W. Mark Felt played an important role in American history. He was Deep Throat, the famous anonymous source who helped two Washington Post reporters investigate the Watergate scandal. After details surfaced, President Nixon eventually resigned.
During Watergate, Felt was an associate director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
For years, Deep Throat was depicted in books and films as a prominent government figure who often tried to loom in the background, challenging authority so that the truth would be known. For over 30 years, people tried to guess who Deep Throat was, but Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, would not reveal their source. Then, in 2005, Felt told the world that he had helped the reporters, ending speculation.
Felt died Thursday at 95.
As a political reporter, the Watergate story and the relationship between Felt and Woodward has always captured my interest. People, particularly journalists and politicians, can learn a lot from the story. But with Deep Throat's identity revealed and Felt and Nixon now dead; will Watergate just become another page in a history book?
When I was studying journalism in college, we learned about Watergate. If I remember correctly, we were required to watch "All the President's Men." The printers in our computer lab were even named Woodward and Bernstein.
But as the years pass, I worry that people are going to forget. To make sure that doesn't happen, I am going to suggest a few books for you to add on to your last minute Christmas list. "All the President's Men," of course, is a must if you haven't read it already. I also thoroughly enjoyed "The Secret Man," which was published after Felt revealed that he was Deep Throat. "Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate" is also a good choice. All are written by Bob Woodward. Happy reading.
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