Late at night on Saturday, June 17, 1972, Watergate Complex security guard Frank Wills discovered door latches that had been taped to keep the door unlocked. He removed the tape, went elsewhere for a while, returned, and discovered new tape on the doors. He called the police. Soon, the police arrested five men who had planned to break into the Democratic National Committee office, plant bugs, and photograph documents. Of course, the Nixon administration sought to hide its involvement with the break-in, leading eventually to President Nixon's resignation in August 1974. Ever since, the suffix "-gate" has been applied to all kinds of scandals.
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