Deep Throat: The Post and Watergate

The Washington Post Tuesday confirmed that W. Mark Felt, a former number-two official at the FBI, was "Deep Throat," the secretive source who provided information that helped unravel the Watergate scandal in the early 1970s and contributed to the resignation of president Richard M. Nixon.

The confirmation came from Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the two Washington Post reporters who broke the Watergate story, and their former top editor, Benjamin C. Bradlee. The three spoke after Felt's family and Vanity Fair magazine identified the 91-year-old Felt, now a retiree in California, as the long-anonymous source who provided crucial guidance for some of the newspaper's groundbreaking Watergate stories.

Washington Post executive editor Leonard Downie Jr. was online Wednesday, June 1, at 1 p.m. ET to discuss the confirmation of Mark Felt as Deep Throat and The Washington Post's reporting of the Watergate story.

____________________

Forestville, Md.: Will we see any interviews, statements, or even these chats with Woodward, Bernstein or Bradlee?

Leonard Downie: Bob Woodward is today writing a story for tomorrow's paper and washingtonpost.com about his relationship with Deep Throat. He may do interviews and chats after that.

_______________________

Silver Spring, Md.: Thanks for taking questions today! Surely yesterday must have been a disappointing day for The Post. After loyally maintaining confidentiality for 33 years, you deserved to be the ones to break the story.

That said, is there also a sense of relief that the story is finally out there, people can stop bugging you about it, and The Post is, after all, vindicated from suspicions about Deep Throat's existence?

Leonard Downie: There is indeed a sense of relief that people now know the identity of Deep Throat and we can tell everyone everything about it. It was more important to us that we maintain our vow of confidentiality than necessarily be ones who broke the story, since readers can only get the full story from us anyway.

_______________________

Atlanta, Ga.: When the story first broke yesterday, Woodward and Bernstein issued statements reiterating their stance of 30-plus years; that is, they wouldn't reveal Deep Throat's identity until that person passed away.

Who, then, made the final decision at The Post that they would break that long-held vow and confirm Felt was indeed Deep Throat?

Thanks.

Leonard Downie: They made those statements before we all had a chance to study the Vanity Fair story, confer with each other (we had to converge on our newsroom from a variety of locations) and decide what to do. Once we had that, we decided that Mark Felt's family and lawyer had, in effect, released us from our confidentiality agreement and we could go ahead and confirm his idea as Deep Throat and write about it.

_______________________

Scranton, Pa.: How many people in the Chain of Command at Washington Post had to resolve themselves to secrecy for all these years?

Leonard Downie: Just Ben Bradlee, because Bob and Carl. No one else knew until recently.

_______________________

Kensington, Md.: Who came up with the name "Deep Throat" -- and why "Deep Throat?"

Leonard Downie: The late Howard Simons, who was managing editor of The Washington Post in 1972, coined the phrase in humorous reference to a then popular, off-color movie -- and the name stuck.

_______________________

San Bruno, Calif.: Would today's Washington Post allow two junior reporters (such as Woodward and Bernstein) to identify a source only to the senior executive editor (such as Bradlee)?

Or it is expected that the reporter would reveal the source name to his or her immediate supervisor?

Leonard Downie: Our rule is that anytime we attribute information in the paper to an anonymous source, at least one editor needs to know the identity of the source.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Can you expand upon how the decision was made to confirm Felt's identity as Deep Throat? Did you weigh in, or was it left up to Wood/Bern/Bradlee? Did the three of them meet privately? How did you pick David Von Drehle to write the story today? Were any of his questions NOT answered by the above three?

Leonard Downie: I made the decision after conferring with Ben Bradlee and Bob Woodward in the way I described in an earlier answer. I had picked David Von Drehle weeks ago to be prepared to write the Deep Throat story when Deep Throat died, without Von Drehle knowing who Deep Throat was. He prepared by reviewing information about Watergate and Deep Throat.

_______________________

Philadelphia, Pa.: W. Mark Felt's revelation has brought even more questions into the ongoing feud over confidential sources, an argument that some media have made into a polarized discussion. As a journalism student, I'm worried about what the state of journalism will be when I enter the field. How do you think the "Deep Throat" revelation will affect the state of confidential sources?

Leonard Downie: For a variety of reasons, most news organizations have tightened up their use of anonymous sources and studies show that their use has decreased in many large news outlets, including The Washington Post. But they are still necessary in holding the powerful accountable to the rest of us when the primary sources fear losing their jobs or worse if they become whistle-blowers.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Haldeman is recorded on the Nixon Tapes October 19, 1972, telling Nixon that Felt is leaking information to The Post. He (Haldeman) says an "official" at The Post was his source for fingering Felt. The official says he got the info from a Post reporter. If we are to treat the transcripts of the Nixon tapes as "the Bible of Watergate" or at least the "Book of Nixon," are we to believe the Nixon White House had their own "Deep Throat" within The Washington Post camp? Do tell, please...

Thanks.

Leonard Downie: No. I don't think so. The Nixon tapes show that he and his aides often threw around speculation that had no basis in fact.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: A multi-part question, Mr. Downie. Have you had much discussion with the Felt family since the story broke? Will his revelations change the after-the-fact face of Watergate? Does The Post feel it's in any danger of losing news credibility because this story is now out? Thanks very much!

Leonard Downie: I think the Post's credibility is enhanced by the fact that we stuck to our confidentiality agreement until Mark Felt's family and lawyer revealed his identity. The coverage that will continue about him and his role in Watergate may well reveal still more details about Watergate but probably not anything that would change our general understanding of what happened.

_______________________

Washington, D>C.: Tell us the truth, unvarnished: Do you view today's New York Times news account, with its emphasis on you guys supposedly being scooped by Vanity Fair, as sour grapes? The New York Times wasn't exactly leading the charge in the 1970s on the Watergate story. And they had the first edge, with the Pentagon Papers.

Leonard Downie: I always let our coverage speak for itself and other paper's coverage speak for itself. I believe in the intelligence and wisdom of our readers.

_______________________

Alexandria, Va.: It's important to point out that Felt was never the sole source on a story published by the Post during Watergate. Everything he said or led them to had to be confirmed by at least one other source, I believe.

Could Felt be a sole source on a story today? Would the Post publish such a story without further corroboration?

Leonard Downie: You're right. Everything Felt told Woodward had to be corroborated by other sources, of which there were many. We operate under the same rules today.

_______________________

Linkwood, Md.: Regarding The Post rule on editors knowing the identity of a source, didn't Bradlee violate that? He said he didn't know Deep Throat's name until after Nixon resigned.

Leonard Downie: He was told about Deep Throat's access to information and was satisfied by that and by the fact that everything he said had to corroborated by other sources. Today, our rule is that an editor has to know the source's full identity.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: You wrote that you picked Von Drehle weeks ago to write the Deep Throat story when Deep Throat died. Did you have any reason at the time to think Deep Throat was in ill health? Had Woodward asked you to be prepared to write such a story? Did he know the article was in the works at Vanity Fair?

Leonard Downie: Woodward had said publicly that Deep Throat was very old. So I decided it was time to prepare a contingency plan for when he died. A couple of months ago, Woodward showed me information about Deep Throat to help with that. I then assigned Von Drehle to get ready without telling him Deep Throat's identify or knowing whether we would be writing about him in a month or many years.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: What is Woodward and Bernstein's relationship like? Are they friends now, or were they ever?

Leonard Downie: Woodward and Bernstein have been friends ever since they started working on Watergate 33 years ago.

_______________________

Bethesda, Md.: Okay, I know this is inside baseball, but could you elaborate on how you approached von Drehle. I'm trying to imagine his being called into an office with the blinds drawn, you sitting behind a desk, and then Donald Graham stepping out from behind a shadow. Brad Pitt portraying von Drehle slowly turns to assess the group....

Leonard Downie: Sounds like a good movie, but I want Brad Pitt playing me (they'll need to add some wrinkles in makeup). It was just a conversation between David and me in my office.

_______________________

Chicago, Ill.: It has been posited that Felt had other, more official avenues (governmental) open to him with which to expose what was going on. Were these truly options? Would he not been in extreme danger after bring such information to someone in the official chain of command?

Leonard Downie: I agree with the premise of your question. Woodward will soon provide more details about his assessment of Felt's motivation, but it certainly appeared that he would been thwarted or worse if had tried to express his concerns to his superiors.

_______________________

Cambridge, Mass.: Why did The Post seem so surprised by this announcement? Didn't Vanity Fair fact check this story, giving you a heads up?

Leonard Downie: Someone sent Woodward a copy of the Vanity Fair story yesterday morning. As Paul Fahri reported in the Post and on this site today, the Vanity Fair operation for this was very secret.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: One has to remember the courage of Katharine Graham in backing Bradlee up as he potentially risked so much by letting these two young reporters take things as far as they did. I think she would be enjoying this week's events.

The fact that Felt was a higher-up at the FBI must have helped to fuel Bradlee's confidence in the source.

I just hope people understand the huge risk Bradlee, Graham and all at The Post took by following this story. Those were scary times.

Leonard Downie: I totally agree with everything you said, especially about Mrs. Graham, who was very wise and brave in this and many other decisions she made while running this company. Her book, Personal History, is a wonderful autobiography that everyone should read.

_______________________

Alexandria, Va.: Given both the mistrust of the "liberal media" and Felt's prior repeated denials, isn't it probably better for The Post that Deep Throat's identity was released by Felt rather than by The Post after his death? Even if Woodward and Bernstein had concrete written proof, I could see naysayers doubting whatever they released.

Leonard Downie: Yes, I think so.

_______________________

Hartford, Conn.: What kind of burden does the responsibility of the Watergate story bring to bear on The Washington Post? And how does that impact the editorial direction of the paper?

Leonard Downie: Ever since President Nixon's resignation and the book and the movie, the Post has had to work hard to maintain the credibility and responsibility it earned during Watergate. It makes us take very seriously what we do here in the public interest.

_______________________

Re: Von Drehle: Spectacular choice. He's a superb reporter and writer.

Leonard Downie: Oh, come on. We want to keep this guy modest.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: You wrote in reply to another question: "A couple of months ago, Woodward showed me information about Deep Throat to help with that. I then assigned Von Drehle to get ready without telling him Deep Throat's identify or knowing whether we would be writing about him in a month or many years."

This makes it sound as though you did learn Deep Throat's identity before yesterday.

Thus, the question is, what did you know and when did you know it?

Leonard Downie: Bob revealed it to me a couple of months ago so that we could prepare journalistically for his death. I told no one else.

_______________________

Northford, Conn.: Did either Woodward or Bernstein have advance knowledge that Felt was intending to reveal himself to the press? How much contact have they had with him since the Watergate scandal? And why do you think he chose Vanity Fair and not the Washington Post to cover this revelation?

Leonard Downie: The only things I know in answer to your questions is that Bob Woodward had maintained contact with Mark Felt and his family, but was surprised by the Vanity Fair article.

_______________________

Groton, Conn.: How would have The Post done a story in collaboration with Mr. Felt? One great comment in the Vanity Fair article was that Mr. Felt was a prisoner of sorts for the past 33 years. Does The Post have any regrets to that? Is there anything you would have done different or encouraged if you had the choice?

Leonard Downie: By all accounts, Mark Felt has led a full life since Watergate. I am proud that Bob and Carl maintained their pledge of confidentiality until his family and lawyer revealed his identity.

_______________________

San Francisco, Calif.: Do you think the vast coverage surrounding Deep Throat's revealed identity, and the resulting discussion about what he did, will encourage or discourage new government whistle blowers?

Leonard Downie: I believe most whistle blowers, like Mark Felt, are motivated at least in part by their patriotism, which I do not expect to be diminished by the revelation of what Mark Felt did.

_______________________

Chicago, Ill.: A University of Illinois journalism professor spent four years leading various classes through an investigation into Throat's identity. They came up with Fred Fielding as the source, and now the professor says Woodward and Bernstein provided misleading information about Throat's identity. Any comments?

Leonard Downie: To may knowledge, Bob and Carl have never publicly provided any misleading information about Deep Throat, including in their newspaper stories and books. The professor is referring to what he claims was an early, uncorrected,unpublished draft of something they wrote.

_______________________

Santa Fe, N.M.: Why have we yet to hear from Woodward in the paper? I would have thought a story authored by him would have been a high priority in today's Post. Surely, Woodward would have anticipated this day and had something at least partially ready. Is there still some underlying discomfort with questions of Mr. Felt's current competency at The Post that are causing delays?

Leonard Downie: Bob is writing a lengthy story about his relationship with Mark Felt which will appear in the Post and on this site tomorrow.

_______________________

Baltimore, Md.: I understand that Bernstein is an editor at Vanity Fair. What was his relationship with their article? Did he know it was coming? Did he influence it at all?

Leonard Downie: No, no and no.

_______________________

Frederick, Md.: I just finished reading "All the President's Men" a few weeks ago and with the revelation of Deep Throat's Identity, I can't help but think of Mrs. Graham and how she would react if she were still alive today. She put a lot on the line for the Watergate stories and I can't remember if the book mentions why she was never told the identity of Deep Throat. Did she ever have her suspicions as to the identity of this most famous confidential source?

Leonard Downie: She famously told Ben, Bob and Carl that as long as the Watergate reporting held up, as it did, she did not need to know who Deep Throat was.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Prior to finding out the identity of Deep Throat, who was your main suspect and why?

Leonard Downie: My first suspect was Elliott Richardson because he would have been in a position to know some of the information and had Yale and Navy connections that might have met he would have known Woodward for a long time. After that and another mistaken guess on my part, several years ago I wrote down a third guess -- Mark Felt -- on a piece of paper and put it in a sealed envelope that I gave to Bob. He never indicated whether I was right or wrong or even whether he had opened the envelope. I had guessed Felt, after my earlier mistakes, because he also was a position to know much of the information and had struck me, when I was a reporter and he was a senior FBI official, as a man of confidence, courage and integrity.

_______________________

Freeland, Mich.: Was there ever any concern that Felt's participation was only a result of his lack of promotion, that is to say, he was involved only as a matter of revenge? Does that make any difference in the coverage?

Leonard Downie: Sources have many motives for blowing the whistle. We always try to make certain that the information is correct, regardless of motive.

_______________________

Laguna Niguel, Calif.: Do you have any insight as to why John O'Connor approached Vanity Fair, an not The Post, to publish his article identifying Felt?

Leonard Downie: No. In answer to this and other questions about why the family and their lawyer went to Vanity Fair, I can only cite what Paul Fahri reported today.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Regarding you response: "Bob revealed it to me a couple of months ago so that we could prepare journalistically for his death. I told no one else."

Thanks for being so straight-up and letting us know. And Katharine Graham did not need to know, but really, to prepare, you did. I think this has been handled very professionally and I'm eager to read Mr. Woodward's piece.

Leonard Downie: Thank you.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Maybe this is already well known by Deep Throat groupies, but I've never heard -- Does the parking garage where Woodward met with Felt still exist? Where is (was) it? (Or maybe they built the Reagan building on it?)

Leonard Downie: Good question. I'll ask Bob.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Is it true the Nixon Administration threatened to deny FCC licenses to The Post? Could they have gotten away with such blatant censorship or disregard for freedom of speech? Do you see similarities with the Bush Administration's FCC witchhunt against journalists/publications for unfavorable coverage of the president? Could The Post be crippled by the White House today?

Leonard Downie: During our reporting on Watergate, some of the Post's television license renewals were challenged by a friend of the president's, which was a threat to the Post's financial well-being. I have not seen such an action by any administration since then.

_______________________

Copenhagen, Denmark: Did the articles of Woodward and Bernstein lead to the fall of Nixon, or did they just expose information that was bound to come out anyway? Where they responsible for the fall of Nixon or is this just the popular myth?

Leonard Downie: We just don't know what would have come out without Bob and Carl's reporting. We do know that their stories, Judge Sirica's outspoken comments and Senator Ervin's Watergate hearings combined to reveal what was going on, which led to Nixon's fall.

_______________________

Confidentiality Agreement: Was Woodward's agreement with Felt a handshake arrangement or was it put down in writing?

Leonard Downie: It was a spoken agreement, as such things usually are.

_______________________

Myersville, Md.: There is still speculation that Deep Throat was a composite source because some conclude Felt could not have known all that has been attributed to him at the times he was supposed to have provided information or confirmation. Are you satisfied that the record will prove consistent about Felt being "the only" Deep Throat? Still, are there other important White House sources for Woodward and Bernstein's work that are as yet undisclosed?

Leonard Downie: Mark Felt, not a composite, was Deep Throat. As has always been publicly known, Bob and Carl also many other sources, named and unnamed.

_______________________

Maryland: It says in the story today that Woodward has a book ready for Deep Throat's death. On the other side, Felt's family says they had tried to publish a book with Woodward and then that he was going to "get all the glory." Was there an economic dispute between Woodward and the family?

Leonard Downie: No.

_______________________

New York, N.Y.: I'm kind of fascinated by the fact that you were told by Woodward who the source was a few months ago. Could you give us further insight into that conversation? Were you surprised? Was it frustrating that there was nobody you could discuss it with? After all, the whole nation is talking about it now!

Leonard Downie: As the newspaper's editor, I have had to keep many such secrets, some for many years -- or even forever, so I've gotten used to it. I was pleased, when I found out, that I had finally guessed right after several wrong tries, and I was pleased that we could get ready to produce the kind of journalism that appeared in the Post and on this site today and will continue tomorrow.

_______________________

Raleigh, N.C.: As someone who was born in the time that Watergate was going down, I have always been a little fascinated by it all but really did not have any knowledge of it. Are you happy about the renewed interest in this story especially from people my age?

Leonard Downie: Yes. It is an important, reassuring story about both the role of American journalism and the strength of the American political journalism, which is good to be reminded of during a time of political polarization and media controversy.

_______________________

Frederick, Md.: It has been said that the print media is the primary source for all other news outlets. How important is it that major newspapers continue to pursue investigative journalism? What is the legacy of Deep Throat today and in the years to come?

Leonard Downie: It is vitally important that major newspapers continue to pursue investigative journalism, what I call "accountability reporting" -- holding the powerful accountable for their use of power. No other news medium has the resources and expertise for this kind of journalism that major newspapers have.

_______________________

Berkeley, Calif.: The cynic in me is a bit wary of all the pomp surrounding this announcement -- after all, weren't Woodward and Bernstein just doing what good journalists are supposed to do: question authority, follow tricky leads, and stand firm against those who would abuse their power? Do you think that, given recent events -- the lack of media scrutiny of the Iraq war decision, the tendency to chase false news like the Schiavo case etc. -- it's still possible for the next generation of Woodward and Bernsteins to topple a crooked regime (yes, I am thinking about present circumstances)?

Thanks.

Leonard Downie: Yes, it is possible and likely. Reporters continue to do exactly the kind of work you describe. As to Iraq, while we did not do a good enough job of highlighting dissenting views before the war, we have done a thorough job since of scrutinizing the war's origins, conduct and aftermath; most of what you know about all that came from the news media rather than any other source.

_______________________

Columbus, Ohio: I read somewhere yesterday that The Post only got one story wrong on Watergate and that was a piece on some grand jury testimony. After the story was published the White House made the famous accusation that The Post practiced "shabby journalism."

Is it true that that one story was the only one The Post got wrong and can you elaborate on what the error was?

Thanks!

Leonard Downie: The only error in the Post's Watergate coverage was a report that something had been stated in grand jury testimony, when it had not been. We corrected it.

_______________________

Alexandria, Va.: I know you were late in arriving, but can you give us some color from the newsroom yesterday with Bradlee, Woodward and Bernstein all together again? What was the atmosphere like?

Leonard Downie: I actually arrived in the newsroom before they did (although Ben was elsewhere in our building). It was wonderful and nostalgic to see them all together again, talking about Watergate.

_______________________

Lake Placid, N.Y.: According to today's Post, there were long periods when Woodward and Bernstein did not have anything to report regarding Watergate. Was there a point when Bradlee or others considered stopping them from continuing with the story?

Leonard Downie: Never. Ben kept pushing for more. Although there were periods when they were not ready to publish more, their reporting continued unabated until they found more.

_______________________

Boston, Mass.: If Washington Post and staff were to cover the Watergate story again, how would you suggest current concerns about journalistic sources and their use might affect today's "Watergate-like" coverage and use of "deep background" material?

Leonard Downie: We'd do it the same way.

_______________________

Laurel, Md.: Could you explain the differences between background, deep background and off the record and how those rules apply at The Post today and during Watergate? Could Woodward and Bernstein quote Deep Throat anonymously or could they just use him to confirm information they already had from some place else?

Leonard Downie: We prefer all sources to be on the record. If not, we prefer that a source be "on background" so we can use the substance without identifying the source. We avoid having source's go "off the record," because that means we could never use what they say, even to seek corroboration elsewhere. Deep Throat was "on deep background," meaning we could publish only what could be completely corroborated by other sources.

_______________________

Leonard Downie: Thanks everyone. Keeping reading washingtonpost.com and the Post.

_______________________

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.