Silent Coup
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Silent Coup: The Removal of a President | |
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| Author | Len Colodny, Robert Gettlin |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject(s) | Watergate scandal |
| Publisher | St. Martin's Press |
| Publication date | January 1992 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 580 pages |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-312-05156-5 (hardback) ISBN 978-0312927639 (paper) |
| OCLC | 22493143 |
Silent Coup is a 1992 book by Len Colodny and Robert Gettlin in which they contend that former Nixon White House counsel John Dean orchestrated the 1972 Watergate burglary at Democratic National Committee headquarters to protect his future wife, then named Maureen Biner, by removing information linking her to a call-girl ring that worked for the DNC. The authors also argued that Alexander Haig was not Deep Throat but was a key source for Bob Woodward, who had briefed Haig at the White House in 1969 and 1970.
Silent Coup was described as one of "the most boring conspiracy books ever written" filled with "wild charges and vilifications" by The Washington Post. [1]
The New York Times Book Review attacked Silent Coup's argument that Nixon was "an innocent victim" and said it showed "a stunning ignorance of how the Government under Mr. Nixon operated."[1]
Silent Coup was on the New York Times bestseller list for 12 weeks and sold more than 100,000 copies.[1]
[edit] Lawsuits
- Further information: John Dean: Life after Watergate
In 1992 John and Maureen Dean sued Liddy for libel. The case was dismissed without prejudice and was later refiled. In 2001 a federal judge declared a mistrial and dismissed the $5.1 million defamation lawsuit.[2]
The Deans also sued St. Martin's Press, publisher of Silent Coup. St. Martin's settled the case for an undisclosed sum.[2]
In 2001, former DNC secretary Ida Wells sued Gordon Liddy in US District Court in Baltimore on the same basis as Dean had, the court declared a mistrial.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Lardner Jr., George (1997-07-23), “Watergate Libel Suit Settled”, Washington Post, <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/1997/07/23/AR2005112200817.html>. Retrieved on 1 October 2007.
- ^ a b "Liddy Case Dismissed Jury Unable To Reach A Verdict After Deliberating 8 Hours" (February 01 2001). CBS News.
