Deep Throat was an anonymous source who provided information to Washington Post reporters during the Watergate scandal in the 1970s. Deep Throat’s identity was revealed in 2005 as William Mark Felt, an associate director of the FBI. The scandal involved a break-in at the Democratic National Committee offices at the Watergate Hotel, which led to the resignation of President Nixon and prison sentences for White House staffers. The term “Deep Throat” has become a generic term for an anonymous source. The reason behind Felt’s decision to disclose information is unclear, but it may have been due to anger at being moved to the directorship or as part of a larger fight between the FBI and the White House.
Deep Throat was an anonymous source within the US government who passed information to Washington Post reporters in the 1970s. This information pertained to the Watergate scandal, an explosive political scandal that later led to the resignation of President Nixon, as well as prison sentences for some White House staffers.
Deep Throat’s identity was kept under wraps for 30 years, until a 2005 Vanity Fair article finally revealed his identity, with his consent. Before Deep Throat was revealed, speculation about her identity was rampant among American political historians. The infamy of the Watergate case has led to the use of “Deep Throat” as a generic term for an anonymous source in a controversial case.
The Watergate scandal began in June 1972, when a group of men were caught breaking into the offices of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate Hotel. The men seemed unusually well equipped, and many of them turned out to be connected to the Nixon administration. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began investigating the case, which garnered media attention as it involved high-profile political figures. As the case progressed, it became clear that it represented a gross abuse of power and that the White House was likely engaged in obstruction of justice. The Washington Post’s excellent reporting helped raise public awareness of the issue and ensured that the case would be kept in the spotlight, rather than pushed to page two.
The Vanity Fair article and accompanying interviews revealed that Deep Throat was done by William Mark Felt, who was associate director of the FBI at the time of the Watergate scandal. Felt was given access to unique information surrounding the case and was used to confirm facts and fill information gaps. He approached Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, offering to provide information that would improve their reporting of the Watergate scandal, and the two eagerly agreed.
The title “Deep Throat” for Felt has been linked to the 1972 pornographic film of the same name. It could also be a pun on “deep background”, an American journalistic term for a source who agrees to provide information, but not to be recorded . In other words, Deep Throat was not directly cited by the Post in its exposé articles on Watergate, but the information he provided was used to track down other potential sources that might be cited. Deep Throat expanded the background information on the case, giving the two reporters a greater depth of knowledge.
The reason behind Deep Throat’s decision to disclose information to the Post is unclear. Some historians have suggested that Felt was angry at being moved to the directorship and took the opportunity to exact revenge. Others have indicated that Felt’s leak was part of a larger fight between the FBI and the White House. The FBI often felt severely constrained by the White House, and Felt’s revelations led to greater autonomy for the Bureau. It’s also possible that Deep Throat simply felt morally obligated to provide the information, in the interests of the greater good for the American people.
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