Newspaper excerpt on Freedom Tower design debate, undated

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EDITORIALS I RECALLINGDEEP THROAT TIMOTHY P. KNIGHT JOHN C, McKEON "D Fubhsber mu) C.E.O. Genera) Maa^r o A40 lOHN MANCINI lAMrSM. KLUKPELD A37 p. “VWwre there Is no virion, SL the people perish." Ediwr Editor of the EdlttsrUl Pa^s O DEBORAH HENLEY DEBBY iCRENEE CAROL R RICHARDS o Man^png Editor ManaBlDR Editor DepW o c RICHARD GALANT AssocSjte Editor LES PAYNE New York Editor of Che BditoriaJ

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§ I u Lesson of Wait Handelsman's view ifcii ‘Deep Throat’ I VMS'W In confirming Watergate excesses, he WWW made it possible for press to do its job W1H». When a corrupt president is guiding a criminal enterprise from the White House and you're a federal lawman in the kiu>w, who're you gonna call? For W. Mark Felt, the man the work! now knows to be “Deep Throat” of Watergate fame, the answer was: the press. As revealed in Vanity Fair and confirmed by the Washing­ ton Post, Felt was the FBI’s second-ln-coramand when he began a clandestine collaboration with Washington Post re­ porters Bob Wctodward and Carl Bernstein that led to the eventual fall fiom grace and resignation of President Rich­ ard WL Nixon. When the system is rigged by the powerful to thwart tile rule of law. the news media are a key safety valve. The press provides an effective way for the truth to out to the public, even when the most powerfill boss in the free world IS doing ail he can to make sure it never does. There’s a lesson In that, particularly as government secre­ cy has been ratcheted up in the war on terror and President George W. Bush has taken to disparaging the news media’s 1^ of anonymous sources. Deep Throat was the mother of all anonymous sources. LETTERS APPK’’O Would he have come forward in 1972 if it meant revealing his identity to the world? Maybe. Maybe not. Would the Water^te r«port«3 Cari 1^, and Bob Woodward In the Washington Post newsrown, below. In 1973, and on Tuesday, above, the day a Vanity Fair White House have let him continue in the job that ^ve him MnVP Tkump’s persistence and per- streets remains an intenalkm- article identined Deep Throat. Tlx sa^ began when the two metro desk reporters were assign«l to cover a burglary at Democratic National Headquarters. access to the explosive information he passed along to steer iVlW.C pvllLlL.lallo suasiveness pay off. I tope he ally recognizable symtol of hu- the Post’s investigation bad his identity been public in the fHp TnwPTQ do for New York City mankind’s hope for a more be­ time of the meetmg that night, into an interview with Hoover reasons. The young eager-bea- early days of that national soap opera.’ Not a c^nce. ll 11V 11 iC lUWvIo what the people were not nevoleni world. President probably 2 a.m., in the same and telling him of his ambition ver patrol of White House un- Tiie Nixon White House wasn’t above co-opting federal Here’s yet another idea to re- able to do — push for rebuild- George W. Bush's nomination J*. I-., , Rosslyn parking ^rage. to become a special a^nt In derilngs were odious to him. agencies in service of its cover-up of the break-in at the Dem­ build the Twin Towers pr^- ing, get tbe job done right, of John Bolton to be ambassa- The relationship with him charge of an FBI field office. His reverence for Hoover « ' -lG] ocratic National Committee headquarters at Watergate Hotel. Nixon notoriously moved to dump a Watergate spe­ cial prosecutor for being too ag®cssive — or maybe because investigators were getting too close to the truth. And poten­ tially iacriminating Oval Office tapes were mysteriously matically; Move all tbe politi- cians' offices Into the top 30 floors, so we don’t have to rent them out Tbis not only gives us our That is tbe only option. An empty skeleton is an in- wltTdrati^seelbeholeinthe groural dian a pathetic replace- ment that only takes up space. dor to the United Nations sym- boHzesthe egotbm andcorKfo- scension that has become syn­ anymous with the Bush admin- istration. ' KsB L' was a compact of trust; nothing about it was to be discussed or shared with anyone, be said. How be could have mack a daily observation of my balco- It was an unusual message, emphatically encouraging me to get In his face. ■ With a story as enticing, com- and strict bureau procedure made Gray’s appointment as di­ rector all the more shocking. Felt obviously concluded he was Hcxiver’s logkal successor. ermed. skyline back and defeats terror- Josef Zuelch Can the president wt find a ny is still a mystery to me. The plex, competitive and fast And the former World War Those things came later, but that was the sort of brass- Ism, but it saves us a billion tax Bensolern, Po. more likable caudidte for this back ofthe building not en- breakmu as Watergate, there H spy hunter liked the game. I knuckle operation that Felt was confronting when he allied dollars a year because many all-important post? Chw whose ’’ ’’ I Bi closed and could have been was little tendency or rime to suspect in bis mind I was his himself with reporters. It worked. The truth came out, politicians' offices in the city Rncli tirr/ m’nTiz^n public statements embody the 'v<": SI seen from dozens of apartments consider rhe motives of our agent. He beat it into toy bead: Nixon resigned, the republic survived and Felt’s identity re­ are in private office space OUoll <111 v^cllJvt. ideals of foe United Nations, or offices as best I can tell. sources. What was important secrecy at all cost, no loose mained secret for 30 years until he himself, now 91 and in (while hundreds of public build- rather than their direct oppo- RHK'V'^ A number of embassies were was whether the information talk, no talk about him at all. no felling health, decided it was rime to let the world in on an­ other secret. He turned to tbe media once again, this time to Ings sit vacant) at enormous cost IO the taxpayers. UlipivvcLK^iItcU I am 86 and never In my entire site? SmUh 1 located tn the area. The Iraqi Embassy was down the street, checked out and whether it was true. Indication to anyone that such a secret source existed. reveal, “I’m the guy they used to call ‘Deep Throat.*" QH (The landlords then make long life have I witnessed tbe Manhattan and I thought it possible that I was thankful for any morsel In our book ‘'All the Presi* hu^e donations to the same kind of arrogance of the Bush ad- tom level of an undergrcwind detstand if you don’t show. the FBI hM surveillance or Us- of information, confirmation or dent’s Men,” Carl and I de- poHticians’ campaigns.) It ministration. I had been a life- cmarf rage just over Key Bridge in Ax- All this was like a lecture, tening posts nearby. Could Felt assistance Felt gave me while scribed how we had spcculat- will also give our government long Republican until the last □CllUllld o olIldJL lingtOD, Va. The key was taking the neccs- have had the countcrintelU- Cari and 1 were attempting to ed about Deep Throat and his City school honors more incentive to care about fighting terrorism, because It election, when t realized that Geoige W. Bush, acti^ like he QK/knl ntisiz MV aUUUl IlcW i x 1 Fdt said I would have to fol- low strict countersurvelUance sary time — one to two hours to get there. Be patient, so gence agents regularly report on the status of my flag and understand Watergate. Because of bis position, his words and piecemeal approach to provid- ing information. Maybe it was will be their backsides on the was God, was rcrunnir^ for of- Regardiz^ Sen. Charles E techniques. How did 1 get out rene. There was no fallback flowerpot? lliat seems highly guidance had immense, at times to minimize his risk. Or bo of my apartment? meeting place or time. If we unlikely, if not impossible. even staggering, authority. cause one or two big stories, 6 Public education spawned CUNY stars line next time. Janice Amato fice and changing tnir Constitu- tion to read like his Bible. Any Schumer’s “West Side site isn't downtown's foe” (Letters, May I walked out, down the hall both didn't show, there would In the course of this and It was only after Nixon re- no matter how devastating, 2 I Chancellor Matthew Goldstein's push to create the Hon­ Manhattan rule or law he doesn’t like, he re* writes. What chutzpah; Our sen- 25] i^rding ‘^Priority No. F lEditorlaL May Finally, a and took the elevator. Which takes you to the be no meeting. Felt said that If he bad some- other discussions, I was some- what apologetic for plaguing slgt^ that I began to wonder why Felt had talked when could be blunted by tlx White House. Maybe it was g ors College at tbe Chy University of New York paid off ators have to stand strong to New York politician bas sofl^ lobby? he asked. thing for me, he could get me a him and being such a nag, Injt doing so carried substaotlal simply to make the game 2 handsomdy this week with the Inaugural graduation of 189 ■ protect our freedom of speech thlngreasonabletosayaboittre- Yes. message. He quizzed me about explained that we had nowhere risks for him and the FBI. Had more interesting. More likely, 1 higb-achicviDg students. But also worthy of praise are the At what point will the politi- and democracy by opposing this building New York I never be- Did I have back stairs to my my daily routine, what came to else to turn. Cari and i liad ob- he been exposed early on. Felt we concluded, ’‘Deep Throat ? I New York City public high schools that produced 80 per­ cent of the Honors College graduates. It’s the kind of public cians start listening to the peo- pie? Since day one, almost every outrageous power prab by the GOP. Stop the insanityi lieved in the media’s theory thaa Mayor Michael Bkxjrtoerg was apartment bouse? Yes. my apartnxnc. the mailbox, etc. 1 had a subscription to The tamed a list of everyone who worked for Nixon's re-election would have been no hero. Technically, it was illegal to was trying to protect the of- flee, to effect a change In its s ’ relations that money can't buy. poll has been in favor of rebuild- Mary Gaffney sacrifiang Ground Zero for the Use them when you are head- New York Times. A number of committee and were ft^uentiy talk about ^and jury Informa- conduct before all was lost” . z Yes, many of the Honors College graduates came from ing the Twin Towers. Finally, Manhattan sake of the West Side. Ing for a meeting. Do they open people in ray apartment build- ^oing out into tbe nlgbt knock- tion or FBI files; or It could Each time 1 raised the ques- g tfe3 Selective high schools. But that is no reason to discount someone with the money and Why would any mayor let this into an alley? ing got the Times. The copies ing on the doors of these peo- have been made to look lUegaL tion with Felt, he had the g CM the overall potential of the city’s public education system. true passion for New York pinrl a liVaKIn high-profile prefect stall? Yes. were left in the lobby with the pie to try to interview them. I Felt believed be was protect- same answer: “I have to do > Its struggles are well documented, and city school ofiidals speaks up (Donald Trump), and a ll iU « lIKctUJv Bloomberg has focused on re- Take the alley. Don’t use apartment number. explained to Felt that wc were hag the bureau by finding a way. this my way.” 2 know that reforms take effect gradually. But If they can turn he’s ba^d by Ellis Henican TIM building the city after 9/11. your own car. Take a taxi to Mine was Na 617 and It was getting lots of slammed doors. clandestine as it was., to push out some Ivy League-caliber students, who also have the l“Trump still towers in tacki- Viv liUiiUlitx; That’s why’ he fought hard to several blocks from a hotel written dearly on the outside Felt said 4 should not worry some of the Information from I tx good sense to matriculate at revitalized CUNY campuses. ness.” News, May 201 I can only hope that The United Nations — love it oriuM —is a conduit fen: peace- bring political conventions here. And that’s why he’s fighting where there are cabs after mid- night, get dropped off and then of each paper in marker pen. Felt t^d if there was some- about pushing him. He had done his time as a street agent, tbe FBI interviews and flies out to the public, to help build pub­ 3 then there’s a reason to be hopeful. Goldstein appreciates that CUNY’s ultimate success de- fol deliberation as an alternative hard to get the Olympics. It was walk to get a second cab to thing important he could g^t to Interviewing people. Felt per- Ik and polltkaJ pressure to pends on attracting the best-prepared students from city tovdolent^gresrioneveuwton. never an either/or question. Rosslyn. boo’t get dropped off ray New York Times — how I haps tolerated my aggressive- make Nixon and his people an-

I MJ z public schools and then giving them the tods to succeed. That’s why he is behind a coUege-prepararioc initiative at focal schods. Good move, because me most promising high school graduates make the best CUNY students. EB >4 as now, it is mired in scandal and covered in inertia. The site stretching along the East River from 42nd to 48th and thank goodiKss the senator recognizes this. Arid W««^orit Broofc^ dircctly at the parking garage, Walk the last several blocks. If you are being followed, don’t go down to the garage. FU on- nerer knew. Page 20 would be circled and the binds of a dock in the lower part of the page would be drawn to indicate the ness and pushy approadi be- cause he had been the same way himself when he was younger, once talking his way swerable. He had nothing but contempt for the Nixon V^te House and their efforts to ma- nipulate the bureau for political

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