NYT: Some Source Hunters Get to Take Bows of Their Own

New York Times ^ | June 2, 2005 | ANNE E. KORNBLUT

[OESY]

With the most tantalizing mystery in recent political history solved, the cottage industry of amateur detectives devoted to uncloaking Deep Throat has turned to confront one of the last remaining questions: How did so many people guess so wildly wrong for such a long time?

W. Mark Felt... who revealed himself on Tuesday as The Washington Post's secret source on the Watergate scandal, usually fell low on the list of suspects, if he was there at all, in scores of books and articles speculating on the subject....

Yet even now, some skeptics are unconvinced Mr. Felt is the Deep Throat who was portrayed as a lively, erudite public servant who reveled in cloak-and-dagger pursuits.

David Obst, the former literary agent for Mr. Woodward and Mr. Bernstein, has long contended that Deep Throat was actually a composite of several anonymous sources - a view he still held after Tuesday's disclosures.

"Mark Felt was an invaluable source to The Washington Post and to Woodward and Bernstein, but he was not Deep Throat - there was no Deep Throat," said Mr. Obst, who claims that the character was added to the original draft of "All the President's Men" to give it more intrigue.

Mr. Obst, interviewed before Mr. Woodward's account about a sustained friendship with Mr. Felt was posted online Wednesday night, said it defied credibility to suggest that such a high-ranking F.B.I. official would take the time and energy required to discuss information to Mr. Woodward in the ways the book described, like marking up a newspaper on Mr. Woodward's doorstep to signal his desire for a meeting.

Though Mr. Felt was a source, Mr. Obst said, he was not the only one.

"There's not a chance one person was Deep Throat," Mr. Obst said. "So, no, I'm not eating crow."

[OESY]

[marty60]

You mean there is more than one traitor. Name them please. WE WANT NAMES.

[AFPhys]

I just love the "investigators" who have fingered so many people wrongly over the course of the years.

Look at some examples from Wikipedia (as of yesterday):

First cut:
Over the years, political observers have suggested many possible candidates as Deep Throat, including FBI director L. Patrick Gray, Nixon advisor Alexander Haig, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and even former U.N. ambassador (and later president) George Bush, Sr..

[I never suspected any of these, personally - but had no idea myself who else to suspect]

Second cut:
Leading candidates

Generally acknowledged to be the three leading candidates are W. Mark Felt, Fred Fielding, and William H. Rehnquist.
----->
Someone from Wikipedia gets partial credit!
also, check out this School of "Journalism" take:

"The 7 finalists are listed here: http://www.comm.uiuc.edu/spike/deepthroat/
Patrick Buchanan, speechwriter and special assistant to the president.
David Gergen, speechwriter, then served as press spokesman for President Reagan.
Jonathan Rose, Attorney for White House relations.
Raymond Price, head speechwriter.
Stephen Bull, a special administrative assistant to Nixon.
Fred Fielding, top assistant to John Dean.
Gerald L. Warren, deputy press secretary under Nixon."
----->

How about how well the Investigative Journalism classes at UofI can really get to the bottom of things...

From another of their web sites: http://deepthroatuncovered.com/
How students solved one of America's top mysteries

After a four-year investigation, students at the University of Illinois have determined the identity of Deep Throat, the most elusive, anonymous news source in history: Fred Fielding, deputy counsel to former President Richard Nixon

Updated 11/21/2003

Wrong yet again...
Amazing.
----->

More amazing is the supreme confidence these academics have in their results.

These are the type of people who are writing "history books" now - "investigating" such things as Jefferson's sex life, etc. ,as well as seeking out stories for Newsweak, CBS 60min, and the NYSlimes.

It is important for us to to recognize their enormous fallibility.

Many people have been slandered by these "investigative journalists" inspired by their @#$%^ "professors" over the years.

To me/ For ME - this is the REAL story of Watergate.

I loathe them all nowadays.

FRAUDcasters.
`\

[TiaS]

Anyone out there question why the records/notes from all this at the Washington Post are going to end up in Texas?

[marty60]

$$$$$$$$$$. Actually, UT has an extensive research library.

[TiaS]

It won't be much good if contents are "CLASSIFIED", "RECLASSIFIED" or shredded -- follow the money? I recall Nixon saying, money was their cheapest commodity -- must have been Texas.

[Dinsdale]

Nixon new who it was. (or thought he did and was right).