Deep Throat

Perhaps the most elusive man in the second half of the twenty-first century was revealed recently. W. Mark Felt declared that he was indeed “Deep Throat”, the legendary anonymous informant in the Watergate scandal of the 70’s. Some have tried to call him a traitor because he squealed on Nixon and his administration. They say that because he was the number two man in the FBI, he violated the “ethics code of law enforcement agencies”.

After the break-in at the democratic national convention in June of 1972, two reporters from the Washington Post, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, began investigating the possibility of a tie between the break-in and the Nixon administration. Their investigation was greatly enhanced and validated by an anonymous informant who confirmed much of the facts that Woodward and Bernstein had already found. These facts were good but did nothing unless they could be proved. This informant was named “Deep Throat” by the managing editor of the Washington Post and became a great part of an even greater scandal.

“Deep Throat” wished to remain anonymous simply because too much was involved in this subject. Even the correspondence between the reporters and the informant was highly secretive. A set of prearranged signals let each party know when they wanted to meet and where. Very little has been known about this mysterious informant except that he worked in the executive branch of government, he smoked and drank scotch, which could be any number of people in the 70’s.

Yet in May of 2005, the former FBI number two man, Mark Felt, came forward and announced that he was the infamous “Deep Throat”. Shortly thereafter, Woodward confirmed that Felt was “Deep Throat” and that he was the informant that had given him the incriminating information in the early 70’s. Even though this partially clears up one of the greatest mysteries in Washington, it definitely will not conclude this story.

Still, controversy whirls around Felt and his motives for leaking information about Nixon. Even his announcement this May is attributed to monetary gain. Felt today is living in California in a converted garage, barely able to pay his medical bills. Add to this that he is in the early stages of dementia and the validity of his claim is severely diluted, even with Woodward’s confirmation. Is he really a traitor, the Benedict Arnold of the modern day? Or is he the supreme patriot, only an informant to provide the truth about a corrupt president.

Either way, he still was the most controversial informant/spy in the last fifty years and was instrumental in affecting Nixon’s resignation. I think his actions in May were motivated by his need for money as well as his need for recognition before he dies. Some would argue that he just wants the truth to be known but this seems highly unlikely because if this were his only motivation he would have revealed his identity a long time ago. Is it possible that he just wants to be recognized as a true American and get the kudos that are coming to him?

Probably not.