American Spy Post #6

Throughout the trial, both Hunt and Liddy were faced with the decision of whether or not to turn in their superiors in the government. They chose different paths, each with their own consequences. Hunt, for months, chose to remain silent about their involvement. Eventually, he changed his mind and believed that it was better to plead guilty and tell the court everything he knew. He also encouraged the other members of the Watergate Seven to do the same. Hunt told them that the prosecutors knew about the majority of what had happened, so it was useless to still claim information to the contrary. This did not sit well with some of the men: especially a man named Gordon who promptly asked to be transferred to the deadlock section of prison so he wouldn't be near Hunt. Hunt writes, "We would never speak again. I didn't know it at the time, but my friend would later write that he [Gordon] had formed an elaborate plot to have me poisoned in jail if the White House ordered, and going to deadlock was part of the plan" (298). At the time, Hunt believed that he was doing the right thing and that by being fully open in court, justice could be served. What he didn't know, was that the people that he was supposed to be protecting had noticed his actions and were making plans to eliminate him if needed.

Taking the opposite position, Liddy never told the entire truth in court, instead choosing to protect his superiors even though it led to extended time in prison. Even after Nixon's resignation, he never changed his story, saying "the soldier owned his allegiance to the prince, no matter whom the prince may be" (311). He chose to remain loyal to those who had been in power for no apparent reason or gain for himself. In court, Liddy even refused to tell the truth, gaining himself added years in prison. Hunt describes one such instance, "When asked if he would tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, Liddy replied, 'No!' He was subsequently cited for contempt of Congress and returned for sentencing to Judge Sirica, who angrily added an additional eighteen months to his sentence" (312). Because of his continued refusal to help in the investigation, Liddy added years to his time in prison, but he continued to do the same thing because he thought that it was the right thing to do. The choices that we make in life all will have consequences. Sometimes, no matter what we decide to do, we will still be forced to deal with what happens as a result. Also, as a result of our actions, we must be prepared to accept responsibility for what we have done during our lives. These are the lessons that E. Howard Hunt and the other members of the Watergate Seven learned, and they are the lessons that we must learn and apply to our lives.