King Richard: Nixon and Watergate — an American Tragedy
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- Author：Michael Dobbs
- ISBN：0385350090
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Summary
From the author of the acclaimed One Minute to Midnight: a sharply focused， riveting account--told from inside the White House--of the crucial months when the Watergate conspiracy consumed itself and brought down the president。
In November 1972， Richard Nixon won reelection in a historic landslide。 By April 1973， his fate was sealed as the Watergate scandal took on a life of its own。 King Richard is the fascinating， utterly absorbing account of these crucial five months--when the Watergate burglars and their handlers in the administration began to panic and turn on one another， ultimately revealing their direct connection to the White House。
Michael Dobbs takes us into the very heart of the conspiracy， re-creating these dramatic events as experienced by everyone from the burglars， to White House counsel John Dean， to Chief of Staff Bob Haldeman。 Dobbs vividly captures the conspirators' growing paranoia and their desperate attempts to deflect blame as the noose tightened around them and the daily pressures became increasingly unbearable。 At the center of this spellbinding drama is Nixon himself， fresh off his massive reelection victory， struggling with his personal insecurities and the shambles in Vietnam as his presidency falls apart around him。 This is an epic and deeply human story of ambition， power， and betrayal。
In November 1972， Richard Nixon won reelection in a historic landslide。 By April 1973， his fate was sealed as the Watergate scandal took on a life of its own。 King Richard is the fascinating， utterly absorbing account of these crucial five months--when the Watergate burglars and their handlers in the administration began to panic and turn on one another， ultimately revealing their direct connection to the White House。
Michael Dobbs takes us into the very heart of the conspiracy， re-creating these dramatic events as experienced by everyone from the burglars， to White House counsel John Dean， to Chief of Staff Bob Haldeman。 Dobbs vividly captures the conspirators' growing paranoia and their desperate attempts to deflect blame as the noose tightened around them and the daily pressures became increasingly unbearable。 At the center of this spellbinding drama is Nixon himself， fresh off his massive reelection victory， struggling with his personal insecurities and the shambles in Vietnam as his presidency falls apart around him。 This is an epic and deeply human story of ambition， power， and betrayal。
Reviews
Terry Feix
，
An intimate look at the downfall of a Richard Nixon。 Extensive use of diaries and the Nixon tapes。
Dot
，
As a history professor， this book did not hold any surprises for me。 For one thing， I lived through Nixon’s time as president and Watergate。 For another， I taught US history so I was well versed in this period。 That said， I still found this book interesting and informative。 Dobbs did outstanding research and gave an almost daily account of Nixon and his inter circle as they attempted to control the fallout from the break in at the Watergate。 If someone wants an informative and well written accou As a history professor， this book did not hold any surprises for me。 For one thing， I lived through Nixon’s time as president and Watergate。 For another， I taught US history so I was well versed in this period。 That said， I still found this book interesting and informative。 Dobbs did outstanding research and gave an almost daily account of Nixon and his inter circle as they attempted to control the fallout from the break in at the Watergate。 If someone wants an informative and well written account of these events I highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Hamish
，
This was great for the most part; well written， well researched， good back stories when you needed it and good at putting you in the world。 I was really getting into the swing of things。。。and then it ended！ Nixon ripping out his taping machine meant that the material dried up， so Dobbs just ended it。 Maybe the world didn't need another Watergate book but he could at least have filled in the gaps。 This just seemed like it was only half a book。 This was great for the most part; well written， well researched， good back stories when you needed it and good at putting you in the world。 I was really getting into the swing of things。。。and then it ended！ Nixon ripping out his taping machine meant that the material dried up， so Dobbs just ended it。 Maybe the world didn't need another Watergate book but he could at least have filled in the gaps。 This just seemed like it was only half a book。 。。。more
Miguel
，
Expertly documents the last six months of the Nixon administration in gory and sad detail: the inclusion of the actual audio in the audio book format was a very interesting idea but I do wish that somehow they could have been digitally remastered as it was difficult at times to make out exactly what was said （granted this was likely a very expensive task and couldn't be accomplished on the author's budget）。 But overall quite impressive and was really drawn much more into the story than I would h Expertly documents the last six months of the Nixon administration in gory and sad detail: the inclusion of the actual audio in the audio book format was a very interesting idea but I do wish that somehow they could have been digitally remastered as it was difficult at times to make out exactly what was said （granted this was likely a very expensive task and couldn't be accomplished on the author's budget）。 But overall quite impressive and was really drawn much more into the story than I would have thought upon first beginning to listen to it。 。。。more
Mrs。 Danvers
，
This book efficiently condenses a good deal of relevant material from the White House tapes， but Dobbs has much more sympathy for Nixon than I do。 Nixon's words reveal him to be a petty criminal with fear and anger toward anyone who crosses him， and some of his comments to Haldeman and Ehrlichman toward the end are just so maudlin and self-pitying that they are hard to stomach。 I also think that Dobbs would have been better served to leave any mention of Trump （there is only one iirc） out of thi This book efficiently condenses a good deal of relevant material from the White House tapes， but Dobbs has much more sympathy for Nixon than I do。 Nixon's words reveal him to be a petty criminal with fear and anger toward anyone who crosses him， and some of his comments to Haldeman and Ehrlichman toward the end are just so maudlin and self-pitying that they are hard to stomach。 I also think that Dobbs would have been better served to leave any mention of Trump （there is only one iirc） out of this book， as it just raises issues that are far too complex and horrifying to be summed up in a single sentence。 As disgusting as Nixon's crimes were， at least he had the decency to be ashamed of them and at least the country was rational enough back then to believe that obstruction of justice in itself was sufficient to warrant action。 。。。more
Holly Rose
，
my experience while reading was overshadowed by stress because i was reading this to help my sister with her school assignment， but i actually really enjoyed reading this。 i knew A TON about watergate before this book， which made it waaay easier to know what was going on， but i loved the way this was set up like a play and with the day numbers。 i wish dobbs had gone a little further in the timeline to how nixon handled the trials with the resignation of multiple attorney generals but i understan my experience while reading was overshadowed by stress because i was reading this to help my sister with her school assignment， but i actually really enjoyed reading this。 i knew A TON about watergate before this book， which made it waaay easier to know what was going on， but i loved the way this was set up like a play and with the day numbers。 i wish dobbs had gone a little further in the timeline to how nixon handled the trials with the resignation of multiple attorney generals but i understand dobbs was trying to stick to a tragic narrative similar to a shakespearean play so i'll let it slide。 the audiobook made this book leagues better because hearing the actual phone conversations really connects you more to the "characters。" even though i knew a lot about watergate， i still learned more about it through this book， which was a nice surprise because i thought i would just be reading info i already knew。 。。。more
Izzy
，
This all happened nearly 50 years ago… it seems so much more current; yet i really couldn’t see all the trees for the forest back then… the roles of the perps， Liddy， Hunt，and the Cubans; the roles of the first perjurer （Magruder）; Dean’s role and Haldeman and Ehrlichman’s roles; how the ending of the war in Viet Nam related to all of this; how theEllsberg psychiatrist break in related to the Watergate break-in （similar motivations）， same perps… it is all spelled out and rather well ， although w This all happened nearly 50 years ago… it seems so much more current; yet i really couldn’t see all the trees for the forest back then… the roles of the perps， Liddy， Hunt，and the Cubans; the roles of the first perjurer （Magruder）; Dean’s role and Haldeman and Ehrlichman’s roles; how the ending of the war in Viet Nam related to all of this; how theEllsberg psychiatrist break in related to the Watergate break-in （similar motivations）， same perps… it is all spelled out and rather well ， although whether it is a true tragedy I am still not so sure…。。。 。。。more
Ann Clay
，
I read a ton of Watergate books， and this was one of the most readable。 I loved how personal it was， concentrating on the central figure， and not on all the peripheral players。 We meet Dean， Haldeman， and Erlichman， and a few others， but the concentration is on the king himself。 Also it was great that it concentration on a small period of time， from his second inaugural to when he dumped the Berlin Wall， as they were known。
Diana
，
A good book。 It covers the period between Nixon’s second inauguration and his decision not to destroy the Watergate tapes。 The story is told from Nixon’s point of view using the tapes and the notes and diaries of his closest aides。 It ends somewhat abruptly but then everyone knows how things turned out。 The audiobook narrator did voice impersonations but he did them so well that I didn’t mind。 At the ends of some of the chapters in the audiobook they played segments from the Nixon tapes。 A lot o A good book。 It covers the period between Nixon’s second inauguration and his decision not to destroy the Watergate tapes。 The story is told from Nixon’s point of view using the tapes and the notes and diaries of his closest aides。 It ends somewhat abruptly but then everyone knows how things turned out。 The audiobook narrator did voice impersonations but he did them so well that I didn’t mind。 At the ends of some of the chapters in the audiobook they played segments from the Nixon tapes。 A lot of these were hard to discern but still it was interesting to listen to the story and then hear the words as they were spoken。 。。。more
Lauren Benson
，
For someone that knew very little of the watergate scandal this book revealed the plotting， compounding lies， and betrayals that lead to Nixon’s demise。 You hear some of the most intimate （and cringe worthy） conversations but also see a softer and weaker side as he deals with crisis and chaos。 It’s a well laid out story and backed with real evidence。 The resemblance of his presidency and tactics to recent leaders is a underlying theme that I personally enjoyed。History certainly repeats itself。
Nick Sanders
，
As expected from Michael Dobbs: a very good book， well written and exciting from start to finish。
Ilya
，
ok， so this is literally the last 90 or so days of the Watergate crisis， by no means is it the story of it。 That being said， very engaging read - one of my issues with historical non-fiction is the quotations （he said this， she said that - how can one know， especially if the story is from far back。 People forget， biases， recollections， revisionist ideas， hindsight， etc）。 This one， however is pretty much 100% correct， due to the Nixon tapes， so you can be sure that it was actually said as it is w ok， so this is literally the last 90 or so days of the Watergate crisis， by no means is it the story of it。 That being said， very engaging read - one of my issues with historical non-fiction is the quotations （he said this， she said that - how can one know， especially if the story is from far back。 People forget， biases， recollections， revisionist ideas， hindsight， etc）。 This one， however is pretty much 100% correct， due to the Nixon tapes， so you can be sure that it was actually said as it is written。 Awesome book。 。。。more
Allison
，
While not a major issue， I was annoyed by the author's improper use of the word "rostrum" several times in the book。 He mistakenly thinks it refers to a lectern when， in actuality， it is the podium/dias/platform。 Annoying！As for the book as a whole， it is quite dense。。。alllll the minutiae。 I was 8 when Watergate happened， so knew the gist of what happened （my father was very interested in politics， as am I）。 Nixon had the makings to be one of the great Presidents but， like a Shakespearean traged While not a major issue， I was annoyed by the author's improper use of the word "rostrum" several times in the book。 He mistakenly thinks it refers to a lectern when， in actuality， it is the podium/dias/platform。 Annoying！As for the book as a whole， it is quite dense。。。alllll the minutiae。 I was 8 when Watergate happened， so knew the gist of what happened （my father was very interested in politics， as am I）。 Nixon had the makings to be one of the great Presidents but， like a Shakespearean tragedy， hubris was his fatal flaw。 Interesting read， but I was quite glad it clocks in under 350 pages。 。。。more
C。 F。 Mcinnis
，
I have not yet received my copy， which I preordered
Debra
，
Really interesting to see this situation from another perspective， without the emphasis on The Washington Post。 I like the focus on Nixon
Roberto Chavez
，
Very novelistic。 The real time aspects of the drama heightened the tension。 Oddly， some parts that I thought were important were never covered （Saturday Night Massacre？）。 Still interesting， though。
Mexscrabbler
，
Fast-paced account of the 100 days after Nixon's reelection and the events which led to his resignation after the Watergate break-in。Written in a day-by-day format， it shows the viewpoints of all the key protagonists in the saga， while also recounting the momentous end of the Vietnam war。The story is told in the form of a Greek tragedy。Worthwhile read。 Fast-paced account of the 100 days after Nixon's reelection and the events which led to his resignation after the Watergate break-in。Written in a day-by-day format， it shows the viewpoints of all the key protagonists in the saga， while also recounting the momentous end of the Vietnam war。The story is told in the form of a Greek tragedy。Worthwhile read。 。。。more
Ownbymom Ownby
，
I imagine that writing a book about Richard Nixon and Watergate would be a challenging endeavor， because everything has been covered。 Unfortunately， that seems to be the case with this book。 I didn't recognize any new contribution to the vast literature。 One advantage to the audiobook version is that several of NIxon's secret （at the time） audio tapes are included。 I imagine that writing a book about Richard Nixon and Watergate would be a challenging endeavor， because everything has been covered。 Unfortunately， that seems to be the case with this book。 I didn't recognize any new contribution to the vast literature。 One advantage to the audiobook version is that several of NIxon's secret （at the time） audio tapes are included。 。。。more
Dave Mills
，
A thoroughly-researched book into all the machinations of a flawed man and his flawed staff。 I'd forgotten a lot about those awful days long ago。 Michael Dobbs brought those days back to life。 A thoroughly-researched book into all the machinations of a flawed man and his flawed staff。 I'd forgotten a lot about those awful days long ago。 Michael Dobbs brought those days back to life。 。。。more
Kate Schwarz
，
Obviously， I know how this story ended。 However， I found the details leading up to Nixon's resignation--the unraveling of his own plan--really fascinating。 I think it was also a relief to read about a crisis in American history that involved a President that was NOT Trump。 I was disappointed with the end of the book; it did not include Nixon's resignation itself， and also included Agnew's resignation 9 months prior just as an aftermath （Dobbs mentions Agnew's own political crisis only once prior Obviously， I know how this story ended。 However， I found the details leading up to Nixon's resignation--the unraveling of his own plan--really fascinating。 I think it was also a relief to read about a crisis in American history that involved a President that was NOT Trump。 I was disappointed with the end of the book; it did not include Nixon's resignation itself， and also included Agnew's resignation 9 months prior just as an aftermath （Dobbs mentions Agnew's own political crisis only once prior to the afterward）。Dobbs writes: "Under any president， the White House functions as a machine for fulfilling the wishes of its occupant。 Foremost among Nixon's needs was more intelligence about his political opponents。 The demands for intelligence became imperatives for action。 Some of these actions were legal， some illegal。 Some were in response to specific presidential directives; some were dreamed up by underlings determined to please him。 Nixon's desires were often shrouded in ambiguity， making it difficult to distinguish between a specific instruction and a vaguely expressed wish" （p 148）。"After losing to Jack Kennedy in 1960， he had prepared for his second presidential campaign by writing a book called Six Crises。 'The easiest period is a crisis situation is actually the battle itself，' he wrote。 'The most difficult is the period of indecision--whether to fight or run away。 And the most dangerous period is the aftermath。 It is then， with all his resources spent and his guard down， that an individual must watch out for dulled reactions and faulty judgment'" （p 260）。Nixon said to his staff on the even of his resignation: "Always remember， others may hate you， but those who hate you don't win until you hate them。 And then you destroy yourself" （p 339）。 。。。more
Tony Mistretta
，
I think I especially liked this book because Nixon was president when I was a teenager and while I was aware of what was happening at the time， I wasn't paying close attention to the details。 Now I am fascinated to learn about how it all transpired。 The author does a great job in pulling it all together and telling the story like a classic Shakespeare tragedy。 The reader gets to know Richard Nixon as a man who rose up from a difficult childhood to become President of the US， winning his 1972 re- I think I especially liked this book because Nixon was president when I was a teenager and while I was aware of what was happening at the time， I wasn't paying close attention to the details。 Now I am fascinated to learn about how it all transpired。 The author does a great job in pulling it all together and telling the story like a classic Shakespeare tragedy。 The reader gets to know Richard Nixon as a man who rose up from a difficult childhood to become President of the US， winning his 1972 re-election by a landslide， and witness his world implode in the next 100 days as Watergate and other crimes came under public scrutiny。 Definitely a good read， no matter what side of the political spectrum you may sit on。 。。。more
Justine
，
I appreciated the material experience of reading this book - it is beautifully designed and bound in a way that enhances the author's intent of framing the Watergate scandal as a classical tragedy， complete with the division of the book into four acts and the addition of a dramatis personae。 It felt like an easy， casual read for a political biography， especially one on such a controversial figure。However， after living through the Trump Era， the Watergate story felt tame。 Additionally， I found th I appreciated the material experience of reading this book - it is beautifully designed and bound in a way that enhances the author's intent of framing the Watergate scandal as a classical tragedy， complete with the division of the book into four acts and the addition of a dramatis personae。 It felt like an easy， casual read for a political biography， especially one on such a controversial figure。However， after living through the Trump Era， the Watergate story felt tame。 Additionally， I found there to be too little character development to fully pull off the tragedy concept。 。。。more
Laurel
，
Would highly encourage everyone to listen to this book on audiobook since it includes original recordings of Nixon talking on tape in phone conversations。。。v。 interesting。。。
Linda Rae
，
4。5 starsJust fascinating！ An incredibly readable book focused on the 100 days in 1973 when the Watergate scandal broke open and the White House imploded。 Highly recommend。
Judy G
，
Riveting I lived at that time （early to mid 70's） and was part of the group that Nixon detested altho to be honest he detested most everyone。 Michael Dobbs acknowledges the prime historian of the period of Watergate and President Nixon and the Plumbers and the key WH staff is a Mr Kutler and he died in 2018。 This author has done an incredible thing here laying out the 100d up to just before RN （what he called himself） resigned as the evidence streamed in of the coverup of the breakins designed b Riveting I lived at that time （early to mid 70's） and was part of the group that Nixon detested altho to be honest he detested most everyone。 Michael Dobbs acknowledges the prime historian of the period of Watergate and President Nixon and the Plumbers and the key WH staff is a Mr Kutler and he died in 2018。 This author has done an incredible thing here laying out the 100d up to just before RN （what he called himself） resigned as the evidence streamed in of the coverup of the breakins designed by supported by the key WH staff reporting to the President。 Watergate is was an upscale building in DC and one of its offices was the Democratic party place。 The other breakin earlier organized by Gordon Liddy and H H Hunt was the office of Daniel Ellsberg psychiatrist and Ellsberg was known anti VNam war and took and released material by the govt as he worked for RAND Corp and was one of the peaceniks that Nixon detested。 （to b continued） 。。。more
Dec
，
Written like a drama， the whole book plays out like one。 Brilliant
Stuart Miller
，
For anyone who lived through the Watergate scandal and needs a refresher or anyone without any real prior knowledge and would like to know more， this day-to-day account of what went on in the White House from January 20， 1973 until July 17， 1973 （when Nixon decided he could not destroy the clandestine tapes of his conversations with co-conspirators） would be an excellent choice among the many Watergate studies。 Dobbs concludes that Nixon's strengths paradoxically ended up being flaws that led to For anyone who lived through the Watergate scandal and needs a refresher or anyone without any real prior knowledge and would like to know more， this day-to-day account of what went on in the White House from January 20， 1973 until July 17， 1973 （when Nixon decided he could not destroy the clandestine tapes of his conversations with co-conspirators） would be an excellent choice among the many Watergate studies。 Dobbs concludes that Nixon's strengths paradoxically ended up being flaws that led to his destruction。 Highly recommended for anyone interested in American history。 。。。more
David Glickman
，
As a teenager in the mid-70’s， I was an avid reader of books on famous Americans， particularly our Presidents。 Friends of my parents gave me a subscription to Time magazine for my Bar Mitzvah and I followed Watergate developments in its pages。 I remember watching the Watergate hearings in the summer。 I also read and did a book report on All The President’s Men in the 8th grade。 I thought this book did a great job of synthesizing the events and people from this period。 I highly recommend it to th As a teenager in the mid-70’s， I was an avid reader of books on famous Americans， particularly our Presidents。 Friends of my parents gave me a subscription to Time magazine for my Bar Mitzvah and I followed Watergate developments in its pages。 I remember watching the Watergate hearings in the summer。 I also read and did a book report on All The President’s Men in the 8th grade。 I thought this book did a great job of synthesizing the events and people from this period。 I highly recommend it to those who did not live through this time and to those who have forgotten them。 。。。more
Elizabeth Dodge
，
I remember Watergate so well that I enjoyed hearing it again from the White House tapes perspective。 I read several books in the years just after the hearings and remember where I was when Nixon left the White House。 It was decades ago that I watched the hearings and was shocked that people in the American government could do such things。 My innocence on that matter was lost and rightly so。 History is full of such stories and worse。
Jeff Francis
，