History Today: When the whistleblower behind the Watergate scandal exposed himself. Who was 'Deep Throat'?

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31-05-2025

On May 31, 2005, W Mark Felt, the former Associate Director of the US intelligence agency FBI, revealed himself as the secret source named 'Deep Throat' that exposed the Watergate scandal in the US. The official secretly cooperated with Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein to expose the scandal that led to President Richard Nixon's resignation in 1974 read more
More than 30 years after the Watergate scandal rocked the United States, W Mark Felt, once the Associate Director of the US intelligence agency FBI, publicly revealed in 2005 that he had been the mysterious source known as 'Deep Throat.' AP
May 31 is remembered as a turning point in American political history, especially for those who remember the political storm that was Watergate.
In 2005, more than three decades after the Watergate scandal shook the foundations of the White House and led to President Richard Nixon's resignation, the secret source behind the exposé known only as 'Deep Throat' finally revealed his identity.
Meanwhile, back in 1962, Adolf Eichmann, a key architect of Adolf Hitler's Holocaust, was executed in Israel following his conviction for crimes against humanity.
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If you are a history geek who loves to learn about important events from the past, Firstpost Explainers' ongoing series, History Today will be your one-stop destination to explore key events.
Here's a look at what made headlines on May 31.
When former FBI Assistant Director revealed himself as 'Deep Throat'
More than 30 years after the Watergate scandal rocked the United States, W Mark Felt, once the Associate Director of the US intelligence agency FBI , publicly revealed in 2005 that he had been the mysterious source known as 'Deep Throat.'
It was Felt's secret cooperation with Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein that played a vital role in exposing the Watergate scandal, which eventually led to President Richard Nixon 's resignation in 1974.
The Watergate scandal eventually led to President Richard Nixon's resignation in 1974. AP
Although there had long been speculation about his identity, Felt had always denied any involvement.
'I never leaked information to Woodward and Bernstein or to anyone else,' he wrote in his 1979 memoir.
Even as late as 1999, just six years before his confession, a then 91-year-old Felt told reporters, 'It would be contrary to my responsibility as a loyal employee of the FBI to leak information.'
Felt's motivation to leak secret info was rooted in his frustration. After the death of longtime FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, Felt had hoped to be named as Hoover's successor. But Nixon passed him over, and tensions escalated as the White House attempted to interfere with the FBI's Watergate investigation.
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When Bob Woodward reached out to Felt for help, the veteran FBI official agreed, but only under strict conditions.
Felt wouldn't be quoted, not even anonymously. He refused to offer any new information and only confirmed what the reporters already knew. And above all, his identity had to remain under wraps. Woodward and Bernstein only contacted him for matters they deemed absolutely essential.
Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward at work in 1973. AP
At first, they spoke over the phone. But as concerns about tapped lines grew, the pair came up with a system of signals and began meeting secretly in a parking garage in the dead of night.
Felt's eventual reveal came via an article in Vanity Fair, much to the surprise of Woodward and Bernstein, who had vowed to protect his identity until his death.
He died on December 18, 2008, at the age of 95.
When the architect of Holocaust was executed in Israel
On this day in 1962, Adolf Eichmann , a high-ranking Nazi official and one of the principal organisers of Adolf Hitler's Holocaust, was executed for his crimes against humanity in Israel.
Eichmann played a key role in implementing the so-called 'Final Solution,' the Nazis' plan to systematically exterminate the Jewish population.
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He was tasked with coordinating the identification, rounding up, and deportation of millions of Jews from Nazi-occupied Europe to death camps. There, they were either gassed or worked until they died.
Eichmann performed his duties with chilling efficiency. Between three to four million Jews died in the extermination camps under his direction, and an additional two million were killed elsewhere.
Adolf Eichmann, a high-ranking Nazi official and one of the principal organisers of Adolf Hitler's Holocaust, was executed for his crimes against humanity in Israel. Image courtesy: The National World War II Mueseum
After the war, Eichmann was captured by American troops. But he managed to escape custody, moving secretly through Europe and eventually the Middle East.
By 1950, he had slipped into Argentina, then known for its relaxed immigration policies and reputation as a haven for former Nazi officials, where he assumed the false identity of Ricardo Klement.
In 1957, a German prosecutor passed a tip to Israeli authorities that Eichmann was alive and hiding in Argentina. Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, launched a covert mission.
On May 11, they made their move. As Eichmann walked home from a bus stop along Garibaldi Street, Mossad agents snatched him and took him to a safe house.
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Nine days later, he was smuggled out of Argentina, heavily sedated and disguised as a crew member of an Israeli airline who had supposedly suffered a head injury. On May 23, Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion went public with the shocking news: Eichmann was in Israeli custody.
Argentina protested, demanding his return. But Israel insisted that Eichmann's role as a war criminal gave them every right to put him on trial.
The proceedings began on April 11, 1961, in Jerusalem, marking the first time a trial was broadcast on television.
Eichmann faced 15 charges, including war crimes, crimes against the Jewish people, and crimes against humanity. He claimed he was merely following orders, but the court didn't buy it.
He was executed by hanging near Tel Aviv. His remains were cremated, and his ashes were scattered at sea.