1. Nixon sure thought Felt was the man and had access to the info.
2. Means, motive (passover of job), and opportunity.
3. Classic spy approach (by feeb who did counter-intel) of meetings.
4. Felts said it --- apparently for some time, according to family.
5. W&B said it --- apparently for some time, given that one of their sons leaked the story years ago at camp.
Nixon was sure that Felt was leaking to the media as stated on a Nixon White House tape recorded in the Oval Office on October 19, 1972. That was months before the senate hearings which started in May of 1973 and continued into October of 1973 under the chairmanship of Democrat Senator Sam Erwin. The Washington Post was not even using the name deep throat in October of 1972. No one is quoting any other instance where Felt is mentioned on the Nixon tapes. Surely Nixon would have mentioned Felt sometime in 1973 if he thought he was Deep Throat.
If Felt was known by Nixon to be a source for the Washington Post on Oct 19, 1972 there is no way that Nixon would have allowed Felt access to anything except the FBI investigations. Felt could not have known about many of the later revelations attributed to Deep Throat. .
I believe that Felt was the source of the early Washington Post stories but he could not have been the source of the later stories. He was not even in the FBI when much of the information was first learned.
What puzzles me is how could Haldeman have known that Felt was the source leaking to the Washington Post. There were several people in the FBI who knew everything Felt knew. How was Haldeman able to tell Nixon he knew it was Felt who was leaking. When Haldeman tells Nixon that Felt is the source of the leaks, Nixon accepts that as gospel. Nixon must have known how Haldeman knew who Woodwards source was. Otherwise Nixon would have questioned Haldeman on the matter.
If some one told his boss who was doing the leaking wouldn't a normal boss ask .. "How do you know he is the leaker?" The only reason I think Nixon didn't ask Haldeman how he knew it was Felt, is Nixon was fully aware of Haldeman's source and Nixon trusted that source.
Oh one interesting side story on Sam Erwin. I was staying at the Mayflower Hotel in the early spring of 1975. I was in line to pick up my key when the Sainted Senator Sam Erwin crowded in line in front of me. I guess Ole Sam though he was far more privileged than a lowly 'tator.
I later asked David Brinkley what Sam Erwin was doing staying in the Mayflower hotel... Brinkley told me Erwin lived in a suite. A further question by the 'tator elicited the information that Erwin's suite rent must certainly exceed his Senate salary. Erwin did not have the wealth to pay for such high living in the ritzy Mayflower Hotel. Erwin was, as he was won't to say, just a poor Ole Country lawyer. When I asked Brinkley how Erwin could afford such high living... David just smiled that crooked smile that spoke volumes and said nothing.
With that question my conversation with David Brinkley was over.
/Moles