Silent Coup

Infobox Book
author = Len Colodny, Robert Gettlin
name = Silent Coup: The Removal of a President


country = United States
language = English
subject = Watergate scandal
publisher = St. Martin's Press
pub_date = January 1992
media_type = Print (Hardcover)
pages = 580 pages
isbn = ISBN 0-312-05156-5 (hardback)ISBN 978-0312927639 (paper)
oclc = 22493143

"Silent Coup" is a 1992 book by Len Colodny and Robert Gettlin in which they contend that former Nixon White House counsel John Dean orchestrated the 1972 Watergate burglary at Democratic National Committee headquarters to protect his future wife, then named Maureen Biner, by removing information linking her to a call-girl ring that worked for the DNC. The authors also argued that Alexander Haig was not Deep Throat but was a key source for Bob Woodward, who had briefed Haig at the White House in 1969 and 1970.

Silent Coup was described as one of "the most boring conspiracy books ever written" filled with "wild charges and vilifications" by "The Washington Post". Citation
last=Lardner Jr.
first=George
author-link=
date=1997-07-23
title=Watergate Libel Suit Settled
periodical=Washington Post
url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/1997/07/23/AR2005112200817.html
accessdate=2007-10-01.]

The New York Times Book Review attacked Silent Coup's argument that Nixon was "an innocent victim" and said it showed "a stunning ignorance of how the Government under Mr. Nixon operated."

Silent Coup was on the New York Times bestseller list for 12 weeks and sold more than 100,000 copies.

Lawsuits

In 1992 John and Maureen Dean sued Liddy for libel. The case was dismissed without prejudice and was later refiled. In 2001 a federal judge declared a mistrial and dismissed the $5.1 million defamation lawsuit. cite journal
first =
last =
authorlink =
coauthors =
year =2001
month =February 01
title =Liddy Case Dismissed Jury Unable To Reach A Verdict After Deliberating 8 Hours
journal =CBS News
volume =
issue =
pages =
id =
url =http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/01/29/national/main267968.shtml ]

The Deans also sued St. Martin's Press, publisher of Silent Coup. St. Martin's settled the case for an undisclosed sum.

In 2001, former DNC secretary Ida Wells sued Gordon Liddy in US District Court in Baltimore on the same basis as Dean had, the court declared a mistrial.

References