Five men broke into the Democratic National Committee office at the Watergate complex in June 1972
On June 17, 1972, five burglars were arrested inside the Democratic National Committee headquarters on the sixth floor of the Watergate office building in Washington, D.C. They were caught with cameras, wiretapping equipment, and listening devices. The men had entered through a door in the underground garage and made their way upstairs to photograph documents and plant surveillance equipment on the party's phones.
The burglars were Bernard Barker, Virgilio Gonzalez, Eugenio Martinez, James McCord, and Frank Sturgis. All five were arrested at the scene by D.C. police. Two additional men — G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt — had planned and directed the operation from a nearby hotel but were not arrested that night. The break-in was not a random crime; it was part of a larger operation approved and funded by people inside President Richard Nixon's administration and re-election campaign.
Key Takeaways
- Five burglars were arrested inside the Democratic National Committee office at Watergate on June 17, 1972, carrying wiretapping and surveillance equipment.
- The operation was planned by G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt, who were working for Nixon's re-election committee and the White House.
- The burglars were attempting to photograph documents and plant listening devices on Democratic Party phones to gather intelligence for the Nixon campaign.
- The break-in led to criminal convictions, congressional investigations, and ultimately President Nixon's resignation in August 1974.
Who the five arrested burglars were
Bernard Barker was a former CIA operative and Miami-based businessman who had worked on anti-Castro operations. Virgilio Gonzalez was a locksmith from Miami. Eugenio Martinez was also a Miami resident and former CIA employee. James McCord was the security coordinator for Nixon's re-election committee and a former CIA officer. Frank Sturgis was a former military officer and anti-Castro activist based in Miami.
Four of the five men had ties to the CIA or to anti-Castro operations in Miami. McCord was the only one directly employed by the Nixon campaign at the time of the break-in. The others were recruited through a network of operatives who had worked together on covert projects. All five were convicted of burglary and conspiracy in January 1973.
The two men who planned the operation
G. Gordon Liddy was a lawyer and former FBI agent working for the White House Plumbers unit — a secret team created to stop leaks and conduct covert operations. E. Howard Hunt was a former CIA officer also working for the Plumbers. Together, they designed the break-in as part of a larger intelligence-gathering campaign called "Operation Gemstone."
Liddy and Hunt were not arrested at the scene because they were stationed in a nearby hotel monitoring the operation by radio. Hunt left the country briefly after the arrest but returned and was eventually convicted of burglary, conspiracy, and wiretapping. Liddy refused to cooperate with investigators and was convicted of burglary, conspiracy, and contempt of court. He served the longest sentence of anyone involved in the initial break-in.
What they were trying to steal and why
The burglars were not after money or valuables. They wanted to photograph documents in the Democratic National Committee's files and plant wiretaps on the party's telephones. The goal was to gather intelligence about Democratic campaign strategy and pass it to Nixon's re-election committee.
The operation was part of a broader effort by people in the Nixon administration to monitor and undermine political opponents. The White House had already created the Plumbers unit to investigate leaks and conduct surveillance. The Watergate break-in was meant to give the Nixon campaign advance knowledge of Democratic plans and statements before they became public.
How the break-in was discovered
A security guard named Frank Wills noticed that a door latch in the basement garage had been taped to prevent it from locking. He removed the tape, but when he returned later and found it taped again, he called the police. Officers arrived and found the five burglars still inside the building, moving through the offices on the sixth floor.
The arrest happened quickly, but the investigation that followed took much longer. Police found the burglars carrying cameras, film, wiretapping equipment, and listening devices. They also found $2,300 in cash, some of it in $100 bills with sequential serial numbers that could be traced. Those bills were later linked to Nixon's re-election committee.
The investigation and convictions that followed
The initial trial of the five arrested burglars took place in January 1973. All five were convicted of burglary and conspiracy. McCord later wrote a letter to the judge saying that higher-ups in the Nixon administration had known about the operation and that witnesses had been pressured to lie under oath. His letter opened the door to wider investigations.
The Senate established a special committee to investigate Watergate in May 1973. The House Judiciary Committee began its own investigation in 1974. Both bodies heard testimony from dozens of witnesses, including White House staff, campaign officials, and the burglars themselves. The investigations revealed that the break-in was not an isolated crime but part of a pattern of illegal surveillance and obstruction of justice that reached into the highest levels of the Nixon administration.
How Watergate changed apartment security and privacy law
The Watergate break-in and the investigations that followed raised public awareness about privacy rights and the dangers of unchecked government surveillance. Congress passed the Privacy Act of 1974, which limited how federal agencies could collect and use personal information. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978 created rules for how the government could conduct wiretapping and surveillance, requiring court approval for most operations.
For apartment dwellers and tenants, Watergate highlighted the importance of locks, security measures, and the legal right to privacy in your home. Many apartment buildings upgraded their security systems in the years after Watergate. The scandal also led to stronger rules about who could access tenant records and how landlords could monitor or surveil residents on their property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did the burglars actually get any documents or information?
No. The break-in was discovered before the burglars could photograph significant documents or successfully plant all the wiretaps they intended to install. They were arrested while still inside the building, so the operation was incomplete. However, they did plant at least one listening device on a Democratic Party phone before being caught.
Why did Nixon resign if he wasn't at the break-in?
Nixon did not order the break-in directly, but investigations showed he knew about it afterward and tried to cover it up. He ordered the FBI to stop investigating, destroyed evidence, and pressured witnesses to lie. These actions — obstruction of justice and abuse of power — were the basis for impeachment charges. He resigned in August 1974 to avoid being removed from office.
What happened to the burglars after they were convicted?
All five burglars served prison time. McCord served about four months. Barker, Gonzalez, Martinez, and Sturgis served longer sentences, ranging from about eight months to over a year. Hunt and Liddy also served prison time. Some of the burglars later wrote books or gave interviews about their role in Watergate.
Could something like Watergate happen at an apartment building today?
Modern security systems — key cards, surveillance cameras, alarm systems, and security guards — make unauthorized entry much harder than it was in 1972. However, the legal principles that Watergate established still matter: tenants have a right to privacy in their homes, and landlords cannot conduct surveillance without consent or a court order. Building security is now a standard part of apartment leases.