Overlay: All the President's Men (1976 film)

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Errors	Missing	Unverified	Supported
2	2	0	7

How were these counts calculated?

Errors (2)

Deep Throat signaled the meeting time by drawing clock hands on the lower cornermuddled-object While Sloan initially keeps this secret from the public, he confirms it to Woodwmuddled-context

Missing (2)

The 'Grand Jury' Error: The summary omits the critical plot point where Woodwardomitted-action 'Follow the Money': The summary misses the iconic instruction 'Follow the money,omitted-action

#Q ORIGINAL QUESTION

Regarding the film All the President's Men (1976), what secrets are the characters keeping?

#M ANNOTATED LLM RESPONSE

In the 1976 film All the President's Men, the plot is driven by a complex web of secrets maintained by government officials, political operatives, and the journalists themselves. These secrets range from the identities of high-level whistleblowers to the illegal funding of political sabotage.

1. The Secrets of "Deep Throat" (W. Mark Felt)

The most significant secret in the film is the identity of the informant known as "Deep Throat."

Identity: At the time of the film’s release, his identity was a real-world secret kept by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein for over 30 years (later revealed to be FBI Deputy Director W. Mark Felt).
Insider Knowledge: He is keeping the secret that the Watergate break-in was not an isolated incident but part of a massive, coordinated campaign of political espionage and sabotage.
Clandestine Methods: He and Woodward use secret signals to communicate, such as Woodward moving a flowerpot with a red flag on his balcony to request a meeting, or Deep Throat circling a page number in Woodward's morning New York Times to confirm a time.

2. The Nixon Administration and CRP (The Cover-Up)

Various officials within the Committee for the Re-election of the President (CRP) and the White House are keeping secrets about the funding and authorization of the break-in.

The Slush Fund: Officials like John Mitchell (Former Attorney General) and Maurice Stans are hiding the existence of a secret "slush fund" used to pay for "dirty tricks" against Democrats.
The "Dirty Tricks" (Ratfucking): Operatives like Donald Segretti were keeping their sabotage activities secret. This included "low-level" tricks like ordering hundreds of unpaid pizzas to Democratic offices and "high-level" sabotage like the "Canuck Letter."
The Canuck Letter: Ken Clawson (White House Deputy Director of Communications) secretly wrote a forged letter to the editor of a New Hampshire newspaper that sabotaged Edmund Muskie's candidacy by suggesting he was prejudiced against French Canadians.
The "Dahlberg Check": Kenneth Dahlberg initially keeps secret how a $25,000 check intended for the Nixon campaign ended up in the bank account of Watergate burglar Bernard Barker, providing the "smoking gun" money trail.

3. The Secrets of Reluctant Sources

Many low-to-mid-level employees are keeping secrets out of fear of retribution.

The Bookkeeper (Judy Hoback Miller): She is terrified of the administration but eventually reveals the secrets of the accounting system. She keeps the names of the fund's controllers secret initially, using only initials (P, M, L for Porter, Magruder, and Liddy) before Bernstein coaxes the full names from her.
Hugh Sloan Jr.: As the former treasurer of CRP, Sloan knows exactly how much money was in the fund (upwards of $1 million) and who authorized the payments. He keeps the most explosive secret: that H.R. Haldeman (the President's Chief of Staff) was one of the men with control over the fund.

4. Woodward and Bernstein’s Professional Secrets

The protagonists are forced to keep their own secrets to protect their investigation and their lives.

Source Protection: They keep the names of their sources secret even from their own editors for a long time. Ben Bradlee eventually demands to know the identity of Deep Throat, but the public and other reporters are kept in the dark.
Investigative "Tricks": The duo uses "non-secrets"—they often pretend to know more than they do to trick sources into confirming facts. For example, they tell sources they already have a name confirmed to see if the source flinches or denies it.
Personal Safety: By the end of the film, Woodward and Bernstein are keeping the secret that they believe their own apartments are bugged and that they are being followed, leading them to communicate via typed notes and loud music to hide their conversations.

5. The Burglars

The five men arrested at the Watergate (including James McCord) were keeping the secret of their professional backgrounds. They initially claimed to be unemployed or consultants, but Woodward discovers they are former CIA agents with direct ties to E. Howard Hunt and the White House.

#F CORRECTION FEED (CLICK TO SEARCH)

[1] W. Mark Felt was revealed as Deep Throat in 2005.

[2] In the film, Woodward signals Deep Throat by moving a flowerpot with a red flag to the rear of his balcony.

[3] Deep Throat signaled the meeting time by drawing clock hands on the lower corner of page 20 of the New York Times, not by circling a page number.

[4] Ken Clawson authored the 'Canuck Letter' which damaged Edmund Muskie's 1972 campaign.

[5] The $25,000 Dahlberg check was a key piece of evidence linking the burglars to CRP finance chairman Maurice Stans.

[6] The Bookkeeper (Judy Hoback) initially identifies the fund controllers only as P, M, and L (Porter, Magruder, Liddy).

[7] While Sloan initially keeps this secret from the public, he confirms it to Woodward and Bernstein. The film's major conflict arises because the reporters incorrectly publish that he testified to this fact before the Grand Jury, which he had not.

[8] The film ends with Woodward and Bernstein typing to avoid potential bugs while loud classical music plays.

[9] James McCord identifies himself as former CIA during the arraignment scene.

#O MISSED POINTS & OVERSIGHTS

High

The 'Grand Jury' Error

The summary omits the critical plot point where Woodward and Bernstein mistakenly report that Hugh Sloan told the Grand Jury about Haldeman. This error nearly destroys their investigation and is the central conflict of the film's second half.

Medium

'Follow the Money'

The summary misses the iconic instruction 'Follow the money,' which Deep Throat gives to Woodward in the film (though not in real life) as the key to unlocking the secret.

#C RELATED QUERIES

#01 Did Hugh Sloan actually name Haldeman to the Grand Jury in real life?

#02 What is the 'non-denial denial' scene in All the President's Men?

#03 Who wrote the Canuck Letter in real life?

#S SOURCES

wordpress.com wikipedia.org wordpress.com fandom.com

#R ORIGINAL AI RESPONSE

▼

In the 1976 film *All the President's Men*, the plot is driven by a complex web of secrets maintained by government officials, political operatives, and the journalists themselves. These secrets range from the identities of high-level whistleblowers to the illegal funding of political sabotage. ### 1. The Secrets of "Deep Throat" (W. Mark Felt) The most significant secret in the film is the identity of the informant known as **"Deep Throat."** * **Identity:** At the time of the film’s release, his identity was a real-world secret kept by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein for over 30 years (later revealed to be FBI Deputy Director W. Mark Felt). * **Insider Knowledge:** He is keeping the secret that the Watergate break-in was not an isolated incident but part of a massive, coordinated campaign of political espionage and sabotage. * **Clandestine Methods:** He and Woodward use secret signals to communicate, such as Woodward moving a flowerpot with a red flag on his balcony to request a meeting, or Deep Throat circling a page number in Woodward's morning *New York Times* to confirm a time. ### 2. The Nixon Administration and CRP (The Cover-Up) Various officials within the Committee for the Re-election of the President (CRP) and the White House are keeping secrets about the funding and authorization of the break-in. * **The Slush Fund:** Officials like **John Mitchell** (Former Attorney General) and **Maurice Stans** are hiding the existence of a secret "slush fund" used to pay for "dirty tricks" against Democrats. * **The "Dirty Tricks" (Ratfucking):** Operatives like **Donald Segretti** were keeping their sabotage activities secret. This included "low-level" tricks like ordering hundreds of unpaid pizzas to Democratic offices and "high-level" sabotage like the **"Canuck Letter."** * **The Canuck Letter:** **Ken Clawson** (White House Deputy Director of Communications) secretly wrote a forged letter to the editor of a New Hampshire newspaper that sabotaged Edmund Muskie's candidacy by suggesting he was prejudiced against French Canadians. * **The "Dahlberg Check":** **Kenneth Dahlberg** initially keeps secret how a $25,000 check intended for the Nixon campaign ended up in the bank account of Watergate burglar Bernard Barker, providing the "smoking gun" money trail. ### 3. The Secrets of Reluctant Sources Many low-to-mid-level employees are keeping secrets out of fear of retribution. * **The Bookkeeper (Judy Hoback Miller):** She is terrified of the administration but eventually reveals the secrets of the accounting system. She keeps the names of the fund's controllers secret initially, using only initials (**P, M, L** for Porter, Magruder, and Liddy) before Bernstein coaxes the full names from her. * **Hugh Sloan Jr.:** As the former treasurer of CRP, Sloan knows exactly how much money was in the fund (upwards of $1 million) and who authorized the payments. He keeps the most explosive secret: that **H.R. Haldeman** (the President's Chief of Staff) was one of the men with control over the fund. ### 4. Woodward and Bernstein’s Professional Secrets The protagonists are forced to keep their own secrets to protect their investigation and their lives. * **Source Protection:** They keep the names of their sources secret even from their own editors for a long time. Ben Bradlee eventually demands to know the identity of Deep Throat, but the public and other reporters are kept in the dark. * **Investigative "Tricks":** The duo uses "non-secrets"—they often pretend to know more than they do to trick sources into confirming facts. For example, they tell sources they already have a name confirmed to see if the source flinches or denies it. * **Personal Safety:** By the end of the film, Woodward and Bernstein are keeping the secret that they believe their own apartments are bugged and that they are being followed, leading them to communicate via typed notes and loud music to hide their conversations. ### 5. The Burglars The five men arrested at the Watergate (including **James McCord**) were keeping the secret of their professional backgrounds. They initially claimed to be unemployed or consultants, but Woodward discovers they are former CIA agents with direct ties to E. Howard Hunt and the White House.

#A DIRECT ANSWER (VERIFIED ANALYSIS)

▼

In All the President's Men, characters keep secrets regarding the scope of the conspiracy, the funding of illegal activities, and their own identities. Deep Throat (Mark Felt) keeps the secret of the 'massive' intelligence operation, signaling Woodward via a flowerpot (Woodward's signal) and a clock face drawn on page 20 of the NYT (Deep Throat's signal). CRP officials like Mitchell and Stans keep the 'Slush Fund' secret. Operatives like Ken Clawson keep the secret of 'dirty tricks' like the Canuck Letter. The Bookkeeper (Judy Hoback) initially hides the names of fund controllers (Porter, Magruder, Liddy). Hugh Sloan keeps the secret of the fund's payouts from the public, but confirms H.R. Haldeman's involvement to the reporters—leading to the film's crisis when they falsely report he told the Grand Jury. Finally, the reporters themselves keep secrets to protect sources and, by the end, to protect themselves from surveillance.

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