I am an American, thanks to the Watergate scandal.
My parents first came to the United States in 1964 as graduate students from Taiwan. My mother was pursuing a doctorate in cell-and-molecular biology, and my father was working on a master’s degree in civil engineering. After a few years, they got married and had two kids. My parents duly registered the births with their hometown in Taiwan under the assumption that the family would return there once they had completed their studies.
[image src="http://photos.state.gov/libraries/amgov/133183/week_4/042809_AP730420013_300.jpg" caption="The Watergate Complex in Washington in 1973" align="left"]On June 17, 1972, five men were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington. The arrests changed the lives of my immediate family.
My parents followed the news of what became known as the Watergate scandal with great interest. The charges that the five men were connected with President Nixon’s re-election committee; that members of that committee were involved in wiretapping, the illegal transfer of funds and other crimes; and that the White House had tried to prevent the release of evidence under the grounds of national security and have Justice Department employees fired did not really surprise them. What did surprise them was the fact that these charges were being openly reported and acted upon. Rather than being arrested and put in jail, reporters from major news organizations continued to publish stories that cast a bad light on politically powerful men, and lawyers continued to accuse high-ranking officials of crimes.
When President Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974, as a result of the scandal, my parents marveled that a country could overturn its leader without resorting to a coup. (Taiwan at the time was under martial law.) The downfall of a U.S. president was a source of wonder to my parents rather than one of shame. The ability to bring down someone so powerful without bloodshed demonstrated to them the strength of America’s freedom of the press and the integrity of its justice system. Because of Watergate, my parents decided to raise their American-born children in the United States rather than Taiwan, and eventually become American citizens themselves.
And so, I give thanks to Watergate.
As someone who generally thinks that Nixon got a bad wrap, your blog moved me none the less. You’re absolutely right the strength and resilience of the United States, even with massive changes, is something in which to take great pride.
Hi Bob– A long while back I read a teriffic book about Nixon’s early career, viz. “The Contender: Richard Nixon, The Congress Years, 1946 to 1954″ by Irwin Gellman. Gellman, I think, would agree with your “bad rap” assessment, at least with regard to RMN’s congressional career.
Nixon is for my money the single most fascinating 20th century U.S. historical figure. I’ve just started Rick Perlstein’s “Nixonland, The Rising of A President and the Fracturing of America.” I think Perlstein is just a marvelous writer, even if I sometimes disagree with his politics.
I had hoped to write historical works rather like Perlstein’s but instead create books for the State Department (america.gov/publications/books.html) and blog with younger, smarter folks…
Care to share any Nixon books with us?
Best regards,
Michael
Great article! Proves there is always a silver lining to the darkest cloud.
Bob, Mike,
Thank you so much for your feedback! Glad you liked the piece.
Thanks for sharing your family immigration history. It was moving and ironic, all at once.
I don’t know what it is but I do love finding out about people’s family immigration stories – the underpinnings of how generations come to embrace America.
Dear Caroline,
I’m glad you liked the story! Thanks for writing.
Thanks for sharing your personal note in connection with the famous watergate. As you said it’s so wonderful the power of the pen. Yes it’s proved that the writings and the reactions of the media can play a vital role in any situation. Yes, “Freedom of the Press” is a great subject in itself and its consequences is so great. Remember the saying, “pen is mightier than the sword” is so true in this issue. Thanks for sharing your personal experience and your transformation of a mighty blogger. Keep Going. Keep informing. Ariel P Verghese, Secunderabad, India
http://knol.google.com/k/p-v-ariel
http://linkbee.com/GMQO
http://www.pvariel.blogspot.com
If only I had a greenback for every time I came to blogs.america.gov… Amazing post!
That’s very thought-provoking read. I will return to your blog again soon.
Dear Ariel,
I’m glad you liked the story. Thanks for joining the conversation!