Now that the Watergate break-in has happened on White House Plumbers, the messy aftermath is playing out. It all eventually leads to the resignation of Richard Nixon in 1974, but the details of what happened to Howard Hunt (Woody Harrelson), Gordon Liddy (Justin Theroux) and others are astounding. As we see in White House Plumbers episode 4, "The Writer's Wife," this includes Dorothy Hunt (Lena Headey).
There have been references Dorothy had done some spy work in the past. She gets to put those skills to the test once again as she takes control of the post-Watergate situation, arranging for hush money from the government for her family, the Cubans and (despite her objections) the Liddys. However, she is not confident in Nixon repaying Howard and Grodon's loyalty, and wants to make sure they try and protect themselves as best they can. But tragedy prevents her from being able to enact any plan to that effect.
We're breaking down what is fact and what is fiction in White House Plumbers. For episode 4, this includes how Dorothy Hunt died, Howard's involvement in another historical event and a few other quick things from the immediate aftermath of the Watergate break-in.
Did Dorothy Hunt die in a plane crash?
The fiction
Dorothy returns from her trip to Paris to find her world in chaos. Howard has been implicated in the Watergate break-in and is panicking, wanting to flee the country. But she takes control of the situation, eventually becoming the point person for the hush payments being paid out to the burglars.
The money, though, begins to run dry and she has little faith Nixon is going to reward Howard and the others' loyalty with any kind of pardon. Still, she and everyone stay silent through the 1972 election, which Nixon wins in a landslide. That only convinces her what Howard did was absolutely pointless.
On December 8, 1972, Howard drops Dorothy off at the airport, having collected another round of hush money and now on her way to Chicago. But Dorothy is not going to be silent anymore. She meets with a reporter, Michele Clark, on the plane and goes over their side of the story. Just before they land, however, the plane crashes.
The fact
The crash of United Airlines Flight 553 on December 8, 1972, killed 41 of the 61 people who were onboard (as well as two people on the ground). Among those killed was Dorothy Hunt, as well as Michele Clark and Rep. George Collins, founder of the Congressional Black Caucus.
As the Washington Post details, Dorothy did indeed serve as the "paymistress" of Watergate, providing the hush money to those involved. Among the wreckage of the plane was $10,000 found in her purse. The show implies this money was another hush payment, though in real life, Howard Hunt claimed the money was going to be used to invest in Howard Johnson hotels.
While officially ruled an accident, conspiracy theories that the plane was sabotaged are out there. In the Post article, it is said Howard was not happy the hush payments were coming less frequently and with less money, and he reportedly called his contact at the White House, Charles Colson, about it three weeks before the crash. Coroner's reports from the crash also initially stated a first-class passenger died from "some explosive force" and another passenger from "blast injuries and severe burns." It was later clarified that those victims died of "injuries from high energy impact."
The Nixon tapes also provide some insight into this. A few days after the crash, Colson informed Nixon about Dorothy Hunt's death over the phone. The Post indicates that both men appeared shocked.
All official reports on the plane crash deem it an accident.
Was Howard Hunt involved in the Kennedy assassination?
The fiction
Howard Hunt's potential involvement in the assassination of John F. Kennedy has been referenced a few times in White House Plumbers, with him saying he was at home with Dorothy on the fateful day, November 22, 1963. In episode 4, however, Howard brings up Dallas as a threat as he tries to put pressure on the White House to take care of him post-Watergate. Then, while Dorothy is speaking with Michele Clark on the plane, she begins to talk about it, but the plane crashes before she provides any new details.
Was Howard Hunt in Dallas the day JFK was killed and was he involved in any way?
The fact
An article by the Sunday News Journal from Wilmington, Del., in 1978, available online via the CIA's website, reports that a "secret CIA memorandum" revealed Howard Hunt was in Dallas when JFK was killed and that top agency officials covered it up.
The article says Hunt thought he was in Dallas to arrange the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald. Sources said Hunt was the acting chief of the CIA station in Mexico City weeks prior to the Kennedy assassination, which is where Oswald supposedly met two KGB agents at the Russian embassy before leaving for Dallas, per the Warren Commission.
The article says Hunt denied he was in Dallas, saying he was in Washington, where he had dinner with his wife, and that he had witnesses to back it up. But the article then claims the CIA concocted that as his cover story.
In 2007, Rolling Stone reported Hunt made a deathbed confession to one of his sons that Lyndon Johnson, who was Kennedy's vice president, was behind the assassination, as well as a number of CIA agents. However, that theory has not been corroborated.
Quick hits
There was a lot in White House Plumbers episode 4 we just want to touch on real quick:
Bob Woodward of the Washington Post calls Howard Hunt the day after the break-in to ask him about it. Howard provides no comment.
The fact: Woodward is half of the famous duo to break the Watergate story, but they were not the first to report on it for the Post. That was Alfred E. Lewis; Woodward and Berntsein's first article appeared two days after the break-in and has no mention of Hunt. Hunt's involvement in the break-in wouldn't be known for a couple of days after the break-in. Woodward may have called Hunt for comment, but the timing appears to be off here. Side note, it sure sounds like Woodward is voiced by Robert Redford, who played Woodward in All the President's Men.
Mark Felt is mentioned multiple times in this episode and appeared in episode 1, played by Gary Cole. But who is Mark Felt?
The fact: Mark Felt was a high-ranking FBI official at the time of Watergate. With his knowledge of the investigation, he would become a source for Woodward and Bernstein as they reported on the scandal, going by the name "Deep Throat."
US viewers can stream all episodes of White House Plumbers on Max. In the UK, new episodes of the series premiere Tuesdays on Sky Atlantic.
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