Chapter 39 Lost self-esteem -1

What Louis Cronenberg calls the age of exhibitionism might be said to have begun with the flagpole-climbing and Floyd Collins tortures of the 1920s.Collins, the hapless young man who died in a mine cave-in in Kentucky, was front-page news for two weeks in 1925.After the Second World War, with the emergence of some people who like to express themselves, the propaganda of big and small propaganda has become more prominent.These people married on a carnival carousel, honeymooned in a department store window, gave birth under arc lights, rented an auditorium to celebrate a divorce.Cronenberg wrote in 1954: "The problem with us Americans is not that the poetry of life has been turned into prose, but into advertising." He pointed out that after Marx and Freud, the American The thinker who had the greatest impact on life was Phineas Taylor Barnum, the founder of the famous American circus from 1810 to 1891. — translator.

As American influence spread abroad, so did the Barnum spirit.Some of the most bizarre overseas performances that ended up making the perpetrators front-page news in 1972: a phone call threatening to blow up the luxurious liner Queen Elizabeth II; a geologist in Australia with a 12-pound sledgehammer , smashing Michelangelo's portrait of the Madonna weeping Jesus in the Basilica of St Peter's Basilica, out of a perverse desire for publicity and his conviction that he is the Son of God.These people are all ridiculous to the extreme, but at least they didn't kill people, and most of the foreign pushy people can't say the same. 1972 can be called the year of death and noise.The murders committed abroad for the sake of publicity include: Turkish leftists executed three NATO electronics experts, a group of Japanese terrorists killed 26 passengers at Tel Aviv's Lida Airport, Palestinian Arabs of the "Black September" group, At the Olympic Games in Munich, 11 Israeli athletes were killed, and Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland killed each other, killing 469 people.In addition, Yasunari Kawabata of Japan, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1968, committed suicide following the example of Yukio Mishima.A young colleague of his, Yukio Mishima, committed suicide in the ancient ritual of seppuku, eviscerated and decapitated by a close friend in protest of Western influence in Japan.

Americans have little reason to take comfort in the growing number of such scandals abroad.Lee Harvey Oswald of Dallas was the first to show his countrymen in the 1960s that a murderer as bold as he was was the one to be noticed.In the United States, among those who followed in his footsteps were Sherhan Sherhan in Los Angeles, Charles Whitman at Clock Tower in Austin, and Robert Benjamin Smith, murdered and dismembered at the Mesa Beauty School in Arizona. They were joined in 1972 by others with similar motives.Mobster "Crazy Joe" Gallo, shot dead in New York's Little Italy."He changed his image and that's why it happened," his sister told reporters. Two of George Jackson's companions at Soldide Prison were sentenced in the death of a guard Not Guilty, Angela Davis also managed to turn it into a publicity win; Propaganda channels, which in the eyes of some politicians is simply a lost cause.Four-star Air Force general John LaVell, reprimanded and demoted for ordering the bombing of North Vietnam without authorization, had been in the newspapers, and now his name was starting to appear in reference books.Most memorable was Arthur Herman Bremer, who shot George Wallace at Market Center in Laurel, Maryland, on the eve of the presidential primary.On the way to the prison, Bremmer actually asked the police officer: "I want to write a memoir, and see how much money I can make."

While such crimes had become routine, some Americans explored sensational new avenues that year.Two policing cases are noteworthy because, unlike the cases of Soldede, Gallo, and Wallace, they show the imagination of either the perpetrator or the prosecutor.In one case, a gang of robbers hijacked a Southern Airlines DC-9 jet in the air. They resorted to extremely unusual blackmail methods, threatening to crash the plane into the Oak Ridge Nuclear Forces if their demands were not met. Go to the research factory.Although the plane's tires had been shot and flattened by FBI agents, the Air Bandits took home $2 million at Chattanooga Airport and landed in Havana.Once there, they, like many of their predecessors, were dismayed to find that they had been arrested by the Cubans and all the stolen money had been confiscated.The other incident was caused by Edgar Hoover, who accused the peacemakers of plotting to kidnap Henry Kissinger and blow up the hot air pipes underground in Washington, D.C., that heat all federal buildings in the capital.Six Catholics and a Muslim are on trial accused of conspiracy to cause trouble.The government ultimately lost the case, and nine months later the two defendants, Father Philip Berrigan and Sister Elizabeth McAllister, married, leaving their respective associations of St. Joseph's and St. Mary's Sacred Heart The faithful were astonished.

In the eyes of traditional church workers, this is really incredible, but even more absurd in terms of pious behavior are the "people of Jesus", also known as "Jesus fans" or "road Christians".In effect, they represent the latest phase of a youth movement that has morphed from Beat to hippie and is now seeking new excitement. "Jesus, have I ever been drunk on Jesus!" is one of the slogans they use as a rallying cry.Three years ago, Theodore Roszak, in his book "The Formation of a Counterculture", said that the youth movement had clearly shown a religious tendency.He was referring to Zen Buddhism and some of its more eccentric sects; at the time, Christianity was considered a religion that was hopelessly conformist and sympathetic to established institutions of power.However, these believers are now wearing crucifixes and short-sleeved T-shirts in the style of crucifixion—imitating the doggerel in Pepsi advertisements. They have a slogan: "Jesus' grace has no end, you will live more and more." The funnier it is." They set up gregarious villages called "Love of God," "Heavenly Inn," and "Soul Inn," and attended Jesus rock concerts and Christian nightclubs, so that some parents even nostalgic for the past when their children indulged in old-fashioned The age of cannabis.

As the colleges remained largely quiet in 1972, peace fighters spoke of propaganda failures and state university administrators took comfort; taxpayers voted overwhelmingly against issuing school bonds.President Nixon's press office announced that the president had "won" voters with brightly colored phrases.He has said he plans to stay longer at Camp David because "I think it's easier for me to work from a high altitude here on top of a mountain." On November 14, the New York Stock Exchange made a new breakthrough in the eye-catching, and the Dow Jones industrial stock index reached 1006.6 at the close, which was the first time in history to exceed 1000 (though no one understood at the time, This is a good time to throw).Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's public image has grown even brighter after a New York federal judge sentenced a freelance photographer named Ronald Gallera to "unscrupulously violating" Mrs. Onassis's private life. The image of the person who disturbed her was even darker.The court ruled that Galera must keep a distance of 50 yards from her, 75 yards from her children and 100 yards from her family's home and school.

These bizarre events of the Showy Age, unusual as they are, are overshadowed by the achievements of the age's two giants.Both were Americans, both feverishly bent on making a splash, and both gained international recognition in 1972.One is a desperado and the other is just a hothead. The grumpy one, named Robert James Fisher, played chess.In all reports that mentioned this person, in addition to insulting his opponents, not attending the game according to the stipulated time, offending those who supported him, being greedy, breaking his promises, giving ultimatums to people at every turn, losing his temper, and suddenly Nowhere to go, and later, a first-class match against Russia's Boris Spassky in Reykjavik, Iceland, to win the world chess championship, nothing else.His compatriots agreed that there could never have been a worse man to win the championship.He angrily nodded a record-breaking bonus of 156,000 yuan, and strode away proudly.

The name of the outlaw was Clifford Owen. As Christmas approached in 1971, McGraw-Hill Publishing sent a particularly interesting 550-word feature to New York newspaper editors, news commentators, and wire agency offices.Howard Hughes, America's incognito billionaire who for 14 years refused to be interviewed, photographed, or even seen by press personnel, has now completed his 23, apparently with the help of a collaborator. A biography of 10,000 characters.The hardcover edition of this book will be released on March 27, 1972, and "Life" magazine will be serialized in three issues, with 10,000 words selected from each issue.The trailer quotes Hughes as saying: "You can call this book an autobiography. You can call it my memoir. Call it whatever you want. This is my life told in my own words." Clifford Owen, assistant in this work, made many compliments, also attributed to Hughes.The billionaire is said to have said that Irving was chosen because "he has compassion, insight, discretion and, as far as I know, integrity."

Hughes's memoirs seem to have been recorded: "The words in this book—except for those questions that prompted me to say them—are my own words." At first, the editors thought, he was in his It was recorded last year at a reclusive Bahamian hotel, but it turns out that the actual situation was much more tortuous than that; the two met more than a hundred times "in various motels and cars all over the Western Hemisphere". That's all said in the publisher's teaser.The public believed this statement for only one month, and after another month, the notice had to be withdrawn.But at the time, it was one of the most sensational stories in the history of publishing.At one point, it pushed news of the president's visit to the Great Wall of China off the front pages of tabloid newspapers.More journalists covered Hughes and Irwin than the Vietnam War—nine reporters from the Los Angeles Times alone. Thirty postal inspectors scoured the mail for clues.Paramount re-released "The Alien Politician," an immediately recognizable fictionalized version of Hughes' life.An X-movie called Helga and Howard was playing in Manhattan, and Hughes-style T-shirts were selling well for two dollars, and people wore badges saying, "This is a A genuine Howard Hughes badge".

Doubts about the autobiography's veracity were first raised shortly after the December press trailer.A spokesperson for Hughes Devices denied that "there is a Hughes autobiography".But the stealthy millionaire was known even to his closest collaborators for his secretive ways; And that's what the book's editors expected. Ralph Graves, editorial director of Life magazine, showed Hughes's handwritten letter agreeing to serialize the book to his staff, and one of them asked him, "How can we be sure that this letter is not forged? Graves replied, "It's the real thing, that's right. We had an expert examine it."

Albert Leventhal, a deputy general manager of McGraw-Hill Publishing, told the New York Times: "We took a lot of effort to determine that this is indeed Hughes' autobiography. "Life" deputy managing director Donald Wilson also told another reporter: "Oh, we are absolutely sure."Mind you, we're dealing with people like McGraw-Hill, and you know, we're not a movie magazine! Don't forget that this is Time Inc and McGraw-Hill Publishing.We've checked.We have evidence. " Wilson told another questioner: "We've never dealt directly with Hughes Instruments. They don't know anything about the matter, which doesn't surprise us because Mr. Hughes is completely sympathetic to the program." Confidential." The man Wilson and they were dealing with was Irving, who had been a McGraw-Hill author for 12 years.He has written four unsuccessful novels and recently wrote The Fake, about the life of Hermi de Horry, Owen's neighbor on the Spanish island of Ibiza, who specialized in engage in forgery of works of art.In retrospect, it seems that the publisher should have given careful consideration to the author's predilection to focus exclusively on deceit, and his claim that Hughes prefers not to talk to anyone but to talk to him.In fact, the book is a complete fabrication.Owen never met Hughes, let alone recorded him, and Hughes knew nothing of the man who claimed to be his ghostwriter.At first glance, McGraw-Hill and Life seem unforgivably credulous.But to tell the truth, the trickster was quite cunning, and quite lucky. The hoax began a year ago when Newsweek photocopied an 11-line note written by Hughes.A month later, "Life" magazine published this color overprint.Owen, the son of a cartoonist, inherited his father's great dexterity with his hands. He found that with a little practice, he could write entire pages of words that resembled Hughes' handwriting.At that time, the newspapers were full of reports about the business tycoon, especially about his secretive activities.Some authors have suggested that he may even have died without anyone outside knowing.This led Owen to think that a memoir that he claimed to have published with Hughes' permission might not be exposed by Hughes, especially since he might have been buried.He persuaded Richard Susskind, who lived on the neighboring island of Majorca and also made a living as a literary seller, to cooperate with him.Later, the two men became household names and their pictures appeared on the front pages of newspapers all over the world—Owen, tall, strong and handsome; Susskind, as a friend put it, "a strange-looking Big pile of meat".Their appearance finally became a symbol of the culmination of verbal deceit.However, in the eyes of the editors of McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, one was a reliable author without talent, and the other was his diligent researcher.The editors had no way of knowing that Owen had agreed to split the spoils with his collaborators, 75 percent to himself and 25 percent to Susskind.A third person involved in the plot was Owen's wife, Edith, a beautiful Swiss painter and mother of Owen's two children. Irwin played a very clever trick on McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, first forwarding them several letters that appeared to be written by Howard Hughes, in which the billionaire expressed his appreciation for the cooperation on the book. Interest is growing.Later, when the time was right, a contract was sent, signed by Hughes, in which clause 22 stated: "The publisher agrees not to advertise or publish the book within 30 days of his acceptance Promote, not sell." "Life" magazine, which acquired the initial serialization rights at a price of 250,000 yuan, also agreed not to publicize the matter.The publisher also took reasonable measures for the sake of caution. He submitted a part of the so-called Hughes handwriting to an expert for identification. After comparing it with a sample of the authentic handwriting, the expert wrote an identification report saying: There is less than a one-in-a-million chance that the handwriting has been approximated by someone else." Later, another analyst firm agreed, asserting that "based on our many years of experience in identifying suspicious handwriting and signatures," , "Impossible" was written by anyone but Howard Hughes. One of Owen's best tricks was to tell his publisher that the eccentric industrial tycoon insisted on writing his checks with only his initials: "H. R. Hughes."Once Owen took the checks, he passed them on to his wife, Edith, who donned a wig, a rewritten passport and a stolen ID, flew to Zurich, and paid the bills at Credit Suisse with the "Hull Garrett R. Hughes" account opened.In the account of this account number 320496, she ended up depositing nearly a million dollars in McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, which she then withdrew and deposited in the Swiss bank across the road.Her husband and Susskind also traveled during this time, to the New York Public Library, the Library of Congress, Palm Springs, California, the Houston Chronicle and Houston Post reference rooms, and the Time-Life archives (this move is the most unceremonious) to investigate Hughes' life.Their most valuable takeaway was the unpublished memoir manuscript of Hughes's retired chief assistant.Owen borrowed it from one of the man's partners to take the picture.He and Susskind took turns posing as "Hughes" interviewing each other on tape recorders as they assembled the material.The recording was later transcribed, with Owen writing marginal notes in the billionaire's handwriting on the thousand-page manuscript.The result seemed so convincing that it fooled even those who had been close to Hughes years before. The deception began to unravel on the afternoon of January 7, 1972, when Hughes held a press conference on the phone at the Bahamas Hotel, speaking for two and a half hours with seven reporters who had interviewed him before his disappearance. .He denounced Irwin's book as a hoax, and took the opportunity to deny previous reports that he had six-inch fingernails, that he was emaciated, that his hair was waist-length, and the like.The seven reporters who listened to him unanimously determined that it was Hughes' voice.Owen said it was a hoax, but he was almost done.The whole conspiracy was beginning to unravel on Edith's end, too.One of Hughes' lawyers asked his employer to fill out a questionnaire and stamp it with his hand.One of the questions was: "When was the last time you, for whatever reason, back-dated a check?" Hughes's handwritten answer was, "More than ten years ago." These crooks thought, Swiss bank account accounts are inviolable under all circumstances.Not so.In the case of criminal suspicion, the bank can reveal all the details, and when the Swiss side learned that the check to Howard R. The German-speaking women cashed in, and they knew there was a crime in Zurich.So began a worldwide search for this mysterious Helga. On Thursday, January 20, the day that moving news of the new developments in the matter reached New York, Irving attended a meeting between McGraw-Hill Publishing and the heads of Life magazine.Unflappable, he offered three possible explanations for the news: one, that he taped a crook disguised as Hughes; two, that Hughes sent a "faithful servant" to deposit the check; Owen, is a charlatan.He stared into the eyes of everyone present, and said in a very sincere voice: "The last possibility, I intend to rule out, and I hope everyone here is the same." He performed very superbly, All present nodded in agreement.After the meeting, he flew back to Ibiza—to the outrage of Life magazine editors, who had expected him to stay in New York until the crisis was resolved.When a reporter pointed out that Edith resembled the Helga described by the Swiss, Owen replied: "Do you really think I would involve my family in an activity like this?" In Manhattan, Owen Before his lawyer had any doubts about him, he revealed to reporters that he thought his client had been duped by a group of crooks, two of whom were veterans who specialized in imitating signatures, and the third was six feet three inches tall and looked like Howard Hughes' tall, lanky guy. This is a pivotal moment in the plot, and it must be seized in order to understand what happened to Clifford Owen later.He had converted most of his deposits into cash, he was still free, and it was possible for him to keep his money and his freedom.There are other fugitives at large in Ibiza and Mallorca.He, Edith, and Susskind could stay on the island where they lived, or they could escape to some South American home, because there were several South American countries that would not extradite criminals like them.Money is no problem at all: there is almost nothing they cannot afford.The other path is extremely dire, and complete exposure is at hand.Why on earth did Irving fly back to New York at this time and throw himself into the trap? According to those close to him, the reason was that he couldn't resist the temptation to show off.All his life the man had been bent on showing off.He wrote several books without attracting attention, but this trick made him get his wish. When he knew that a group of reporters were waiting for him at Kennedy Airport, he seemed to be obsessed. I can't go.This is exactly like the temptation of a moth to a fire.When he got off the plane, he couldn't answer the reporters' questions -- a sad mockery of his entire story.He had laryngitis, and he told reporters hoarsely, "It's hard, gentlemen." At least this time, people believed him. Another taunt of fate ensues.Two reporters believed Irving had been in touch with a former Hughes aide, John Meier.They asked to meet Irving's lawyer at his office and said to the lawyer, "Please tell Cliff, we know all about Meyer." Irving had never heard of Meyer, but when the information came to him At that time, he panicked.He thought they were talking about another Meyer spelled differently because the two surnames sounded exactly the same.The man who smuggled Hughes the unpublished memoirs of his retired assistant was named Stanley Meyer.If the reporters found out about Stanley Meyer's plot, their conspiracy would be completely exposed, and Owen might as well tell the truth.He ran to the D.A.'s office, made a partial confession, and then went back to the two reporters who were waiting for him.He said, "Guys, I have something to tell you, but I won't publish it, okay?" In the circumstances, it was impossible to tell a secret and not publish it, but the reporter nodded in agreement.Owen took a deep breath and said, "Well, you may or may not have guessed it. Helga Hughes is Edith, and Edith is Helga." The deception should have ended here, but it didn't.He improvised another story, saying that his wife had been following Hughes' instructions, and that the deception persisted because the manuscript (and the opinion of the handwriting expert) were so convincing. for some days.Then two fresh blows brought it down completely.The unpublished memoirs of Hughes' retired assistant came out, debunking the lie that Irving had recorded Hughes on various bizarre occasions.He'd been to those places, and sent McGraw-Hill picture postcards along the way, but he shouldn't be doing business and having fun at the same time.One of his playmates was a scuba diving instructor, a slim blonde who accompanied Owen to St. Croix in the Virgin Islands.She told the Chicago Tribune that she had grown fond of Irving, who she thought had separated from his wife, but that neither of them had ever met Hughes.The crook's second playmate was even more fatal, a beautiful Danish actress of noble birth named Nina Van Palant.Owen had blundered about Nina and revealed her name to an editor at McGraw-Hill.Nina's address was found through the postal service. She admitted that she had traveled with Owen and said that they actually lived together all the way in Mexico.Since Cliff never left her, she said, it was impossible for him to meet Hughes. This way, Owen is finished.But not for Nina, this is just the beginning for her.That said, the benefits of being in the limelight—any kind of limelight—are only scratched the surface.For many years she had been an unsatisfying unknown folk singer.Now, in no time, she became a celebrity who was invited everywhere.She has appeared twice on "The David Frost Show," twice on "The Mike Douglas Show," twice on "The Dick Cavett Show," and once on "The Today Show," She was once featured on "The Johnny Carson Show" and once had a TV special for her.The St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan invited her to perform for three weeks, and she signed contracts to sing in Miami, Dallas, San Juan and San Francisco.Her manager said the Owen affair "is worth five best-selling records and an Academy Award".She was without a doubt the most famous mistress of 1972. Howard Hughes was not so lucky.Things became more and more troublesome, and the Bahamian government began to investigate whether his staff did not have work permits and immigration certificates. Therefore, Hughes took refuge in Nicaragua. He took six TVs, several boxes of Polish mineral water, and a A document destroyer, blood plasma, a refrigerator, a hospital bed, some mattress pads, office supplies, bottles and cans, several boxes of films, a few hundred yards of wire, an old electric stove, a heater, and a sheet of cheap vinyl Chair. Life magazine was refunded by McGraw-Hill because the company got back most of the money it paid from the Irwins and Susskind, all three temporarily in jail .But McGraw-Hill's troubled year didn't end there.The publishing company has had a streak of bad luck.After Owen was sent to prison, the publishing company had just salvaged some of their reputation with the success of a book about Indians, Memoirs of Chief Red Fox.Unexpectedly, another embarrassing thing appeared: "Memoirs of the Red Fox Chief" was plagiarized from a book published in 1940.Next, the editor of Irving's book was accused of unprofessionalism: He borrowed money from two other authors, amounting to 10 percent of their advances from the publishing company.One last incident made the sad state of the publishing house the laughing stock of the New York publishing world that year.Before the deception, the ground floor of the new McGraw-Hill building on Avenue of the Americas had been leased to a bank for a branch.At that time, people from the bank were moving in.The executives of the publishing company saw a sign painted in gold letters on the large glass of the window. The sign read: The Owen Trust Company.Because the lease has already come into effect and has been filed, I am completely helpless, and I am almost mad with anger. On the cold morning of February 21, 1972, the silver, blue and white fuselage of the presidential plane called "Spirit of 76" by Nixon flew northward over the turbid Yangtze River and arrived in the sky over Beijing, ready to Glide down. American journalists who interviewed China a quarter of a century ago were amazed at the changes in the scenery on the ground: asphalt roads, irrigation canals, huge collective farms, and neat trees on both sides of the road (“There are trees in China!” Bai Xiude wrote).On this historic day, the masters of red China will once again firmly hold the hand of the American leader in a friendly way.The United States will stop making opposition to communism the keynote of its foreign policy.It's an auspicious occasion because in the US it's the eve of George Washington's birthday, and in Beijing it's the seventh day of the Year of the Rat, an auspicious day in the Chinese lunar calendar. The president's jet touched down at 11:30.Everyone was immediately stunned.Apart from American journalists and TV technicians, the airport was almost empty.There were some big slogans there too, but they had nothing to do with Nixon—"Long live the Communist Party of China," "Long live the unity of the people of the world."There were less than 400 troops present, and they were singing a Red Army song from the 1930s, "Three Great Disciplines, Eight Points of Attention."The well-travelled 37th president of the United States has met the rulers of Romania, Pakistan, Yugoslavia, Spain, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Japan, India, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Belgium, France, Great Britain, Austria and the Vatican , wherever you go, there are always large crowds present.There is no one here.Panicked aides wondered what to do if the president was screwed.Could they fly home and tell everyone that it was a misunderstanding? It wasn't until the last moment that everyone understood what was going on with the incredible Chinese.Premier Zhou Enlai led a small number of officials to appear.Nixon held out his hand, and as millions of Americans watched on television, Zhou took it. The Chinese people are not watching TV, and the news of these guests' visits has not been let them know.The president's troops marched through the silent streets into the city.All the inhabitants seemed to have gone elsewhere.But five hours later, after Nixon had just settled down in a two-story yellow brick hotel, he was unexpectedly invited to the study of 78-year-old Mao Zedong, a legendary figure in New China.The president and the chairman talked for a full hour, accompanied only by Zhou Enlai and Henry Kissinger.The contents of the talks are still strictly confidential, but apparently very harmonious.Once, the "number one international gangster" reached across the coffee table and gently shook the hand of the "number one lackey of imperialism". The next morning, a photo of the meeting with all the main characters smiling appeared in the People's Daily No. on the first edition.The message was clear: the visit had the chairman's approval.Now the crowds in the streets are beginning to react.When Nixon showed up, people applauded—to the beat, of course, but that was the order of the day here.Mao designated his fourth wife, the revolutionary agitator Jiang Qing, as the official hostess of the president. For five consecutive days, Nixon and Zhou Enlai sat opposite each other at a long table covered with a green tablecloth and negotiated for four hours every day.It can be seen from the vague communique issued at the end that the two sides did not fully agree; the communiqué mainly talked about the need for more friendship between the people of China and the United States, and the only real concession made by the president was a promise to withdraw from Taiwan US military.The real significance of the talks, though, is that they finally took place.The president and first lady made up their minds to be friendly.They did, and were appreciated.Every night, they attend a three-hour grand banquet in the Great Hall of the People, bite the bullet and use ivory chopsticks to deal with the eight-course meal, toast with Maotai wine, and listen to the Chinese band playing "Young Man Bi Lei" and "She Will Surround the World". Come Over the Mountain" and the like.They watch table tennis, badminton and gymnastics.One night, Jiang Qing accompanied them to watch the ballet "Red Detachment of Women", which mainly talked about cruel and vicious landlords.Even though Nixon was planning to cut taxes on landowners in the United States, he applauded with great enthusiasm.In the early morning of the next day, his wife continued to visit some kindergartens, restaurant kitchens, agricultural communes and acupuncture clinics with great interest, although she was afraid of needles. After the Nixon couple visited the Forbidden City in Beijing and climbed the 2200-year-old Great Wall of China, they left the "Spirit of 76" in Beijing and flew to Hangzhou with Zhou Enlai on a white Ilyushin passenger plane.In the city that Marco Polo called the greatest city in the world 700 years ago, the president and the prime minister visited the gardens and went boating on the historic West Lake.Then the president and his party flew from Hangzhou to Shanghai, reached their final stop, issued a communiqué there, and then returned home to report to the American people. Overall, Nixon's countrymen rated his performances highly, although some felt that he was at times too servile.In his several speeches in Beijing, he proposed that China and the United States "start the Long March together", and quoted Chairman Mao many times, saying that "no matter how many things, there is never a hurry", and suggested to his audience that they should "seize the day and night". ".He also said some clichéd things.看到明朝历代皇帝从太和殿到紫禁城大红门时乘坐的精雕细刻的轿子，总统议论说：“老坐轿子，就得不到太多的锻炼。”他在说到长城时说：“能够建造这样一道城墙的人民，肯定有一个值得骄傲的伟大的过去；有这样的过去的人民，也必定有伟大的未来。”随后又说：“我们看着这道城墙，不禁想到我们决不要任何这类城墙存在于各国人民之间。” 在这道城墙那一边的人，就有俄国人，他们对这次访问所可能有的含意是感到不安的。Tensions between Moscow and Beijing have escalated since Stalin's death 19 years ago.Last fall, Lin Biao, vice chairman of the Communist Party of China and the designated successor to Mao Zedong, attempted to escape to the Soviet Union in a military plane, and the plane fell down.This is when the tension comes to a head.Now, the Soviets suspect that the Chinese and Americans have no good intentions.Radio Moscow told Mao Zedong's national broadcast in Mandarin that there was nothing "more shameless and hypocritical" than the Shanghai Communiqué.Commentators in Moscow said that China was "engaging in a dangerous conspiracy with the ruling circles of the United States." 这与其说是反美的标志，不如说是共产主义世界内部矛盾加剧的表现。俄国人妒忌万分——这是没有道理的，因为三个月后，尼克松夫妇就要到他们那里去访问。这次最高级会议的前景反过来又使河内电台按捺不住了，它称这次会议是“卑鄙龌龊的”。不过，情况也有所不同。河内同北京和莫斯科不一样，它对缓和不感兴趣。相反，北越人准备破坏华盛顿同越南北边两个共产党首都之间的友好关系。他们没有成功，但是，他们仍尽力要这样干，有一阵子他们似乎几乎快要成功了。 北京会谈的消息，通过当时南越军队都有的日本造小型半导体收音机，传到了驻扎在非军事区以南的南越第三师。当时那个地区比较平静，在美国人同共产党人坐在一起谈判的时候，阮文绍的部队却放松了警惕。使他们松劲自满的，另外还有一个原因。由于尼克松向北越人提出了八点和平新计划，似乎和平真的有点苗头了。因此，报告传来，说17度线北面越南(北方)民主共和国部队正在集结时，第三师并不以为受到了威胁。3月间，冬季东北季风刮来的阴云开始消散时，北边打来的炮火有可观的增加，可是南越人并未感到吃惊。他们照旧待在钢筋水泥掩体里，只派出少数的巡逻队。如果是较好的部队，本来是会更加警惕的，但第三师可不是精锐部队，正因为如此，北越的武元甲将军才把他们当做一次新攻势，也是四年前的春节攻势以来规模最大的一次强大攻势的第一个目标。 武元甲的第304师的步兵，在坦克掩护下，于3月30日越过非军事区发动了残酷的猛攻，这一次同春节攻势截然相反，是一次炫耀武力的表现，一场闪电战，旨在用苏联的尖端武器，加上巨大的优势兵力，压倒西贡部队。突击部队迅速攻占了15个边界前哨基地。五周之内，他们在激烈战斗中推进了22英里，夺取了美国海军陆战队浴血奋战成功地守卫过的地盘。第三师几乎全歼，省会广治也告失陷。国防部长莱尔德说的不错，这是一次“大规模入侵”，而这只不过是北越人插入南越领土的四次进攻中的一次而已。 4月6日，复活节后四天，北越一支坦克纵队从柬埔寨出击，把南越部队赶出了禄宁。不到一周的时间，进攻部队包围了西贡以北60英里的省会安禄，南越第五师全部陷入重围，这个师是保卫阮文绍的首都的关键部队之一。4月18日，红色攻势击溃了滨海的平定省的守军，南越已面临被从狭窄的腰部截成两段的危险。末了，4月22日，北越四个师突然攻入中部高地，占领达多，实际上已使省会昆嵩陷于包围中。 尼克松做出反应，派B-52猛炸北方的河内和海防，这是三年多来第一次空袭这两个城市。反战的参议员立刻反对；缅因州的马斯基提出一个议案，要求当即结束美国在北越的任何军事活动。莱尔德不予理会，警告河内说，B-52出击要继续到北越部队从南越撤出为止。他说，政府认为，这次攻势“公然”违犯了1954年日内瓦协议，华盛顿决心不遗余力把入侵者赶回去。事实上，白宫当时的心情是既愤怒，又同样难堪。三年来，总统一再宣称越南化已获得成功，而从西贡传来的报告却有力地表明，那一政策已完全失败了。 由于害怕可能丢脸出丑，使尼克松变成了一个危险的对手。5月8日，他采取了他称之为“拦回行动”的一个极其惊险的步骤。为了削弱北越军队的作战能力，他下令实行大规模海空封锁，由美国海军在海防和北越其他港口的水域布雷，美国空军出击，轰炸通往中国南部的铁路。此举使他面临同北京和莫斯科发生对抗的危险，而他与基辛格那时又正是在向北京和莫斯科求爱，他不隐讳同俄国人的冲突。他在电视讲话中说：“今天晚上我要专门对苏联讲几句话。我们尊重苏联这个大国，我们承认苏联在他们的利益受到威胁时有保卫自己的利益的权利。苏联反过来也必须承认我们有保卫我们的利益的权利……让我们，让所有的大国都来帮助我们的盟友进行防御，不要帮它们侵犯自己的邻国。” 总统对武元甲攻势做出的有力反应，使反战运动得到了新生命，而争取总统连任委员会则花费了许多的钱制造实际并不存在的对总统这一反应的支持。大批伪造的电报源源送来，使白宫可以问心无愧地宣布，支持这次行动的人和反对的相比是五对一。此外，《纽约时报》抨击此事的一篇社论，却受到一篇题为《人民对纽约时报》的假广告的驳斥，而这所谓的“人民”，不过是查尔斯·科尔森和他的几个助手而已。这是非法的，最后事实证明，也是不必要的。到该月底，北越的攻势开始受到挫折了。平定省75%的地方受到蹂躏，成为废墟，但北越军队却又销声匿迹了。安禄和昆嵩守住了，武元甲大肆宣扬要占领顺化的打算始终未实现。河内的威胁似乎突然减弱。除了在训练中的两个师外，共产党投入了全部兵力来发动这次进攻，结果损失了10万人，从战略意义上讲，收效甚微。他们孤注一掷的赌博，终归失败了。北越政治局委员、河内的首席谈判代表黎德寿传话给基辛格，说他已经准备好在巴黎重开谈判。他仍然坚持停火要以撤换阮文绍为条件，但是，看来他们真正求和的时刻已经临近了。 这事和莫斯科有关。5月初，封锁的行动似乎使尼克松—勃列日涅夫最高会谈暂时已无可能，但是俄国人决心不让缓和的事业中断。这一点在苏联外贸部长尼古拉·帕托利切夫访问白宫就世界贸易问题交换意见时便已显而易见了。被请进椭圆形办公室的记者不胜惊讶，万万想不到尼克松、帕托利切夫和阿纳托利·多勃雷宁大使谈笑风生，在谈“友谊”一词在英俄两种语言中如何讲法。一位记者问外贸部长，总统5月22日访问莫斯科是否还在日程上。帕托利切夫回答说：“这个，我们从来没有怀疑过。我不知道你为什么问这个问题。”同时，俄国人力劝河内停止敌对行动，还把克里姆林宫里一处原属沙皇的寓所布置就绪，准备供总统下榻。武元甲的阵亡士兵尸骨未寒，苏美领导人便将大摆鱼子酱和香槟酒的筵席，这样的前景不免使北越人义愤填膺，但是世界上两个占支配地位的大国搞交易是没有什么力量能加以阻止的——苏联人要使人明白的就有这一点。 凡是了解既往20年历史的人似乎认为这是不可能的，但是“76年精神”号从奥地利起飞，越过克里姆林大教堂闪闪发光的圆顶降落下来，滑行到迎候的苏维埃主席、部长会议主席和外交部长等人近旁停下的时候，只看到无数美国国旗在锤子镰刀旗的旁边招展。勃列日涅夫没有在场，同毛泽东一样，他等总统安顿下来以后再同尼克松会见。当天晚上，美国人是在大克里姆林宫举行的欢迎宴会上的贵宾。次日晨，第一夫人出外参观苏联的学校，红场，著名的莫斯科地下铁道，国营百货商店。她丈夫的照片登在《真理报》头版上；在一周的会谈期间，天天如此。尼克松在“蓝色屏幕”(俄国人对电视的叫法)上露面，他一上来就用俄语“多勃雷维切尔”(晚安)向观众致意，结束时又说了声“斯帕西巴〓衣多斯维达尼亚”(谢谢，再见)。中间，由旁人翻译他的热诚的演说，演说中大量用了俄国人所喜欢听的朴实的格言。 与北京之行不同，这次最高级会谈不只是象征性的。宴会、祝酒、芭蕾舞演出都极其丰盛豪华，但是，这次访问的真正意义，只是在于克里姆林宫圣·弗拉季米尔大厅巨大的镀金枝形吊灯下举行的几次会谈中才显露出来。白宫形容会谈是“坦率和实事求是的”；整个那一星期都显得坦率、热诚的勃列日涅夫称会谈是“实事求是和讲究现实的”。后来慢慢形成了一套固定的程序。两国领导人最后不是达成一项协议，就是就某个可能已经谈判过几个月，甚至几年的问题，达成俄美间的谅解。细节问题则由基辛格和外交部长安德烈·葛罗米柯去解决。然后礼宾人员则拿着蓝色和红色的皮面文件夹出场，由尼克松和勃列日涅夫在文件上签字。他们同意在星际探索方面进行合作，预定于1975年实现两国载人宇宙飞行器在外层空间对接。同意两国共同研究公共卫生、癌症、心脏病和污染等问题。双方都同意停止骚扰对方在公海上的船只。双方承认需要在中欧削减兵力，有必要召开一次欧洲安全会议。最重要的是他们一致同意控制导弹。两国将限制反弹道导弹的部署，在五年内把进攻性导弹冻结在目前的水平上。 也有一些令人失望的事。在有关中东的问题上彼此分歧较大。尼克松要求俄国人劝说河内停火，俄国人不肯。勃列日涅夫热切希望搞一个贸易协定，这个问题不得不提交给一个委员会进一步讨论。苏联在第二次世界大战中根据租借法案借的108亿元的债务未得解决；他们提出还3亿，尼克松要求8亿，一切妥协的尝试均告失败。另一方面，会谈结果的收获是，产生了一项确立大国外交准则的12点原则宣言，这是国际法方面的一次突破。基辛格说，“我们设计出了一份路线图。我们是否将按这条路线走下去·我不知道，这不是绝对的。”但只要不是所有的苗头都不对，这宣言对于未来的意义是巨大的。两大政府制度之间的分歧，现在有可能在条约中加以表现，而不必形成意识形态的圣战。通过即将举行的欧洲安全会议，俄国将会更接近欧洲大陆而离开亚洲。贸易和技术会继续使两个超级大国更加接近，它们之间的谅解，而不是许多人预言过的一个多极世界的分裂局面，将在未来一段相当长的时间内成为世界最主要的政治现实。冷战已经过去，而这在很大程度上应归功于一位美国总统的努力，尽管这位总统，曾是最坚决的一位冷战专家。 这一切发生在一个选举年里当然使尼克松更增添了不少吸引力。为了今后能在白宫再多待上四年，他先后在北京和克里姆林宫采取了两大步骤。现在看来，每过一天，都使他和11月的胜利更接近一步了。给他的历史地位造成不幸的，是他身边的一些人对此还感到不满足。他们要求有绝对把握，结果造成尼克松的悲剧的是，他们尽力为确保尼克松的二次连任准备什么都干。这些人的态度可以用他们中间的一个人查尔斯·科尔森的话来概括。此人在自己家里的酒柜上贴了一条标语：“你只要抓住了他们的睾丸也就抓住了他们的感情和思想。”还说：“为了总统，必要时，连我奶奶我都可以踩在脚下。”对于他们在追逐自己的目的时的不择手段，还可以用一个词来表达：犯罪。这个词快要有一个同义词了，那就是：水门。 1972年的竞选在1月已开始酝酿，当时一次哈里斯民意测验表明，爱德华·马斯基在得到公众支持方面同总统并驾齐驱——42%支持他，42%支持尼克松，11%支持乔治·华莱士。这位缅因州参议员显然是最强大的民主党候选人；同月，盖洛普报道说，在一次自由表态的民意测验中，32%支持马斯基，27%支持爱德华·肯尼迪，17%支持汉弗莱，3%支持麦戈文。不管他们的对手是谁，共和党人准备大张旗鼓地搞。霍尔德曼在“今日节目”中露面，他说，对战争进行指责的人都是“有意识地在帮助敌人”。同时，白宫迅速采取行动，利用郊区居民对联邦法官小罗伯特·梅里奇在1月间的决定产生的愤怒情绪，因为他下令安排汽车接送弗吉尼亚州里士满郊区两个县的白人学童到城里上学，使城里黑人学生占70%的学校达到种族平衡。梅里奇法官的此项命令到6月就会撤销了，不过到那时，马斯基的潜在敌手对他支持使用汽车一事已会充分加以利用了。 在佛罗里达州，共和党的狂热分子正在给一封伪造的致新罕布什尔州《曼彻斯特联合导报》的信作最后的润色，指责马斯基在南方竞选时，极为失礼地把法裔加拿大人叫做“加纳克人”；这将使他在新罕布什尔州的预选中便无取胜希望。尼克松手下的另一些人，则采取类似的步骤来破坏这位参议员的竞选运动，或者由霍华德·亨特夜间去盗窃拉斯韦加斯报纸一个编辑的保险柜，因为据说那里有许多不利于马斯基的黑材料。在华盛顿宾夕法尼亚大道1701号，争取总统连任委员会正在扩充班底。约翰·米切尔将在一个月内辞去司法部长的职务，去担任他实际上早已承担着的争取总统连任委员会主席的职务。 与此同时，共和党的竞选经费正迅速得到充实，而民主党却仍然负债600万元。民主党一向指责共和党是大企业的党，这话当然不是完全没有道理的。这一年则更是肯定无疑了。4月10日要通过一项法律，规定必须公布两党主要捐款人姓名。共和党的两个主要的资金筹集人，商务部长莫里斯·斯坦斯和总统私人律师赫伯特·卡姆巴克正在国内四处奔走，在最后期限来临之前向有钱人征募捐款，取得了很大成功。尼克松的人越干越起劲，最后不免有失检点，有时甚至完全出了格。总共11.4万元的赠款都存在迈阿密银行伯纳德·巴克的户头里，那人是亨特那次派去盗取文件时的主要窃犯。虽然从各公司募集竞选捐款即使根据过去的法律也是非法的，资金筹集人却公然仍去征募并且募到不少——阿希兰石油公司10万元，海湾石油公司10万元，菲利普斯石油公司10万元，美国航空公司5.5万元，固特异公司4万元，明尼苏达采矿机械制造公司3万元。最后，数目在10万美元以下的捐款，他们干脆不要，因为几万块钱值不得麻烦一趟。在白宫，总统秘书罗斯·玛丽·伍兹的办公桌里保存着一份2000名秘密捐款人的名单，白宫的人把它叫做“罗斯·玛丽的小乖乖”。 募集的款项达到几千万元，于是，怎样使用这笔捐款，使许多人煞费苦心。最大胆的主意，都是戈登·利迪头脑中的产物，他于1972年1月27日下午4时，在司法部部长办公室里说出了他的种种设想。当时听他讲话的有米切尔、马格鲁德和总统特别顾问约翰·迪安。利迪摆出许多标着“靶子”和“宝石”一类代号的彩色图表，花了半个小时讲了他的开支100万元的行动计划，其中包括窃听民主党的电话，威胁反尼克松的示威者，绑架反战领袖，打算在共和党于圣地亚哥召开全国代表大会期间把这些人关进墨西哥兵营去。这个计划中一个比较想入非非的项目，是要在民主党在迈阿密海滩召开代表大会期间，在那里租一艘游艇，雇用一些妓女(利迪保证这些姑娘都将是“这个行当中最出色的”)从贪色的民主党人那里骗取重要情报，勾引他们去干淫秽勾当，随即用隐藏的照相机把他们拍摄下来。 所有这些对听到利迪建议的那些头面人物究竟产生了什么效果，我们无法知道。利迪本人后来宁可蹲监牢，也不愿向联邦检察官交代此事。米切尔后来对国会调查人员说，这项建议“出了范围”；马格鲁德说，他听了“大惊失色”；迪安则称之为“莫名其妙”。可以肯定的只是，第二周内又请利迪回去另搞一套办法。2月4日下午，他提出一项花费较少，约需50万元的新计划，重点是偷偷拍照和窃听。他拿出一张长十英寸宽八英寸的图表给大家传阅，提出了潜入迈阿密海滩枫丹白露饭店、华盛顿西南一号街麦戈文竞选办公室和水门大楼民主党全国委员会华盛顿总部的行动方案。据马格鲁德说，司法部长对这些计划也“感到不安”，他要利迪再搞一个方案试试。 冬天一天天过去，尼克松飞往中国又回来，而利迪却一直没有得到批准他的计划的绿灯。3月初，他和亨特去找科尔森，求他向共和党最高当局说说这件事。科尔森打电话给马格鲁德说：“戈登·利迪很不安。他很想开始搞情报活动，但他似乎谁也见不着。”他敦促马格鲁德“高抬贵手，批准利迪计划的预算”。现在，这计划的预算是25万元。殴打、绑架或雇用妓女等项都取消了，但对潜入民主党和麦戈文总部和安装窃听器的项目仍旧保留着。3月30日，米切尔正在比斯坎岛的阳光下度假，马格鲁德乘飞机赶到那里把这最后的方案交给了他。当时在场的有三个人——马格鲁德、米切尔和南方的共和党战略家弗雷德·拉鲁，而后来各人对当时发生的事的记忆却全不一样。不管话到底是怎么说的，反正这项计划是被接受了，而当时只有米切尔有权这样做。利迪获得了放行的绿灯。 在紧接着的一周内，马格鲁德批准争取总统连任委员会司库小休·斯隆付给利迪8.3万元。其中6.5万元于4月12日转交给了麦科德，他把这钱大部分在纽约花在电子监听设备上了。5月1日，麦科德和一个名叫艾尔弗雷德·鲍德温三世的人接触，把他拉进正在拼凑中的水门班底，这个人是麦科德在联邦调查局退职特工协会会员名册中发现的。对所有新招募来的人员都说是要他们充当马莎·米切尔的临时保镖——鲍德温后来发现，没有额外的收入，不过他获得保证，如果他干得好，他可能“通过这一工作获得一个固定职业”。马莎却认为她的新保镖不怎么样。后来她说，他故意领她到敌对的示威人群中去，还告诉她所有的朋友说他是个民主党，并“在纽约大庭广众之下光着脚到处溜达”。她说，他是“我所见过的最不善交际的人”。但是麦科德却喜欢鲍德温。他提拔他，让他搬到华盛顿的霍华德·约翰逊汽车旅馆里隔着弗吉尼亚大街正对着水门大楼的419号房间去住，并且告诉他，在那里他得对首都的激进分子进行一些暗中监视。5月26日星期五下午，这位前联邦调查局特工人员回到那个房间时出乎意外地发现麦科德已在屋里拨弄着一架精制的无线电接收机的度盘。“我们准备今天晚上到那边去按装一点设备，”麦科德边说边用手指着大街对面，“由你来监听了。”为了给他看看窃听器如何使用，他把那旅馆房间里的电话拆开，接上一个装置，然后拨号接个本地的电话把要说的话录下音来，以试验窃听器的功能。他对鲍德温说，如果他能把这件工作做好，他们将在民主党全国代表大会时，给他安排一个类似的差事。 四天前，一批古巴流亡者在巴克的带领下从迈阿密飞来华盛顿，在另一家旅馆化名住下。现在，他们搬进了水门饭店。鲍德温的汽车旅馆房间的优点，是能看到水门大楼六层楼上的民主党总部，而古巴人新搬的房间则靠近这个目标。更为靠近的是水门饭店的大陆厅，那天晚上，亨特、利迪和那些古巴人在那个大厅里揭开了后来成为一出典型的错中错喜剧的第一幕。反正有富有的共和党竞选经费捐款人付账，他们要了236元的酒菜——差不多一人合30元。餐后，除亨特和维吉利奥·冈萨雷斯(巴克的锁匠)外，一个个都离开大陆厅走了。这两个人藏在旁边一个房间里，等到侍者们把门锁上的时候，冈萨雷斯便出来想打开大厅那一头的一扇门，从那里他们便可到通往六层楼和民主党全国委员会办公室的楼梯。但是，那个门锁很紧，冈萨雷斯打不开。使他们惊愕的是，餐厅另一头他们要脱身的那扇门的锁也很紧。他们没有办法，只好坐下来度过一个不愉快的漫漫长夜，让自己的胃液把宴会上吃下的酒菜慢慢消化掉。 其余的人并没有闲着，不过也同样只是空忙一场。在利迪带领下，他们离开弗吉尼亚大道，前往一号街和麦戈文的总部。入口处被邻近的一盏街灯照得通明。利迪打开一个公文包，掏出一支裹在毛巾里的高效能的珠弹手枪。他指着那盏明亮的街灯问道：“要我把它揍灭吗·”他有这种本领；几天前，他在白宫对面，隔着拉斐德广场的老派的海—亚当斯饭店厕所里曾打灭过一盏灯。这一回，麦科德阻止了他。这次任务反正完成不了了。一个醉汉在楼前入口处闲逛。他老也不离开，到5点天亮时，他们只好作罢，回到弗吉尼亚大道睡觉去了。 第二天傍晚，亨特乘电梯到民主党全国委员会总部，又从楼梯上走下来，一路把门锁都打开，用胶布粘住，这一来，麦科德和那些古巴人就可以从水门大楼底层的车库上楼，到他们的目的地。那伙人，戴着橡皮手套，携带着步话机、照相机和闪光灯，于午夜1点半到达指定地点。两小时以后，麦科德在劳伦斯·奥布赖恩的秘书和民主党官员斯潘塞·奥利弗的电话机上装上了窃听器。巴克当时以为他们是在寻找卡斯特罗资助民主党的证据，但他没有找到。事实上，这一夜同前一夜一样，毫无所获。他们又不能破门进入麦戈文的办公室。窃听器也都令人非常失望。一个完全失灵，而另一部电话，鲍德温发现，都是些女秘书用来和已婚的政客安排幽会的。据马格鲁德讲，米切尔检查了鲍德温所监听的大约两百次谈话以后说，那些情报“毫无价值”，钱都白白浪费了，但他要求他们再试试看。 这出喜剧的第二幕和最后一幕，是在6月17日星期六夜间演出的。开幕的戏是古巴人住进水门饭店214号和314号房间，又坐下来大吃一顿。麦科德打开车库的门锁，用胶布粘住，然后穿过大街到霍华德·约翰逊汽车旅馆鲍德温的房间，在那里检查了他白天买下的新设备——焊接用铁器、电池、电线和螺旋钻。夜里12点45分，一名重要的新演员登场了。他名叫弗兰克·威尔斯，是水门大楼守夜的黑人。他发现了卡住锁簧的胶布，以为是维修工留下的，他就把它扯掉，然后穿过大街到霍华德·约翰逊汽车旅馆喝咖啡去。大约在同一时候，麦科德从鲍德温房间的窗户往外瞧，看到民主党全国委员会办公室的电灯熄灭了。他打电话给正同利迪一起待在水门214号房间的亨特，告诉他，可以下手了。麦科德拍了拍无线电接收机对鲍德温说：“你见到街对面有什么动静，马上就用这机子告诉我们。”接着，他就到车库去和那几个古巴人——巴克、冈萨雷斯、弗兰克·斯特吉斯，以及欧亨尼奥·马丁内斯——会合。当他们发现门又锁上时，都吃惊不小，只得再求助于冈萨雷斯，这一回，这个锁匠倒是把门锁打开了。他们议论了一下，再继续干下去是否风险太大。他们最后仍打定主意干下去，从楼梯上爬上六层楼，一路把撞锁都打开粘住了。夜里1点50分，守夜的威尔斯喝完咖啡回来，发现车库的门锁再一次被人打开粘上了。他给警察局打电话，1点52分，他的电话转到727号警车上去。这是一辆没有标记的巡逻车。车里是三名身穿短袖汗衫、皮夹克和廉价裤的巡逻队便衣。 这时已是2点，一个历史性的时刻。巡逻队停下汽车进入水门大楼，鲍德温全看在眼里，他那时站在霍华德·约翰逊汽车旅馆房间的小阳台上，用他后来的话说，正在欣赏“美丽的夜色”。由于这三名警察身穿便服，未引起他的警惕，但是，当街对面的灯都亮起来时，他马上用无线电叫话：“基地总部，一号基地，听到我的话了吗·”在水门饭店214号房间里的亨特回话说：“听到了，说吧，有什么动静·”鲍德温说：“整个八楼上的灯都亮了。”亨特说：“这我们知道，那是2点钟的警卫检查。要是有别的什么事，就马上告诉我们。”此时，在听他们对话的巴克，为了省电却把步话机关掉了。几分钟以后，六层楼上的灯开始这里灭了那里又亮了，鲍德温看见有两个便衣在那里。其中之一拿着手枪。鲍德温叫话说：“一号基地，一号分队，我们的人穿着整套衣服还是穿着随便·”亨特回话说：“我们的人都穿着整套衣服。怎么啦·”鲍德温说：“事情不太妙，那边有几个人，穿着随便，已经掏出了手枪。”亨特——据鲍德温讲，“颇有点发慌地”——想警告那伙闯入的人注意，嚷道：“听见了吗·你们听见了吗·”但因为那个巴克过于节约，他们那边没有任何回答。反正为时大概已经太晚了。麦科德正在拆卸奥布赖恩的电话机的时候，警官中有一个看见了一条胳膊。他喊道：“住手!站住!出来!”鲍德温和亨特听到步话机开关打开了，一个嘶哑的嗓子低声说：“他们把我们逮住了。”接着，警官们看见五双戴橡皮手套的手举了起来。麦科德问：“诸位是市警局的长官吗·”便衣人员给了肯定的答复，于是“水门五犯”便被拘捕了。