On June 17, 1972, a night watchman alerted police that a break-in was underway at the Watergate complex in Washington. Five men were subsequently arrested trying to bug the offices of the Democratic National Committee, including James McCord, the Chief of Security at the Committee to Re-elect the President, an organization created to run President Nixon’s reelection campaign.  

In November 1972, Nixon was reelected in one of the largest landslides in American political history.  However, the events of that June evening began a process that resulted in the President’s resignation two years later and is known as perhaps the greatest political scandal and crisis in American history.   

This crisis reached a turning point in October 1973. During a fateful few days the nation faced not only a political crisis brought about by President Nixon’s firing of Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox but also the Yom Kippur war in the Middle East that brought the US into direct confrontation with the Soviet Union. Historians refer to this as the “Saturday Night Massacre”, but it was truly a “crisis within a crisis”.

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss the concept of leadership, its definition, and underpinnings.

• Understand and apply the concepts of crisis decision-making, critical thinking, and the dangers of groupthink.

• Conduct group discussions around these concepts as well as topics such as strategic leadership, style, and how these can be applied by leaders today.

Want to learn more about this workshop?

Can’t come to the Nixon Library? We’ll bring the Nixon Library to you!

Save time and money with our Watergate On-The-Road Workshop! Through video clips, group exercises, and active discussion our leadership facilitator and historian bring the crisis and its leadership lessons to you, held at any location of your choosing.