White House Call Girl: The Real Watergate Story

This short book is essential for those interested in Watergate since it goes deeper into the individuals behind the call girl ring, which was operating near the Watergate building. Who cares if there was a call girl ring nearby? How is that connected to this scandal? One of the men arrested that night was "former" CIA man James McCord who was the employer of ex-FBI sleaze, Lou Russell, who worked directly with the call girl sexual blackmail operation. Indeed, it appears that Russell was even there that infamous night commiserating with McCord unbeknown to the burglars. Furthermore, upon arrest, one of the conspirators had a key to Maxie Wells' desk, the woman who solicited clients for the call girl ring. A large part of the book follows the life of Heidi, the madam of the ring. Stanford interviews her friends, boyfriends and clients in order to paint a fascinating picture of sex and organized crime, which ultimately leads her to Washington D.C. In addition we get some background information on Maureen Dean, whose husband, Nixon White House lawyer John Dean, figures prominently in Watergate. She and Heidi were friends and an affidavit in the book testifies that she provided sex for money on several occasions. So John Dean's wife was a friend with the madam of a call girl sexual blackmail operation and she too had prostituted herself in the past. Once again, another link between the break-ins and the call girl ring. Stanford even manages to interview the attorney who was a client of Heidi before the operation moved near the Watergate building. He was the one who suggested finding a way to solicit clients from the DNC seeing as their headquarters were by Heidi's new place of operation. He was unaware it was a blackmail operation - he was mostly into sex and money. It's captivating when the attorney finds out he's in over his head when he goes by Heidi's place of operation and finds crusty ex-FBI guy Russell there. The attorney then sees a man disappear into a room and can't find him, until he opens a door and is shocked to find recording equipment. Shortly thereafter a call girl arrives with her client and they go off into the hallway. Fascinating, sleazy stuff. Despite Stanford's new interviews, there is still more I want to know: How did Heidi meet the ex-FBI man who was involved in her blackmail operation and how did he come to be employed by CIA man McCord, who was one of the Watergate burglars? Who in the government - or in the intelligence community - had access to the blackmail tapes? This book builds on Jim Hougan's "Secret Agenda," which was one of the first to link the call girl ring to the Watergate scandal. (Hougan's website credits "Nightmare: An Underside of the Nixon Years" by J. Anthony Lukas as the first book to bring up the call girl ring.) "Secret Agenda" provides one of the best histories of the scandal, while "White House Call Girl" provides details from the call girl angle. Final note: Whenever the corporate media features little liar John Dean to opine on anything, remember that he is one of Watergate's villains.

The ultimate question is: What crime or action necessitated Richard Nixon's removal as President? Were call girls involved with Washington politicians, of course. Was some of this action employed as part of the plan to remove the President? It certainly appears so. Does this book add to the known facts of this episode, yes to some degree. But I am still awaiting the answer to the ultimate question, why did Dick have to go?

This book filled in the last major question I had about the Watergate mess. That is "Why did John Dean order the breakend and bugging of the Democratic party headquarters?" Likewise, it provided suggestive answers why the bugging crew was caught. "I likewise appreciated his comments on Geoff Shepard's book, "The Secrete Plot to Make Ted Kennedy President." For those interested in Watergate, "White House Call Girl: The Real Watergate Story" is a fun book to read if you can make horror fun. However, Mr. Shepard's book, with a very bad title, is a somewhat dull legal brief but is the fact filled horror story of a presidential lynching.

The text could have stood another rewrite, but I give this book five stars because the author actually did research and "investigative journalism". Stanford's research squares with the books by Hougan and Colodny/Gettlin and is supported by a variety of witnesses, Heidi's little black book and a wealth of circumstantial evidence. Particularly important are the footnotes at the end of the book which include some pretty trustworthy sources. I also give this book five stars because the subject is of such great importance. The real reasons why Nixon was run out of office are important because Nixon was unquestionably turning against the military industrial complex. Did they take him out like they did JFK, but without guns? Stanford confirms that the CIA was deeply involved and, as G. Gordon Liddy later claimed, in control. Who runs this country -- the CIA? I started out investigating whether Bob Woodward was working for the intelligence community and I am still investigating this. It doesn't look good for Bob, but I don't feel sorry for him. I feel sorry for myself and the American people who were (and still are) spoon fed a bunch of pablum for the weak minded. Writing could be better but the info and photos are great.

Phil Stanford has written what I believe to be the best examination of the real Watergate Scandal story, one which is perfectly compatible with my own take on the coup d’état against Richard Nixon: ( http://www.lewrockwell.com/2013/09/charles-burris/the-watergate-conspiracy/ ) I was graciously provided by the publisher, Feral House / Process Media, a pre-publication .pdf copy of the book in September, 2013. I found its fascinating, connect the dots narrative absolutely compelling. I spent a whole weekend glued to my computer screen until the Sun was coming up, briefly sleeping for naps, and again returning to immerse myself into Stanford’ fast-paced narrative. I purchased an advance copy of the paperback as soon as Amazon was preparing to release it. Investigative journalist Phil Stanford is an incomparable master at keeping the reader’s interest fully engaged. White House Call Girl is precise, concise, and written in one of the most enjoyable and readable formats. I have shelves of volumes on Nixon and Watergate. This is the one book, above all others, which I would highly commend to readers. But don’t simply take my word on it. Buy this book today for yourself, colleagues, friends, and family.

Interesting information about the call girl network and the support Characters from the White House, DC police and CIA It seems to me almost an afterthought. It does show the perpetrators profiting.

It seems a bit late to be dredging up old news, but this book does put some of the Watergate mystery into better perspective. It poses a better reason (self-defense) for the White House to want details on the Democrats activities. Especially if they were visiting the same call girls as the Republicans!

Journalist Phil Stanford has written a book that belongs beside Lukas, Hougan, Colodny, Gettlin, Rosen, Locker, Shepard, and O'Sullivan in the canon of Watergate research. What seems like a salacious cover picture and title are not - not in a sexual way. This is an incredible piece of historical journalism that expounds on a little-known part of the Watergate story (one, that may be the literal key to the motivation for the second, most infamous, break-in at the DNC). The call-girl ring, operating with a branch office in the DNC, was also discussed in Jim Hougan's Secret Agenda. What Stanford does is give us the story of the long-searched-for madame, Heidi Rikan, and one of her closest friends, Maureen "Mo" Biner. Mo Biner would eventually become Maureen Dean, wife of Nixon WH Special Counsel John Dean. If this seems like a small world, it gets even tighter! This story includes attorney Phil Bailey, heavy hand Lou Russell, mobster Joe Nesline, Jeb Magruder, and John Dean. And if there is any doubt that the Deans had a connection to Rikan, Stanford has pictures of Heidi's little black books - with the personal and office numbers of John Dean and the personal number of Mo Dean. Did I mention that Rikan appears in Mo's own biography? There is so much more! Get this book! --- S.T. Patrick

This books gives us some interesting info about the call-girls rings which were operating around Washington, D.C. at the time of the Watergate break-in. We are led to believe that John Dean's wife had some connection to the women operating these rings. However, this book fails to tell us just exactly what the Watergate burglars were searching for at the Democratic Party headquarters when they were caught and arrested.

Doing book math. It was 180 pages in total, minus16 totally blank pages minus 42 pages for pictures and lastly 100 pages of background of people who may or may not have had a small role. Leaving but 22 pages of ever thin hints of a story.