Processing the Hogan papers – Watergate and Impeachment

“After having read and reread, sifted and tested the mass of information which came before us, I have come to the conclusion that Richard M. Nixon has, beyond a reasonable doubt, committed impeachable offenses which, in my judgment, are of sufficient magnitude that he should be removed from office. The evidence convinces me that my President has lied repeatedly, deceiving public officials and the American people.” ~Lawrence J. Hogan, July 23, 1974

Lawrence J. Hogan spoke these words in his speech, “Why I Will Vote for Impeachment,” before the House Judiciary Committee on July 23, 1974, four days before the House Judiciary Committee voted on the First Article of impeachment. As a member of the Judiciary Committee (1971-1974), Hogan was one of 38 committee members who presided over the formal hearings on the impeachment proceedings against President Richard M. Nixon for his questionable role in the Watergate scandal and other illegal activities. Hogan was the first Republican minority committee member to call for the impeachment of President Nixon and the only Republican to vote yes on all three articles of impeachment [1]. Hogan was also the father of Larry Hogan, Maryland’s 62nd Governor (2015-2023), and was a big inspiration for his son’s own journey and career in politics as they both navigated the challenging times to their respective eras.

(“The 38 who weigh Nixon’s fate,” New York Times Magazine, April 28, 1974, Lawrence Joseph Hogan papers, 0256-MDHC.)

This is the third post in a continuing series about the processing of the Lawrence Joseph Hogan papers, a key part of UMD Libraries’ Living Democracy Initiative. See additional posts Introduction to the Lawrence Joseph Hogan papers and Processing the Hogan papers – The Beginning for an introduction to the collection.

The Watergate scandal, synonymous with President Nixon and corruption in American history, was the tipping point that began the unraveling of secrets and illegal activities of Nixon and his top aides, leading to numerous hearings and impeachment proceedings against Nixon. Watergate is the name of the Watergate Office Building in Washington, D.C., where the Democratic National Committee (DNC) had its headquarters and 1972 was a Presidential election year. On June 17, 1972, President Nixon’s administration hired people to break into the building, wiretap the phones, and photograph campaign documents. They wanted to acquire blackmail materials on several Democratic politicians including the DNC chairman Larry O’Brien to further the chances of President Nixon’s Presidential win. Due to the building’s security guard, Frank Wills, vigilance, and prompt notification to the police, the attempt was unsuccessful, and the hired staff were later apprehended by the police and eventually convicted of conspiracy, burglary, and violation of federal wiretapping laws. The scandal arose from the fact that President Nixon and his administration officials attempted to cover up their involvement and knowledge of the break-in attempts. 

A special committee, the U. S. Senate Watergate Committee, also known as the Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, led by Senator Sam Ervin, Jr., was in charge of investigating the Watergate scandal and subsequent cover-up criminal activities. During the investigation, a connection was found between the burglars and President Nixon’s campaign, the Committee to Re-elect the President (CREEP), and other illegal campaign activities that occurred in the 1972 presidential election [2]. During the hearings, which were broadcast nationwide by PBS, it was revealed that there was a tape recording system in the White House. The U. S. Supreme Court ruling, United States v. Nixon (July 24, 1974), ordered President Nixon to hand over the original tapes after he ignored a subpoena from the House Judiciary Committee to provide the audio tapes and not just edited transcripts. These events followed President Nixon’s famous televised speech in April 1974, where he stated that he had nothing to hide and that he would hand over edited tapes to the Committee, which would prove him innocent of his knowledge about the Watergate break-in. Of course, he was proven wrong.

Transcript of a meeting between President Nixon and his top aides, 1973. (Lawrence Joseph Hogan papers, 0256-MDHC)

Transcript of a meeting between President Nixon and his top aides, 1973. (Lawrence Joseph Hogan papers, 0256-MDHC)

Following over 40 resolutions in the 93rd Congress calling for an investigation and the impeachment of President Nixon, the House Judiciary Committee was given investigative powers to determine grounds for impeachment against Nixon. On May 9, 1974, the Judiciary Committee, led by Senator Peter Rodino, began the formal hearings on impeachment, where Hogan and the other committee members met in closed sessions to review the evidence – reading thousands of pages of reports and recording transcripts, hours of listening to recordings and hearing witness testimonies. Each member of the committee received nine “book” packets, which provided summaries of events, testimonies from eyewitnesses, and related reports along with transcripts of meetings between President Nixon and various members of his administration.

A box of the “Books” given to committee members. (Lawrence Joseph Hogan papers, 0256-MDHC)

Table of Contents for the “Books” given to committee members. (Lawrence Joseph Hogan papers, 0256-MDHC)

Ultimately, on July 30, 1974, following two years of investigations and hearings, the House Judiciary Committee voted to adopt three articles of impeachment against President Nixon. Article I charged him with obstruction of justice for impeding the investigation into the Watergate break-in by making false and misleading statements, withholding relevant and material information, and “approving, condoning, acquiescing in, and counseling witnesses concerning the giving of false or misleading statements” [3]. Article II charged him with the abuse of power and violating the constitutional rights of citizens by obtaining confidential information from the Internal Revenue Service, misuse of federal agencies for non-executive purposes, and failure to faithfully execute the law as required by his office [3]. Article III charged him with his failure to cooperate with the House Judiciary Committee’s investigation by disobeying subpoenas given three different times by the Committee [3].

Lawrence J. Hogan’s Letter to his Republican Colleagues, July 30, 1974

As the Committee began to draft a report to support the articles of impeachment that would be reported to the full membership of the House, Lawrence J. Hogan sent a letter on July 30, 1974, to his Republican Colleagues explaining his reasoning for voting yes to impeachment and encouraging his fellow Republicans to ignore party lines and to consider the evidence before them. He stated that if they couldn’t dismiss party loyalty, then they need to consider that “While this political scandal called Watergate is a shame of America, it is even more poignantly the shame of the Republican Party” as the actions of during the Watergate scandal were committed “by Republicans for the benefit of Republican President…in addition to our responsibility to the country, we also have a reasonability to our party to rectify these wrongs.”

The House floor debate never got started, as President Richard Nixon resigned his presidency on August 9, 1974. Vice President Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the new President. Although the House of Representatives accepted the Judiciary’s report recommending the impeachment of former President Nixon, by a vote of 412 to 3, President Ford granted a full and unconditional pardon to Nixon for “any federal crimes he may have committed while in office” [3].

Arthur Hirsch. “Moment of Truth,” The Sun, Oct. 12, 1998. (Joseph Hogan papers, 0256-MDHC)

Hogan’s decision to vote yes to impeachment most likely cost him his party’s gubernatorial nomination in the 1974 race for Maryland’s governor position. Below are but a few items from the Lawrence Joseph Hogan papers that highlight this important era of uncertainty, with democracy and the Constitution being questioned, and faith in the highest governance of the country fractured. Throughout this period, Hogan’s office received numerous letters from people throughout the state and out-of-state voicing either their support for impeachment on Hogan’s decision to vote yes or their disapproval of the impeachment proceedings and calling Hogan variously a “traitor” and/or “Judas Hogan.” Some people even sent rocks to Hogan, quoting the Bible verse John 8:7, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone.” Despite the “many letters, telegrams, and phone calls” condemning his choice to vote for impeachment, Hogan remained true to his conscience and “his oath of office to upload the Constitution of the United States” [4]. His decision remains an example of the challenges and dedication necessary to remain true to oneself, while also making the hard decisions to protect the democratic way of life.

Constituent correspondence voicing their stance on Hogan, Impeachment, and President Richard Nixon. (Joseph Hogan papers, 0256-MDHC)

Notes

[1] “Hogan: For Impeachment” section in “The Impeachment Inquiry.” In CQ Almanac 1974, 30th ed., 867-902. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly, 1975. http://library.cqpress.com/cqalmanac/cqal74-1223105. 

[2] “Portraits in Oversight: The Watergate Hearings.” Levin Center Home. Wayne State Law School. https://www.levin-center.org/the-watergate-hearings/ 

[3] United States House of Representatives (2007). “Section II—Jurisdictions History of the Judiciary Committee: Impeachment” (PDF). A History of the Committee on the Judiciary 1813–2006. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Publishing Office. pp. 115–136. H. Doc. 109-153.

[4] Hogan, Lawrence Joseph. “Why I Will Vote for Impeachment.” Transcript of speech given before the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C., on July 23, 1974.

Additional Resources

Brokaw, Tom. 2019. The Fall of Richard Nixon: A Reporter Remembers Watergate. New York: Random House. 

• The book provides a good introduction and summary of the Watergate scandal and the impeachment proceedings.

Graff, Garrett M. 2023. Watergate: A New History. New York: Simon & Schuster.

• A more in-depth look that looks into the events leading up to, surrounding, and aftermath of the Watergate burglary, investigation, impeachment proceedings, and subsequent hearings. Graff includes the historical and cultural contexts surrounding the events and decisions people made during the time that provide insights into why people might have made the decisions they did and the consequences of those decisions.

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Irene M. Lewis -Processing Assistant with the University of Maryland’s Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA).

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