In 1972, five men from Nixon's administration broke into the Democratic Party's headquarters in the Watergate Hotel. Nixon denied knowledge of the break-in, but in August 1974, evidence became public that he knew about it in advance. He resigned from office four days later. In recent months, members of my Administration and officials of the Committee for the Re-Election of the President, including some of my closest friends and most trusted aides, have been charged with involvement in what has come to be known as the Watergate affair. These include charges of illegal activity during and preceding the 1972 Presidential election and charges that responsible officials participated in efforts to cover up that illegal activity. The inevitable result of these charges has been to raise serious questions about the integrity1 of the White House itself. Tonight I wish to address those questions. Last June 17, while I was in Florida trying to get a few days rest after my visit to Moscow, I first learned from news reports of the Watergate break-in. I was appalled at this senseless, illegal action. And I was shocked to learn that employees of the Re-Election Committee were apparently among those guilty. I immediately ordered an investigation by appropriate Government authorities. On September 15, as you will recall, indictments2 were brought against seven defendants in the case. As the investigations went forward, I repeatedly asked those conducting the investigation whether there was any reason to believe that members of my Administration were in any way involved. I received repeated assurances that there were not. Because of these continuing reassurances, because I believed the reports I was getting, because I had faith in the persons from whom I was getting them, I discounted3 the stories in the press that appeared to implicate members of my Administration or other officials of the campaign committee. 1. honesty 2. charges for breaking the law 3. disregarded 1 Which statement best highlights the fact that Nixon cannot be objective about Watergate? A. The speaker administrates a high office. B. The participants include his close friends. C. The criminal charges need to be proven. D. The events took place in recent months.