| Scandals, Embarrassment, and Tragedies - The 1970's |
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| ::darkshadows:: (blood@thirsty.net) |
2008/05/04 23:51 |
Scandals, Embarrassment, and Tragedies
The 1970'S
December 1971: Detective Frank Serpico told the Knapp Commission of
his efforts to disclose to high-ranking New York City officials of
police corruption. It was believed that Serpico's war against
scandalous police activity nearly cost him his life. For a period of
five months in 1970, Serpico had complained about police graft to Jay
Kriegel, a close aide to the Mayor, and to the City Commissioner of
Investigation, but they failed to act on the allegations of
corruption. Serpico was shot in the face in February, and while he
survived the assault, he was left deaf in one ear from the bullet
wound in his head. A film starring Al Pacino was later made about
Serpico's ordeal.
June 1972: Five men were arrested when found loaded down with
electronic surveillance equipment in Washington's Watergate office
building. The men were found in the national Democratic headquarters.
It initially was called "a third-rate burglary attempt", but later
Watergate proved to be the biggest political scandal in U.S. history,
and ultimately destroyed Pres. Richard M. Nixon's political career.
September 1974: U.S. Pres. Gerald Ford granted former-President
Richard Nixon a "full, free and absolute pardon" for any crimes he may
have committed during the Watergate scandal.
September 1976: Newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst was sentenced to
concurrent sentences of seven years for armed robbery and two years
for using a firearm in the commission of a felony. Hearst, at age 19,
was kidnapped from her apartment the previous February by the
Symbionese Liberation Army. She was arrested following a police battle
in a Los Angeles suburb, in which six of the fanatical sect members
were killed, including psychopathic leader Donald DeFreeze, aka
"Cinque." Hearst's kidnapping dominated newspaper headlines for
months. She had testified that she was brainwashed, and under the
threat of death, was forced into participating in the California bank
robbery.
October 1977: California ex-Congressman Richard Hanna was indicted for
taking bribes from the South Korean CIA.
February 1979: In an effort to distance himself from the embarrassing
antics of his brother Billy, President Jimmy Carter told the press
that his brother was seriously ill and that he had no control over
him. Billy, who had brought a raucous "red-neck" attitude to the White
House, made derogatory comments about Jews, launched his own "Billy
Beer," and more importantly, accepted $220,000 from the Libyan
government. Even though Billy checked into an alcohol and drug
rehabilitation service, Jimmy Carter's chances for re-election were
all but destroyed.
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