War Powers Act (War Powers Resolution) 1973
The War Powers Act of 1973, passed in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, puts limits on the ability of the President to send
American troops into combat areas without Congressional approval. Under the act, the President can only send combat troops
into battle or into areas where ''imminent'' hostilities are likely, for 60 days, without either a declaration of war by Congress or
a specific Congressional mandate. The President can extend the time the troops are in the combat area for 30 extra days,
without Congressional approval, for a total of 90 days. The act, however, does not specify what Congress can do if the
President refuses to comply with the act. Congress could presumably suspend all funds for such troops and override a
Presidential veto.
1. Why was the War Powers Act written?
2. What is the main goal of the War Powers Act? (What is the main conflict between the Congress and President
over war?)
3. What happens if Congress does not want to go to war, or doesn’t declare an extension of military action? (How
can Congress limit the President?)
4. What provision(s) are given in the Resolution to limit the power of the President in war-making?
5. Name a current example of use of the War Powers Resolution.
The Watergate Scandal & President Nixon: Investigation & Resignation
Source: https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-watergate-scandal-president-nixon-investigation-resignation.html
While many historians have pointed to the war in Vietnam as being a large component to the downfall of President
Richard Nixon, the main culprit in the embattled leader's tainted presidency was the _____________________ Scandal
in _________, which was Nixon's attempt at __________________ an executive-led break-in at the Watergate hotel and
office complex in D.C. Nixon was known for his irrational behavior as President of the United States; for example, he
employed what he called the '_______________ theory' to psychologically terrorize the North Vietnamese into ending the
Vietnam War.
Nixon was also renowned for his paranoia. He believed that everyone was attempting to bring him down; he distrusted the
_____________________ movement of the period, the ________ (especially its leader, J. Edgar Hoover), and many of his
own _______________ members. Nixon was so suspicious of those around him that he eventually created a secret
intelligence staff to investigate the daily activities of those deemed untrustworthy.
This secret staff received its first mission in 1971 when Daniel Ellsberg, a former national security employee, leaked the
'_________________ Papers,' which was a confidential history of American involvement in the
___________________________________. Nixon ordered the staff, which became known as the
“___________________” to “stop the leak” of information and discredit Ellsberg; this was seen as overstepping his
________________ privileges. Let's take a look at how Watergate unfolded.
In 1972, Nixon began his re-election campaign, which was headed by the Committee to Re-Elect the President, or
________________, against a divided __________________ Party. Two of the three democratic contenders failed to
reach the Democratic National Convention due to injury or political mistakes. As a result, South Dakota Senator George
_________________ won his party’s nomination easily. Unfortunately, McGovern did not stand a chance against Nixon
in both the electoral and popular vote. Yet the election was tainted by information that was released in months that
followed.
In June 1972, Nixon authorized members of his secret unit, as well as CREEP, to pay a team of _____________ to
infiltrate the Democratic Party’s headquarters at the Watergate complex to acquire information on his opponents. These
undercover individuals broke into several Democratic offices within the Watergate and installed wire-taps and recording
equipment. Unfortunately for Nixon, the equipment was installed haphazardly and had to be readjusted. As the intruders
attempted to return to Watergate and resolve the problem, they were caught and arrested. The White House immediately
attempted to downplay the break-in, but behind the scenes, Nixon and his secret team were quickly using funds to pay for
the silence and cooperation of the intruders. Nixon also made sure that the FBI remained out of the incident by forcing the
__________ to persuade the intelligence community that the break-in was classified as a matter of
________________________________.
While Nixon thought he was able to successfully cover-up the break-in at the Watergate complex, members of the
______________, Congress and ______________ experts began questioning the event. By January 1973, the Watergate
intruders stood trial for their participation in the break-in. The presiding judge was unconvinced with the intruders’
testimony that their actions had no connection to Nixon. Meanwhile, _________________ intervened when the
_____________ organized the Watergate Committee to investigate the event. John Mitchell, the head of CREEP, was
convicted of engaging in illegal activities by federal prosecutors. When that information became public, it increased the
pressure on the Watergate intruders still on trial. In March, one of the intruders released information during questioning,
linking CREEP to the break-in. In the following months, other convicted intruders testified before the Watergate
Committee, revealing additional information linking not only CREEP, but the Nixon Administration to the events at
Watergate. Eventually Nixon's lead legal counsel testified to Nixon's involvement in the break-in and cover-up.
Simultaneously, the one piece of evidence that Congress, as well as the federal prosecution, needed was Nixon's
_____________ conversations in the _______________________________. Nixon initially refused to turn over the tapes
claiming executive privilege and instead campaigned for the _________________ Compromise, which called for Senator
John Stennis, who was essentially deaf, to translate the tapes for Congress! This compromise was refused; instead
Congress sent special prosecutor for the case, Archibald Cox, to present Nixon with a subpoena for the tapes. In another
outlandish move, Nixon used his executive powers to terminate Cox as a prosecutor in what became known as the
'____________________ __________________ Massacre.'
However, Nixon’s defiance failed to pay off. While Nixon attempted to release sanitized versions of his tapes, many had
had enough. On July 24, 1974, the United States Supreme Court ruled in the case of ____________v. ________________
that Nixon's use of executive privilege was not applicable in a ____________________ investigation. Within weeks of the
decision, the House of Representatives approved the ___________________________ of Nixon on the grounds of
obstruction of ________________, violation of the ________________________ and the unlawful withholding of
evidence. To make matters worse, a tape was released, known as the “__________________________,” which unveiled
Nixon agreeing to a CIA cover-up of the Watergate break-in during a phone conversation in 1972. With the mounting
evidence and loss of both political and public support, Nixon resigned as president on August 9, 1974. Notably, his
successor, President Gerald _____________, pardoned Nixon for his involvement in Watergate.