, he is someone to be proud of, and disclosing that he was deep throat at a later and safer time (over a decade after Nixon died).
Comments are closed on this entry