The Committee for the Re-Election of the President (CRP), infamously known by the acronym CREEP, was the fundraising and campaign apparatus for Richard Nixon’s 1972 presidential bid. While the organization existed to secure a second term for the incumbent, its activities during May 1972 crossed the line from standard political operations into the realm of criminal conspiracy. This specific month serves as the critical pivot point where the "dirty tricks" and covert intelligence gathering orchestrated by the Nixon administration culminated in the Watergate break-in, the scandal that would eventually topple a presidency.
Understanding what CREEP did in May 1972 requires looking beyond the single night of the burglary. It involves examining the financial machinations, the final planning meetings, the deployment of personnel, and the desperate attempts to salvage a failing intelligence operation against the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
The Context: Desperation and "Gemstone"
By the spring of 1972, Nixon was leading in the polls against likely Democratic nominee George McGovern. Still, the White House and CREEP leadership—specifically Attorney General John Mitchell (who had stepped down to run CREEP), Deputy Director Jeb Magruder, and White House Counsel John Dean—were obsessed with political intelligence. They feared the Democrats might have damaging information on Nixon’s finances or the ITT settlement, and they were desperate to plug leaks within the administration It's one of those things that adds up..
Short version: it depends. Long version — keep reading.
This paranoia birthed Operation Gemstone, a plan proposed by G. Gordon Liddy, the general counsel for CREEP. Liddy’s original proposals were Bond-villain absurd: kidnapping anti-war activists, firebombing the Brookings Institution, and using prostitutes to compromise Democratic delegates. While the most extreme elements were rejected, the core component—electronic surveillance of the DNC headquarters at the Watergate complex—was approved in a series of meetings throughout March and April Not complicated — just consistent. But it adds up..
By May 1972, the operation had moved from theoretical planning to active execution. On top of that, the "Plumbers" unit (officially the White House Special Investigations Unit) and Liddy’s CREEP intelligence team were converging on Washington, D. C.
The First Break-In: The "Unsuccessful" Attempt (Late May)
The most significant action CREEP undertook in May 1972 was the first illegal entry into the DNC offices. While history remembers the June 17 arrest, the May entry was the operational trial run.
Timeline of the May Break-In:
- Target: The DNC headquarters, Suite 600, Watergate Office Building.
- Team: G. Gordon Liddy (lookout/coordinator), James McCord (electronics expert/CRP Security Chief), Bernard Barker, Virgilio Gonzalez, Eugenio Martinez, and Frank Sturgis (the "Cuban" operatives).
- Date: Memorial Day Weekend, specifically the night of Saturday, May 27, into the morning of Sunday, May 28, 1972.
Objectives of the May Entry:
- Photograph Documents: The team targeted the desk of DNC Chairman Lawrence O’Brien and the office of Secretary Spencer Oliver. They photographed financial records, contributor lists, and strategy memos.
- Plant Listening Devices (Bugs): McCord installed surveillance devices on the phones of O’Brien and Oliver. This was the primary strategic goal—real-time intelligence on Democratic strategy.
- Test Security: The team needed to verify they could bypass the Watergate’s security guards and the sophisticated locking mechanisms on the doors.
Outcome: The team successfully entered, photographed documents, and planted the bugs. They exited without detection. Still, the operation was not a total success. The bug on O’Brien’s phone failed to transmit clearly, and the team realized they needed to return to fix the device and gather more intelligence on the McGovern campaign’s emerging strategy. This necessity for a "return trip" set the stage for the disastrous June 17 break-in.
Financial Engineering: The "Smoking Gun" Money Trail
While the burglars were scaling walls, CREEP’s financial wing was engaged in a frantic effort to fund the operation while obscuring the paper trail. May 1972 was a peak month for the laundering of campaign contributions used to pay the Watergate burglars and the Plumbers And that's really what it comes down to..
- The $25,000 Check: In April, a $25,000 cashier’s check from Kenneth Dahlberg (a Midwest finance chairman) was deposited into the bank account of Bernard Barker in Miami. In May, the FBI (acting on a tip months later) would trace this money, but in May, the funds were actively being dispersed.
- Cash Withdrawals: Barker withdrew large sums in cash throughout May—often in $100 bills—to pay the Cuban operatives and cover operational expenses (hotels, equipment, rental cars).
- The "Slush Fund": CREEP Finance Director Maurice Stans and Assistant Director Hugh Sloan managed a secret cash fund. In May, Sloan withdrew thousands of dollars in cash from a CREEP safe to hand off to Magruder or Liddy for "intelligence operations." This commingling of legitimate campaign donations with covert ops funding was the financial crime that linked the break-in directly to the Nixon campaign.
The Liddy-Magruder-Dean Dynamic: Management by Chaos
May 1972 exposed the dysfunctional command structure of CREEP. Plus, liddy operated with significant autonomy, often bypassing Magruder to report to John Dean at the White House. This created a dangerous lack of oversight.
- The "Gemstone" Budget Approval: In early May, Magruder met with Mitchell (likely at Mitchell’s apartment or the CREEP headquarters at 1701 Pennsylvania Ave) to discuss the budget for Liddy’s intelligence plan. While Mitchell later claimed he rejected the plan, testimony suggests he approved a scaled-down version costing roughly $250,000—a massive sum for "political intelligence" in 1972.
- Dean’s Role: John Dean met with Magruder and Liddy multiple times in May. Dean was the White House "quarterback" for the cover-up before the crime even happened. He received updates on the bugging operation and pressured Magruder for results. Dean’s May 1972 calendars (later subpoenaed) show frequent contact with Magruder regarding "intelligence matters."
The Daniel Ellsberg Break-In: A Parallel CREEP Operation
It is crucial to note that CREEP’s illegal activities in May 1972 were not limited to the Watergate. The White House Plumbers—funded and directed by the same inner circle (Ehrlichman, Krogh, Liddy, Hunt)—conducted a separate break-in during this period.
- Target: The office of Lewis Fielding, psychiatrist to Daniel Ellsberg (leaker of the Pentagon Papers).
- Date: September 1971 (planned earlier, but the operational mindset was identical).
- Relevance to May 1972: By May 1972, the Plumbers were being wound down or absorbed into CREEP security. E. Howard Hunt, a key Plumber and CREEP consultant, was actively managing the Cuban operatives (Barker, Martinez, Sturgis, Gonzalez) used in both the Fielding break-in and the Watergate entries. May 1972 represents the operational merger of the "Plumbers" (national security leaks) and CREEP (political intelligence).
