Watergate author on his 1973 book, meeting Nixon

A half-century ago Friday, the break-in at the Democratic National Committee offices at the Watergate complex in D.C.鈥檚 Foggy Bottom led to an investigation that gripped the country for two years and led to the U.S.鈥� only presidential resignation. This week, 草莓传媒鈥檚 Rick Massimo is talking with experts about how the entire affair has affected American politics, history and even the language ever since.

The first Watergate book most people think about is 鈥淎ll the President鈥檚 Men鈥� by Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, but the actual first book published in the U.S. on Watergate is 鈥�,鈥� co-authored by longtime radio journalist Bill Vitka (father to 草莓传媒鈥檚 own Will Vitka).

Vitka recently spoke with 草莓传媒 about his experience writing the book, as well as the two times he was in the same room as then-president Richard Nixon.

Vitka said publisher Ken Moses picked him because he was covering the story regularly for the rock radio station where he was news director; he enlisted his friends Bruce Buschel and Albert Robbins because the two-month turnaround time (June to Aug. 1973; the book came out that October) would have swamped him.

鈥淵ou needed to keep up with the Watergate hearings to just to have any kind of innocent social interaction. Conversations would start with 鈥楧id you see the Watergate hearings?鈥� And most of us watched on PBS late at night, the regurgitation of what happened during the day.鈥�

Specifically, the book filled a niche for those watching along with the hearings: a who鈥檚-who of the people filling America鈥檚 TV screens, from Nixon aides to members of Congress. 鈥淎ll the witnesses and the principal players on the other side of the desk 鈥� we would identify them; we would outline who they were.鈥�

They were set up in a warehouse in North Philadelphia, where they would go to write chapters and edit each other鈥檚. 鈥淚 don’t think any of us slept normally for two months,鈥� Vitka remembered.

The Times of London also put out a book on Watergate in Oct. 1973; 鈥淚n England, their publication date beats us by a day or two. In America, we beat them.鈥�

A double signature

Vitka met Nixon in 1972, just before the election: The president was in Philadelphia for a bill signing; Vitka was reporting. He recalls that Nixon鈥檚 events were so managed and his speeches so canned that by the time he鈥檇 signed the bill, 鈥淓veryone else had left. And I was just curious 鈥� I’d never been this close to Richard Nixon before, and I’d lived with Nixon most of my life.鈥�

He edged up to the low stage and saw Nixon looking at him. The president held out his hand, and Vitka took it. After the handshake, Vitka was about to leave when Nixon motioned to him to wait for a moment, and went back to the signing desk to give Vitka a ceremonial signing pen with the president鈥檚 autograph printed on the box.

A few weeks later, Vitka was covering a campaign event with Sen. George McGovern, Nixon鈥檚 Democratic opponent. At the end, he asked McGovern to autograph the box next.

鈥淎nd he obliged,鈥� Vitka said. 鈥淗e smiled when he signed it.鈥�

The other time Vitka was in the same room with Nixon was at one of the inaugural balls in Jan. 1973: 鈥淲e got tuxedos, which, by the way, was really foreign dress (for us) at the time.鈥�

He described the ball as 鈥渓ike watching a Lawrence Welk episode on TV,鈥� complete with remarks from Nixon on what he described as 鈥渁 glorious day for Republicanism.鈥�

鈥淲e thought we were being followed,鈥� Vitka remembered, because even with the tuxedos, 鈥渨e looked a little unkempt for, you know, a Republican inaugural ball.鈥�

The fact that he and his photographer had been tear-gassed at an anti-Vietnam War protest the previous day probably didn鈥檛 help.

“It’s all part of that strange, vivid memory that’s 鈥� I guess it (takes) about 30 seconds in the classroom these days 鈥� known as the ’60s,” Vitka said.

And, as every interview subject this week has, Vitka compared the Watergate saga to the Jan. 6 hearings currently playing out on TVs across the country.

“Frankly, democracy is at stake, right?,” Vitka said. “I mean, it’s amazing that more people don’t feel this in their gut. But they don’t.”

Justice

While Vitka remains proud of the book 鈥� to this day, he says, 鈥淚 think the book is accurate,鈥� and is proud it was dedicated to security guard Frank Wills, whose sharp eye detected the break-in that eventually ended the Nixon presidency. But the rest of the story of 鈥淭he Watergate Files鈥� doesn鈥檛 end that well.

The 鈥減ublisher鈥� turned out to be not a publisher but an agent, Vitka said; once the manuscript was finished, it still had to be sold to an actual publisher. The three authors were given $150 in seed money, 鈥渁nd that’s all the money I received from the book.鈥�

One day, Vitka was driving with his co-authors down 34th Street in Philadelphia when they saw their agent walking by. 鈥淎lbert jumped out of the window. Half of him was out; Bruce held him back. He was leaping out of the car to kill Ken Moses. 鈥� I guess it’s as close to justice as we ever got.鈥�