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The Right and the Power: The Prosecution of Watergate

by Leon Jaworski

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2344115,835 (3.36)8
The secrets of Watergate were hidden by lies and deceit, and only one man had the right and the power to bring the White House to justice. In this book Special Prosecutor Leon Jaworski for the first time explains and documents the details of the behind-the-scenes struggles for the White House tape recordings, the release of which culminated in a historic Supreme Court decision and the resignation of President Richard Nixon. It is the story of America's most traumatic experience in recent history, recounted by the man who knows the story best. The book identifies the maneuvers that created new legal precedents, making it must reading for everyone interested in courtroom proceedings. But it is also a story of grim thrusts and counterthrusts between Jaworski and his staff and the men who served the President: the inscrutable Fred Buzhardt, the suave soldier-diplomat Alexander Haig, the shrewd and energetic counsel for the President, James St. Clair. The book contains moments of great drama that have remained untold until now. There is the moment when Leon Jaworski first found evidence that could lead to the impeachment of the President -- and had to keep it secret while the President continued to proclaim his innocence. There is the moment when Alexander Haig, shocked to the core by what Jaworski was telling him, gazed out at the snow-covered White House grounds with tears in his eyes. There are moments when Jaworski found himself betrayed by broken promises, and decided that he had the right and the power to take the President to court. The book details the hard decisions made, the frightening gambles taken, the battle of the Supreme Court, the resignation of the President, the pardon. Above all, this is a story of personal courage. For when President Richard Nixon appointed Leon Jaworski as Special Watergate Prosecutor in November 1973, there was uneasy speculation in Congress that the new man from Texas was "the President's man." Newspapers editorialized against his appointment, and members of both the Senate and the House echoed their sentiments. Even the dedicated young lawyers of the Special Prosecution Force, who had seen their leader Archibald Cox stripped of his powers, were skeptical that Jaworski could do the job. Wasn't he a member of the Establishment, with easy access to the throne rooms of political and financial power? Wasn't he a political conservative? And old! How do you communicate with a man of sixty-eight? But Leon Jaworski quickly proved himself to be his own man. He always had been. A trial lawyer at age twenty, a prosecutor at the Nuremburg War Crimes trials, he had always championed the rights of society and the rights of the individual. Besides being President of the American Bar Association, he was a warm human being known to his peers as a brilliant legal strategist and tactician. And if his age worried his staff, he quickly bridged the gap of generations by his words and deeds. Leon Jaworski is a man who serves justice and his story of one of the greatest legal battles in American history makes unforgettable reading. - Jacket flap. The secrets of Watergate were hidden by lies and deceit, and only one man had the right and the power to bring the White House to justice. In this book Special Prosecutor Leon Jaworski for the first time explains and documents the details of the behind-the-scenes struggles for the White House tape recordings, the release of which culminated in a historic Supreme Court decision and the resignation of President Richard Nixon.… (more)
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Showing 4 of 4
5327. The Right and the Power The Prosecution of Watergate, by Leon Jaworski (read 27 Nov 2015) This is a 1976 book by the lawyer who became Special Prosecutor after Nixon had Archibald Cox fired. I of course in the late 1970's and early 1980's read the famed Watergate books--All the President';s Men on Sep 1,1974, and Breach of Faith on Sep 4, 1976, and John Dean's book, Blind Ambition on Dec 7, 1976, and Judge Sirica's book on June 7, 1990. But I thought it would be good to read this book by Jaworski, and it was. He sets out in precise lawyerly language the crimes that Nixon committed and the evidence which supports the charges. After reading the book few would say Jaworski is wrong. He also was convinced Ford had the power to pardon Nixon and concludes such may have been the right thing to do, even though Nixon never accepted the blame which was clearly his. I suppose this event in our political history is not too pertinent now but I found it rewarding and satisfying to see that right was done when Nixon became, clearly, a crook.. ( )
  Schmerguls | Nov 28, 2015 |
About the only reason I don't give this and similar books a "5" is that this was the era of "piling on." Anything that spread bile about Nixon was taken as true hook, line and sinker. I happen to think Nixon was a thug, but there are limits. ( )
  JBGUSA | Mar 31, 2013 |
Leon Jaworski was the prosecutor for the U.S. in the prosecution of Watergate, named to replace Archibald Cox, whom Richard Nixon fired in the Saturday Night Massacre. This is his account of the prosecution, and ably shows how Richard Nixon and company came within a hair of subverting the American political process and the Constitution. ( )
1 vote burnit99 | Feb 1, 2007 |
Social Science
-Government misconduct
  jmdcbooks | Sep 28, 2006 |
Showing 4 of 4
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This work is gratefully dedicated to the members of the staff of the Watergate Special Prosecution Force who served from November 5, 1973 to October 25, 1974, the period when I was the Special Prosecutor. Their loyalty, objectivity, and professionalism mde possible the public service here recounted.
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I was working at my desk on the morning of October 30, 1973, immersed in a stack of mail to which I was dictating replies, when my phone rang.
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The secrets of Watergate were hidden by lies and deceit, and only one man had the right and the power to bring the White House to justice. In this book Special Prosecutor Leon Jaworski for the first time explains and documents the details of the behind-the-scenes struggles for the White House tape recordings, the release of which culminated in a historic Supreme Court decision and the resignation of President Richard Nixon. It is the story of America's most traumatic experience in recent history, recounted by the man who knows the story best. The book identifies the maneuvers that created new legal precedents, making it must reading for everyone interested in courtroom proceedings. But it is also a story of grim thrusts and counterthrusts between Jaworski and his staff and the men who served the President: the inscrutable Fred Buzhardt, the suave soldier-diplomat Alexander Haig, the shrewd and energetic counsel for the President, James St. Clair. The book contains moments of great drama that have remained untold until now. There is the moment when Leon Jaworski first found evidence that could lead to the impeachment of the President -- and had to keep it secret while the President continued to proclaim his innocence. There is the moment when Alexander Haig, shocked to the core by what Jaworski was telling him, gazed out at the snow-covered White House grounds with tears in his eyes. There are moments when Jaworski found himself betrayed by broken promises, and decided that he had the right and the power to take the President to court. The book details the hard decisions made, the frightening gambles taken, the battle of the Supreme Court, the resignation of the President, the pardon. Above all, this is a story of personal courage. For when President Richard Nixon appointed Leon Jaworski as Special Watergate Prosecutor in November 1973, there was uneasy speculation in Congress that the new man from Texas was "the President's man." Newspapers editorialized against his appointment, and members of both the Senate and the House echoed their sentiments. Even the dedicated young lawyers of the Special Prosecution Force, who had seen their leader Archibald Cox stripped of his powers, were skeptical that Jaworski could do the job. Wasn't he a member of the Establishment, with easy access to the throne rooms of political and financial power? Wasn't he a political conservative? And old! How do you communicate with a man of sixty-eight? But Leon Jaworski quickly proved himself to be his own man. He always had been. A trial lawyer at age twenty, a prosecutor at the Nuremburg War Crimes trials, he had always championed the rights of society and the rights of the individual. Besides being President of the American Bar Association, he was a warm human being known to his peers as a brilliant legal strategist and tactician. And if his age worried his staff, he quickly bridged the gap of generations by his words and deeds. Leon Jaworski is a man who serves justice and his story of one of the greatest legal battles in American history makes unforgettable reading. - Jacket flap. The secrets of Watergate were hidden by lies and deceit, and only one man had the right and the power to bring the White House to justice. In this book Special Prosecutor Leon Jaworski for the first time explains and documents the details of the behind-the-scenes struggles for the White House tape recordings, the release of which culminated in a historic Supreme Court decision and the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

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