Nixon was not involved in the planning of Watergate, that has been established by the Nixon Tapes. Nixon was deeply involved in the cover up though, and who was advising Nixon? and what ties did Nixon's advisers have to Felt and the FBI. Erlichman is the key IMHO. Why did McCord roll over so easily, we know he had ties to the FBI, he was a former FBI Agent.
Till the day I die, I will believe Nixon was setup.
I think your theory is wild, but only a corrupt and amoral man would have allowed himself to be setup in any event. Nixon has nobody to blame but himself. He lacked character. He lacked that esesntial loadstar of valuing doing what was right over and above perceived self interest, however poorly perceived that self interest was.
Which would mean W&B were also pawns. Am I following you correctly? What's your theory on Bradlee? Part of the set-up?
Yes, this has come up. As to Jim McCord--very good guy, not macho like Liddy (altho both had pretty large families) but a patriot, too. Just don't think he could handle the guilt; and Hunt couldn't afford to. Don't agree completely on Erlichmann, but it's possible now that we know someone other than a WH staffer was ID'd as DT. Still thinking it was more than one and that blackmail was involved. VERY few Nixon guys were NEW. Dean was an aberration. And we still haven't even touched all the info about Maurie Stans, John Mitchell, other CRe-EP staffers--all of whom would have known more about the finance-end than anyone in the White House.