Nixon

A PROLOGUE APPEARS on a black screen:

"This film is an attempt to understand the truth of Richard

Nixon, thirty-seventh president of the United States. It

is based on numerous public sources and on an incomplete

historical record.

In consideration of length, events and characters have been

condensed, and some scenes among protagonists have been

conjectured."

On a portable screen we read the famous words from Matthew:

"What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole

world and lose his own soul?" This FADES into:

A BLACK AND WHITE 16-mm sales training FILM. At the

moment, the sales manager, BOB, is chatting with EARL, a

rookie salesman.

BOB:

Sure you've got a great product, Earl.

But you have to remember what you're

really selling.

(then)

Yourself.

INT. WATERGATE HOTEL - CONFERENCE ROOM - NIGHT

Seven men in shirts and ties are seated around a table in a

darkened room. They are smoking Cuban cigars, idly

watching the film.

TITLE:
"JUNE 17, 1972." Then: "THE WATERGATE HOTEL"

A BUSBOY yawns as he clears away the remains of dinner. A

WAITER starts pouring Margaritas from a pitcher.

A balding man in his early fifties tosses a five onto the

table. He is HOWARD HUNT.

HUNT:

Just leave it.

The waiter puts down the pitcher, picks up the five, and

follows the busboy out of the room.

The moment the door closes behind them, GORDON LIDDY is on

his feet, locking the door. OTHER MEN are visible, putting

on jackets, securing technical equipment from briefcases

and bags. They are: FRANK STURGIS, BERNARD BARKER, EUGENIO

MARTINEZ, VIRGILIO GONZALES, and JAMES MCCORD.

LIDDY:

(checks his watch)

Zero-one-twenty-one. Mark.

Sturgis rolls his eyes, drains his Margarita. Liddy pulls

a wad of cash from his pocket, starts passing out hundred

dollar bills to his men.

LIDDY (CONT'D)

Just in case you need to buy a cop.

But don't spend it all in one place.

We're going to do McGovern's office

later tonight.

McCord shakes his head.

LIDDY (CONT'D)

Orders from the White House, partner.

Liddy bypasses Hunt, who is browsing a folded Spanish

language paper.

LIDDY (CONT'D)

Howard ... What the hell? What're you

doing?

HUNT:

Dogs ... Season starts tomorrow.

(off Liddy's look)

It keeps me calm. I don't like going

back into the same building four

times.

Liddy mutters something didactic in German.

HUNT (CONT'D)

Mein Kampf?

LIDDY:

(translates into English)

"A warrior with nerves of steel is yet

broken by a thread of silk."

Nietzsche.

HUNT:

Personally I'd prefer a greyhound with

a shot of speed.

LIDDY:

(to all)

Remember -- listen up! Fire team

discipline is there at all times.

Keep your radios on at all times

during the entire penetration. Check

yourselves. Phony ID's, no wallets,

no keys. We rendezvous where? The

Watergate, Room 214. When? At zero

three-hundred.

STURGIS:

Yawohl, mein fartenfuhrer.

LIDDY:

(narrowing, waving his gun)

Don't start with me, Frank, I'll make

you a new a**hole.

HUNT:

(rising past them)

Let's get the f*** out of here, shall

we, ladies?

LIDDY:

Anything goes wrong, head for your

homes, just sit tight -- you'll hear

from me or Howard.

HUNT:

(aside)

Personally, I'll be calling the

President of the United States.

A nervous chuckle as Hunt follows Liddy out the main door.

The rest exit through the door behind the screen.

The FILM is ending. Bob puts a hand on Earl's shoulder.

BOB:

And remember, Earl: Always look 'em in

the eye.

(to the camera)

Nothing sells like sincerity.

A BLACK SCREEN as the film rattles out, followed by a RADIO

REPORT over the darkened room, the sounds of doors closing.

RADIO REPORT (V.O.)

Five men wearing surgical gloves and

business suits, and carrying cameras

and electronic surveillance equipment,

were arrested today in the

headquarters of the Democratic

National Committee in Washington.

They were unarmed.

Nobody knows yet why they were there

or what they were looking for...

FADE IN TO:

EXT. THE WHITE HOUSE - NIGHT (1973)

TITLES RUN - A raw November night. We are looking through

the black iron bars of the fence towards the facade of the

Executive Mansion. A LIGHT is on in a second floor room.

We move towards it through the bars, across the lawn. Dead

leaves blow past. A SUBTITLE READS: "NOVEMBER 1973"

A black LIMOUSINE slides up to the White House West Wing.

An armed GUARD with a black DOBERMAN approaches.

The window opens slightly. The Guard peers in. Then, he

opens the door.

GUARD:

Good evening, General Haig.

GENERAL ALEXANDER HAIG gets out, walks up the steps. He

carries a manila envelope. As he enters the White House,

we hear an AUDIO MONTAGE of NEWS REPORTERS from the

previous year. The VOICES fade in and out, overlap.

REPORTERS (V.O.)

Judge John Sirica today sentenced the

Watergate burglars to terms ranging

from up to forty years ... The White

House continues to deny any

involvement ...

INT. THE WHITE HOUSE - VESTIBULE - NIGHT

HAIG enters, starts up the stairs. The mansion is dark,

silent. Like a tomb.

REPORTERS (V.O.)

Presidential counsel John Dean

testified before the Senate Watergate

Committee that the scandal reaches to

the highest levels ...

MOVING:
A low-angle shot of Haig's spit-shined shoes moving

down the long corridor of the second floor of the

Residence.

REPORTERS (V.O.) (CONT'D)

Presidential aides Haldeman and

Ehrlichman were ordered to resign

today ... In a stunning announcement,

White House aid Alexander Butterfield

revealed the existence of a secret

taping system ...

CLOSE:
on the manila envelope in Haig's hand.

REPORTERS (V.O.) (CONT'D)

The President has fired the Watergate

Special Prosecutor, Archibald Cox,

provoking the gravest constitutional

crisis in American history ...

Haig stops at the door, quietly knocks. No answer.

REPORTERS (V.O.) (CONT'D)

Judge Sirica has ordered the President

to turn over his tapes ...

Haig opens the door.

INT. THE WHITE HOUSE - LINCOLN SITTING ROOM - NIGHT

The room is small, austere, dominated by a portrait of

LINCOLN over the fireplace. HAIG stands in the doorway,

holding the envelope.

HAIG:

These are the tapes you requested, Mr.

President.

RICHARD NIXON is in shadow, silhouetted by the fire in the

hearth. The air-conditioning is going full blast.

Haig crosses the room, opens the envelope, takes out a reel

of tape.

Nixon sits in a small armchair in a corner. A Uher tape

recorder and a headset are on an end table at his elbow.

Next to it is a large tumbler of Scotch.

Haig hands the envelope containing the tapes to Nixon.

NIXON:

This is June twentieth?

HAIG:

It's marked. Also there's June twenty

third. And this year -- March twenty

first. Those are the ones ...

Nixon squints at the label in the firelight.

HAIG (CONT'D)

... the lawyers feel ... will be the

basis of the ... proceedings.

Nixon tries to thread the tape.

NIXON:

Nixon's never been any good with these

things.

He drops the tape on the floor.

NIXON (CONT'D)

Cocksucker!

Haig picks up the tape. Then he steps to the table,

reaches for the lamp.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote