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Watergate's Forgotten Hero: Frank Wills, Night Watchman
Nearly everyone who played a significant role in the Watergate saga has been scrutinized except one key night watchman Frank Wills.
On the morning of June 17, 1972, in Washington D.C, Wills, a twenty-four-year-old security guard, was on duty at the Watergate Office Building when he detected a break-in and reported it to the police. The botched burglary ignited a national political scandal, resulting in the resignation of President Richard Nixon.
The only African American identified with the Watergate affair, Frank Wills enjoyed a brief moment in the limelight, but was unable to cope with his newfound fame, living the remainder of his life in obscurity and poverty. Through exhaustive research and numerous interviews, the story of America's most famous night watchman finally has been told.
On the morning of June 17, 1972, in Washington D.C, Wills, a twenty-four-year-old security guard, was on duty at the Watergate Office Building when he detected a break-in and reported it to the police. The botched burglary ignited a national political scandal, resulting in the resignation of President Richard Nixon.
The only African American identified with the Watergate affair, Frank Wills enjoyed a brief moment in the limelight, but was unable to cope with his newfound fame, living the remainder of his life in obscurity and poverty. Through exhaustive research and numerous interviews, the story of America's most famous night watchman finally has been told.
213 pages, Paperback
Published June 9, 2021
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About the author
Adam Henig
5 books5 followersAdam Henig is the author of "Watergate's Forgotten Hero: Frank Wills, Night Watchman" (McFarland & Company, Inc., 2021). He is author of two other books, "Alex Haley's Roots: An Author's Odyssey" (2014) and "Baseball Under Siege: The Yankees, the Cardinals, and a Doctor's Battle to Integrate Spring Training" (2016).
His next book, "Baseball's Outcast: The Story of Ron LeFlore," will be published in 2026 (Rowman & Littlefield).
Adam's writings have appeared in Time, Detroit Metro Times, Tampa Bay Times, Washington Independent Review of Books, History News Network, San Francisco Book Review, and the website BlackPast.
For more information, visit www.adamhenig.com.
His next book, "Baseball's Outcast: The Story of Ron LeFlore," will be published in 2026 (Rowman & Littlefield).
Adam's writings have appeared in Time, Detroit Metro Times, Tampa Bay Times, Washington Independent Review of Books, History News Network, San Francisco Book Review, and the website BlackPast.
For more information, visit www.adamhenig.com.
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November 2, 2023
An in depth and highly researched book about an individual who played a pivotal role in the Watergate scandal, but who did not get the recognition due to him. While the unfolding of the entire set of events was interesting to me, I was particularly intrigued by the way the author managed to weave together the highly publicized scandal with repeatedly uncovering and referring to the inherent racism that was/is prevalent in our nation. Frank Wills was both a hero and a victim.
Displaying 1 of 1 review